William Burroughs – Creative Reading – continues – 5

February 19, 2017Simon Pettet

screenshot-2017-02-07-20-55-15

[William S Burroughs at the Bunker, New York City, 1985. Photo: Allen Ginsberg]

continues from yesterday

Student: Are you familiar with a story called An Outpost of Progress?

WSB Er…..

Student: It’s a (Joseph) Conrad short-story. And the last half of the movie (version).. It’s straight Conrad – two totally paranoid traders, in the heart of the Congo, have a real Gothic Western shoot-out, They think that they’re leading each other on, (but…)

WSB: No, I haven’t, I haven’t read it yet.

Student:  (You really have to…)

WSB: Yeah, but there’s some.. there’s some very … He … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 130

June 14, 2013Simon Pettet

[Simon Vinkenoog (1928-2009)]
Allen Ginsberg, goaded on at the beginning there by a typically giddy Simon Vinkenoog, reads “Mafkees” (a.k.a. “Birdbrain“) (from a reading in 1983, from Allen’s European tour, recorded that year in Amsterdam) – (for earlier (alternative) versions of this “Ginsberg minor classic”, see our previous postings – here and here) .

This recording includes, also, a brief segment from a Dutch interview – wherein Allen, bemused and non-plussed, sweetly chastises the hapless interviewer

[2014 update – the video of this interview is, unfortunately no longer available but we have maintained the transcript]

… Read More