#topic: william burroughs

[tayfabe75]

Tell me about growing up in Newcastle. I grew up on a cow farm in the middle of [north east England county] Northumberland. My mum and dad were both from Newcastle, and my dad had just finished [acting in British ‘80s comedy drama] Auf Wiedersehen Pet, which was massive—and because it was so political, and all about the subsidisation of industry and Thatcher’s Britain, that you walk round the north east with my dad now and he’s a hero up there. He was knocking around with Thin Lizzy and [Dire Straits’] Mark Knopfler! I wasn’t socially isolated as a kid but I was an only child—so there were a lot of video games, a lot of Michael Jackson videos, a lot of singing and dancing to myself and self-involvement. Did you like being by yourself? I’ve always liked being by myself. I grew to like it less when I was older. And then I convinced myself for a long time that I liked my own company, but I actually just quite liked being on drugs and didn’t really like my own company at all. Did you take drugs by yourself? Oh yeah. Oh yeah! Every pursuit of mine is very indulgent and personal. That sounds like a dark thing to say; my indulgences are always private things. I used to like thinking and writing on drugs. I thought I was William Burroughs, know what I mean? Anyway, when I was ten I moved to Manchester when my mum got a job on [British soap opera] Coronation Street. I spent my whole teenage years there—went to school there, met the guys when I was 14 and we’ve been in the same lineup ever since.

February 26, 2016: Matty describes his early childhood and how he spent a lot of time alone growing up. (source)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Beat Poetry

Beat poetry - the work created by Beat poets during the Beat movement, a post–World War II literary community that embraced counterculture and activism.

Examples of Beat Poetry

Explore the following poems to gain a better understanding of Beat poetry.

“Howl” by Allen Ginsberg (1956): Perhaps the most famous text of the Beat movement, Ginsberg’s “Howl” is an epic fever dream that documents the experience of people living in the United States. It features critiques of American injustices through surreal and terrifying imagery.

“At Tower Peak” by Gary Snyder (1956): This poem evidences Snyder’s commitment and interest in Buddhism and environmental activism.

“Wild Dreams of a New Beginning” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1988): Ferlinghetti, responsible for the publication of many volumes of writing in the Beat Generation, presents utopian visions in this poem. This poem was published in a book of the same name in 1988.

“I Am 25” by Gregory Corso (1956): This poem written by a young Corso documents the Beat poet’s rejection of what they viewed as a stale elitist tradition of academic poetry.

In general, Beat poets were against capitalist American values and elite academia.

Prominent figures of the Beat Generation include Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Amiri Baraka, and Diane Di Prima.

Other American poets like Gregory Corso, Neal Cassady, Gary Snyder, Bob Kaufman, Hettie Jones, Herbert Huncke, and Lucien Carr also helped define the literary movement.

The broader Beat Movement also included artists such as the surrealist painter Jay DeFeo and filmmaker Stan Brakhage.

The writing and activism of the movement focused on transcending the bourgeoise values of America through spiritual liberation, sexual liberation, anti-imperialism, a rejection of academic literary culture, and a demystification of recreational drugs.

Zen Buddhism and other elements of Eastern religions were a central topic of study and practice for the Beats.

For example, Kerouac's 1958 novel, The Dharma Bums, references Gary Snyder's move to Japan to study Buddhist practice.

A Brief History of the Beat Generation

The Beat poetry movement was relatively brief but culturally potent.

Columbia University: In the early 1940s, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Hal Chase, Lucien Carr, and other writers met at Columbia University. They would go on to be associated with a movement known for rejecting academia in favor of creating American literature that lived closer to the working class.

Greenwich Village: From the early to late 1950s, writers that were or would come to be associated with the Beat movement gathered in Greenwich Village in New York City due to the low cost of living and communal culture.

Gallery Six: In San Francisco, California, the Six Gallery Reading took place on October 7, 1955. It featured Philip Lamantia, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and most famously Allen Ginsberg, who gave a poetry reading of the first section of "Howl." Kenneth Rexroth served as the host of the reading. At this time, Lawrence Ferlinghetti of the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco began publishing the City Lights Pocket Poets series. He would publish Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems the following year in 1956.

Rising popularity and resistance: In 1957, “Howl” was subject to a famous obscenity trial that was later dismissed, which further attested to the movement's values and potency in the public consciousness. Other state-led suppression efforts on Beat poets continued, including the FBI arresting Amiri Baraka and Diane Di Prima on grounds of obscenity that similarly resulted in non-indictment. Anti-war was an important theme in the Beat's work and the movement is largely considered America's first Cold War literary scene.

Multi-faceted influence: As the popularity of the Beat writers rose, artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and the Beatles were influenced by their work and values. Following the murder of Malcolm X, Amiri Baraka advanced his organizing and activism. Diane Di Prima also helped to organize the Diggers as community activists in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Between the late ’50s and early ’60s, Paris became a hotspot for members of the Beats to be inspired by French avant-garde art and political history. The Beats were a major influence on the Black Mountain Poets, another literary movement that adopted similar core values and often featured work by Beat poets in the Black Mountain Review literary magazine.

Media mischaracterization: Popular media circulated an understanding of the Beats that was more informed by a perceived bohemian hedonism gleaned from cursory readings of Ginsberg's "Howl," Kerouac's On the Road, and Burroughs's Naked Lunch. A columnist coined the term "beatnik" as a pejorative term referring to the Beats in 1958, and in 1960, J. Edgar Hoover declared that "communists, eggheads, and beatniks" were the primary enemies of the United States. Ironically, by that time the popular conception of Beat poets had strayed from the lives of the original Beats. The public viewed the movement as a frivolous fad and cultural commodity, complete with themed kitsch aesthetic media, services, and coffee shops based on hippie or hipster imagery with an over-emphasis on psychedelic and drug addict associations.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[oldbutchdanielcraig]

do u have any other movies (or other media) you'd recommend to ppl who loved queer?

OH ABSOLUTELY.

as for books:

Dancers from the Dance by Andrew Holleran: set in New York, centers around one character and largely his platonic friendship with an older queen. it's also about queer identity and the seeming near-impossibility of finding love especially while queer. really beautiful character work and really devastating.

I'd also recommend reading Queer if you haven't because it's super short and an easy/engaging read. I personally think the movie enhances the book in a lot of ways but there's really great stuff missing from the final cut of the movie that I adore and it's fun to make those comparisons.

You could also go full-out and read other Burroughs (I haven't yet so take me with a grain of salt) and if you do I'd start with Junky and Naked Lunch which I believe are the most Queer-adjacent works — both tackle similar topics and feature William Lee as the protagonist, though it's not like. a series y'know.

as for movies:

works of David Cronenberg: start with Naked Lunch, obv, because it's a great adaptation and Queer takes direct inspiration from a lot of it! next go for Dead Ringers for identity + codependency and The Fly for more identity exploration. (bonus points if after THAT Dead Ringers you watch the series where Rachel Weisz stars. I love my bi4bi toxic gay media couple)

works of David Lynch: also a direct inspiration for Luca's Queer! he's where a lot of the surrealism comes in which I think is awesome. above anything I'd recommend Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive which are both movies that Also tackle earth-shattering crises of identity and blending into the other etc. both really good.

The Talented Mr. Ripley: not quite the same, but toxic and gay and about how queerness shapes identity. really good. if you haven't seen it you should.

other works of Luca's: I just love this guy. for the most similar vibes I'd go for Bones and All and Suspiria which have elements of codependency and identity and all that good stuff. controversially I would also say to watch Call Me By Your Name if you haven't (and maybe even read the book 😬)? I could say thousands of words about the nuances of choosing to recommend that and it's like. they will tell you that Queer is not CMBYN 2 and they will be right in basically every way. except for the thinking man who knows that Luca read Queer at 18 and it profoundly shaped him and is precisely what makes CMBYN a good movie in the first place. TO ME.

[ange-de-la-mort]

Would love to hear your dissertation on the Leegene scene where Allerton jerks Lee off to be honest, because it is one of my favorite too.

In this paper, I will prove how the fictional relationship between the characters William Lee and Eugene Allerton would have worked out if they weren't fucking idiots and Lee spread his legs every once in a while.

My thanks go out to Luca Guadagnino, Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey for making this movie, and to nonny for reading the notes on the posts I reblogged.

I will preface this paper by emphasizing that I am, in no way, trying to make a statement about the real people this work of fiction is based on, although I will paraphrase a Youtube or Twitter comment that said Burroughs liked to get fucked, therefore bringing credibility to my point that William Lee is a fucking bottom.

My main points will be, in order:

1. Internalized homophobia and how it manifests for Lee and Allerton

2. "Not queer, but disembodied"

3. The blowjob/handjob scene because that's what we're here for

4. The nature of their relationship in the rules they both set directly after their first sexual encounter

5: Conclusion

1.

Homophobia is prevalent in the movie. Of course it is, it's the 50s, and even though both our main characters are definitely queer, they struggle with it over the course of the movie.

For Lee, as our point of view character, it's more obvious. He flat out says so in the scene with Allerton in the restaurant. He thought about killing himself. He was scared to be a "subhuman", a "women impersonator". He doesn't react when Joe calls Dumé a fag. Actually, he agrees. And while he might be queer, he sees himself above "fags".

In his sexual encounters, we see him give head twice - once with the guy in the bar, once with Allerton - and fuck Allerton once. It's easy to assume that Lee is confident in his *lust* and his *queerness*, as long as he is the pitcher and not the catcher, since being the one taking it up the ass = being a "woman impersonator" = being a "fag".

For Eugene, the homophobia shows by his fear of queer lust itself. He wants. We see he wants (of course during their first time, but also in the scenes where their asses ain't reading on the sofa in Lee’s flat, or where Lee wakes him for a quickie), he wants it every single time Lee makes advances, and even before Lee does. But every time he shows his lust and he shows he enjoys the sex, he hurts Lee and, by default, hurts himself in the process. He avoids Lee. He pretends he doesn't want it, but just "gives in" for Lee's sake and pleasure. He literally shoves Lee to the ground. And, of course, the final scene where he vanishes as soon as he can't look away from the truth anymore.

The most obvious scene where their own internalized homophobia clashes is the scene in the hotel, after Allerton shoves Lee and Lee goes on with his monologue. He uses his junk sickness as an excuse to address the underlying topic that he actually wants to talk about: Allerton's overt disgust at Lee showing queer lust, and Allerton punishing both Lee and himself for it.

(It's the second time Lee's junk sickness is used as a stand-in for his queerness, the first time being when he tells the doctor that his "condition" makes him a criminal in the US.)

2.

The finished movie shows us two instances of the characters denying their queerness, both in situations of the surreal. Lee's is a dream sequence, a mix of memories and people he knows. They're all convicts. They're all queer in some way or another. They're all waiting for him to join them. And then he sees the memory of his wife and he sees his own hands trying to understand a body he is not attracted to. He denies he's queer. He isn't. He's disembodied. At least in his dream he is not imprisoned in his body and his queer lust.

This is called back to in the scene where they've taken the Yagé. Allerton claims he is not queer, even though his actions during the movie betray him. He says it twice. To convince himself? Because he believes it? It doesn't matter, because he says it before the Yagé has fully taken effect and before he cannot pretend to be something he isn't (straight). He says he's disembodied because he hopes it's true, because he longs to be free from the urges he feels.

Lee is at peace with who he is and what he is.

Allerton tries hard to be someone he is not, but becomes undone at the end. His slicked-back hair is free, his clothes are as dirty as Lee's, his glasses are gone. He is all that's left: a body that sees and feels but denies it till the end.

3.

The movie goes to great lengths to try and fool us that it’s Lee pursuing Allerton and that the latter is just the object of desire. In truth, it’s the other way around. 

Allerton looks at Lee first, looks at him twice, smiles

Allerton sees him through the windows and lingers, giving him the chance to catch up to him

Allerton stares at him so hard even Mary notices

Allerton buys him a drink

Allerton is immediately so comfortable in his presence that he disregards Lee’s personal space when using the ashtray. Instead of just taking it and moving it closer to himself, he intentionally moves his arm so that it keeps almost brushing against Lee’s.

Allerton wants.

And of course, Allerton is the one to enter Lee’s bedroom, to lie on his bed (to puke his guts out because he’s nervous), to help remove his shirt when Lee only offered to take the sweater off. Allerton is the one to lean in for the kiss. 

Allerton is the one to drag Lee over him. Allerton digs his hands in his hair, keeps him where he wants him. Allerton is in control. He is bold. Curious. He likes it. In comparison to the later sex scene (where we only see a content smirk for a moment and where Lee actually has to ask if he likes it), he shows complete and utter joy the entire time he is *served*. 

Like, you don’t just ask a guy to snowball you if you’re not into it.

For Lee, serving comes naturally, we see him give head twice, and both times it looks like he is the active part, both times, it’s visible he wants his mouth to be used.

This is evident in the look he gives the guy at the bar. It’s gut-wrenching, full of longing and ‘please like me’s, and he looks so empty afterwards because a) he wants to serve, but is scared of being a fag, and b) the cum–stains on the towel show he didn’t get anything out of it. B) is also why he immediately starts lighting a match after the blowjob. He is used to not getting anything in return, why should it be different here?

But Allerton is different. Allerton likes Lee. Allerton has pursued Lee the entire time and now Allerton gives him something back. 

And not just that: Looking at their body language, it’s easy to see Allerton locking in immediately, eyes on Lee the entire time, basically unblinking, noses almost touching.

But what’s more interesting is Lee: He not just didn’t expect it, he is scared to give himself over to Allerton. He looks at the ceiling, even when he lies on his back. Only then does he look at Allerton. And then he raises his hands in total defeat and surrender, only to helplessly clutch at Allerton’s arms.

This is the only time they are both honest in their behavior and in their wants because they have no roles established, no boundaries set. This is what they want: Lee wants to serve. Lee wants to surrender, even though he’s scared of it. Allerton wants control. Allerton wants to take, even though he tries to pretend he doesn’t because wanting to *take* is giving in to queerness, while being *taken* and *served* is… just giving in because what else should he do? Make a scene and leave?

4.

This is where Lee fucks up, honestly, and this is the scene from the script that never should have been cut. Lee offers immediately afterwards to buy back Allerton’s camera from the pawn shop, and the second he says it, he knows it was a mistake. Because now he made their entire encounter transactional. Now he puts Allerton down to the level of a prostitute. He does this a few more times (trying to pay him not to work, trying to call his job shit until he sees the challenge in Allerton’s face, the “say it and I’ll never talk to you again”, paying him for his company in South America), and it’s evident that this sets the tone for their entire relationship.

Lee presents himself as the one in charge. Allerton falls into the dynamic to pretend he’s only in it for the money/keeps being seduced/doesn’t actually want it, but he just can’t resist Lee. 

The earliest we see it is the “their asses ain’t reading scene” because they both, obviously, aren’t reading. They’re both waiting for the other one to make the first step. Lee because, deep down, he probably knows he was the one being pursued, and he liked it, and he liked being used and controlled, but he doesn’t want to admit it because that’s one step closer to being a “woman” = being a “fag”. Allerton because he tries to pretend he isn’t queer and he’s only in it for the money/keeps being seduced/doesn’t actually want it, but he just can’t resist Lee. 

It’s why he says “if you insist” as if he wasn’t a second away from jumping the old man’s bones.

It’s why they clash in the hotel, because Allerton can only say he’s only in it for the money/keeps being seduced/doesn’t actually want it, but he just can’t resist Lee until he starts internalizing it as much as his homophobia.

By falling into the role Lee set for him by fucking up and making things transactional, he actively loses the control and independence he needs, and, therefore, lashes out every time he admits he likes the sex with Lee. To stay in control. To stay independent. To pretend he’s not queer, just disembodied.

5.

In conclusion: Lee likes to serve and be used. Allerton likes to be in control, but is scared of being in queer lust. It makes him lazy, depressed, and trying to put as little effort into the relationship as possible.

Solution: Lee should ride his dick more often.

(just like that Youtube comment implied that said Burroughs likes to get high and lie down to get fucked, which brings credibility to everything I’ve said above lmao)

Thank you for your time.

[cobainqueer]

List of Posts about Kurt Cobain

(Kurdt Kobane) by @cobainqueer

Last Update: 20 February 2025 (HBD Kurt!)

Topics: Personal Life; Sexuality, Gender & Expression; Journals, Lyrics, & Assorted Writings; Artwork; Music; Concerts; Tributes; Documentaries; Death & Investigation, and more…

ASKS & SUBMISSIONS OPEN: send in asks, submissions and requests I'll get back to you!

Note all submissions will be credited, unless submitted anonymously or otherwise specified.

NEW Community! All Cobain lovers welcome!

Sexuality, Gender & Expression

Reclaiming the Past: was Kurt Cobain trans? (Medium | Daniel Rowley)

Anyone else get the vibe that Kurt Cobain was polyamorous? (Thread with text and photos)

“I want a dress.”- K.C. (Video post)

“I personally like to wear dresses around the house sometimes.” - K.C. (Video post)

Journals, Lyrics, & Assorted Writings

From Cobain’s Journal: A List - Kurt Cobain, Journals (image & text post)

Just Before I Fall Asleep (semihypnotic state of conciousness) - Kurt Cobain, Journals (image & text post)

I’ve lost my MIND many times, and my wallet many more. — Kurt Cobain, Journals (image & text post)

“May women rule the world.” — Kurt Cobain, Journals (image & text post)

Art

Kurt Filming His Artwork - Kurt Cobain (YT)

In Utero Mixed Media Art - Kurt Cobain

“the male seahorse carries the children and gives them Birth.” - Kurt Cobain, Journals (image & text post)

REVEALED: Kurt Cobain’s Original Artwork | Source: KidsOfDada (article & photos)

Kurt Cobain’s Art: Collages & Sculptures | source: incesticide23 (YT video)

Spoken Word

Aberdeen (Montage of Heck) Kurt Cobain Home Demo

Rhesus Monkey (Montage of Heck) Kurt Cobain Home Demo

Audio from “Kurt Cobain Unseen”

Collaborations & Covers

“The Priest They Called Him” (1992) performed by Kurt Cobain (guitar) & William S. Burroughs (spoken word)

Photos from Kurt’s visit to Burroughs Kansas home in ‘93. A YouTube clip about Kurt’s trip is in this linked post.

Lyrics

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle - Nirvana (Lyrics & Music Video)

Opinion: Home Demo & Journal Lyrics (previously unreleased home demo audio leaked to YT, & Cobain’s original lyrics from their journal)

Sappy (Cobain’s lyrics from their journals, music video, and song analysis video)

Spank Thru - Nirvana (lyrics & music videos)

Talk to Me - (17 Nov 1991) Nirvana in Italy (video & lyrics)

Music

Nirvana in Chronological Order (list of Nirvana songs and their respective recording/release dates)

In Bloom - All in Dresses (music video)

Lithium - (official music video & article discussing the context behind “Lithium”)

Polly - (music video)

Smells Like Teen Spirit - (music video)

You Know You’re Right-(official music video - YouTube) (music video - tumblr)

Records, Albums, Singles, & Demos

Fecal Matter - “Illiteracy Will Prevail” (1985/1986) full demo

Come As You Are - (1991) Single EP

Lithium - (21 July 1992) Single EP

All Apologies - (1993) Single

Montage of Heck - Full Album (YT Playlist)

Concerts & Shows

Nirvana LIVE at Green River Community College (26 May 1989) [alt source]

Nirvana LIVE at the Pyramid Club (18 July 1989)

New footage from Nirvana doing a show in a Record Store (1991)

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (1991) at TOtP (video of Kurt fucking around singing Smells Like Teen Spirit and essentially pretending to blow a mic)

Nirvana - Live at The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA (07November 1993) Remastered AUD2

Interviews & Radio

What Is Nirvana? (January 1990) Seattle, WA Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, & Chad Channing

Interview with Nirvana at Man Ray, Cambridge, MA (18 April 1990) Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, & Chad Channing

Kurt Cobain LIVE at KAOS (1990/1991?) (YT video) Songs: Opinion, Lithium, Dumb, Been A Son

Early Nirvana Interview About The Growth of Rock Popularity - (June 1992) Sjöhistoriska Museet Sweden, broadcasted on TMF in the Nirvana Special

Kurt Cobain Interview with Jon Savage (22 July 1993) YT

LA Times Interview “Storming Back From The Brink” (August 1993) LiveNirvana

“I have a request for our fans.” — Kurt Cobain

Movies & Documentaries

Nirvana - Behind The Scenes (Full Documentary)

Last Days: Kurt Cobain (FULL MOVIE)

Kurt Cobain: About A Son - (FULL DOCUMENTARY)

HISTORY of EARLY NIRVANA 1980’s Documentary - Daniel Sarkissian (2023) YT

Books

Journals — Kurt Cobain (2002, & 2003)

Kurt Cobain Unseen — Charles R. Cross (2008) [Audio CD]

Here We Are Now — Charles R. Cross (2014)

The Pleasures of Death: Kurt Cobain’s Masochistic and Melancholic Persona — Arthur Flannigan Saint-Aubin (2020)

Tributes

Tearjerker by Red Hot Chili Peppers — Song & Lyrics dedicated to Kurt Cobain

Death & Investigation

Cobain’s Autopsy Report (King County, WA Medical Examiner; cobaincase.com)

Cobain Shotgun & Crime Scene Photos (Seattle Police Department)

[sharkchunks]

Selections from “Blade Runner: A Movie” by William S. Burroughs.

Though the film took its name from this booklet, it is otherwise unrelated to this story of the year 2014 when pandemics run rampant though a health-care crisis America and scalpel smugglers (blade runners) are our only hope. I couldn’t find the passage about terrorism with herds of leprosy-infected armadillos and can’t include some of the most on-topic parts due to the author’s unfathomably crass approach to racial and lgbt matters and epithets, but when it comes to predicting the future, sadly this deals with stuff so close to home it’s disturbing he wrote it in the 1970s.

I do not recommend this book for people new to Burroughs and how his mind works. I’d have to spend an hour writing content warnings. But if you want to read some fucked up horrid shit from one of the most spectacularly diseased minds of all time…

[forwhatiam]

wait really? my sibling also does disability studies, that's so cool! I feel like there's a chance you guys know each other lol, that field is such a small world (or at least the way my sibling talks about it). I dabbled in disability studies a little when I was still in school, I took a really cool class at one point about technology and the body, but most of what I know I either learned from my sibling or for my own professional development reasons (accessible design for digital/web management, best practices and guidelines, etc.)

I can also TOTALLY see how literature and disability have the potential for a lot of overlap - what sorts of things do you focus on/what topics are you most interested in?

<3 your holiday pal

Your sibling's right, it is a pretty small field, but it is growing! I don't want to say too much about my school for the sake of internet safety and all that, but the entire DST department only has four professors and I live in constant fear that one of them is going to leave and they'll just stop offering it as a major instead of trying to hire a new one... But there is definitely a nonzero chance I've met your sibling, that's a fun thought!

As for my focuses... I've not been doing anything with it really this semester even though I wanted to, because I suddenly got really self conscious about how other DST students thought of me, but honestly I am so interested in how disability and sexuality interact. And that's sexuality as in sex as a whole and the discourse surrounding it, not sexuality as in like purely queer identity, though that's definitely included. But up until now I'd been finding a way to make all of my DST finals and presentations and such tie into it somehow, but like I said, I suddenly got really concerned with my classmates thinking I'm like sex obsessed or something 🥲 So I decided to focus more on psychiatry, which I am admittedly morbidly interested in despite hating the field with like every fiber of my being.

In the past I did write about this like fun little phenomenon of French writers loving to use this like disabled romantic figure, my two biggest examples being Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) and Le Fantome de l'Opera, which is definitely one of the ways I've pulled disability, sexuality, and literature all together. But I have this concept on the back-burner about the DST concept of crip time and William Burroughs' concept of junk time and how I could analyze those together, because honestly addiction is so under-examined within DST in my experience. It's definitely another point of interest, because addiction is like so obviously a disability but it just kind of gets pushed off to the side for optics which is dumb, because you don't get disability justice by hiding a disability that affects so many people in the corner and pretending it doesn't exist.

I'm getting really long-winded here so I'll make this quick, but in terms of purely literature, I'm a big fan of the Romantics and the Beats. People hate on the Beats, because they're so unendingly pretentious, and that's really fair and I completely understand, but I really fuck with that pretentiousness and I think there's just something so raw and evocative about them even within it.

[i-eat-wood]

went out today, which i dont do often (groceries and dollar store aside) so imma yap abt it (WITH PICTURES TOO)

ight so, went to a mall, which was closed when i got there even tho it was supposed to be open, so i started with Waterstones (wanted to do it last cuz i tend to buy a lot of books and didnt wanna carry 5kg of books for a few hours lmao)

i ended up buying all 5 volumes of The summer hikaru died (i read it online, loved it THE ART HELLO OMG HELLO??????? i have some screenshots as my background cuz UGH also it made me sob, hikaru is sometimes too relatable ok) which yes. the mangas did cost me an arm and a leg. 18.5€ for ONE 🫠. and i got Queer by William S Burroughs. the guy at the checkout at waterstones was cute gfigyfigf

anyway, then i finalllyyyy bought some fabric dye (black) and other stuff i need to diy some more clothes. got called madame at that store, which slightly annoying but eh not like im not used to it.

looked at clothes, how tf are people able to afford???? stuff???? why is a basic black tee 10€???? second hand stores, my one and only true love lmao i actually enjoy only spe,ding like 3€ on a piece of clothing (cuz then i also dont feel bad abt diy ing it)

celio (theyre slogan is be normal 😭) had a nice like tanktop thingy, took a picture so i can make it myself cuz are you insane im not paying 40 bucks for a TANKTOP (i say as i spe,t a fortune on mangas but like its different okay)

i saw people with labubus on tehir bags. didnt think id see that irl. anyway im COOLER cuz i have a cat plushie i crocheted myself (which i did have on my trousers)

went to a hot topic-like store. they had cds and vinyls and other nerd stuff, also it was very dimly lit. lovely place, look at em campy tshirts. also not pictured but they had moomin merch,,,,,, anyway i need a shirt or sth with this on it:

went to Fnac, was hoping to find an mp3 player, they had none and i didnt feel like talking to someone so i left (they had a book with pinup girls,,,, 1000 pinup girls and ughhh i regret not buying it. wouldve been great pose refernces to draw my ocs ygfduygf but it was 20€ and i already treated myself to mangas so,,,)

i did not give in to the temptation of getting a waffle or anything, despite the lovely smell in the streets outside the mall. arguabky i also have too much anxiety to order a waffle (cuz ive never done it and i cant do stuff ive never done before yfdygfc)

oh also tried going to a Vandenborre and a Mediamarkt in search of either an mp3 player orrr a cd player, but gain no luck. fnac, vandenborre and mediamarkt all had vinyl stuff, and cd players ( but nothing in my budget, the cheapest was at mediamarkt, 60bucks) and only mediamarkt had mp3 players (also 50bucks,,,,)

so yeah one of these days ill go to a cash converters and see if i have any luck there. i trust a second hand store to have such apparently niche items as mp3 players or, if im lucky, a ✨ portable cd player✨

mp3 player would be better cuz its easier for me to get music i want on there, but idk, i like physical media. also i like listening to entire albums at once so cds <3 i mostly want one of thsoe two things for when i draw or paint, ive been thinking abt it for a year now lmao. like my laptop takes space on my desk, and spotify doesnt work well on my phone. also i need my phone usually for references if i paint traditionally, and my phone sucks ass so if i open anotehr app, spotify crashes. or maybe im cursed idk

omg and i went to a kiosk/press whatever its called (place where u buy magazine/lotto/cigs), i bought a sprite and didnt end up getting cigs cuz anxiety had the better of me. got called monsieur tho so slayyy hihi

anwyay im sure no ones read my novella length post LMAO

picturesss

[tayfabe75]

"You have to pride everything on its own merits. I think that to have an almost like a moral position, or like a freedom-of-speech-esque kind of position on interpersonal relationships which are so dynamic and kind of emotional, which is a realm that isn't, you know, that objective, and I don't think should be kind of judged in the way that you could legislate. So for me, yeah, I think that art is great - like this great, this is all fucking cool - but if it hurts people… It's like the Burroughs thing, you know, like when he shot his wife. Like yeah, the lore is great and it makes Burroughs more interesting, but I'd rather her have lived than had cool books for me to read. And I'd rather people and children be like, happy."

March 2023: Matty expresses his disinterest in pushing moral boundaries for the sake of art. (published July 30) (source)

[scripted-downfall]

Season 11 anon here again, I just finished 11x09 “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and I have some thoughts that actually aren’t really Sam vs Dean. Like of course I’m thrilled I was correct that it was Lucifer calling to Sam and not God. But Sam isn’t important to my current concerns. I was wondering your take on the Amara/Dean arch and why they took a creepy stance by making her have to grow up. I have so many thoughts and most of them are articulated by a shuddered and a gag. There was the pre-teen Amara stalking Dean and going “See you soon, Dean.” Which is weird but can be shrugged off. But then you have teenage Amara and the dynamic between them in her bedroom after she sends Crowley away. The dialogue just hints to something romantic/sexual etc. And to be fair, I was hoping it was just subtext and I was being weird of the brief moment they had as adults in episodes one. But then they close the episode with young Amara walking down the street to the song “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” which had me feeling all times of negative ways. Personally, especially after seeing them in 11x09, I think the Dean/Amara chemistry and bondedness (totally not a word but it’s fine) could have been a good and intriguing storyline had that not that type of creepy undertone. And I’ve seen some arguments in situations like these that could spring the argument “Amara is technically thousands of years old so it’s not creepy.” But she was still in the body of a teenager. The more I think about the more I feel like I’m back in a course on an author like William Burroughs in college about to dive into to some incredibly dark and uncomfortable topics that I don’t want to explore. All that is to say, I was interested in your take on that storyline.

Hi! Welcome back :)

Regarding the Amara arc, I'm pretty sure the answer to "why is her growing up portrayed as creepy" is because the entire situation is supposed to be creepy. At least initially (because she's kinda humanized as the show/season goes on). I mean --- and I'm looking at the script as I write this to try and make sure I'm not accidentally spoiling anything --- she's an immortal, all-powerful being with innately concerning undertones (e.g. "I was the beginning and I will be the end. I will be all there is," "I can't be resisted," "We're bonded," etc.) And they've taken the time to emphasize the fact that he literally cannot fully make his own decisions around her (which, in terms of where you are in the show, culminates in him going to take her out with that blade and then immediate transitioning into that kiss). I always interpreted the creepy undertones as an intentional underlay to their interactions. Which, to be honest, kinda made sense to me because she's as connected to the Mark --- the thing that has been perched on his arm, worming its way into his brain, and slowly corrupting his soul --- as he was. So, in other words, I think you're picking up on those implications because the writers wanted those implications there.

However, I want to say that, as of the episode you're on, it doesn't get any worse. (Especially not worse than the teenage scene, about which I felt the same way as you... like, I do see the argument about her being older than she looks, but the scene was deeply implicative in an uncomfortable way.) Please note that it's been a while since I saw these episodes, so I could be misremembering, but I don't remember it getting much worse.

Thank you for the ask, and feel free to keep writing as you continue on! All the best!

[el3venthcommandment]

GENERIC BLOG INTRO

Eugene L. F. (i took my mom's middle name and look where it got me)

spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/lizardbeez

Blog Navigation below the cut

TOPICS William S. Burroughs & CO

MISC Cat Photos

My Poetry Readings

Random Blabbering

[wordacrosstime]

Nova Express

[Nova Express. William Burroughs [aka William S. Burroughs]. 1968. Panther Science Fiction, Granada Publishing Limited, reprinted 1969, 1972. paperback. 157 pages. First published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape Limited 1966. (c) William Burroughs 1964]

If new to William Burroughs, prepare to be faced with

Mrs. J. L. Bradshinkel, thrown out of bed by the explosion, sat up screaming: “I’m going right back to The Sheraton Carlton Hotel and call the Milwaukee Braves” -

preceded by

“Sew her up,” he ordered - “I can’t be expected to work under such conditions” - He swept up instruments cocaine and morphine into his satchel an tilted out of The Operating Room -

and followed by

Two Philippine maids hoisted her up - “Fetch my wig, Zalameda,” she ordered. “I’m going straight to the captain - “ [p 106]

In a Foreword Note William Burroughs explains about a part of Nova Express, and the book in general

The section called “This Horrible Case” was written in collaboration with Mr. Ian Sommerville, a mathematician—Mr. Sommerville also contributed the technical notes in the section called “Chinese Laundry”—An extension of Brion Gysin’s cut-up method which I call the fold-in method has been used in this book which is consequently a composite of many writers living and dead. [Foreword Note]

Tackling a William Burroughs novel may call for stamina unless the boot camp preparation course included intensive reading of James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake and - if adventurous - Ulysses.

Also helpful may be a quick flirtation with Andy Warhol and anyone at his great creation The Factory. And a quick skim through Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange. Also Smallcreep's Day by Peter Currell Brown, though that does contain a trace of plot.

Nova Express is one of The Nova Trilogy written between 1961-1967 [The Soft Machine, The Ticket That Exploded, Nova Express]. It’s perhaps not possible to provide a summary (some have tried) and in any case that would spoil the fun. It’s often called science fiction and it probably takes place in space. That’s more or less all it’s safe to say other than that topics included cover a wide range, and there is a quote in it from The Trial by Franz Kafka. It’s easiest (stretching the word ‘easy’) just to read it :

The knife fell - The Clerk in the bunk next to his bled blue silence - Put on a clean shirt and Martin’s pants - telling stories and exchanging smiles - dusty motors - The crop and fish talk muttering American dawn words - Sad rooming house - Picture wan light on suburban ponds and brown hair - Grey photo pools and springs over brass bed - Stale morning streets - sifting clouds and sky on my face - crosscrossed with city houses - [p 111]

or rather not to read it, at least not sitting down and silently. It’s much easier to stand up (when there’s no-one else there) and speak it aloud. When the words are spoken, suddenly it can become poetry.

And perhaps - (though no-one will ever know)  - that’s what William Burroughs intended.

[Cover © Panther Science Fiction 1968, 1969, 1972. Portrait of William S Burroughs © photographer]

John Park

Words Across Time

23 September 2021

wordsacrosstime

[l-egypte]

October 26, 2020 | Bloomsbury

There are a lot of books on ancient Egypt and quite a few on contemporary/modern Egypt, too. I got an email from someone who mentioned Bloomsbury (and their imprint I. B. Tauris); so, out of curiosity, I checked out this publisher’s website. Of course, my eye was caught on Middle East / North African Studies, because Egypt is in North Africa. The first two titles on the page was Egyptian related:

Egyptian Cinema and the 2011 Revolution: Film Production and Representing Dissent (2020; Ahmed Ghazal)

According to the book’s summary, “Egypt’s film industry is the largest in the Middle East, with an output that spreads across the region and the world. In the run-up to and throughout the 2011 Revolution, a complex relationship formed between the industry and the people’s uprising. ...”

When my friend recommended the Bittersweet (2010) film to me, he did mention that the film was done before the revolution... Hm.

The Egyptian Coffeehouse: Culture, Politics and Urban Space (2020; Dalia Mostafa and Amina Elbendary)

According to the book’s summary, “... Despite the coffeehouse’s cultural centrality and socio-political importance in Egypt, academic research and publications on its significance remain sparse. This volume aims to fill this gap by presenting, for the first time in English, a full study analysing the importance of the coffeehouse as an urban phenomenon, with its cultural, historical, economic and political significance in contemporary Egyptian society.”

The summary also brings up the revolution in 2011.

My understanding, from friends, is that these coffeehouses (or ahwas) are predominantly male domains. There are ones that women go to, but, for the most part, it’s usually only men in them. I also heard that these persons can spend hours upon hours in these places. The younger men (or boys) would do their homework at these tables (or so they say).

I’d be curious to read this book.

The other upcoming publications on this first page were on Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Ethiopia. 

Out of further curiosity, I (searched and) found another Egypt-related book—an edited collection—in their catalogue: Ancient Egypt in the Modern Imagination: Art, Literature and Culture (2020; Eleanor Dobson and Nichola Tonks). The book’s summary is as follows:

Ancient Egypt has always been a source of fascination to writers, artists and architects in the West. This book is the first study to address representations of Ancient Egypt in the modern imagination, breaking down conventional disciplinary boundaries between fields such as History, Classics, Art History, Fashion, Film, Archaeology, Egyptology, and Literature to further a nuanced understanding of ancient Egypt in cultures stretching from the eighteenth century to the present day, emphasising how some of the various meanings of ancient Egypt to modern people have traversed time and media.

Divided into three themes, the chapters scrutinise different aspects of the use of ancient Egypt in a variety of media, looking in particular at the ways in which Egyptology as a discipline has influenced representations of Egypt, ancient Egypt's associations with death and mysticism, as well as connections between ancient Egypt and gendered power. The diversity of this study aims to emphasise both the multiplicity and the patterning of popular responses to ancient Egypt, as well as the longevity of this phenomenon and its relevance today.

And I am actually very interested to read it. I mean... this very blog is on this topic. Sort of? I am passively (and maybe sometimes actively) looking for (ancient) Egypt in things that I read and watch, which are pretty modern. Obviously, my “reviews” are not, if at all, critical. Nonetheless...

Also, I feel I ought to look (read) those books discussed in this collection, which include those written by William S. Burroughs and Christian Jacq (at least that’s all I can determine from the table of contents alone).

You can preview the interior on Google Books.

On another note, you can view the publisher’s books on Egyptology here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/academic/academic-subjects/classical-studies-and-archaeology/egyptology/.

They also have a couple of books on Egypt on their open access website here: https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/search?searchString=egypt. 

There are SO many books on Egypt... I’ll never read them all. Breaks my heart, really. Doesn’t help that I want to read books from everywhere else, too.

Did you see any books worth remarking upon?

[Screenshot of a webpage from www.bloomsbury.com/]

[antibothis]

Robert Anton Wilson (1932-2007; author of The Illuminatus! Trilogy (with Robert Shea), Cosmic Trigger, Prometheus Rising, and Schrodinger’s Cat) was a writer, eclectic philosopher, and noted conspiracy theory expert.

The core of the book is a lengthy 1985 interview, where common and pernicious errors in language are examined in detail, along with a discussion of Wilson’s favorite writers (such as William S. Burroughs and Philip K. Dick) and a critique of occultist Aleister Crowley. He humorously illuminates how to use your brain “better,” and how to be agnostic about all ideas.

Included is a list of fifty book recommendations from his library, letters, a list of lecture topics (funny!) and more. RE/Search finally presents this lost interview—and its publication couldn’t be more timely. With the election of Donald Trump, conspiracy theory and “fake news” has become mainstream—and Robert Anton Wilson seemed to have prophesied it all.

[gaypoetrycapstone]

Beat Generation

The Beat generation, founded in 1948 ′s in New York, became the basis for counter culture in the latter half of the 20th century, such as the hippie movement in the 1960′s, and the punk, grunge ones of the 1980′s and 90′s. The movement itself was relatively short lived, having most of it’s rise and fall in the 1950′s.

Many of the common themes discussed in the various works, such as drugs, sex, homosexuality, jazz, and the idealization of Eastern religions, such as Zen Buddhism, were a direct result of what the Beats were rebelling against. The rebellion was multifaceted in nature, there was the political push back against highly conformist postwar America, however there was also a technical shift away from the traditional. 

The experimental grammar, content, and word use, notably explicit language that hadn’t been used in the mainstream before, were seen as an affront tot he acceptable traditions and societal expectations, and because of this, they earned the title “beatniks”. The provocative writing was seen as a threat to American society, and in the midst of the Cold War, and tensions with Russia, the term derived itself from ‘sputnik’. 

Often described as ‘semi-autobiographical’ works, they were written candidly, and discussed topics frankly and without pretense. This lack of censorship meant that for several of the works produced by the Beats, they were banned, if only briefly. Howl, by Allan Ginsberg, and Naked Lunch by William Burroughs both faced obscenity trials for which they won, though it was those victories and acceptance into the society for which they had rebelled that is also often seen as the end to the movement.

[montparnassee]

Have you ever read William S Burroughs? Hes a 20th century queer beats author whose books often center around drug addiction and queer experiences, as well as things similar to such topics. Naked Lunch, Junky, and The Wild Boys are my favorites, but he has a lot more that just those

I have never had the pleasure, no! But it seems up my alley. I will check them out, thank you!