christ, you'll never know

"...an event organised by city lights in san francisco 1972."

Christ. Microphone hum and grating applause. Laughter. And over it all, haltingly - caged and singing like a sparrow - a man sitting at a table with the spotlight flaring on his reading glasses. Seized with fright at the prospect of not making it to the end of the sentence, as much as the fear of not making it as a published writer. And not making the rent.

After Bukowski finally threw in the towel with the Post Office, public readings and appearances became pivotal as a means of cementing his reputation as a 'serious' literary presence.

Recorded at MCCC-TV Studio, Detroit, Michigan; 31st October, 1974.

"You don't have a tv ?...
You got to look once in a while. You never know what's going on."

I've heard it said that Detroit - like Glasgow - was a seriously tough gig in those days. Despite the nerves, Bukowski was a natural.

A more entertaining way to idle away a halloween I cannot imagine. Trick or Treat, brothers and sisters. Hecklers too.

▼ CHARLES BUKOWSKI: CHRIST, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW / THE CLOSING OF THE TOPLESS AND BOTTOMLESS BARS from "Totally Corrupt" LP (Giorno Poetry Systems) 1976 (US)

OUT OF PRINT