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Dave Schaafsma's Reviews > Hollywood
Hollywood
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I finished listening to Ham on Rye by Bukowski and just jumped right into this one, a later one and not so great, but still pretty hilarious at times about his experience with Hollywood in the writing of the screenplay for and the making of Barfly:
“What will you do?"
"Oh, hell, I'll write a novel about writing the screenplay and making the movie."
"What are you going to call it?"
"Hollywood."
"Hollywood?"
"Yes. . ."
The working class Bukowski almost predictably skewers pretentious Hollywood types ala Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing, but Buk can't really mask how much pleasure the whole process of making the movie was for him. He loves Mickey Rourke in this movie, just loves him.
This is a Henry Chinaski novel, autobiographical fiction, but the story is hardly masked, just changing the names to protect the ridiculous, since most people know he made the movie. Hijinks abound, though I like the young, completely berserk and down and out Bukowski to the 65-year-old Bukowski still playing the role, tempered by his wife Sarah. He is still drinking, of course, (Sarah has him on wine now) the true barfly versus the faux Hollywood barflies.
“What will you do?"
"Oh, hell, I'll write a novel about writing the screenplay and making the movie."
"What are you going to call it?"
"Hollywood."
"Hollywood?"
"Yes. . ."
The working class Bukowski almost predictably skewers pretentious Hollywood types ala Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing, but Buk can't really mask how much pleasure the whole process of making the movie was for him. He loves Mickey Rourke in this movie, just loves him.
This is a Henry Chinaski novel, autobiographical fiction, but the story is hardly masked, just changing the names to protect the ridiculous, since most people know he made the movie. Hijinks abound, though I like the young, completely berserk and down and out Bukowski to the 65-year-old Bukowski still playing the role, tempered by his wife Sarah. He is still drinking, of course, (Sarah has him on wine now) the true barfly versus the faux Hollywood barflies.
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Reading Progress
August 6, 2017
–
Started Reading
August 6, 2017
– Shelved
August 6, 2017
–
0.0%
"I finished listening to Ham on Rye by Bukowski and just jumped into this one, a later one and not so good, but predictably hilariously bitter about his experince with Hollywood in the making of Barfly:
“What will you do?"
"Oh, hell, I'll write a novel about writing the screenplay and making the movie."
"What are you going to call it?"
"Hollywood."
"Hollywood?"
"³Û±ð²õ...â€�"
“What will you do?"
"Oh, hell, I'll write a novel about writing the screenplay and making the movie."
"What are you going to call it?"
"Hollywood."
"Hollywood?"
"³Û±ð²õ...â€�"
August 7, 2017
– Shelved as:
fiction-21st-century
August 7, 2017
– Shelved as:
film
August 7, 2017
–
Finished Reading
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david
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Aug 07, 2017 09:19AM
You beatnik.
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david wrote: "You beatnik." Bukowski hated almost everyone: Hippies, posh rich people. Any pretentious types. Which he saw as almost everyone. Maybe he would give a pass to some beatniks.
It has been quite a long time since I read Hollywood but I seem to recall the Buk was lukewarm about Rourke - perhaps he was "crazy about him" between the lines? (wouldn't be the first time I missed all that stuff in the blank spaces).
Well, you know, I am not sure what he "really" thought of him. I thought he had liked him, and the book makes it seem like he was perfect for the part. Rourke at his best is magical as an actor, I think. The Pope of Greenwich Village comes to mind. Others, too. But it was hard for Buk to love rich actors, rich anyone.
