Hank Moody
| Hank Moody | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Tom Kapinos |
| Portrayed by | David Duchovny |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Writer, professor |
| Family | Karen Van der Beek, Rebecca Moody, levon, Julia |
Henry James "Hank The Spank Tank" Moody, portrayed by David Duchovny, is a fictional character who served as the protagonist of the Showtime television series Californication. Moody is an esteemed but erratic writer who frequently becomes embroiled in bizarre, and in some cases, scandalous situations. Many reviewers liken Moody's character to that of writer Charles Bukowski.
History
Hank was born in Levittown, New York, on Long Island. In his early pursuit to become a writer, Hank moved to New York City, where he had to work at Blockbuster to support himself. Eventually, Hank's talent and gift as a writer were noticed by the literary community. Hank's early short stories and books were instantly regarded as sharing the same gritty realism of Charles Bukowski and resulted in a cult following; which grew after the publication of God Hates us All.
Hank met Karen Van der Beek at CBGB and soon after, she became pregnant and gave birth to their daughter, Rebecca. After the publication of God Hates Us All, Hank, Karen and Becca moved to Los Angeles so that Hank could work on the screenplay for the movie adaptation.
Characteristics
However shallow Hank may come across as being, most episodes of Californication reveal at least some degree of depth to his persona, in many cases exposing a surprisingly vulnerable Hank, especially in relation to his long-term on-and-off girlfriend Karen and their daughter, Becca. He is shown on more than one occasion to be broken, empty and desolate, seeing himself as beyond saving.
Hank loves rock music and collects classic vinyl records. His favorite artist appears to be Warren Zevon. Along with the consumption of whiskey and weed, Hank listens to Zevon songs, every time he completes a piece of writing. He also mentions Black Sabbath lyrics from time to time.
He owns a classic Gibson Les Paul. In the second season, he reveals to Ashby that the first album he ever bought with his own money was Led Zeppelin II. Interestingly, three of Hank's novels, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss and God Hates Us All are named after the albums by the American thrash metal band, Slayer.
Car
During the first four seasons of the series, Hank is seen driving a 1990 Porsche 964 Cabriolet with one headlight smashed.[1] The car is characterized by its messy and dusty look that Hank maintains with his daughter Becca's support. They both claim that it "has character". Hank buys a new Porsche Cabriolet in the ninth episode of the first season but it's soon carjacked, so Hank goes back to his original Porsche. In the fourth season when the car is crashed by Becca, Hank subsequently buys another of the same model and color. He is seen using a tire iron to break the right headlight of the new car, even before leaving the used car lot on Washington Boulevard in Marina Del Rey, to resemble his old car. This is believed to be an homage to The Wallflowers' song "One Headlight." However in Season 5 Hank is given a new Porsche by Charlie and subsequently drives that for the rest of the series. The series finale ends with a shot of the car. This solidifies that Hank is leaving his lifestyle behind to finally be with Karen, as they fly to New York for Becca's wedding.
Publications
- South of Heaven – Written before the show.
- Seasons in the Abyss – Written before the show.
- God Hates Us All – Written before the show. The movie adaptation has just been finished before the first season begins. In the sixth season Hank writes a musical based on the book with Atticus Fetch.
- Fucking & Punching – Written during the first season, it was stolen by Mia Lewis, who then got it published as her own work and received critical acclaim. Hank regains attribution for the novel between the third and fourth seasons, and assists in the development of the film adaptation after being hired to rewrite the script.
- Lew Ashby, A Biography – Written during the second season. It was published posthumously after Lew Ashby's fatal heroine overdose.
- Californication – Written between the fourth and fifth season.
Other Works
Aside from his books, Hank has written the screenplay for the movie adaption of his God Hates Us All, titled A Crazy Little Thing Called Love. He has also written the musical based on the book. In the fourth season, he rewrote the Fucking & Punching screenplay. In season five Hank writes the screenplay for Santa Monica Cop. Season 7 sees Hank becoming a staff writer for the television adaptation of Santa Monica Cop.[2]
References
- ↑ http://porsche-mania.com/californication-how-hank-lost-his-porsches-headlight/2011/03/28/
- ↑ "Californication - Levon". IMDB. Retrieved 19 May 2014.