When Sartre wanted to meet him, he didn’t. Saying, “Talking to another writer is like drinking water in the bathtub.” Continuing on, he said, “Writers are very despicable people…get them away from their typewriters, they’re pricks.” I find this to be extremely hilarious, considering the unfortunate truth in these statements. Another funny thing Bukowski says, this time about sex with Linda, “Johnny Carson, after sex, sometimes he’s better than the sex that preceded it.”
There is a cornucopia of great insight and sarcasm, sadness and delight, anger and peace, found throughout the evening Bizio has with Charles and Linda. I could honestly sit here and write quotes from the film for the rest of the day. I won’t do that because that would be boring as hell, but I do suggest that if you are a fan of Bukowski’s writing and want to see a different side of him than is presented in his fiction or poetry, please watch You Never Had It: An Evening With Bukowski. Along with the video footage of the interview, there is interspliced footage of his neighborhood in San Pedro, where he lived in Los Angeles, his grave, and other places relevant to Bukowski.
“…a cornucopia of great insight and sarcasm, sadness and delight, anger and peace…”
I’m not one hundred percent positive, but I have to imagine that some people who have never read Bukowski’s work would enjoy this film enough to discover his nearly undisputable literary genius. Of course, some people will find him sexist and crude, or just an old drunk. He’s all of those things too, but Bukowski would be the first to admit he was. So, go into the film knowing you might be irritated with Bukowski’s personality if you know nothing about him. He’s not alive anymore, but I can assure you that he wouldn’t care either way. Lastly, I think it’s important to mention that the title of the film, You Never Had It comes from the last line of Bukowski’s poem those sons of b***hes that talks about how similar the living are to the dead and ends with “Humanity, you never had it to begin with.” Despite how cynical it may seem, it’s also spot-on for many of today’s people, particularly a lot of people in high places.
Despite that, I would say that You Never Had It: An Evening With Bukowski was still very inspiring. It’s always inspiring to see a person be so unabashedly themselves, and it’s something I certainly aspire to in my life. I hope you all enjoy the film as much as I do and find something to gain from it. It’s very likely that you will.
"…always inspiring to see a person be so unabashedly themselves..."
