'One day after the races, I sat down and wrote the heading Notes of a Dirty Old Man, opened a beer, and the writing got done by itself... Just sit by the window, lift the beer and let it come. Anything that wanted to arrive, arrived.'

Beginning in 1967, Bukowski wrote the column "Notes of A Dirty Old Man" for the underground newspaper "Open City". Perennially drunk, broke and in search of a woman, Bukowski takes on the guise of a wise fool as he ventures through America's seedy lowlife. Peopled by Kerouac, Burroughs and other much less salubrious characters, his exploits provoke humour and despair, whilst highlighting the inherent beauty and futility of life.