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Hot Water Music

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 5,713 ratings · 219 reviews

Hot Water Music is a collection of short stories by Charles Bukowski, published in 1983. The collection deals largely with: drinking, women, gambling, and writing. It is an important collection that establishes Bukowski's minimalist style and his thematic oeuvre.

Paperback, 224 pages

Published May 31st 2002 by Ecco (first published 1983)

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Sep 01, 2008 Pardis Parto rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

شخصيت محوري داستان هاي بوکفسکي،هنري چيتانسکي نام دارد.او اديبي است بدمست که درباره همه امور با صراحت و بي رحمي نظر مي دهد،به موسيقي علاقه مند است و از زنان گريزان.
در داستان هاي موسيقي آب گرم،ويژگي هاي جامعه ادبي و روشنفکري آمريکا را از منظر يکي از اعضايش مي توان ديد؛اين کتاب شايد پاسخي باشد براي اين پرسش اهل جستجو که چرا جامعه روشنفکري آمريکا در داخل اين کشور در مقايسه با روشنفکران ساير جوامع ناکارآمد و به رغم توليد آثار جدي و قوي،در امور اجتماع کم تاثير است.
بوکفسکي روشنفکران يا اهالي مجتمع شعر...more شخصيت محوري داستان هاي بوکفسکي،هنري چيتانسکي نام دارد.او اديبي است بدمست که درباره همه امور با صراحت و بي رحمي نظر مي دهد،به موسيقي علاقه مند است و از زنان گريزان.
در داستان هاي موسيقي آب گرم،ويژگي هاي جامعه ادبي و روشنفکري آمريکا را از منظر يکي از اعضايش مي توان ديد؛اين کتاب شايد پاسخي باشد براي اين پرسش اهل جستجو که چرا جامعه روشنفکري آمريکا در داخل اين کشور در مقايسه با روشنفکران ساير جوامع ناکارآمد و به رغم توليد آثار جدي و قوي،در امور اجتماع کم تاثير است.
بوکفسکي روشنفکران يا اهالي مجتمع شعر و ادب و هنر و داستان در آمريکا را آدم هايي تلخ،بي تربيت،بي اعتقاد به باورهاي ديني حاکم بر جامعه و عموم مردم،ساز مخالف کوک کن،ناکارآمد،منفي باف،ترسو،بريده از جمع و عاشق عيش و نوش و بي خيالي و عشرت طلبي معرفي مي کند که در عين حال،در آفرينش و خلاقيت هاي هنري و ادبي و فرهنگي از سرآمدان دورانند
او در داستان سياست،روشنفکر را مخالف خواني بي منطق مي داند و چنين مي نويسد:"تو کالج لوس آنجلس،درست قبل از جنگ جهاني دوم نازي شده بودم.هرچند فرق هيتلر با هرکول را نمي دانستم و اصلا برام اهميتي نداشت،اما حوصله ام از دست ميهن پرست هايي که مي گفتند بايد به جنگ اهريمن رفت،سر رفته بود.براي همين هم تصميم گرفتم ساز مخالف کوک کنم.البته حتي به خودم زحمت مطالعه درباره هيتلر رو هم نداده بودم،فقط هر چيزي که احساس مي کردم شيطاني و جنون آميزه،من رو به خودش جذب مي کرد.به هر حال،من بي هيچ اعتقاد سياسي اي،فقط براي در رفتن از گير جريان هاي معمول نازي شده بودم." و اين همان هنري چيتانسکي است که باور دارد "بعضي وقت ها آدمي که به کارش اعتقاد نداره،بيشتر دل مي ده به کار،دليلش اينه که هيچ وابستگي عاطفي اي به کارش نداره.
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Jun 13, 2011 Ilario D'amato added it · review of another edition

Appena completato l’ultimo rigo di questo libro, una volta alzati gli occhi dalla pagina non si può tornare a guardare “la gente” con gli stessi occhi di prima. Perché Bukowski ci introduce in un universo underground parallelo al nostro, che si innerva nella nostra quotidianità con le sue leggi e i suoi protagonisti, in cui si agitano misogini, pittori, assassini, poeti, stupratori, disoccupati senza ideali, asociali con velleità artistiche, inetti beoni che si lasciano scorrere addosso la vita,...more Appena completato l’ultimo rigo di questo libro, una volta alzati gli occhi dalla pagina non si può tornare a guardare “la gente” con gli stessi occhi di prima. Perché Bukowski ci introduce in un universo underground parallelo al nostro, che si innerva nella nostra quotidianità con le sue leggi e i suoi protagonisti, in cui si agitano misogini, pittori, assassini, poeti, stupratori, disoccupati senza ideali, asociali con velleità artistiche, inetti beoni che si lasciano scorrere addosso la vita, e in cui ognuno galleggia nella propria isola senza mai riuscire a gettare un ponte fra sé e gli altri.
Questo mondo (di cui lo stesso autore fa parte) può generare diverse reazioni: disgusto, riprovazione morale, amore fraterno, sensi di colpa, semplice interesse antropologico, ma in ogni caso Bukowski ha il grande merito di gettare un raggio di luce su una porzione di umanità che vive un’esistenza buia, dura, fatta di piccoli gesti quotidiani e di meschina accettazione. E in questi 35 racconti sviscera tutta una gamma di umanità che con le sue mille sfumature può darci contemporaneamente tutte queste sensazioni, a seconda del nostro background emotivo e culturale, e della nostra disponibilità ad accettare le debolezze di questi “eroi” come umane, e quindi per nulla anormali. Se da un lato, infatti, colpisce e quasi irrita la perfetta immobilità di tutti i personaggi, la cui unica preoccupazione sembra quella di procurarsi in qualche modo i soldi per l’affitto e per il bere (unico rimedio alla durezza della vita), dall’altro non si può non provare tenerezza per dei fratelli che non hanno la forza di rialzarsi dal baratro in cui si sono cacciati (con le proprie mani o per casualità), e rimestano le proprie vite cercando di tacitare la loro anima che urla, richiedendo una vita che valga la pena di essere vissuta. Per zittirla, quindi, si rinchiudono in una corazza fatta di estrema solitudine, a volte spezzata dal piacere che può dare la compagnia d’un altro compagno di disavventure e da fugaci incontri in cui il sesso si mostra solo come merce di scambio, o al più una momentanea sospensione del dolore. Anche l’amicizia non esiste, poiché non esiste comprensione reciproca. Tutto questo non fa che aumentare la percezione del distacco tra i due mondi, quello “normale”, fatto di lavoro, di progressione, di speranza e di amore, e questo “anomalo”, asfissiante nella sua immutabilità, sciatto, cinico, dove il pensare al domani è un lusso per i sognatori, o per i folli.
Una lettura piacevolmente scandalosa (come sempre in Bukowski), che senza manifestarlo esplicitamente getta in noi il seme del dubbio sul valore dato allo scorrere della vita, sulla nostra capacità di essere solidali, sulla cosiddetta “normalità”.(less)

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Apr 14, 2012 Hârum rated it 3 of 5 stars

MÚSICA DE CAÑERÍAS es una serie de relatos cortos y rápidos de Charles Bukowski en los que incide una vez más en sus temas de siempre; la miseria moral, la ruina del ser humano, el alcoholismo, la estupidez que rodea al mundo de la cultura, el triunfo y el fracaso.

Digo rápidos porque Bukowski no es precisamente un autor que de excesivos rodeos para culminar su objetivo, a no ser que se trate de una anécdota chusca donde precisamente el factor sorpresa refuerce el efecto final (como ocurre con EX...more MÚSICA DE CAÑERÍAS es una serie de relatos cortos y rápidos de Charles Bukowski en los que incide una vez más en sus temas de siempre; la miseria moral, la ruina del ser humano, el alcoholismo, la estupidez que rodea al mundo de la cultura, el triunfo y el fracaso.

Digo rápidos porque Bukowski no es precisamente un autor que de excesivos rodeos para culminar su objetivo, a no ser que se trate de una anécdota chusca donde precisamente el factor sorpresa refuerce el efecto final (como ocurre con EXACTAMENTE NO FUE BERNARDETTE) y se dirige sin vacilación y con toda la contundencia posible hacia el final del relato, pasando por encima de todo, personajes, vidas, obras y mobiliario.

En éstos relatos Bukowski es ya un autor consagrado y respetado, se deja entrever en relatos como PUTEO LÍRICO, donde se dibuja como todo un personaje público, con todos sus tics y poses adquiridos o adjudicados, cuyas apariciones públicas ya suponen de por si todo un espectáculo, o UNA JORNADA DE TRABAJO, repaso detallado por la actividad diaria de un escritor de prestigio, en la que apenas puede escribir molestado una y otra vez por admiradores, aprendices, periodistas y ex amantes.

Pero es en los relatos donde muestra la bajada a los infiernos del alcoholismo y la degradación donde más cómodo se encuentra, así, el patético protagonista de EL GRAN POETA, es un compendio de todo aquello en lo que se puede convertir un ser humano al que ya no le importa nada, o, LA MUERTE DEL PADRE, un relato de odio e indiferencia hacia la figura paterna (ya bien descrita en la novela LA SENDA DEL PERDEDOR)

En general, todos éstos relatos son de gentes que se mantienen a flote sin que ellos mismos sepan muy bien porque, algunos de los personajes pasan por la vida como quien pasea por una acera llena de agujeros, tropezando, cayendo, levantándose, pero sin la convicción de que en algún momento la acera se nivelara y su pasó podrá ser al fin firme y ligero. Saben que la acera, que la vida, está tan llena de baches y socavones que el levantarse supone casi de forma automática prepararse para otra caída. Por eso se refugian en el alcohol, el sexo, las drogas (incluso, hasta en la literatura) sin más perspectivas de futuro que el conseguir que la siguiente caída no sea especialmente dolorosa.

Incluso aquellos que consiguen un mínimo de estabilidad se ven en la necesidad de embrutecerse para dejar de ser conscientes de lo que ocurre a su alrededor. Es la amargura de quien sabe que ha tenido suerte, pero que también sabe que esa suerte se le puede acabar en cualquier momento.

De Francisco José Súñer Iglesias
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Feb 28, 2012 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am quite the fan of Bukowski. I enjoyed Factotum, Pulp, and Post Office in particular, and I think Ham On Rye is a work of art. Perhaps the only real catch to Bukowski's work is that he is something of a one trick pony. Don't get me wrong, though. It's still a good trick.

Where Bukowski fails in his writing (when he fails at all) is when he allows his nihilism to devolve into creative redundancy. He doesn't have very many points to make, and sometimes he tends to make them in the same way. Stil...more I am quite the fan of Bukowski. I enjoyed Factotum, Pulp, and Post Office in particular, and I think Ham On Rye is a work of art. Perhaps the only real catch to Bukowski's work is that he is something of a one trick pony. Don't get me wrong, though. It's still a good trick.

Where Bukowski fails in his writing (when he fails at all) is when he allows his nihilism to devolve into creative redundancy. He doesn't have very many points to make, and sometimes he tends to make them in the same way. Still, the man is a craftsman when it comes to the rough-hewn and the unflinching gaze of existentialism.

This is why I was disappointed by Hot Water Music.

Bukowski's themes (which are a lot deeper than just drunkeness, sex, ambivalence, and poverty, as some of the other reviews here seem to suggest) translate remarkably well when they are drawn out novelistically by his crisp, spare prose and his dry, gritty dialogue. In his books he takes his time teasing his message out of dark shadows and, when it is exposed to the light, he crushes its skull with a sledgehammer.

Short stories, of course, don't give him as much leisure for dilly-dallying, and as a result his work here is blunter (inasumcuh as that's possible) and duller and far more repetitive. The majority of these stories are about, of course, ambiently depressed alcoholics who haven't the motivation or energy to do anything but keep digging their own grave. You read enough stories about soused women farting and horny men with hemorrhoids and your head starts to swim. Some people might argue that these stories are meant simply to be funny, and depending on your sense of humor, they are -- but no one likes to hear the same joke told ten, twelve, or twenty times in a row. Unless, of course, you really really like the joke.

The more absurd pieces (You Kissed Lilly, Strokes to Nowhere, and I Love You, Albert) are fun enough, and although their playfulness tends to be vacuous, they are still chewy enough to be enjoyable. And there are really some remarkably subtle and clever stories here as well. Most notable among these are Cold Night, The Upward Bird, Beer at the Corner Bar, The Death of the Father II, In and Out and Over, and Head Job.

In these Bukowski trades in his usual and obvious attempts at crassness and crudity for a more ghostly skill: the stories are delivered with his typical point-blank attitude, but their profundity is couched without bravado or brassiness. His short stories work best when they avoid the more blatant trademarks of his novels -- liquor-soaked abuse and disdain. Head Job, especially, is notable for being the first time that I have ever read Bukowski write something from a woman's point of view, and he does it admirably.

This is a decent but repetitive collection of stories, with gems interspersed throughout, but the overall impression is mostly lukewarm, although hardcore fans will love it.(less)

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Nov 07, 2008 Andy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: buk fans, natch!

Shelves: jazznbeats

Thrilling collection of Bukowski short stories: lots of sex, booze and gambling, yeah!
"Home Run" is about the beating of a cocky bartender, "Broken Merchandise" is a brilliant account of road rage, "The Man Who Loved Elevators" is like a Todd Solondz movie about an apartment house sex maniac, and "900 Pounds" is about a fat guy in a bathing suit about to kill you. Other stories are nothing more than drunken phone calls, but the dialogue is very, very funny. This one never disappoints!

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Mar 26, 2008 Levi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-short-stories

"God, who would want to be such an asshole?"

So queried Modest Mouse about Mr. Bukowski, and after reading collections like this I'd wager you'd hear a lot of people saying, "I would." Chuck is the best at what he does: making the down and out, the poor and pitiful, the lustful and sinful full of color and life. The stories are brief, but they stick with you. If you can handle the dreary apartments and bloody body parts, then go to it and make your nights a little bit more like Bukowski.

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Sep 17, 2009 Ryan Werner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Three dozen tales of drinking and nihilistic tendencies show Bukowski at a literary high and the inhabitants of the world at a moralistic low.

German-born American author Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) had, at the time of 1983’s short story collection Hot Water Music (Ecco, ISBN:0876855966), made a career on taking his life-experiences and turning them into self-proclaimed “tales of ordinary madness.” With Hot Water Music, he uses breaks no new ground in his literary career, instead putting out ano...more Three dozen tales of drinking and nihilistic tendencies show Bukowski at a literary high and the inhabitants of the world at a moralistic low.

German-born American author Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) had, at the time of 1983’s short story collection Hot Water Music (Ecco, ISBN:0876855966), made a career on taking his life-experiences and turning them into self-proclaimed “tales of ordinary madness.” With Hot Water Music, he uses breaks no new ground in his literary career, instead putting out another exceptionally-written anthology of bad people doing bad things. He occasionally lets his degenerate represent what the world can do to people, but more often than not his characters end up just showing people at their most indulgent stage of debauchery, representing what people can do to the world.

A Walk Through the Worst Parts of Town

The stories in Hot Water Music are the equivalent of walking through the worst parts of town at the best times, when both ends of the social spectrum clear out, when the gutters and nice houses both empty and the scumbags within start to move from bar to bar with a bad attitude, filling their guts with handout bar pretzels and stale popcorn. Bukowski follows these people around for awhile and ditches them before they become old news. These thirty-six stories rarely exceed six-pages, and they don’t need to. The reader is allowed to get a sense of the vulgarity that rubs its belly near the feet of everyone.

The Usual Suspects

The characters in these stories are the same drunks, rapists, sexual hounds with pathetic justifications for drinking whatever flows down the curb that anyone familiar with Bukowski’s work will recognize immediately. Bukowski’s literary alter-ego Hank Chinaski even makes several appearances, paralleling the arc of the author’s life in some of the more personal stories in this collection.

The subject matter is standard Bukowski fare, as well: women, booze, coming to grips with popularity after a life of being shunned and enjoying it. At their worst, these stories are uneventfully bleak (“Turkeyneck Morning”) or just sort of uneventful (“In And Out And Over”). At their best, these are stories of perverts and weirdos settling for less than what everyone else expects them to.

A Haul Towards the End, but More Than Worth It

Though this collection gets a bit tedious if read straight through (especially if a reader is also simultaneously taking in other works by Bukowski), the great writing that was cultivated with 1982’s Ham On Rye sees Bukowski taking his minimalistic approach to life and language and turning it into a series of blinks past the windows where the shady people dwell.(less)

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Jul 28, 2011 Phil rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20th-century

This is a good collection of short stories, all of which were very quick reads, so it felt like I made nice progress.

As for the stories themselves, they were vintage Bukowski, primarily focused on sex, booze, violence, and desperately dirty people. What really struck me while I was reading this collection is that Bukowski is, in a way, the evolution of literary naturalism. He focuses on down-and-out subjects, without skimping on the graphic detail, and he explores a world consisting of these typ...more

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Mar 23, 2010 Caris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

It’s hard for me to review Bukowski. I love him. I’ll admit it. He can do no wrong in my eyes. I’ve read so many of his books that I find it hard to think new things about his writing. It’s more comfortable for me to forget about any enlightenment I may receive or any criticism I can come up with and, instead, let the dirty old man talk me into one of the most comfortable places I know. But I don’t think I have the ability to read a book anymore without giving a review. So, since I never have be...more It’s hard for me to review Bukowski. I love him. I’ll admit it. He can do no wrong in my eyes. I’ve read so many of his books that I find it hard to think new things about his writing. It’s more comfortable for me to forget about any enlightenment I may receive or any criticism I can come up with and, instead, let the dirty old man talk me into one of the most comfortable places I know. But I don’t think I have the ability to read a book anymore without giving a review. So, since I never have before, I figured I could have a look at gender roles, as he’s gotten a lot of shit for his treatment of women.

With this reading, I realized just how androgynous Bukowski’s characters are and how equally he treats them regardless of their gender. He runs in circles of artists and all of his friends are writers, poets, or painters. The drunks are drunks. It doesn’t seem to matter whether they’re male or female, he casts them all in the same light. They’re good as a springboard for his protagonist’s ideas and clever insults, but that’s about it. What I find even more interesting is that they all have the same voice. The protagonists are always Bukowski, that much is obvious. But, without any exception I can think of, all of the supporting cast members are the same person and they always want something from him.

And when I really thought about it, they all want the same thing. Here’s where any sort of gender divide comes in. Some of the women want sex. Others, like all of the men, want to fight, drink, get advice, bum some money, or chat him up for a while. What it really comes down to is time. They all want to waste the finite time he has on the planet. Of course, he often indulges them, as he doesn’t consider his value to be greater than anyone else’s. But every now and again, as evidenced by his post-coital thoughts and angry outbursts, he longs to be alone. And we, as readers, long for him to be by himself with a soft boiled egg and the typer.

I think this pains me because I know Buk’s dead. He left an impressive body of work, greater than any writer I am aware of. Every year, they come out with more books of unpublished poetry to add to the huge mound of those already in print. But, eventually, they’re going to run out. Eventually, I’m going to read everything he has written. One day there will be no more. This line of thinking makes me curse the drunks and whores that I love to read about because they wasted so much goddamned time.
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Dec 13, 2009 Seán rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

My only prior exposure to Bukowski was Post Office and his enormous hipster rep. The former was a genuinely good read and seemed to justify the latter, or at least added weight to what otherwise seemed the tale of a lucky dirtbag who suffered from the occasional bout of insight.

However, these lusterless vignettes just sit on the page like the inert efforts of a lazy undergrad. Boasting atrocious dialogue and distracted endings, pretty much each story features a tough-guy character transparently...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Cristóbal Martínez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Al abrir un libro de Bukowski se puede esperar de todo, excepto decencia.
Esto queda totalmente demostrado en Música de Cañerías (Hot Water Music), un conjunto de historias urbanas que rayan en la ficción erótica, la pornografía y la literatura gore, sin ser necesariamente parte de alguna de ellas.
Bukowski es un escritor siempre joven, cuyas historias, aunque distantes temporalmente, podrían estarse viviendo en algún sitio en el momento justo en que el lector recorre una vez más las líneas de uno...more

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May 25, 2009 Emalie Soderback rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: poetry

An explicitly brutal portrayal of human relationships, addiction, sexual ache and emotional carnage this book repulsed and attracted me in a way that only Bukowski can. It fueled many conversations of how writers put themselves into their work on different levels, leading to several questions revolving around the one bit in the book where a man swiftly asks for a match and then slits a stranger’s throat all in a few minutes and without a second thought. Why was this man a genius. I don’t know.

“C...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just love Bukowski. I think I love it because his life is like the opposite of mine but it's always interesting to see the world from another perspective. It's the ramblings of this drunk old man but really aren't we the most honest when we're drunk? It's just disgusting honesty, literally and figuratively. And his relationship with women fascinates me for some reason, whether its the characters in his stories or Bukowski himself, its perverted. Reading Bukowski is like entering this world of...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Giulia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: racconti

Di tacche sul muro e di giraffe

Accanto all’ultima tacca segnata sul muro c’è scritto 1,75. Mi sono fermata lì e credo che la prima volta che lessi questo libro ero già arrivata a quell’altezza. Il che dimostra che fumare fa male, forse, che se inizi a fumare le tette non crescono più e tu non ti alzi più. Bukowski mi misura in altro modo. “Magari sarò alta uguale, ma vediamo un po’ se son cresciuta in altri modi, o se mi sono rimpicciolita”. E allora ogni tanto lo ritiro fuori dalla libreria e r...more Di tacche sul muro e di giraffe

Accanto all’ultima tacca segnata sul muro c’è scritto 1,75. Mi sono fermata lì e credo che la prima volta che lessi questo libro ero già arrivata a quell’altezza. Il che dimostra che fumare fa male, forse, che se inizi a fumare le tette non crescono più e tu non ti alzi più. Bukowski mi misura in altro modo. “Magari sarò alta uguale, ma vediamo un po’ se son cresciuta in altri modi, o se mi sono rimpicciolita”. E allora ogni tanto lo ritiro fuori dalla libreria e rileggo. C’è un altro tipo di altezza che Bukowski riesce a misurare: non è un’altezza di tipo morale; non è nemmeno la misura della maturità. Forse è un metro per giraffe, che se ti si è allungato tanto il collo a furia di guardare avanti e di cercare di arrivarci, e se hai avuto fortuna, poi abbassi gli occhi sulle pagine di quel vecchio alcolizzato e nemmeno ti riesce più ad intravedere le lettere piccole piccole, tanto sono ormai lontane. Sei diventata, in questo caso, una miope giraffa matura ed intraprendente. Il mio caso è quello di una giraffa lamarckiana, che si ostina a non comprendere il meccanismo genetico di divergenza casuale e pensa che provare a stirarsi il collo da soli sia un’attività costruttiva. Questo è il caso della giraffa Bukowski, che alla fine si rende conto della fregatura e smette di torcersi il collo, abbassa gli occhi perché sente vicino l’odore di un suo simile, e si mette a leggere le uniche parole che, per quanto brutali, riescano a consolarla.

"Francine si girò verso di lui, che la circondò con un braccio. Gli ubriachi delle tre di notte, in tutta l'America, stavano fissando un muro, dopo averci finalmente rinunciato. Non che fosse necessario essere ubriachi per soffrire, per farsi annientare da una donna, ma se uno soffriva poteva anche darsi che finisse ubriaco. Certo, capita a tutti, soprattutto ai giovani, di pensare di avere il mondo in pugno, e a volte è anche vero. Ma nell'attimo stesso in cui uno è convinto che tutto vada per il meglio, ci sono leggi statistiche che lavorano alle sue spalle, pronte a fregarlo. E una notte, un caldo giovedì d'estate, quell'uno diventa l'ubriaco e se ne sta da solo in una squallida camera d'affitto e poco importa se c'è già stato un mucchio di volte, non gli è di nessuno aiuto, anzi, semmai è peggio perché quell'uno si era illuso di esserci uscito del tutto. E allora non gli resta che accendersi un'altra sigaretta e riempirsi ancora il bicchiere e mettersi a scrutare le pareti scrostate in cerca di labbra e di occhi. Era incomprensibile quello che gli uomini e le donne riuscivano a farsi.

Tony attirò a sé Francine, premette piano il suo corpo contro quello di lei e l'ascoltò respirare. Era orribile dover prendere ancora sul serio quello schifo.
Los Angeles era così strana. Si mise in ascolto. Era ancora buio pesto, eppure gli uccelli erano già svegli e cinguettavano. Presto la gente avrebbe cominciato ad affollare le autostrade. Si sarebbe sentito il ronzio continuo del traffico, oltre al rumore dei motori che venivano avviati un po' ovunque. Nel frattempo gli ubriachi delle tre di notte, in tutto il mondo, sarebbero rimasti nei loro letti, nella vana ricerca del sonno, di un riposo meritato che non riuscivano a trovare."
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Nov 14, 2011 Cbj rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alienation

HOT WATER MUSIC is the third collection of Bukowski short stories I've read this year. Its more of the same old stuff - lots of hard drinking lazy men who get lucky with beautiful women all of whom are voluptuous. But there is some melancholy and bad luck lurking around the corner. However, there wasn't enough social commentary in this collection of stories. Bukowski does tear into Mailer and Camus. But Bukowski's unique insights into modern life and human nature are few and far between. I felt...more

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Jul 17, 2010 Tommy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay/Occasionally good. I loved Factotum but found less to love with this. At moments the brilliance sparkled through, but ultimately there wasn't enough for this to be considered a must read, not even as a riff on a segment of society or lifestyle.

It's a quick read though and there's not as much that's easily accessible like it around today, so worth reading I guess. Keep in mind though, like some of the Beats, Bukowski is a figure who probably is given more props than he deserves, and who's b...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Tyler Koslow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bukowski's collection of short stories address the destructive and lonely nature of human existence. This is usually made by most writers in an extravagant, fiction-like manner, but Charles Bukowski brings destruction into his work through the normal, everyday dirty work that portrays the dark side to human achievement and society. His collection helped me realize that my ideal, no matter how surreal, can still be found in everyday observations on human life. This type of realism that he uses he...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Farzam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

بوکفسکی یکی از کساییه که خدا آفرید تا من تو این دنیا حس تنهایی نکنم.

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May 05, 2010 Bill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bukowski at his best. This book has just enough of his subtle surrealism to really shine above and beyond his regular "alcohol, horse racing, sex, and writing" that is present in every book. This book just seemed to go a little bit beyond that, to a different place just outside of the everyday reality that Bukowski usually wallows in. That's not to say that there isn't plenty of fighting and writing and screwing and drinking, but it's more like Bukowski was pushing the limits of his fiction just...more

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Feb 26, 2009 Sheida rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

خوندن این کتاب عین خوردن یه قوطی آبجوی گرمه !

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Dec 24, 2012 Cristian V. Bizau rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bukowski is one fucking weird guy. But I love the bastard. The way he writes keeps you going up until the very last word, even though you know, at one point, that there's no point in continuing. All the stories from "Hot Water Music" relate in one way or another with some kind of defect from today's society (even tough it was written a long time ago). The tales are dull, in an interesting way, and funny. If you're thinking about buying the book, you should. i bought it only for the stories regar...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Patrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

Until a few days ago, I was a fraud. I had enjoyed many the beer at Bukowski Tavern in Boston, the hipster 'Dead Author's Club' watering hole named for Charles Bukowski, but I'd never read his work. Furthermore, I'd been kind of into the punk band 'Hot Water Music' in college, and even still listen to a couple of choice tracks when I need an extra shot of adrenaline during a workout (seriously, listen to 'A Flight and a Crash' and just try not to get at least a little fired up), all the while re...more Until a few days ago, I was a fraud. I had enjoyed many the beer at Bukowski Tavern in Boston, the hipster 'Dead Author's Club' watering hole named for Charles Bukowski, but I'd never read his work. Furthermore, I'd been kind of into the punk band 'Hot Water Music' in college, and even still listen to a couple of choice tracks when I need an extra shot of adrenaline during a workout (seriously, listen to 'A Flight and a Crash' and just try not to get at least a little fired up), all the while remaining oblivious to the origin of their name. Friends, I am a fraud no more.

So I get the Bukowski thing now. He's cool. He's a nihilist. He doesn't give a fuck. I get that. In some ways, I admire it. Honestly, I think the best stories in this collection are the ones that really go dark and surreal, such as You Kissed Lilly, Praying Mantis, Cold Night and, to a lesser extent, Home Run. But on the whole, Bukowski is really just about drinking, sex, writing, and betting on horses. You can see where that might be appealing, especially to a particular type of person.

So I get it now, but I also wouldn't call myself a big fan or anything just yet. For one thing, the nihilism gets repetitive, especially in a short story collection. So many of the stories in this book are, not boring, exactly, but inessential. They're a few short pages, a glimpse into the life of a degenerate gambler/alcoholic/writer, and then they're over, and you kind of sit there thinking, "what the hell did I just read? What was the point?" The writing is good, and it holds your interest, but it all feels a bit pointless, which is maybe the point.

Also, every one of these degenerates and transients are tortured geniuses of some type, or at least very well-read. Even alcoholic prostitutes killing their days at dive bars have read Tolstoy. I don't know, maybe it's the age--this book was published in 1983, which feels like not that long ago, but a lot can change in 30 years--everyone used to read books, so maybe it wasn't that uncommon. But no one reads now (present company excluded), so it just seemed off to me. But, hey, we all define our own realities. Maybe that's how the hobos were in LA in the 80s, or maybe just in Bukowski's head.

In any event, I'm glad I dipped my toe in the Bukowski sewer. Now I can go back to Bukowski's, order a beer, drop some bills down (they don't take credit cards, after all), and hold my head high knowing that the bartenders aren't really A-holes, they're just nihilists, doing their best to replicate the attitude of their namesake. My beer will taste that much better.(less)

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Jan 14, 2008 J.P. rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: insomniacs

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Bukowski is one of my all-time faves. His work has brought me much enjoyment over the years. He's a major model to me as a writer. I hadn't looked at any of his short stories in some time, so I picked up one I hadn't previously read, HOT WATER MUSIC. Imagine my sad surprise when I was actually B-O-R-E-D by it.

I dunno. Maybe it's because of the time in Buk's life from which HWM dates, the early 1980s. By then, Buk had cut his famous deal with Black Sparrow's John Martin. Publication for anything...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Moe Weimer rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to convince myself that Bukowski is/was not a sexist. I read about three stories and came to terms with (what would appear to be) this overzealous ambition as I concomitantly realized that life is too short for such balderdash. I would try to argue my case for liking Bukowski as much as I did but after reading this collection of stories I'd say that such an argument merits much more examination and thinking than I'm willing to give Bukowski right now. Nevertheless, Bukowski does some pr...more

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Oct 08, 2007 Logan rated it 4 of 5 stars

The sociopathic and, sometimes, psychopathic tendencies of the characters in this book of short stories far outweighs any of the apathetic-coast-thru-life-and-just-get-by-ness of Henry Chinaski in the only other Bukowski book I've read so far, Factotum. I was surprised to see these clearly fictional stories from Bukowski as I had gotten the impression he's really more of a "creative non-fiction" writer than a maker-up-of-tales. So, it was good to read this book of short stories (most under 5 pag...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved wallowing around in this book. When you feel like forgetting your troubles by immersing yourself in a book full of tragic heroes, bukowski is a good author to do it with. this was the best book of short stories i've read,I didn't feel like any of them were too short, any character underdeveloped. I enjoy books where I wonder how much is autobiographical. Can't wait to read more bukowski. I've been hunting for some of his poetry in books across the city but no luck yet.

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Mar 13, 2013 Hanagie rated it 3 of 5 stars

The only thing I really have to say is that after each story I felt grimy. In these stories I was introduced to a world I have never been a part of. Nor would I want to be a part of any of these worlds. They give the reader some kind of truth. A sad truth. But that's how I see Buwkoski.

Never having read any of his short stories (I've only recently began to explore his work) I think its safe to say that his format is predictable. His endings are anti-climatic. That's what I love most about his s...more

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Oct 20, 2011 David Fleming rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first thing I read of Bukowski's and his terse style seemed to me like a breath of fresh air. It's as if he copied Hemingway's style and then mimicked it to the point of caricature. And yet somehow I'm still saying that's a good thing.

I believe he took the potentiality of Hemingway's style and magnified it's unpleasantness in a manner similar to how Seth McFarlane exaggerated Matt Groening. Okay, maybe that analogy was pushing it but I love the way no thought or idea is too reprehen...more

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Dec 23, 2008 Mark Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bukowski from the 60s when he was walking the line between titillation and literature. No one ever tap danced on that line the way Buk did. Lots of steamy, seamy sex. Lots of people doing other people wrong. Lots of funny, human moments. I read this right after I broke up with a crazy woman, so I really enjoyed his depiction of some of the wacko babes he encountered. Great thing about Buk? The men are just as evil, wacko, dissolute, lost.

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Sep 18, 2012 Karky rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had a Chuck Bukowski kick back in 2004. I moved out of my father's house the year prior, inadvertently isolated myself from most of my friends, got a soul-draining job in retail, and fallen into a bit of depression (which hardly anyone noticed). Though I hardly remember what I read, it spoke to me because I was in a toxic environment and Bukowski wrote with an honest intensity that was lacking in my life at the time.

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About Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski was born in Andernach, Germany on August 16, 1920, the only child of an American soldier and a German mother. At the age of three, he came with his family to the United States and grew up in Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles City College from 1939 to 1941, then left school and moved to New York City to become a writer. His lack of publishing success at this time caused him to g...more

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