Notes of a Dirty Old Man

By: Charles Bukowski

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

"He loads his head full of coal and diamonds shoot out of his finger tips. What a trick. The mole genius has left us with another digest. It's a full house - read 'em and weep." - Tom Waits

Born from Bukowski's columns, the LA underground press of the 1960s, Bukowski defined his early alter ego, Hank Chinaski, as a self-described dirty old man who eyes his defeatist attitude about himself with his clarity to see humor and holiness in others. Addictive and instructive listening, Bukowski delivers the humanity and intelligence of all the unseen. Filled with his usual obsessions - sex, booze, gambling - Notes features Bukowski's offbeat insights into politics and literature, and his tortured, violent relationships.

"People come to my door - too many of them really - and knock to tell me Notes of a Dirty Old Man turns them on. A bum off the road brings in a gypsy and his wife and we talk...drink half the night. A long distance operator from Newburgh, N.Y. sends me money. She wants me to give up drinking beer and to eat well. I hear from a madman who calls himself 'King Arthur' and lives on Vine Street in Hollywood and wants to help me write my column. A doctor comes to my door: 'I read your column and think I can help you. I used to be a psychiatrist.' I send him away...."

"Bukowski writes like a latter-day Celine, a wise fool talking straight from the gut about the futility and beauty of life...." (Publishers Weekly)

OBIE winner Will Patton (Remember the Titans, The Good Wife, Armageddon) recreates Bukowski in his visceral prime, along with every eye-popping character in his life, each adversary, lover, and stranger in a lost city.

More about the author:

Charles Bukowski is one of America's best-known contemporary writers of poetry and prose, and, many would claim, its most influential and imitated poet. He was born in Andernach, Germany and raised in Los Angeles, where he lived for 50 years. He published his first story in 1944, when he was 24, and began writing poetry at the age of 35. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994, at the age of 73, shortly after completing his last novel, Pulp.

©1969 Charles Bukowski (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Like my Grandfather returned from the grave.

This work is a nostalgic reminder of a time of misogyny that dominated damn near every aspect of society for both men and women and how society was complacent in looking the other way.
I feel not only the reminder of a such a hard upbringing in the hands of men similar as the protagonist/author but, also of a victory of walking through the eye of a needle of such a vile period of time and patriarchy.
We're by far not out of the henhouse yet but, excuse me while I schedule an appointment with my therapist.

Dirty old book

Good, some of the stories, I've heard before. Very funny all and all. Word.word. Word.

Who is Bukowski?

And why is he so famous? I picked up this book to figure out answer to this question. This book helped me to describe...beauty I guess. Maybe that's the reason, because he found beauty in obscenities of his everyday life

10/10

Amazing, Loved it, Will Paton keeps you immersed in the story 10/10. The Bukowski stories are some of the rawest tales I've ever heard.

Post Modern Nior at it's Best

With a plot liking to that of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, the author takes readers on a sensory roller coaster ride filled with an emaculate literary experience fulfilled by Bill Paxton

Exceptional performace

This is one of Bukowski’s best book and the reading cannot be better. It feels like Bukowski tells the stories.

Superb reading

The book itself is spectacular, but the reading is definitely what makes this audiobook unique.

A different voice for different material

Would you listen to Notes of a Dirty Old Man again? Why?

Yes. Beneath the dirt it's hilarious.

What other book might you compare Notes of a Dirty Old Man to and why?

Journey to the End of the Night

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Christian Baskous did such a great job with Bukowski's novels and stories I wondered why they would switch to a guy who sounded like an old timey gold prospector driven mad by the sun but Will quickly won me over.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Fun for the whole family!

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed Will Patton's performance of Notes so much I am going to buy the other City Lights audiobooks.

this is the first book I've listened to by Charles

oh shit! this guy wasn't off the chain. he broke the motherfucker! I didn't know you could write this way. unapologetically real and raw and honest. I laughed in places so hard that I cried. dude, where have you been my whole life?

as for the performance, it was second to none! great reading. awesome!

if you're easily offended move along. nothing to see here.

Brilliant!

My first Bukowski and I loved it. Will Patton was brilliant. it's probably not for everyone but I strongly recommend it, at least one Bukowski should be on your bucket list.