Charles Bukowski

by Howard Sounes

  The history of the Loujon Press is based primarily on my interviews with Louise ‘Gypsy Lou’ Webb (various dates between 1996 and 1997). I also referred to interviews and correspondence with Webb family friend Ed Blair (various dates from 1996 to 1997) who supplied valuable background information, including his article, ‘How to Start an Outsider’ (Louisiana Literature); and interviews with Jory Sherman; original copies of The Outsider and related papers at UCSB; unpublished correspondence between

  Bukowski and the Webbs, held at UCSB and the University of Arizona; and the tenth issue of Sure (Ed Smith, 1994).

  The poems, ‘The Day I Kicked Away a Bankroll’, ‘A Nice Place’, ‘old man dead in a room’ and ‘Soirée’ are from The Roominghouse Madrigals. ‘The Tragedy of the Leaves’ appears in Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame. ‘for Jane, with all the love I had, which was not enough –’ appears in The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills. I also quote from letters published in Screams from the Balcony and Living on Luck.

  4 CONVERSATIONS IN CHEAP ROOMS

  Bukowski’s depression following the death of Jane Cooney Baker is based on his unpublished correspondence with John William Corrington; my 9 Feb, 1997, interview with Ann Menebroker; interviews with Jory Sherman (various dates); letters published in Outsider 3 (the burlesque show and the death of Jane’s fish); and letters published in Screams from the Balcony, including the Dec, 1962, letter to Ann Menebroker about his arrest.

  Background information about Bukowski’s relationship with his Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Jake Hostetter are from interviews with Katherine Wood.

  Additional background information about Bukowski’s grieving for Jane comes from his comments in Bukowski in the Bathtub.

  John Bryan described his association with Bukowski in interviews (13 Jan & 6 June, 1997). I referred to original copies of rare Bukowski publications and literary magazines at the libraries of UCSB and the University of Arizona. I also studied correspondence held at these universities which relates to the publication of his work in the little magazines.

  The description of Bukowski’s post office work is based primarily on my interviews with his former co-workers: David Berger (4 Mar & 24 April, 1997); Johnny Moore (6 Mar, 1997); and Grace Washington (14 May, 1997). I also consulted the novel Post Office and Bukowski’s US Postal Service personnel file.

  Bukowski’s relationship with FrancEyE, and her personal history, is based on my interviews with FrancEyE (3 Jan & 30 May, 1997); her birth certificate; her unpublished correspondence with Bukowski held at UCSB; and Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John William Corrington.

  Bukowski’s relationship with Sam Cherry and his family is based on interviews with Neeli Cherkovski (various dates) and Sam Cherry (31 Dec, 1996).

  The publication of It Catches My Heart in Its Hands is based on interviews with Gypsy Lou Webb and Ed Blair on various dates. I also consulted the Bukowski/Webb correspondence, published and unpublished; original copies of the various editions of It Catches My Heart in Its Hands at UCSB; and letters in Outsider 3. The quoted writings of Jon Webb are from the colophon of It Catches My Heart in Its Hands, and Bukowski’s quoted reaction to the book is from letters in Screams from the Balcony. I further referred to A Bibliography of Charles Bukowski, by Stanford Dorbin. Bukowski’s quotes about Robinson Jeffers are from a 1 April, 1960, letter to Jory Sherman printed in Screams from the Balcony.

  The poem, ‘an empire of coins’, is from Betting on the Muse; ‘I thought of ships, of armies, hanging on …’ is from The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills. The letters between Bukowski and his neighbor appear in Screams from the Balcony. The poem, ‘the biggest breasts’, is from Renaissance magazine, 1962, and has never previously been published in book form.

  The chapter title is adapted from Bukowski’s poem, ‘conversation in a cheap room’, originally published in It Catches My Heart in Its Hands.

  5 FAMILY LIFE AT DE LONGPRE AVENUE

  FrancEyE described her pregnancy, the birth of Marina and her relationship with Bukowski (interviews dated: 3 Jan & 30 May, 1997). I consulted Marina’s birth certificate, and my interviews with Neeli Cherkovski and Jory Sherman.

  The description of the De Longpre Avenue court is based on interviews with Neeli Cherkovski (various dates); Francis Crotty (4 Jan, 1997); FrancEyE (3 Jan & 30 May, 1997); Paul Jenson (31 Dec, 1996); Steve Richmond (8 Nov, 1996); and Sina Taylor (31 Dec 1996). I also referred to ‘Grip The Walls’ (The Wormwood Review, No.16, 1964); to my interview with Al Purdy (27 Dec, 1996); and to the book, The Bukowski/Purdy Letters 1964–1974.

  Bukowski’s meeting and dealings with the Webbs were described by Gypsy Lou Webb and by FrancEyE.

  His quote about Marina, ‘The girl-child …’ is from a 1 Mar, 1965, letter to John William Corrington, published in Living on Luck.

  Concerning the meeting between Bukowski and Corrington and the making of the second Loujon book, I interviewed Ed Blair (various interviews and correspondence between Dec 1996 and June 1997); Joyce Corrington (9 Dec, 1996); Ben C. Toledano (1 July, 1997); and Miller Williams (18 Feb, 1997). I also consulted the following sources: the Bukowski–Webb correspondence collected at UCSB, and at the University of Arizona; Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with Corrington; Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with Steve Richmond; Bukowski’s correspondence with the Webbs collected in the books, Living on Luck and Screams from the Balcony; Bukowski’s correspondence with Al Purdy published in The Bukowski/Purdy Letters 1964–1974, in which he writes about letting everybody down (14 Mar, 1965) and describes drinking with Jon Webb (23 Mar, 1965); Bukowski’s introduction to Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame in which he describes the process of making Crucifix in a Deathhand, and conversations with Webb; the essay ‘Corrington, Bukowski, and the Loujon Press’ (Louisiana Literature) by Lloyd Halliburton; original copies of The Outsider magazine, It Catches My Heart in Its Hands; and Crucifix in a Deathhand – all held at UCSB; the book, John William Corrington/Southern Man of Letters (UCA Press, 1994) edited by William Mills; and various background letters, photographs and documents kindly supplied by Ed Blair. I consulted Henry Miller’s unpublished correspondence with Bukowski at UCSB.

  FrancEyE told me about Bukowski’s admiration for Dorothy Healey. Bukowski’s comments, ‘What I’ve tried to do …’, are from his interview with Sean Penn printed in Interview magazine (Sept, 1987); and the quote ‘I am not a man who …’ is from an interview with William Packard published in the book, The Poet’s Craft (Paragon House Publishing, 1987). I also consulted the books Crucifix in a Deathhand and Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame.

  Douglas Blazek described his association with Bukowski (7 June, 1997). I also consulted the unpublished Bukowski–Blazek correspondence collected at UCSB; the published correspondence in Screams from the Balcony and original copies of Ole magazine at UCSB.

  FrancEyE described her break-up with Bukowski and their life at De Longpre Avenue (3 Jan & 30 May, 1997). I interviewed Marina Bukowski about her childhood (21 July, 1997); I referred to letters from Bukowski to his friend William Wantling; correspondence published in Screams from the Balcony; and to Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with Steve Richmond.

  The poem, ‘the new place’, appears in The Roominghouse Madrigals. The poem, ‘something for the touts, the nuns, the grocery clerks and you …’, appears in Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame; Confessions of a Man Insane Enough to Live with Beasts appears in South of No North. FrancEyE’s poem, ‘Christ I feel shitty’, is from Das ist Alles.

  6 BLACK SPARROW, AND THE SIXTIES

  John Martin described his personal background, his first meeting with Bukowski and the launch of Black Sparrow Press. I spoke to Barbara Martin about the design of the sparrow logo (13 Jan, 1997). I interviewed Gerard Malanga (18 Dec, 1996). I consulted interviews with John Martin and Charles Bukowski that appeared in the Boston Review (Nov/Dec issue, 1992). In his interview, Bukowski described their meeting and first conversations.
I also looked at previously unpublished letters from Martin to Bukowski that are held at UCSB, together with the first Black Sparrow Press broadsides, and the introduction to The Charles Bukowski Papers (Department of Special Collections, UCSB). Extracts from John Martin’s unpublished letters to Bukowski are courtesy of John Martin.

  I interviewed Lawrence Ferlinghetti about Bukowski’s poetry (14 Jan, 1997). The quotes from Bukowski on his writing style are from The Charles Bukowski Tapes.

  For Bukowski’s involvement and attitudes to the sixties drug culture, I interviewed the following: John Bryan (13 Jan & 6 June, 1997); Steve Richmond (various dates between 1996 & 1997); and John Thomas (1 Jan & 26 June, 1997). I also consulted the following: Screams from the Balcony, including Bukowski’s 2 Feb, 1966, letter to Steve Richmond, ‘LSD, yeah …’; the unpublished correspondence of Bukowski and Steve Richmond; Bukowski in the Bathtub, including Bukowski’s conversation with John Thomas about LSD; and publications by Steve Richmond including: Earth Rose (Earth Rose 1/undated); Hitler Painted Roses (Earth Books and Sun Dog Press, 1994); and Spinning Off Bukowski which I referred to for the description of Bukowski’s clothing and his visits to Richmond’s store. For Bukowski’s negative views on drugs, I referred to his comments in The Charles Bukowski Tapes.

  John Bryan described Bukowski’s association with Open City (13 Jan & 6 June, 1997). Bukowski’s opinion of the newspaper’s staff, ‘scummy Commie …’, was reported to me by Bryan. I interviewed Jack Micheline (15 Jan, 2 June & 20 Sept, 1997) and quote from his prose-poem, ‘Long After Midnight’, published in Sixty-Seven Poems for Downtrodden Saints (FMSBW, 1997). Bukowski’s quote, ‘The crew did not …’, is from the autobiographical essay he wrote for Adam magazine (1971). I consulted Bukowski’s preface to the City Lights edition of Notes of a Dirty Old Man, taking the quote ‘Think of it yourself …’; and consulted copies of Open City at UCLA. I interviewed John Thomas (1 Jan, 1997) about Bukowski’s working methods. Bukowski’s former De Longpre Avenue neighbors, Sina Taylor and Paul Jenson, told me he used to read his copy to an elderly woman who lived next door (31 Dec, 1996).

  Details of Bukowski’s trip to see the Webbs in Tucson, Arizona, are primarily taken from my interviews with Gypsy Lou Webb. I also referred to Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John William Corrington; to letters published in Screams from the Balcony; and to Bukowski’s short story, My Stay in the Poet’s Cottage, published in Tales of Ordinary Madness. Background information came from the Tucson Daily Citizen (15 July, 1967); the periodical, Book Production History (Feb, 1967); and correspondence from Ed Blair.

  The history of the thirteenth Penguin Modern Poets book is taken principally from interviews with Harold Norse (13 Dec, 1996 & 15 Jan, 1997); and my interview with Nikos Stangos (29 Jan, 1997). Nikos Stangos kindly made available his unpublished correspondence with Bukowski. Further background information came from Harold Norse’s book, Memoirs of a Bastard Angel (Bloomsbury, 1990); and from the unpublished correspondence of Bukowski and John William Corrington.

  Douglas Blazek described his meeting with Bukowski and gave opinions of his work (7 June, 1997). I also consulted letters from Bukowski to Blazek published in Screams from the Balcony.

  Details of Bukowski’s problems with the US Postal Service are based on interviews with his former union representative, David Berger (4 Mar, 1997); with FrancEyE (3 Jan, 1997) and Bukowski’s former landlord, Francis Crotty (4 Jan, 1997). I also consulted Bukowski’s Feb, 1967, letter to Steve Richmond for the exchange with the angry postal worker. This letter is published in Screams from the Balcony. Additional background came from the archive of Bukowski letters at Brown University, Rhode Island; and the letters to the Webbs published in Screams from the Balcony.

  For Bukowski’s relationship with the beat writers, I referred to my interviews with Lawrence Ferlinghetti (14 Jan, 1997); Jack Micheline (various dates in 1997); and Harold Norse (13 Dec, 1996&15 Jan, 1997). The description of Bukowski’s meeting with Neal Cassady is taken from my (6 June, 1997) interview with John Bryan; Allen Ginsberg’s quotes are from my correspondence with Allen Ginsberg (28 Sept, 1996). Bukowski’s conversation with Cassady, and their car ride, is based on Bukowski’s contemporaneous Open City column published in Notes of a Dirty Old Man; Bukowski’s Feb, 1968, letter to the Webbs, published in Screams from the Balcony; and my interviews with John Bryan. Background details about the life of Neal Cassady came from the following books: Ginsberg (Viking, 1989) by Barry Miles; Jack’s Book (Penguin, 1979) by Barry Gifford and Lawrence Lee; and Kerouac (Picador, 1978) by Ann Charters.

  Harold Norse’s comments about Bukowski’s sexuality come from interviews with Norse conducted on 13 Dec, 1996 & 15 Jan, 1997. I also quote from Norse’s autobiography, Memoirs of a Bastard Angel. I consulted Bukowski’s correspondence at UCSB and referred to my interviews with Neeli Cherkovski. The anecdote about Bukowski inviting Cherkovski into his bed comes from an interview with Cherkovski on 16 Dec, 1996. I also interviewed John Martin and Jack Micheline.

  Details of the publication of Notes of a Dirty Old Man, details of the Skinny Dynamite case and the demise of Open City are from my interviews with John Bryan (13 Jan & 6 June, 1997); and Jack Micheline (15 Jan, 2 June & 20 Sept, 1997). I also consulted the following sources: the biographical note, letters and LA Free Press extract published in Jack Micheline’s book, Sixty-Seven Poems for Downtrodden Saints (FMSBW, 1997); Skinny Dynamite (Second Coming Press, 1980); Bukowski’s book, The Most Beautiful Woman in Town; and Bukowski’s letters in Screams from the Balcony.

  Bukowski’s involvement with Zapple was described for me by Barry Miles in an interview (12 Feb, 1997). I spoke to former Apple executive Tony Bramwell (4 Feb, 1997); I referred to Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence at UCSB; and Bukowski’s unpublished correspondence with John Bennett held at Brown University, Rhode Island.

  John Martin described Bukowski’s opinion of the Black Mountain poets in an interview on 20 July, 1997. Neeli Cherkovski described the history of Laugh Literary and Man the Humping Guns. I interviewed Sam Cherry (1 Jan, 1997) and consulted original copies of Laugh Literary and Man the Humping Guns courtesy of Neeli Cherkovski’s nephew, Dani Tull.

  Sam Cherry and Neeli Cherkovski described the taking of the box car photograph. I interviewed John and Barbara Martin about the design of The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills and referred to my interviews with Harold Norse. I also referred to Whitman’s Wild Children (Lapis Press, 1988) by Neeli Cherkovski.

  The poem, ‘a little atomic bomb’, appears in Play the Piano Drunk/Like a Percussion Instrument/Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit; ‘traffic ticket’ and ‘true story’ appear in Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame. ‘The Genius of the Crowd’ appears in The Roominghouse Madrigals. The extract from ‘Long After Midnight’ appears by kind permission of Jack Micheline. Extracts from Notes of a Dirty Old Man, copyright 1969, are reprinted by permission of City Lights Books.

  7 POST OFFICE

  Details of how Bukowski left the post office are primarily taken from my interviews with John Martin, and from Bukowski’s United States Postal Service personnel file. John Martin described the breakdown of the $100-a-month in an interview on 21 July, 1997.

  Bukowski’s attitude to money is based on interviews with Neeli Cherkovski; FrancEyE (3 Jan&30 May, 1997); Harold Norse (15 Jan, 1997); Steve Richmond (8 Nov, 1996); and John Thomas (1 Jan, 1997).

  Bukowski’s Bridge reading was described in interviews with: Neeli Cherkovski, Jack Micheline, Harold Norse, Steve Richmond and John Thomas, who kindly supplied a list of the poems read on 19 December, 1969. I also consulted Thomas’s review of the reading which appeared in the LA Free Press on 6 Feb, 1970.

  Johnny Moore described the night Bukowski left the post office (6 Mar, 1997). I also referred to, and quote from, Post Office.

  For the writing of Post Office, I consulted the original manuscript of the novel which is held at UCSB. I referred to the 25th Black Sparrow Press imprint of the n
ovel; and to my interviews with John Martin. I quote from Russell Harrison’s book, Against The American Dream (BSP, 1994). Bukowski’s quote, ‘I was concerned …’, is from an article in the periodical, LJ (1 Feb, 1971). The Bukowski quote ‘for laughs’ is from a 23 Feb, 1970, letter from Bukowski to Carl Weissner published in Living on Luck.

  The anecdote about Bukowski throwing forty paintings away is from an unpublished letter (dated 17 April, 1970) from Bukowski to Harold Norse. The letter is part of the Bukowski archive at Temple University, Philadelphia. I further consulted my 20 July, 1997, interview with John Martin in which he described Bukowski’s artwork and interest in art.

  Details of Bukowski’s readings in New Mexico and Seattle, Washington, are from the following sources: unpublished correspondence between Bukowski and Linda King; the video film, Bukowski at Bellevue. The quote ‘a drunken half-fuck’ is from a June, 1970, letter from Bukowski to Sanford Dorbin published in Living on Luck.

  I interviewed and corresponded with Ann Menebroker about her visit to De Longpre Avenue (interviews: 9 Feb & 6 July, 1997) and quote from her letters to Bukowski held at UCSB, with her kind permission.

  Details of Bukowski’s problems with his De Longpre neighbors are from various unpublished letters he wrote to Harold Norse. The letters are at Temple University, Philadelphia.

  I referred to original copies of the pornographic magazines Bukowski wrote for. They are at the University of Arizona, Tucson. The archive at UCSB contains a letter from the editor of Fling to Bukowski (26 June, 1971).