An artifact from the underground literary titan Charles Bukowski: the complete original manuscript for his poem “A Bad Night--Blame The Bourbon,” dated November 5, 1967. This two-page packet (paper-bound, not stapled) represents Bukowski at his most unfiltered, capturing the raw, confrontational energy that defined his cult status.
The first page bears Bukowski’s iconic return address at “5124 De Longpre Ave, Los Angeles, Calif. 29”—his legendary Hollywood bungalow, the gritty epicenter of his creative output during the 1960s.
Beneath the address, Bukowski types a brief, characteristic note to De Loach:
“Allen—
Here’s that f*****-up one for the issue. Call it ‘A Bad Night—Blame the Bourbon. These bourgeois sissy loons that I unfortunately sketched on the front represent the OPPOSITE life of the poem.
(continued)
Most notably, the first page also features blue sketches by Bukowski himself—a rare and coveted inclusion. The drawings depict bourgeois elites dancing in a formal ballroom setting, their exaggerated, caricatured forms serving as a pointed visual counterpoint to the poem’s raw, brutal exploration of decay and desire. These sketches are executed in Bukowski’s unmistakably raw, outsider hand.
The second page contains the complete, original typed draft of the poem. In classic Bukowski fashion, the work lurches from profane admiration (“what legs! your a**!”) into a harrowing, hallucinogenic encounter with age, mortality, and disgust.
The manuscript is signed in full (“Charles Bukowski”) and dated “11-5-67” beneath the final typed lines.
This is not a clean, sanitized typescript. It is Bukowski ‘in process’—foul-mouthed, furious, funny, and heartbreakingly honest. The inclusion of both the original sketches and the personal note to De Loach elevates this piece from a simple manuscript to an intimate snapshot of Bukowski’s working relationship with his editors and his unvarnished artistic philosophy.