With the possible exception of Allen Ginsberg, no American poet of the last century was more widely read than the German-born boozer, brawler, horseplayer and misanthrope Charles Bukowski. And yet, throughout most of his life, the Bard of LA went largely unrecognized by academics and intellectuals. It was only through the scabrous Notes of a Dirty Old Man, published weekly in an underground magazine, that Bukowski's work found its way into the hearts and minds of the shaggier members of '60s hipster society. John Dullaghan's extremely generous DVD paints a comprehensive—if inelegant—portrait of a man who wrote to be read and toasted, not revered and anthologized. Besides interviews with Bukowski and performance footage, there are guest appearances by Bono, Sean Penn, Harry Dean Stanton, Taylor Hackford, Barbet Schroeder and Tom Waits.