“I had, since the age of 35, been writing poems and stories. I decided to die on my own battlefield. I sat down to my typewriter and I said, now I am a professional writer. Of course, it wasn’t simply that easy. When a man works for years at the same occupation, his time is another man’s time. I mean, even with an 8 hour day, that day is taken. Add travel time to and from work, plus work, plus eating, sleeping, bathing, buying clothes, automobiles, tires, batteries, paying taxes, copulating, having visitors, getting sick, having accidents, having insomnia, having to worry about laundry and theft and weather and all the other unmentionables, there ISN’T ANY TIME LEFT for the man himself. And, when overtime is called often some of these necessaries must be left out, even sleep, and, more often, copulation. What the fuck? And there are even 5 and one half day weeks, six day weeks, and on Sunday one is expected to go to church or visit the relatives, or both.
“The man who said ‘The average man lives a life of quiet desperation,” said something partly true. But the job also soothes men, it gives them something to do. And it stops them from thinking. Men — and women — don’t like to think. For them the job is the perfect haven. They are told what to do and how to do it and when to do it. 98 percent of Americans over the age of 21 are working, walking dead. My body and my mind told me that within three months I would be one of them. I demurred.”
Notes on the Life of an Aged Poet
San Francisco Book Review
June 1972
Bukowski knew what time it is, thats for sure.
fact
careful poetry
and careful
people
last
only long
enough
to
die
safely.
By: don quixote on October 17, 2008
at 2:57 pm
Well. Amen to that.
It’s been a little over a year since David and I were forced off the self-employment train, and it still feels like we’re the only mice that can see the maze walls for what they are. (With rare exceptions – my last boss was talking about going back into the music industry when last we spoke.)
It’s just so… sad, really, in a lot of ways.
I put up a poster on on our cork board recently that says “If I only have potential, I’m not trying hard enough.” Still working on the trying harder part, though.
By: Julie Scott on October 17, 2008
at 3:29 pm
That’s a great sustained quotation, and the mix of work v. creation is the greatest challenge to a creative-leaning consciousness that it encounters.
I often find walking into a 7-eleven and wondering about who’s selling the Modelo or admiring the bar codes with the photos of the donuts more informative and enriching than anything I did in ten years of officer-level corporate marketing. Still, the experience prompted me to look for those kinds of things that I now see.
It takes about ten long years to learn how corporations work, and I’m glad for the experience. As others are glad for experience in journalism, library sciences, programming, ditchdigging, indian chiefery. But there has to be a point of departure, and the sooner it comes, the better.
Writers don’t pass examinations conferring their status to them. They have to ordain themselves. That’s their first creative action, giving themselves the license to be the kind of demigod they need to be to justify their words as something that might be used by others to inform how to live, or to make living a little more enjoyable.
By: joseph on October 18, 2008
at 1:41 pm
DQ, did you write that or is that a Bukowski piece? Either way, I like it very much.
Julie, Bukowski believed that sheer perseverence breeds good luck but too many people give up, lose patience, before that good fortune born of determination ever finds them.
Joseph, I think we are finally waking up from the long hangover of the corporate-driven, capitalstic “ownership society”. I don’t know what is next … some form of socialized government, no doubt, which is what is badly needed to repair infrastructure and retrain workers whose occupations have faded away forever.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 18, 2008
at 1:57 pm
Thanks Roger, but the poem “fact” could only be from the Maestro himself, Charles Bukowski , but it sure resonates with me.
Seems Julie, Joseph, you Roger, I and Bukowski are thinking along the same lines in regards to what is a worthwhile and worthless use of our time spent, all while the sand is running out of the hour glass.
Maybe we are fortunate enough to be alive to witness the end of one of the world’s great civilizations “The USA” or maybe we as a society have just woken up on a rainy Sunday morning with a massive hangover caused by self idolatry, wretched excess and avarice , quien sabes?
All I know is that hundreds years from now nobody will remember who the hell George Bush or AIG or Goldman Sachs, Milton Friedman or even Ayn Rand was, “Thanksgiving is a typically American Holiday….The lavish meal is a symbol of the fact that abundant consumption is the result and reward of production”.
But I’ll bet that even though Bukowski often sold himself short, his works will still be read and discussed.
I hope you don’t have to pay for longer than usual wordy posts Roger but in the same vein as your thoughts and Joseph and Julie’s musing’s I ‘ll put up one of my favorite poems by the Maestro. Apology’s if this is too long,
death is smoking my cigars
You know: I’m drunk once again
here
listening to Tchaikovsky
on the radio.
Jesus, I heard him 47 years
ago
when I was a starving writer
and here he is
again
and now I am a minor success as
a writer
and death is walking
up and down
this room
smoking my cigars
taking hits of my
wine
as Tchaik is working away
at the Pathetique,
it’s been some journey
and any luck I’ve had was
because I rolled the dice
right:
I starved for my art, I starved to
gain 5 god-damned minutes, 5 hours,
5 days-
I just wanted to get the word
down;
fame, money, didn’t matter:
I wanted the word down;
And “they” wanted me to be a stock boy in a
department store.
well, death says, as he walks by,
I’m going to get you anyhow
no matter what you’ve been:
writer, cab driver, pimp, butcher,
sky-diver, I’m going to get
you….
o.k. baby, I tell him.
We drink together now
As one a.m. slides to 2
a.m. and
only he knows the
moment, but I worked a con
on him: I got my
5 god-damned minutes
and much
more.
By: don quixote on October 18, 2008
at 4:43 pm
From the SF Chronicle:
“We nationalized financial institutions and banks by executive fiat,” said David Kotok, chief investment officer of the New Jersey money management firm Cumberland Advisors. “Once this begins to occur, this trend has only one direction to go. The free-market-capitalism economy is history.”
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 19, 2008
at 11:48 am
“free-market-capitalism”…
I’ve just gotta’ ask – do you (not just Rodger – any of you) believe that what operates as an economy in the US (and in most ‘first-world’ markets) is “free-market” in any way, shape, or form? When was the last time this country actually operated (if ever) in a manner that truly allowed a free and unfettered market. The closest thing I can think of offhand resembling a free-market in today’s world is the underground drug economy – and it’s only “free” as a result of its outlaw status. Just about every “free-market” transaction most of us enter into daily is regulated in a dozen different ways. Rent or buy a home – regulated. Shop in a grocery store – regulated. Buy some booze – regulated. Start a business – regulated. buy gasoline – regulated. Do some banking – regulated. and on…
“Capitalism” is another word that’s bandied about this Company Town (US) quite often. Capitalism – I’d pose – is what brings us the things we love – the monstrosity of choices we’ve all become so used to. Though I may sneer at someone else’s choice to buy some plastic-y, cheesy $500 ‘home entertainment system’ – that same market brings abundance into my life. Personally – I have a great deal of affection for capitalism.
Now – if folks would start referring to this economic system as ‘Corporate Crony-ism’ or a ‘Protectionist Racket’ I could more easily fall in line with those trying to come to terms with the economic mess that’s going on.
I wish I had a lawnmower!
By: Plug Nickel Outfit on October 19, 2008
at 11:05 pm
I like the sound of Protectionist Racket. And now, a few words from the late, great Paddy Chayefsky:
Arthur Jensen: [bellowing] You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale, and I won’t have it! Is that clear? You think you’ve merely stopped a business deal. That is not the case! The Arabs have taken billions of dollars out of this country, and now they must put it back! It is ebb and flow, tidal gravity! It is ecological balance! You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West. There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today! And YOU have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and YOU…WILL…ATONE!
Arthur Jensen: [calmly] Am I getting through to you, Mr. Beale? You get up on your little twenty-one inch screen and howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those *are* the nations of the world today. What do you think the Russians talk about in their councils of state, Karl Marx? They get out their linear programming charts, statistical decision theories, minimax solutions, and compute the price-cost probabilities of their transactions and investments, just like we do. We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale. The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale. It has been since man crawled out of the slime. And our children will live, Mr. Beale, to see that . . . perfect world . . . in which there’s no war or famine, oppression or brutality. One vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock. All necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused. And I have chosen you, Mr. Beale, to preach this evangel.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 19, 2008
at 11:14 pm
Funny – after all these years – I’m finally going through Atlas Shrugged by Rand. Your quote, Rodger – struck me as something she could/would have written. Reading (actually listening – it’s an audiobook) Atlas Shrugged now seems so entirely appropriate to the times – kismet!
I almost sent you this link earlier today, Rodger – thinking it might be grist for the mill. It’s a copy of a piece written by a hedge-fund manager as his good-bye to his customers and the investment world at-large. An interesting thing to this is that one of his funds was hugely successful (866% roi) and it bet ON the very failure we see now in the markets.
Andrew Lahde: Goodbye!
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/10/andrew-lahde-go.html
By: Plug Nickel Outfit on October 20, 2008
at 12:01 am
Best quote from that piece, Vaughn:
This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government. Capitalism worked for two hundred years, but times change, and systems become corrupt. George Soros, a man of staggering wealth, has stated that he would like to be remembered as a philosopher. My suggestion is that this great man start and sponsor a forum for great minds to come together to create a new system of government that truly represents the common man’s interest, while at the same time creating rewards great enough to attract the best and brightest minds to serve in government roles without having to rely on corruption to further their interests or lifestyles.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 20, 2008
at 12:21 am
I believe it was Mark Twain who suggested that a camel was a horse designed by a committee.
Both he, and Mencken would probably suggest that one not hold their breath awaiting the utopia this virginal forum might foment.
Hasn’t it been suggested that a definition of insanity might be doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting different results.
A Common Man
By: Plug Nickel Outfit on October 20, 2008
at 12:46 am
“represents the common man’s interest”…
Man – maybe it was too much late night tee-vee that warped my fragile mind!
By: Plug Nickel Times on October 20, 2008
at 1:10 am
Capitalism as we have known it is dead, as Marx predicted it died of suicide, by gluttony. What will replace it and when is still uncertain but I think we’re in for some exiting times soon.
The narrator at the opening scene of one of my favorite movies, Lina Wertmullers “Seven Beauties” may have said it best:
Narrator:
The ones who don’t enjoy themselves, even when they laugh. Oh yeah. The ones who worship the corporate image, not knowing that they work for someone else. Oh yeah. The ones who should have been shot in the cradle… Pow! Oh yeah. The ones who say ‘Follow me to success, but kill me if I fail… so to speak.’ Oh yeah. The ones who say we Italians are the greatest he-men on earth. Oh yeah. The ones who are noble Romans, the ones who say ‘That’s for me,’ the ones who say ‘You know what I mean.’ Oh yeah. The ones who vote for the right because they’re fed up with strikes. Oh yeah. The ones who vote white in order not to get dirty. The ones who never get involved with politics. Oh yeah. The ones who say ‘Be calm, calm.’ The ones who still support the king. The ones who say ‘Yes, sir.’ Oh yeah. The ones who make love standing in their boots, and imagine they’re in a luxurious bed. The ones who believe Christ is Santa Claus as a young man. Oh yeah. The ones who say ‘Oh, what the hell.’ The ones who were there. The ones who believe in everything, even in God. The ones who listen to the national anthem. Oh yeah. The ones who love their country. The ones who keep going, just to see how it will end. Oh yeah. The ones who are in garbage up to here. Oh yeah. The ones who sleep soundly, even with cancer. Oh yeah. The ones who, even now, don’t believe the world is round. Oh yeah, oh yeah. The ones who are afraid of flying. Oh yeah. The ones who have never had a fatal accident. Oh yeah. The ones who have had one. The ones who, at a certain point in their lives, create a secret weapon, Christ. Oh yeah. The ones who are always standing at the bar. The ones who are always in Switzerland. The ones who started early, haven’t arrived, and don’t know they’re not going to. Oh yeah. The ones who lose wars by the skin of their teeth. Oh yeah. The ones who say ‘Everything is wrong here.’ The ones who say ‘Now let’s all have a good laugh.’ Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah
By: don quixote on October 20, 2008
at 7:52 am
I wonder if all of Wertmuller’s writing reads that well on paper, DQ. I remember that voice-over opening very well but on paper it’s like a nice formless piece of poetry, and very apt to modern times.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 20, 2008
at 10:42 am
I would think so Roger, How about Shirley Stoller’s character, the fat cruel Nazi camp administrator, and her rant on why the Aryan civilization was doomed to failure because of the capacity for regeneration and survival by the so called cockroach people. Or Fernando Rey character, the Anarchist Pedro who hoped for not a organized society as the Germans desired but “man in disorganization and chaos”.
Maybe we will witness this wish sooner than later.
By: don quixote on October 20, 2008
at 11:02 am
Well, we’re sort of already there, I would dare suggest.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 20, 2008
at 11:09 am
[...] Also, in case you missed it, there’s a lively but sobering discussion going down in the comments under Charles Bukowski’s America. [...]
By: Extranea: The “What if he is a Muslim?” Edition « Carver’s Dog on October 20, 2008
at 11:22 am
Rodger – I’ve suggested the same several times when discussing anarchy, politics, anthropology, etc. – with people. I’m assuming that “man in disorganization and chaos” might be one notion associated with anarchy. Of course, more directly – anarchy is defined as an absence of political (perhaps ’social’) government.
I’ve often posited that – despite whatever we call our various systems of government – that anarchy is (and likely always will be) the rule of the day.
Part of this is based on Thoreau’s statement to the effect that – when men (and women) are ready for a world of no governments, that’s what they’ll have. Their own expectations and actions will dictate the result.
Partly too – is my suspicion that the laws of thermodynamics and entropy may apply in their way to human affairs – ‘order falling into disorder’ and all that.
Finally – a bit of Buddhist and Discordian tendency push me further along with the notion. Desire being the causation of suffering and seeing as how we all seem to be children of Eris.
Something anarchists rarely remember to mention is that anarchy does not promise a ‘perfect’ world – unlike most political systems. Imo – anarchy assumes that people (pols and forums too) will remain imperfect critters and that this will reflect in their dealings.
We just wanna’ cut out the middlemen (and women)!
By: Plug Nickel Outfit on October 21, 2008
at 12:43 am
With the imminent death of Monopoly laissez faire Capitalism, notwithstanding it’s muscles kicking involuntarily in it’s death spasms, otherwise known as “saving the world’s financial system” it just might be time to consider how we will live Post Capitalism.
As sovereign nations? As people loyal and answering to some religious creed? As ethnic or racial groups? Maybe just as human beings with respect for one another?
Just a thought but isn’t it curious how the Mayan Calendar predicted the end of the world as we know it and in 2012 will begin the new era “Quinto Sol” or a kind of “Age of Aquarius”?
The timing is kind of thought provoking to me.
Oscar Wilde;
“A practical scheme, is either one already in existence, or a scheme that could be carried out under the existing conditions; but it is exactly the existing conditions that one objects to, and any scheme that could accept these conditions is wrong and foolish. The true criterion of the practical, therefore, is not whether the latter can keep intact the wrong or foolish; rather is it whether the scheme has vitality enough to leave the stagnant waters of the old, and build, as well as sustain, new life. In the light of this conception, Anarchism is indeed practical. More than any other idea, it is helping to do away with the wrong and foolish; more than any other idea, it is building and sustaining new life”
Wilde said this a hundred years ago. What’s old is new again!
By: don quixote on October 21, 2008
at 8:41 am
The collapse of capitalism.
Anarchy
Discord
The Greek Goddess of strife
Cockroach people
Lina Wertmuller movies
Bailout
Bukowski
My head hurts
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 21, 2008
at 12:03 pm
[...] Project for “Mr. Bukowski’s Wild Ride” and follow up on the ongoing discusion at Charles Bukowski’s America. Available at all online book retailers Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Day 271: [...]
By: Memo to Associated Press: Wear Arr You’re Editorz? « Carver’s Dog on October 21, 2008
at 12:05 pm
Aw – c’mon Rodger – what would the Good Doctor say?
Kinda’ on the subject/s – did you ever read the material he wrote for ESPN? I’m not thinking of the sports stuff – more the commentary on the early part of this fine century.
It’s just gettin’ weird enough for me!
By: Plug Nickel Times on October 22, 2008
at 12:06 am
Send me the links if you got ‘em, Vaughn. I generally avoided his stuff when he was pimping for SI.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 22, 2008
at 12:37 am
What’s that they say, Rodger – ask, and it shall be returned by the shovel-load!
Here’s the search page for HST at ESPN.
Jumping off that first page of the search results is a fair starting point:
Fear & Loathing in America
http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1996493
I’m just not much of an athletic supporter – so the sports related material didn’t interest me much while he was with them – but he would often toss in some acerbic commentary with his columns – enough to give me a little fix.
By: Plug Nickel Outfit on October 22, 2008
at 1:01 am
I finally sat down and wrote out my giant missive on why I think the economic crisis happened and thoughts on it over at Pererro. Too much to say to squeeze into a blog comment and David is tired of listening to my mad rantings.
I think that’s all I’ll have to say on the subject for now. It’s out of my system for the moment.
By: Julie Scott on October 22, 2008
at 12:33 pm
I just read it, Julie. An excellent summation! So, essentially, a lot of consumers were receiving loans to pay off their credit card debt but using that money for luxurry items instead of for the intended purpose? Incredible.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 22, 2008
at 3:07 pm
I just read the “Fear and Loathing” piece, Vaughn … all I can say is that Thompson was a seer. He called it as it happened.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 22, 2008
at 3:09 pm
Exactly. But the problem is that while being frustratingly irresponsible, it was also propelling the economy, so I don’t think anyone who was in a position to do so really wanted to change that dynamic. What irks me now is the fact of the matter that there is blame to be found all over the economic map, not just on Wall Street, but in the government, in our consumerist culture, in the average American household, and it makes me mad when polticians or economists (especially economists) try to lay the blame at any one groups feet, or try to act like the consumer was this innocent victim that had no idea what they were doing. The last few years have been as if the U.S. won some sort of collective lottery and now that we’ve frittered all the money away all the people in charge want to stand around and act like they have no idea what happened. Which makes them either incredibly ignorant about basic economic principles or incredibly disingenious, niether of which sits well with me.
By: Julie Scott on October 22, 2008
at 4:40 pm
and it makes me mad when polticians or economists (especially economists) try to lay the blame at any one groups feet, or try to act like the consumer was this innocent victim that had no idea what they were doing
Precisely, and this is what your Op-Ed opened my eyes to, Julie, that I had not really considered. It takes two to tango and I had been trying to figure out who else was dancing with the shady operators to bring this whole rigged sock hop to a close.
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 22, 2008
at 9:11 pm
Glad to be of service. =)
By: Julie Scott on October 22, 2008
at 10:23 pm
@ Rodger
He called it as it happened.
I’m not the one to offer an unbiased opinion – but I’ve always thought he had a knack for that.
Unfortunately the ESPN site doesn’t have the correct dates on the articles on the search results page – but as events progressed from the point of that piece – his observations appear forward and accurate.
Julie – that was a thorough piece you wrote. I’m glad you pointed out in comments here that the phenomenon was scaled – that this seemed to occur at all levels.
A friend sent me something about the economic situation a couple weeks ago that emphasised greed as playing a large part. I’d replied that greed certainly had to be a factor (seems it usually is) but that hubris was even more notable to my view.
Julie – it also seems that you came close to directly alluding to this as having aspects of a Ponzi scheme.
You also mentioned that after the New Century shutdown that the sub-prime market stopped. I think one thing that contributed to this was that ratings agencies came under more scrutiny. All that magnificent moola that was rolling around suddenly had to actually account for itself – from the micro to the macro.
Not only are many ‘regular people’ overextended – but now the FedGov seems poised to follow me (and about 300 million other citizens, and the rest of the empire…) around and maintain my orifices for me – at what cost I can only imagine!
Don Quixote – thanks for the Wilde quote – I wasn’t familiar with it. A friend recently gave me a copy of some collected quotes of his – but that definitely wasn’t one of them. I appreciate the material you’ve brought out in this and other comments to Rodger’s postings.
By: Plug Nickel Outfit on October 23, 2008
at 12:17 am
And thank you Plug Nickel, Oscar Wilde was a one of a kind genius and his quotes and writing are the best even over a hundred years after his death. speaking of Oscar Wilde, death, and quotes and at the risk of increasing Rogers headache.
As Oscar Wilde was on his deathbed, penniless in a French hotel, he looked around at the room and said:
“My wall paper and I are in a battle to the death, one or the other must go”. His famous last words!
Wilde was a Gay man and notorious predator;
“For months, the Marquess of Queensbury had been demanding that Wilde stay away from his son, Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde, however, was quite infatuated with the young man and ignored the Marquess’ urgings. Furious, Queensbury intended to publicly denounce Wilde at the opening of The Importance of Being Earnest, but he was refused a ticket. Two weeks later, he confronted Wilde at his club, leaving his infamously mispelled note accusing Wilde of “posing as a Somdomite.” Wilde decided to charge Queensbury with libel”
And beautiful in a Bukowski kind of way;
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”
By: don quixote on October 23, 2008
at 1:25 pm
One of my favorite Wilde lines (a thinly-veiled reference to his sexuality) is that too much in life is “acceptable in art, but not in nature.”
By: Rodger Jacobs on October 23, 2008
at 1:30 pm