Herbert Huncke: Classic or Dud?

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Druggie writer.

― shookout (shookout), Sunday, 8 August 2004 22:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Kerouac/Burroughs crony.

― Huck, Monday, 9 August 2004 05:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Second-rate in every way. Then again, so's Kerouac.

― Harold Media (kenan), Monday, 9 August 2004 05:15 (twenty-two years ago)

And I suppose you're Dorothy Parker all up in this bitch.

― Huck, Monday, 9 August 2004 05:43 (twenty-two years ago)

there is a v. short story (no more then a couple of pages), about a junkie transsexual in a fleabag motel (was in anne carsons beat reader) that is one of the most poignant, well observered, nomalized depections of the other i have ever read, tender adn filled with compassion, obv. first person, sort of artless, but damn good.

― anthony, Monday, 9 August 2004 07:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Hustler.
I went to see him do a reading in 1995(ish) at that art/performance space of many names next to Centrepoint (the big room on the first floor of the first building as you go down the Centrepoint side of Charing X Road, with the discount bookstore). Appropriately, there were always junkie-folks hanging around on that corner at that time (still are maybe).

Huncke showed up looking very old and wiry and went upstairs to talk to the organisers. He ended up getting paid, but refusing to do the reading (something to do with not getting enough the night before) and walked out with his people, leaving the organisers to negociate refunds (they tried to fob us off with a 'free' drink)...

He always seems to be one of the numerous sub-beats, who the core beat writers go on about being a genius, but who doesn't have much writing for us to look at. He had a good look though, and I was impressed by the old man's ability to rip off a room of people and beat it.

― jadrenos (jadrenos), Monday, 9 August 2004 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Anthony, that's the only Huncke I've ever read, or even seen in print! Which makes it maybe not so much of a coincidence.

― Huck, Monday, 9 August 2004 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

There's an anthology called "The Herbert Huncke Reader," which got high praise from unexpected places: Russel Banks, Frank McCourt, and Michael Moorcock. Weird mix.

― shookout (shookout), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

This clip makes me like him. He seems like an honest scoundrel:

― thirdalternative, Saturday, 7 February 2009 22:39 (seventeen years ago)

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