Fifty years ago this month, the William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch was first published in Paris. It was unlike anything many readers had ever encountered, and controversy soon followed. Today: how Naked Lunch's frank subject matter, unusual storytelling technique, and dark humor influenced artists like Laurie Anderson, Sonic Youth, and Joy Division. Guests include author Michael Azerrad and artist DJ Spooky, who once collaborated with Burroughs and contributed an essay to the new book Naked Lunch @50: Anniversary Essays.
Comments [3]
Burroughs' Dead City Radio would play at our Halloween parties every year. What an amazing freaked out voice and imagination.
And for topic 1, Neon Bible says it all for the book that launched a trillion songs, for better or for worse. As a Burroughs fan, you can imagine the type songs about said volume I find glee in...
I recently heard a singer/songwriter, Annie Dressner,at an open mic in the Village sing a song called
Hardy Boys. I can't get it out of my head!
Two songs from Stephen King's The Stand jump to mind: Billy Idol's "Eyes without a Face", and of course "The Stand" by The Alarm.
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