RealityStudio

Memories of a Beat Photographer

Author Charles Rotmil
Date 2 April 2013 – Updated
Subject Charles Rotmil recalls Jack Kerouac, the Living Theatre, a trip to Big Sur that climaxed in a meeting with Henry Miller, and going “on the road” in Mexico.
Link 1 The Slot Machine
Link 2 The Living Theatre
Link 3 Finding the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch and Henry Miller
Link 4 No Tenemos Ni Aviones, Ni Tanques, Ni Canones

1984 Interview with William S. Burroughs

Author William Weiss
Date 13 Mar 2013
Subject William Weiss offers an uncollected 1984 interview with William S. Burroughs on The Place of Dead Roads
Link 1984 Interview with William S. Burroughs

Riding the Nova Express

Author William Weiss
Date 13 Mar 2013
Subject William Burroughs’ Nova Express, writes, William Weiss, “is a cage that rattles itself…”
Link Riding the Nova Express

This Beautiful Corrosion — William S. Burroughs at the ZKM

Author Ian MacFadyen
Date 27 Feb 2013
Subject Ian MacFadyen offers a review of the name is BURROUGHS — Expanded Media, the large exhibit of artwork by William Burroughs and the many other artists inspired by him.
Link This Beautiful Corrosion — William S. Burroughs at the ZKM

Ah Pook Is Here

Author Jan Herman / Jed Birmingham
Date 23 Dec 2012
Subject Jan Herman reviews Malcolm Mc Neill’s newly published memoir, Observed While Falling: Bill Burroughs, Ah Pook, and Me and Jed takes a fresh look at Ah Pook Is Here.
Link 1 Review of Malcom Mc Neill’s Memoir of William S. Burroughs
Link 2 William Burroughs’ Cyborg Manifesto

DIY Beat Criticism

Author Jed Birmingham
Date 5 Dec 2012
Subject Jed pleas for the rejuvenation of Beat Criticism, suggesting that the way forward may be in Doing It Yourself. And to empower DIYers, Jed offers scans of the complete run of Yugen.
Link 1 DIY Beat Criticism
Link 2 Yugen Archive

William Burroughs Art Exhibitions

Author Barry Miles
Date 31 Oct 2012
Subject As an update to Jed’s piece “Collecting William S. Burroughs and the Arts,” Barry Miles offers a checklist of William Burroughs art exhibitions.
Link William Burroughs Art Exhibitions

Collecting William S. Burroughs and the Arts

Author Jed Birmingham
Date 17 Oct 2012
Subject Envisioning a collection that explores William Burroughs’ intersections with the art world, Jed offers scans of some key Burroughs-related items including catalogues of exhibits by Takis, Guy Harloff, David Budd, and others.
Link Collecting William S. Burroughs and the Arts

Scientology in the Novels of William S. Burroughs

Author David S. Wills
Date 30 Sept 2012
Subject David S. Wills, author of the forthcoming book “Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the ‘Weird Cult,’” provides an overview of the influential role that Scientology played in Burroughs’ cut-up and late novels.
Link Scientology in the Novels of William S. Burroughs

Interview with Sylvère Lotringer on the Nova Convention

Author Marcus D. Niski
Date 14 Sept 2012
Subject Marcus Niski speaks to Sylvère Lotringer about the 1978 Nova Convention celebrating William Burroughs and his work.
Link Interview with Sylvère Lotringer on the Nova Convention

Carl Weissner Updates

Author RealityStudio
Date 22 June 2012
Subject RealityStudio continues to honor Carl Weissner with three updates: a translation (courtesy of Matthias Penzel) of “The Anti-Environment of the Cut-Up Authors,” Weissner’s introduction to a 1969 anthology of cut-up texts; a complete scan of Weissner’s first book, The Braille Film, available in PDF format; a memorial print edition of Weissner’s Death in Paris (with afterwords by RealityStudio and Jan Herman and design by George Mattingly Design).
Link 1 Carl Weissner, “The Anti-Environment of the Cut-Up Authors
Link 2 Carl Weissner, The Braille Film (34 mb pdf)
Link 3 Carl Weissner, Death in Paris (memorial print edition)

Nova Broadcasts – Available for Download

Author RealityStudio
Date 31 May 2012
Subject All six Nova Broadcasts from Jan Herman’s Nova Broadcast Press are now available for free download. Each Broadcast has been scanned in its entirety and compiled in PDF format. The Broadcasts include works by Ray Bremser, Wolf Vostell, Dick Higgins, Liam O’Gallagher, Norman Ogue Mustill, and of course William Burroughs.
Link Nova Broadcasts – Available for Download

William S. Burroughs and J.G. Ballard

Author RealityStudio
Date 7 March 2012
Subject RealityStudio offers an in-depth look at the relationship of William S. Burroughs and J.G. Ballard. The text draws on interviews, correspondence, and unpublished documents to provide a detailed account of the interactions between the two writers.
Link William S. Burroughs and J.G. Ballard

Mimeo Mimeo 5

Author Jed Birmingham
Date 19 Sept 2011
Subject Mimeo Mimeo 5, edited by Jed Birmingham and Kyle Schlesinger, is now available. Mimeo Mimeo is a forum for critical and cultural perspectives on artists’ books, typography, and the mimeograph revolution. Issue 5 features Larry Fagin, Lyn Hejinian, Charles Bukowski, Robert Creeley, Vamp & Tramp, The Gallery Upstairs, Alice Notely’s CHICAGO and cover art by Buzz Spector. Available now from the Mimeo Mimeo website.

Pry Yourself Loose and Listen

Author Jed Birmingham
Date 19 Sept 2011
Subject Jed presents scans of a rare offprint featuring four texts by Burroughs previously published in Ira Cohen’s Gnaoua.
Link Pry Yourself Loose and Listen

In Cold Blood: William Burroughs’ Curse on Truman Capote

Author Thom Robinson
Date 11 July 2011
Subject Thom Robinson explains how, in an unpublished “Open Letter to Truman Capote,” William Burroughs placed a curse on the author of In Cold Blood.
Link In Cold Blood: William Burroughs’ Curse on Truman Capote

A Word Is a Word Is a Collage (1965)

Author Bill Butler
Date 28 June 2011
Subject The American poet and bookseller Bill Butler interviewed William Burroughs in 1965 for this previously uncollected profile, which first appeared in the Guardian newspaper.
Link A Word Is a Word Is a Collage (1965)

William S. Burroughs, Jacques Stern, and The Fluke

Author RealityStudio
Date 4 April 2011
Subject RealityStudio is thrilled to offer an incredible archive of materials by and about Jacques Stern, whom William Burroughs once called “the greatest writer of our time.” The archive includes the complete text of the legendary novel The Fluke; a previously unpublished foreword by Burroughs; a biographical and critical essay about Stern; Stewart Meyer’s memoir of his first meeting with Stern; mp3 audio of Stern and Burroughs reading from cut-ups; and more.
Link William S. Burroughs, Jacques Stern, and The Fluke

Confusion’s Masterpiece: Re-Editing William S. Burroughs’ First Trilogy

Author Oliver Harris
Date 10 October 2010
Subject In the text of his recent talk at Columbia University, Oliver Harris describes the confused history behind the writing and publishing of William S. Burroughs’ Junkie, Queer, and Yage Letters. Professor Harris also responds to a few interview questions about his work on the new edition of Queer.
Link Confusion’s Masterpiece: Re-Editing William S. Burroughs’ First Trilogy

William S. Burroughs, Charles Gatewood, and Sidetripping

Author Charles Gatewood
Date 22 Sept 2010
Subject In an excerpt from his nearly completed memoir Dirty Old Man, photographer Charles Gatewood describes meeting William Burroughs, photographing him for Rolling Stone, and asking him to write an introduction for his book Sidetripping.
Link William S. Burroughs, Charles Gatewood, and Sidetripping

The Poetry of William S. Burroughs

Author RealityStudio
Date 5 August 2010
Subject Although his work defied genres and most readers consider him a novelist, William S. Burroughs also wrote poetry. With a small compilation that includes cut-ups and permutations, RealityStudio is beginning what will be an ongoing attempt to collect Burroughs’ poetry. This compilation also includes an insightful essay by scholar Oliver Harris titled “‘Burroughs Is a Poet Too, Really’: The Poetics of Minutes to Go.”
Link The Poetry of William S. Burroughs

Interview with Victor Bockris on William Burroughs

Author Dave Teeuwen
Date 27 May 2010
Subject Victor Bockris talks Burroughs, Warhol, Punk, selling out, dope, glamor, and the difficult art of biography.
Link Interview with Victor Bockris on William Burroughs

A Visit to William S. Burroughs at the Beat Hotel in Summer, 1958

Author Gael Turnbull
Date 19 May 2010 [1958]
Subject Vacationing in Paris in the summer of 1958, the Scottish poet Gael Turnbull kept a journal documenting his visits to William Burroughs and Gregory Corso at the Beat Hotel.
Link A Visit to William S. Burroughs at the Beat Hotel in Summer, 1958

The Frisco Kid He Never Returns: Naked Lunch and San Francisco

Author Oliver Harris
Date 21 November 2009
Subject Oliver Harris looks at the relationship — or non-relationship? — between Naked Lunch and San Francisco in a transcript to the talk given at the San Francisco Art Institute during the NL@50 homage.
Link The Frisco Kid He Never Returns: Naked Lunch and San Francisco

From Dr Mabuse to Doc Benway: The Myths and Manuscripts of Naked Lunch

Author Oliver Harris
Date 26 October 2009
Subject Oliver Harris dissects the myths behind the creation of Naked Lunch in a transcript to the talk given recently at Columbia University during the NL@50 homage.
Link From Dr Mabuse to Doc Benway: The Myths and Manuscripts of Naked Lunch

RealityStudio Highlights

Archives and Scans

Author Jed Birmingham
Subject RealityStudio has a vast archive of incredible Burroughs and small-press rarities that includes complete scans of William S. Burroughs’ Time and APO-33, as well as a number of little mags.
Link 1 William S. Burroughs’ Time
Link 2 William S. Burroughs’ APO-33
Link 3 Complete My Own Mag Archive
Link 4 Fuck You Press Archive
Link 5 Kulchur Archive
Link 6 Floating Bear Archive
Link 7 Rhinozeros Archive
Link 8 Locus Solus Archive
Link 9 Evergreen Review Archive
Link 10 Burroughs in Men’s Mags Archive
Link 11 The Word (Naked Lunch Outtake) in Swank
Link 12 Bulletin from Nothing Archive
Link 13 Burroughs Text in January 1960 Mademoiselle
Link 14 Black Mountain Review Archive

Death in Paris by Carl Weissner

Author Carl Weissner
Date 24 July 2009
Subject RealityStudio is very proud to present a previously unpublished text by Carl Weissner, along with an archive of materials celebrating his achievements in the avant-garde press
Link Death in Paris by Carl Weissner

Hikuta!: Burroughs and His Guns

Author Tom Peschio
Date 12 March 2009
Subject Tom Peschio provides an insider’s glimpse of a “dangerous guy” and his guns.
Link Hikuta!: Burroughs and His Guns

William S. Burroughs and Joy Division

Author RealityStudio
Date 29 May 2008
Subject Literary references are frequent in the work of seminal post-punk band Joy Division, and singer Ian Curtis greatly admired William Burroughs in particular. Both the band and the author appeared at a 1979 performance, after which Curtis introduced himself to the famous author. Was the meeting, as legend has it, a disappointment? RealityStudio pieces together the story with recollections from those who were there…
Link William S. Burroughs and Joy Division

David Britton and Michael Butterworth on William S. Burroughs

Author RealityStudio
Date 24 March 2008
Subject To mark the publication of Horror Panegyric, an essay by Supervert (creator of RealityStudio) on their Lord Horror novels, David Britton and Michael Butterworth — writers both and founders of Savoy Books — expand on their thoughts about William S. Burroughs.
Link David Britton and Michael Butterworth on William S. Burroughs

Everything Lost, The Latin American Notebook of William S. Burroughs: The Inside Story

Author Oliver Harris
Date 17 Dec 2007
Subject Everything Lost, The Latin American Notebook of William S. Burroughs is due to be released on 17 December 2007. In honor of the occasion, Volume Editor Oliver Harris offers the inside story — how the notebook was discovered, deciphered, transcribed, and prepared for publication. (And be sure to order your copy of Everything Lost at Amazon.)
Link Everything Lost, The Latin American Notebook of William S. Burroughs: The Inside Story

Henry Miller and William Burroughs

Author RealityStudio
Date 18 July 2007
Subject Astonishingly, the relationship between Henry Miller and William Burroughs has gone largely unmapped in literary scholarship. Seeking to rectify this omission, RealityStudio surveys the relationship of the two writers in an overview and Ian MacFadyen adds further insights in a response.
Link 1 Henry Miller and William Burroughs: An Overview
Link 2 Henry Miller and William Burroughs: A Letter

Cutting up the Archive: William Burroughs and the Composite Text

Author Oliver Harris
Date 11 Jun 2007
Subject RealityStudio is proud to present the text of a talk recently given by Burroughs scholar Oliver Harris, author of William Burroughs and the Secret of Fascination, editor of Burroughs’ letters, Junky: The Definitive Text of “Junk”, and most recently Yage Redux.
Link Cutting up the Archive: William Burroughs and the Composite Text

A William S. Burroughs Bibliography

Author Eric C. Shoaf
Date April 2007
Subject Eric C. Shoaf, author of Collecting William S. Burroughs in Print: A Checklist, has very kindly contributed his bibliography of books and broadside prints to RealityStudio.Alongside the Maynard & Miles bibliography published in 1978, the Shoaf checklist has long been the most definitive listing of Burroughs publications available. In addition to books and broadsides, the printed checklist also itemizes Burroughs contributions to other books and periodicals, criticism, and miscellanea. This online edition, prefaced and updated by Mr. Shoaf, will no doubt be a tremendous asset to the community of Burroughs scholars and enthusiasts.
Link A William S. Burroughs Bibliography

Jan Herman’s Burroughs / Balch Video

Author Jan Herman
Date Sept 2006
Subject Jan Herman has worked all summer with RealityStudio to recover a video experiment he created in 1971 with William S. Burroughs and Antony Balch. Never before seen by anyone but the participants, the video is presented here to the public for the first time.
Link Burroughs / Balch Video Experiment

Transitional Period vs Gongs of Violence

Author RealityStudio
Date 15 August 2006
Subject RealityStudio provides a side-by-side comparison of a 1961 Burroughs cut-up and a later version of the (same?) text from The Soft Machine.
Link Transitional Period vs Gongs of Violence

The Mouth Inside: The Voices of Naked Lunch

Author Ian MacFadyen
Date 7 Dec 2009
Subject Ian MacFadyen offers a brilliant meditation on the role of the voice and the mouth in William Burroughs’ magnum opus. Accompanying the text are paintings from Phil Wood’s “Postcards from Purgatory.”
Link The Mouth Inside: The Voices of Naked Lunch
Permalink | Print This Page | Email This Page