Comments on: Charles Bukowski, William Burroughs, and the Computer

By: Marco Raaphorst

Marco Raaphorst — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:45:54 +0000

I was at Rhodos for a week a couple of days ago. reading Bukowski and without an computer. never thought about him using one.

By: Brad Barrish

Brad Barrish — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:27 +0000

Interesting story… I was working at Red House recording studio in Lawrence, Kansas in the mid-90s. I was in the studio with him when he was recording the voice overs for The Dark Eye. The representative from the company that was doing the CD-ROM project was showing Burroughs some animation and I remember very distinctly him watching the computer screen, brushing it off and said something to the effect of “Bah, computers. Bullshit.” or something to that effect. :)

By: jed

jed — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:14:45 +0000

Wilifried,

Thanks for your comments. Great point about Ian Sommerville. I wonder how much of Burroughs’ experimental work in the 1960s was tied not so much to Gysin but Sommerville. I hope somebody is working on a book or essay on that relationship. It would be a very important piece.

I will also look into the concept of computation. Something I know nothing about but years ago I read an article on Sade and computation that was great. Something similar might prove fruitful with Burroughs.

Dont know anything really about CONTROL. I will look into it.

By: Wilfried HJB

Wilfried HJB — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:22:42 +0000

My guess would be that Bukowski was into his toys and gadgets while Burroughs was less so (and perhaps he just did not have the money?).

You can also approach the difference from another angle. Bukowski would probably be uninterested in the way his computer worked, and what it could do in theory. Burroughs on the other hand seems to have been greatly interested in the process of computation (a process independent of any piece of hardware embodying a computational principle and of which word processors are a poor manifestation).
There is a small number of famous programmers, Donals Knuth for instance, who never need to touch a computer to do their work.

What should also be factored in is that Burroughs’ hope to explore computers for literary experiments hinged on the presence and knowledge of Ian Sommerville. When their paths seperated Burroughs might well have lost his port of entry into the ‘digital revolution’.

Btw Jed, do you know anything more about computer CONTROL (as mentioned in the retreat diaries):

“Some years ago I put a question to CONTROL, a mysterious computer in London which purports to be from Venus and will answer any question.

Question: Would rubbing out the word result in immediate exteriorisation from the body?
Answer: Yes.
Question: How can this be accomplished?
Answer: At first automatic exercise.

I took this to mean that once words talk on their own, they rub themselves out.”

By: Damon

Damon — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:34:37 +0000

Excellent piece. Very interesting. Am currently doing a study on artist’s books and the materiality of print and stumbled upon this. Thank you.

By: Graham

Graham — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:54:57 +0000

Fascinating piece, as ever, Jed. Using a computer might have assisted in making Bukowski more prolific, but it certainly didn’t help in making the increased poem-output of a decent quality. I get the feeling by the end of his life that Black Sparrow Press were just putting out ANYTHING by him cos they knew they had a built-in audience for it, regardless of how good or bad or ugly the wordwork was.

By: Egil

Egil — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:29:58 +0000

A nice piece Jed. I’ve been thinking about this anomaly lately and have come tot the conclusion that once Burroughs left the experimental stuff in the early 1970’s behind and embraced the more nostalgic, even gentle, work he did until his death he seems to have lost interest in new technology and replaced it with something reliable like a gun.