Dennis Hopper's bookshelf

While looking for something else, I found a copy of Bukowski’s Barfly on eBay today and while that’s nothing particularly special on the world’s favourite shopping site (or is the second favourite?), this one was a first edition going for $4,500. I don’t know if it’s actually worth that much because it’s a first or because it’s signed.

Not only is it signed, it’s also dedicated to Sean Penn and Madonna.

I have so many questions about why this is for sale. I have to assume that at some point, neither Penn nor Madonna deemed it valuable (emotionally or otherwise) to keep, but as I read through the listing, the very last line says:

From the estate of Dennis Hopper (1936-2000).

Hmmm.

I put my Jupiter Jones investigators hat on.

Bukowski wanted Penn to star in the movie. Penn was into it on the condition that Hopper direct the movie – in fact he was so into doing it, he offered to do it for $1 – but Buk wrote the movie specifically for the director Barbet Schroeder who had spent years in the trenches developing it, and, as is Bukowski’s way, at some point called Hopper a “gold-chain-wearing Hollywood phony,” and that was presumably the end of that.

Penn was also having none of it if Hopper wasn’t directing, so Schroeder got to make his movie and the Penn part was given to Mickey Rourke. (Interesting aside: financial problems at Cannon threatened to kill the film, Schroeder, being Swiss but French by osmosis and everything, walked into Cannon with an electric chain saw, plugged it in and threatened to cut off his fingers one by one unless the project went forward. We sure don’t make them like that anymore).

None of that is helpful as to how the book ended up in Hopper’s house given Buk’s remarks. Maybe Sean Penn left it there one evening and it just ended up in a box? Maybe Hopper stole it? Maybe Madonna broke into Hopper’s house and left it there for a laugh.

For four and half grand though, I wouldn’t be any better off story-wise for owning it. It doesn’t come with a letter explaining anything, so...

Anyway, while digging around, I also saw that when Bukowski died, the New York Post used a picture of Rourke instead of him in his obituary. I mean, it was a great performance but it wasn’t that good.

When I die, I hope the local paper uses a picture of Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler instead of me. That would make me happy.