POUR US A SCOTCH ...

... Just as long as it is a blend, of course. We don't dabble in single malts. The master would never have it. Anyway, welcome to Bukowski's Basement.Think of our subterranean dwelling as the red headed stepchild of Hemingway's Lounge. Over here, we'll showcase some of our grittier creative writing posts that seemed a little out of place over on Papa H's blog. We'll also be exploring the writings of some of our skid row luminaries. There will also be musings, videos, amazing podcasts, book reviews and the like.So pour yourself some cheap hooch...

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GOBBLE GOBBLE!!!

Chuck Buk wants you to have a happy (and sexy) Turkey Day!!addthis_url=''; addthis_title=''; addthis_pub='avenutol...

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TOM WAITS READS BUKOWSKI'S 'THE LAUGHING HEART'

It's easy to see how the sensibilities of musician Tom Waits and author Charles Bukowski easily coincide with one another. Here, Waits reads Bukowski's "The Laughing Heart" (posted below)THE LAUGHING HEARTyour life is your lifedon’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.be on the watch.there are ways out.there is a light somewhere.it may not be much light butit beats the darkness.be on the watch.the gods will offer you chances.know them.take them.you can’t beat death butyou can beat death in life, sometimes.and the more often you learn to do it,the...

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RANDOM HOUSE GOES DIGITAL IN A HUGE WAY

NEW YORK - With e-book sales exploding in an otherwise sleepy market, Random House Inc. announced Monday that it was making thousands of additional books available in digital form, including novels by John Updike and Harlan Coben, as well as several volumes of the "Magic Treehouse" children's series.Random House CEO Markus Dohle said in a statement that "more people everyday are enjoying reading in the electronic format and Random House wants to extend our reach to them with more of our books."The publisher already has more than 8,000 books in...

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HOW DO YOU SCREW UP MAMET or 'AMERICAN BUFFALO' ???

... For starters, you hire a comic, a C-list actor (an annoying one at that) and that gawky-lookin' kid who saw dead people in "The Sixth Sense."Seriously, you take one of the coolest tough-guy plays and you make it a mockery... Robert Falls' Broadway production of "American Buffalo," starring John Leguizamo, Haley Joel Osment and Cedric the Entertainer, perhaps will be headed for a very quick curtain call. The show opened in New York on Monday --...

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NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A CRAPPY WORD

Being that Bukowski's basement deals more with tidbits of the more creative nature or rather, stuff that would appeal to creative types, this is pretty damn amusing...Someone out there is excited about the utterance, "Meh". The expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place in the Collins English Dictionary. Publisher HarperCollins announced recently that the word had been chosen for inclusion in the dictionary's 30th anniversary edition....

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BUKOWSKI POETRY FOR KIDS

OK, so now that I have a kid and all I think it may be time to introduce him to the Chuck Buk world of kiddie poetry. Enjoy this hilarious videoaddthis_url=''; addthis_title=''; addthis_pub='avenutol...

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RAYMOND CARVER DOCUMENTARY - 'DREAMS ARE WHAT WE WAKE UP FROM'

Enjoy this probing 1989 documentray "Dreams Are What We Wake Up From" about minimalist master Raymond Carver. It's directed by Daisy Goodwin and includes contributions from Richard Ford and Jay McInerney. BTW, why are all the good documentaries about American masters all made abroad? Oh, I know ... Cuz we're all too busy following the likes of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. addthis_url=''; addthis_title=''; addthis_pub='avenutol...

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ASK THE DUST - VINTAGE PULPY COVER

How deliciously vintage is this pulpy cover for John fante's "Ask teh Dust," a true favorite of mine. The under-appreciated Fante's second outing chronicles the adventures of the writer's alter ego, Arturo Bandini, a struggling young writer who tackles Los Angeles in the late 1930s. He gets it right and sets it down in his Chianti-steak-and-potatoes style, with prose both simple and rich. Fante was born in Colorado in 1909 and began writing in 1929....

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FOR ALL THOSE BUDDING VAN HELSINGS OUT THERE

Thanks to Gizmodo for this... For you Bram Stoker-types, check out this authentic vampire kit made circa 1800 and sold at auction for $14,850. In this hand-carved walnut portable suitcase comes loaded with all you need to killthe likes of Lestat including: • Creepy-looking cross• Bible• Hand gun and silver bullets• Holy oils• Holy water• Mirrors• Candles• Garlic• Badass wood and metal stake with added cross for vampiric extra-pain• Extra wood stakes,...

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'SANDMAN' - COMIC LITERARY PERFECTION

"The Sandman" has always been one of my favorite comic titles, if not most favorite. Writer Neil Gaiman infused gothic sensibilities, horror, supernatural, fantasy and drama all under one wickedly entertaining book. If you haven't checked it out, run to your bookstore. In any case, this week saw the 20th anniversary of the release of the first issue of the series and everyone pretty much agrees that Gaiman's now-classic fantasy series rewrote the...

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OK ... I'M LAME!!!!!

God, how lame am I?? I haven't updated in way way too long. No excuse... I will try to keep the creative juices flowing as well as bring you items that slant towards the creative sensibilities of Chuck Buk and Co.addthis_url=''; addthis_title=''; addthis_pub='avenutol...

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