I like Eddie Bunker a lot.
I imagine Eddie Bunker slow smoking a cigarette while blank staring out a dirty window in a dirty motel room in a dirty city called LA. Eddie feels fear and outspoken rage towards normal society because they refuse to accept him as a valid human being. Eddie understands the concept of urban survival and has made a cognizant decision to become the predator and not the prey. A stolen hand gun sits on his left and a typewriter sits on his right. Today Eddie chooses the typewriter.
***
I like Edward ‘Eddie” Bunker a lot. His prose isn’t anything particular and you won’t find University professors discussing his work to bubblegum eyed freshman. The work is still enjoyable.
He spent the first half of his life surviving mean streets and concrete cages, evading the law (including being on the FBI’s Most Wanted list), and writing from his prison cell.
Urban survival in LA taught him to be predatory, violent and apathetic towards fellow humans. Acclimation to his harsh reality resulted in rejection from society. Overwhelming feelings of alienation and rage followed. These concepts are static in his writing.
If I had to choose one of his books to recommend, I would suggest “No Beast So Fierce”. “Animal Factory” being second.
Any young person with MTV glossed images of LA dancing in their soft little heads should read Eddie’s work. Greater people have broke themselves against this city’s teeth.
You aren’t very special. You won’t make it out alive.
Tags: Eddie Bunker, Los Angeles
So I just went and ordered animal factory because of this. I love this sort of stuff- I’m a huge Jim Thompson fan. How had I not heard of him?
I like your new poem on your blog Jereme. You don’t have comments enabled on your blog, so I’ll tell you that here.
it is a good book pr. the movie wasn’t half bad either if you see it playing on the cable television.
comments are enabled but i have to approve.
it is a good book pr. the movie wasn’t half bad either if you see it playing on the cable television.
comments are enabled but i have to approve.
Thank-you for teaching me about Eddie Bunker. I bet he had something to say but no time to say it in.
Thank-you for teaching me about Eddie Bunker. I bet he had something to say but no time to say it in.
Jw,
you are welcome.
Jw,
you are welcome.
Hey Jereme
Youre right – Eddie Bunker is a fucking fantastic writer. His prose is cut down to the bone – lean, and mean just the way I like it.
Have you come across a writer called Tommy Trantino? He wrote a great book about growing up hard in NYC and doing time called Lock the Lock. Henry Miller was a big fan of his. He wrote the book while on death row – he was convicted of killing two cops in the early 60’s. The book is an amazing piece of work, sadly out of print, but you can grab in on Abebooks still. Came out on Knopf in the 70’s. Tommy is out now (he served 38 years in all) and a hell of a visual artist and is working on his much delayed follow up to Lock the Lock. If you look him up on youtube I did a coupe of videos of him talking about his writing. If you like Bunker I think you’d like Tommy. Here’s a link to some of his writing:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=304103625&blogID=341278845
Hey Jereme
Youre right – Eddie Bunker is a fucking fantastic writer. His prose is cut down to the bone – lean, and mean just the way I like it.
Have you come across a writer called Tommy Trantino? He wrote a great book about growing up hard in NYC and doing time called Lock the Lock. Henry Miller was a big fan of his. He wrote the book while on death row – he was convicted of killing two cops in the early 60’s. The book is an amazing piece of work, sadly out of print, but you can grab in on Abebooks still. Came out on Knopf in the 70’s. Tommy is out now (he served 38 years in all) and a hell of a visual artist and is working on his much delayed follow up to Lock the Lock. If you look him up on youtube I did a coupe of videos of him talking about his writing. If you like Bunker I think you’d like Tommy. Here’s a link to some of his writing:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=304103625&blogID=341278845
Heya Tony,
Trantino is on my ‘to read’ list because of the videos you made. I forget where I saw them originally. Maybe Beat the Dust?
The internet melts together at times.
Heya Tony,
Trantino is on my ‘to read’ list because of the videos you made. I forget where I saw them originally. Maybe Beat the Dust?
The internet melts together at times.