A Gin-Pissing-Raw-Meat-Dual-Carburetor-V8-Son-of-a-Bitch from Los Angeles: Collected Poems, 1983-2002

by Dan Fante

Poetry. In this searing collection of poetry by the author of CHUMP CHANGE, Fante tracks twenty years of excess: booze, drugs, and women. He infuses his poetry with bawdy humor, philosophical sensibilities, and tales of private hell of his own making. His distinct voice reads like short stories from his diary pages, with glimpses of his travels, women, friends, and most memorably, the haunts of his famous father, the author John Fante. The poems are complemented with the unique paintings and drawings from the diary collection of his friend, Michael Napper. Foreword by Joyce Fante and introduction by Ben Pleasants.

Genres: Poetry

127 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[laila* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being the son of John Fante and being a pretty shitty writer in comparison would do numbers on me also ig. But he’s callous where his father seems more empathetic to me. Funny bit about him being in Edinburgh and wondering if I picked up this book in the same bookstore he’s talking about. The last vestiges of the American dream yadayada.

[Memory Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like most poetry, but I loved this collection. Before this, I read two of Fante's other books, Chump Change and Mooch, back-to-back, so I had some perspective on Fante's background, which made the poems even more poignant. This book is staying on my shelf to be re-read.

[Teemu Helle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tälläkin lukukerralla hyvä. Fante ei ole, kuten ei Bukowskikaan, mikään metaforien kehittelijä. Sen sijaan hän rakentaa kokonaisuuksia, hänen runonsa ovat kuin fragmentaarisia novelleja.

[Colin N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this collection of poems having enjoyed Fante's novels. These poems span the two decades where Fante was at the height of his drinking and drug use and working odd jobs (telemarketing, driving a cab) that he would later mine in his fiction. The poems address his depressions, drug and alcohol use, the ever-present shadow of his father, women, the drudgery or successes of work, and his relationships.

There is a raw honesty to Fante's poems that I appreciate. Fante nicely captures feelings of despair and insanity as he struggles with his personal demons. Yet amid the moments of despair are always glimpses of hope and calmness and love.

The accompanying art in the book is done by a friend of Fante's who does artistic journals composed of writing, drawings, and collage. Not sure if I like the pieces necessarily, but they are certainly interesting and were paired nicely with the poems.

Overall an enjoyable read.

[William Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

i feel that fante has lived in the shadow of his father his entire life, being overlooked by most and underappreciated for being the son of a literary and screenwriting giant. however, fante stands as his own man in every piece of his work, whther or not he is writing about his father or his sexual encounters or his temper tantrums and binge drinking. i feel that bukowski is usually favored over dan because he is a popular name, and most will understand that you love degenerate poetry if you mention c.b. anyone looking for modern poetry in that vein or relative to james tate in the narration and the imagery, check this out.

[Sabra Embury · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought a copy of this book and Dan Fante signed it for me after he read with Tony O'Neill at Skylight Books in August. I'd barely heard of him, but I liked his reading of a poem about him relating to a scarred up cat at Venice Beach.

Most of the poems in A Gin-Pissing-Raw-Meat...were about being broke in LA/down-and-out, surviving various failed relationships, drinking away madness, and being estranged in the shadow of a talented writer/father: John Fante.

Whoever romanticizes that kind of bullshit life will feel a kindredship within the poetry of Dan Fante. And those who don't...well, there's always the Oprah book club.

[R.d. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Fante's strong suit is short fiction. This collection of poetry is sort of uneven. I liked most of it, but it didn't make me want to rush out looking for more of the same. I still think Fante is top drawer when it comes to fiction, though.

[Black Coffee Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snapshots of real life scrawled on stained napkins. Pure poetry as it should be.