WORDS OF WISDOM FROM
THE LOBOTOMY KID
THE LOBOTOMY KID
I witnessed Burroughs read at The Final Academy Brixton Ritzy, London in 1982. That experience of his voice and delivery changed the interpretation of his works completely.
I read Naked Lunch by William Burroughs at age sixteen 1980 in Bristol on the run from the rejection of my first love and a family broken by homicide and alcoholic despair. The prose was striking, it was a new way of seeing the world. A few years later in 1982 I witnessed Burroughs read at “The Final Academy” Brixton Ritzy, London. That experience of his voice and delivery changed the interpretation of his works completely.
Friends and I sought Burroughs out at a book signing at Compendium books in Campden London on that same trip to the Final Academy. I had zero money to buy anything to have signed but two of my friends had objects to sign so I joined them in the que to see the man up close.
Andrew Anderson handed Burroughs a copy of Electronic Revolution which he duly signed. A wonderful small book full of concepts that had never entered my mind before, like how to start a riot in a crowd with three tape machines.
Chris Duncan handed him a print of a black and white graphic
rifle shooting target with the knowledge Burroughs had shot his wife through
the head killing her. It felt like time had stopped as Burroughs raised his
head for once from the signing tasks dead mutant eyes staring.
I had no idea which direction this was going to go, and it felt like hours had passed. It was an existential stand of with eyes as weapons. Chris nervously smiling. Burroughs eventually took the target and signed it. There was a slight dip from his head that said OK kid I see you. I don’t remember the expression on his face changing.
Later during the trip, we visited the Burroughs, Gysin and Throbbing Gristle exhibition at Wapping wall. We used the original Dream Machine hooked up in a small space with headphones playing Heathen Earth.
Early literary print works by Burroughs and Gysin were laid out under boxed glass tables curated with the same dedication a museum would apply.
I was drawn by the consideration applied to the curation of obscure literary work which the content was at that time. It was a visionary moment, a very personal literary archive set in a dysfunctional industrial building repurposed to point out this work deserves attention.
I had no idea which direction this was going to go, and it felt like hours had passed. It was an existential stand of with eyes as weapons. Chris nervously smiling. Burroughs eventually took the target and signed it. There was a slight dip from his head that said OK kid I see you. I don’t remember the expression on his face changing.
Later during the trip, we visited the Burroughs, Gysin and Throbbing Gristle exhibition at Wapping wall. We used the original Dream Machine hooked up in a small space with headphones playing Heathen Earth.
Early literary print works by Burroughs and Gysin were laid out under boxed glass tables curated with the same dedication a museum would apply.
I was drawn by the consideration applied to the curation of obscure literary work which the content was at that time. It was a visionary moment, a very personal literary archive set in a dysfunctional industrial building repurposed to point out this work deserves attention.