"Anyone who has read Memoirs of a Bastard Angel is aware that Harold Norse was a very perceptive individual. Intuitive. Sensitive to atmospheres and moods. That remarkable (and incredibly fast-paced) autobiography is rife with instances displaying his keen sense of 'just knowing' what someone, or some place or scene, was really all about. Yet Harold's finely-tuned instinct for seeing things as they were was far from limited to the present. As I discovered for myself in late 1984, six years after he and I had first met and spent time together, in Amsterdam and afterwards Barcelona. This second encounter was at the seventh annual One World Poetry festival, for which I had sponsored Harold and where we both performed. I then offered to put Harold up, so he could stay in Holland a while longer and additionally do a reading at Ins & Outs Press." -excerpt taken from Eddie Woods' introduction to Harold Norse Of Course...
Harold Norse Of Course...was originally released on cassette tape in 1984 by Ins & Outs Press. Eddie Woods and Tate Swindell are now releasing it on CD and Double Vinyl.
$ 25.00
"Anyone who has read Memoirs of a Bastard Angel is aware that Harold Norse was a very perceptive individual. Intuitive. Sensitive to atmospheres and moods. That remarkable (and incredibly fast-paced) autobiography is rife with instances displaying his keen sense of 'just knowing' what someone, or some place or scene, was really all about. Yet Harold's finely-tuned instinct for seeing things as they were was far from limited to the present. As I discovered for myself in late 1984, six years after he and I had first met and spent time together, in Amsterdam and afterwards Barcelona. This second encounter was at the seventh annual One World Poetry festival, for which I had sponsored Harold and where we both performed. I then offered to put Harold up, so he could stay in Holland a while longer and additionally do a reading at Ins & Outs Press." -excerpt taken from Eddie Woods' introduction to Harold Norse Of Course...
Harold Norse Of Course...was originally released on cassette tape in 1984 by Ins & Outs Press. Eddie Woods and Tate Swindell are now releasing it on CD and Double Vinyl.
$ 15.00
Our new Charles Bukowski T-shirt - Black
$ 19.95
Always a conversation starter, whether in your favorite dive bar or at the track, this Bukowski beer coozie will keep you drinking in style.
$ 3.95
What could be a better idea than knocking a few back with Doctor Gonzo? Hunter Thompson might himself be gone, but you can still remember the good times (and keep your beer cold in the process) with this beer coozy!
$ 3.95
Our Hunter S. Thompson t-shirt in Grey
$ 19.95
Our Hunter S. Thompson t-shirt in Red
$ 19.95
In 1983, the counter culture icon and author of the cult classic Naked Lunch (1959), William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), traveled throughout Scandinavia making a series of personal appearances. Twenty years later, filmmakers Lars Movin and Steen Moller Rasmussen found never-before-seen footage of his Copenhagen visit and set out on the road to record new material, telling the story of the acclaimed author's later work – especially what is known as The Last Trilogy – and his unique performance skills. Using previously unpublished footage, the film follows Burroughs' visit to Denmark in October 1983, besides footage shot during the last years of his life at Lawrence, Kansas. The result is Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs on the Road, a compelling portrait of one our most enigmatic public figures.
Featuring: James Grauerholz, John Giorno, Hal Willner, Jennie Skerl, Ann Douglas, Regina Weinreich, and others. Music by: Bill Laswell/Material, Patti Smith, Islamic Diggers, and others.
$ 29.95
When Bukowski arrived here to read in 1979, it was for the second time. Unfortunately there was no record of the first reading. I thought there was. One day I arranged for that reading to be shown to me and several friends. It never happened. That tape, which I thought existed, was nowhere to be found. What could I do? I decided to write Bukowski and tell him and ask if he would be willing to come back and try it again. Would he do another reading? My friends would get to see him live, I could film it and make sure that this visit would be recorded. He answered; said yes, he would come back. I organized flights and hotel, rented a hall and advertised. I set the date for Friday, October 12, 1979.
Hank and Linda Lee Beighle (later to become Mrs. Bukowski) arrived the night before. There was a dense fog that night and they were rerouted. They had to be bused to Vancouver. I was in a frenzy. They came through arrivals several hours late — but, they were here! We took them to their hotel where they freshened up and we went out on the town and got to know each other.
The reading was at an old hall in the Downtown Eastside on Hastings Street. It was a hall used for weddings and dances mostly. Perfect! Since it seemed to me laden with the overtures of many lives. We set up chairs, put Hank in front with a bank of microphones and filmed it. It was raw, raucous, and raunchy. But also sublime. 650 people came. There was plenty of yelling, screaming, and applause. There was also plenty of tears and shouts resounding with love and adulation for this man. It's all here. I hope you enjoy it. It was the last time he performed outside the United States. It was and remains a testament to a great poet and writer.
FOOTNOTE: It's worth noting this film sat in Bukowski's archives for close to 25 years. Time and circumstances had shuffled it off to a forgotten corner shelf. Luckily, John Dullaghan made the documentary Born Into This based on Bukowski's life and found this film. He used some of the footage and then this film miraculously came back into my life. So thank you John. And you Linda. And Jon and Anna Monday.
Dennis B. Del Torre, January 2008
$ 27.95
Charles Bukowski didn't like to do live poetry readings.
He was blunt about this; but audiences thought he was joking. He did readings for the money; usually only a few hundred dollars.
But, by 1980 his book royalties, advances for film rights, and other income provided him with the means to be able to stop doing poetry readings.
His performances were legendary; cultivating anarchy, he'd goad the audience to mutiny, and usually challenge somebody...or anybody...to fight.
In editing this video, the first impulse is to pick out the poems; but in reviewing the piece, it became obvious that the entire reading is solid state. What happens between the poems is not filler. It's performance art.
Only a few of his readings were filmed. This performance on March 31st, 1980 at the Sweetwater Inn in Redondo Beach, California, turned out to be the very last poetry reading Bukowski ever gave, even though he lived and wrote for another 14 years.
The video of that reading remained in storage for over 25 years, and is presented here for the first time.
