REALITY CHECK...

On this Memorial Day, let's take a moment to cast aside what we thought of the "Lost" finale; stop debating whether Lee should've beat Crystal; and pause searching for those "Diff'rent Strokes" reruns on Hulu.The holiday today is not about cookouts or barbeques or treks to the Jersey Shore or the Hamptons.Yes, drop your iPad and for a second, remind yourself why we're able to do all those things to begin with and pay tribute to those fallen soldiers...

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A GOSSIP NATION (flash fiction)

He said he had something for me.Meeting one of the snitches for my column always made for interesting conversation. Especially with this one.I was late and Auggie was already eating at the diner counter. God forbid he waited. As I approached, it dawned on me that I never saw him in a suit. A tie with a short sleeve shirt maybe, but never a full-fledged suit. Now this was odd considering he was a limo driver. He usually opted for gargantuan bowling...

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NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER (video)

OK... so after an earlier video mishap for which I blame YouTube and their music rules, I'm reposting this video I made that most of my Basement dwellers might enjoy and that many probably haven't seen since I posted it over at the Six Sentences Ning site. With the help (and glorious sounds) of Tom Waits, this is my ode to the diner lifestyle. Let's face it, we've all been there...After a night of boozing or fun on the town, we seek out the comfort...

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COOL T-SHIRTS FOR SCRIBES: THE ANTI ED HARDY

Let's face it. Ed Hardy T-shirts are for frikkin' tools. There. I said it. They took distinctive vintage tattoos and slapped them on overpriced shirts so that all the L.A. wannabes could look cool as they troll the Sunset Strip.Well, I have a secret for all of you Basement dwellers: Out of Print Clothing, a T-shirt company that tags itself, "Books on shirts. Shirts on a mission."They celebrate the world’s great stories through fashion by featuring...

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THE WRITER AND THE READER (flash fiction)

Click for some mood music He was tired.He'd been travelling too long without a decent bed. Just after lunch, he crossed the California-Nevada line and as he saw it, was headed towards Las Vegas.He hitched a ride with an Indian native to the state. He asked the Indian what tribe he was from and the Indian welcomed the opportunity to speak of his land and people. As they drove past the Hoover Dam, the Indian told him that the state was thriving and...

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'THE ORDINARY MADNESS OF CHARLES BUKOWSKI' DOCUMENTARY

Discovered a little bit of gold tonight... While most Bukowski enthusiasts either own or have seen the excellent 2003 documentary "Bukowski: Born into This," I just stumbled across what I believe to be a BBC documentary "The Ordinary Madness of Charles Bukowski." I don't know much about it, nor can I find information on it. In any case, I've embedded them here for everyone to peruse -- after the jump...

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THE NEXT DENNY CRANE JUST MAY BE...

...Cyrus Garza, as played by Emmy winner Jimmy Smits. As 'Upfronts' week continues from networks and announce what they have in store for us on the boob tube next year, I think think I'm instantly stoked for the hour-loung drama "Outlaw." We here at Bukowski's Basement love hard-drinkin', gamblin' and womaninzin' protagonists and Smits may have found his best role yet... Like I said, maybe the next Denny Crane. Here's the official scoop from...

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'GEORGE': SOMETIMES IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CONTEXT

Sometimes a story is all about context. Well that, and good editing. In the case of a TV show or movie, the way it's spliced together with music is also just as important. Take this new film "George" about an average middle-aged man who seems to have it all. He just got engaged to the girl of his dreams and it's right then and there, the plot thickens. Tragedy strikes. His finance suddenly dies and George is pulled into a massive depression....

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WHY RONNIE JAMES DIO DYING REMINDS ME OF SAMMY DAVIS JR.

Heavy Metal legend Ronnie James Dio died yesterday. And that reminded me of Muppet Master Jim Henson ... which reminded me of... Rat Pack legend Sammy Davis, Jr. Why? Because they all died on May 16. For me, however, Sammy will always have a special place in my heart and will resonate the most. As a child, one of the first songs I remember hearing was Sammy's "Candy Man." Granted, the addicting tune can be somewhat annoying but let's face it, to...

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A BOX FULL OF WATCHES (flash fiction)

1862.Blacksmith James Warren Sears reached for his newspaper. It was the only thing he looked forward to all day.He read of the The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. It would aid in the construction of a continental railroad and telegraph line. It said that Lincoln and his Union promised it would span from the Missouri river all the way to the Pacific ocean. They claim it would change the country.The blacksmith scoffed and went back to reading about...

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DOORS FANS REJOICE - 'WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE' AIRS ON PBS

Hopefully, many 'Basement' dwellers know all about "American Masters." If you don't, hop on board and start watching the PBS series and put it in your Netflix que.The groundbreaking show produces biographies on American artists, actors and writers that have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City and debuted in 1983.Such writers from Truman Capote to Papa Hemingway to Rod Serling to Willa Cather...

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THE BUKOWSKI-FANTE CONNECTION

Last year marked the 70th anniversary of the novel "Ask the Dust," by John Fante. While today it's recognized as a pre-Beats classic of American literature, it may not have been so if it had not been for Bukowski.As a struggling young writer trolling the streets of Los Angeles, (just like 'Dust' protagonist Arturo Bandini), Bukowski had stumbled upon a copy of the book in the public library. Fante immediately became a huge influence on the younger...

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WHAT IF BUKOWSKI WROTE 'PEANUTS' ?

Blogger Buddy Bish over at Bish's Beat gave my the skinny on this a while back. It seems that some industrious sorts have composed a plethora of stories of poems in the Bukowski vein and titled them "What if Bukowski wrote PEANUTS." It's simply hilarious and I'll post an excerpt. Somewhere we think Charles Schultz is rolling over in his grave. "Lucy"It began as a mistake.The first time that Charles Branaski met Lucy Van Pelt, she was holding a football....

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JAZZWOMAN LENA HORNE DEAD (A TRIBUTE IN VIDEOS)

After spending most of my weekend at a very unBukowski-like amusement park, I really feel under the weather. Being that its cold and allergy season, I feel like I'm fighting something off. And losing. Throw in a sick kid and sick mom and I'm just waiting for the seconds until I'm doctor-bound.But forget all that...Lena Horne, one of the world's pre-eminent ladies of jazz, has died at 92. After a quick YouTube search, it's astounding to see her body...

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CONTINENTAL DRIFT (flash fiction)

Harold C. Gregorian never invited recognition to rear its ugly head.By trade he was a pencil pusher and worked the doldrums of the middle management ladder all the way up to Vice president of development for Hughes Research Laboratories in California. The event at The Continental was supposed to be special because his firm was celebrating their crowning achievment, the first working laser.Gregorian was 61 and found that things changing all around...

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IS GREAT DIALOGUE THE SAME IF DELIVERED BY TYKES?

Until I get my #Fridayflash fiction in order, I'm dropping this hilarious lil' vid on everyone...Both Bukowski and Marlon Brando were men's men. They both possessed pure genius and defined their generation within their work. Time capsule stuff.I came across this precious, short video made by the San Francisco Children's Theater that overdubs a dramatic reading of Marlon Brando's famous monologue from "On the Waterfront" performed by kids.So I ask...Fresh...

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A RADIO STATION YOU NEED TO KNOW (on the dial and streaming)

Some scribes listen to music when they write. For me, it depends if the writing gods are kind, I can sort of let it flow and listen to some tunes. If you're a fan of jazz, big band and swing, read on... Don't know how-in-the-heck did it, but I managed to stumble upon this oldies station online -- WKHR 91.5, based out Bainbridge Township, Ohio and serving the greater Cleveland area. This just isn't another oldies station, mind you. There's no...

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VINTAGE CARTOONS: AMERICANA OR UN-PC??..

Wow ... Growing up I used to LOVE Popeye. LOVE him... Even though Bukowski had a bitter hatred towards Mickey Mouse, I think it's safe to say that he probably would've dug the one-eyed sailor. He had an undeniable heroic nature. What's more, Popeye was a military man, a loner who talked to himself and was quite the scrapper (like Buk). Check out some Popeye flash I wrote HERE.) So why do I dig Popeye? Dunno why exactly. Deep down, he seemed like...

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THE REWRITE SCRIBE: THE STUDIOS' HUSH-HUSH SECRET

I think if I could be any type of scribe, it would be that of a screenwriter. While I love the notion of locking myself in a private hideaway and churn out The Great American Novel, I've always had an affinity for the craft. It also helps that I'm a huge movie and TV buff. Television, by the way, is churning out some of the best writing I've seen in years. "Treme," anyone?I've dabbled in the form (check it out HERE), have been read by some agencies...

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BUKOWSKI EXHIBIT 'POET ON THE EDGE' TO OPEN OCT. 9

I don't live in San Marino, California but dammit, this just may be worth a trip to the Left Coast. It's been a while...The Huntington Library exhibit "Charles Bukowski: Poet on the Edge," will feature corrected typescripts of Bukowski’s poems and such novels as his autobiographical work, "Ham on Rye" (1982), and his screenplay "Barfly," made into a film in 1987, starring Faye Dunaway and Mickey Rourke. There also will be early periodicals containing...

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