Meeting of International Conference of Technological Psychiatry
In Mexico the Gimmick Is to Find a Local Junkie With a Government ...
The Laboratory Has Been Locked for Three Hours Solid
Dr. Benway Is Operating in an Auditorium Filled With Students
Fats Terminal Has Organized a Purple Ass Stick for Motorcyclists
Hassan Is a Notorious Liquifactionist
Where You Belong
What Washington? What Orders?
From Here to Eternity
The Evening News
I Was Travelling With the Intolerable Kid on the Nova Lark
The Unworthy Vessel
The Do-Rights
Track Listings (12) - Disc #2
Ah Pook Is the Mayan God of Death
Introducing John Stanley Hart, He Entered the Bar With the Best ...
When Did I Stop Wanting to Be President
What the Nova Convention Is All About
Keynote Commentary/ Roosevelt After the Inauguration
The Chief Smiles
The Green Nun
Tio Mate Smiles
Tio Pepe
As Esperanza Turns to Go Inside; Tia Maria, Tio Gordo
A Top Level Conference Is in Progress
Firecracker [Excerpt]
Track Listings (21) - Disc #3
Virus B-23
Doctor Pierson
The Name Is Clem Snide. Mr. Hart Couldn't Hear the Word Death
This Is Kim Carson
Just Like the Collapse of Any Currency
The Purple Better One
M.O.B.
The Whole Tamale
My Protagonist Kim Carson
Salt Chunk Mary
Like Mr. Hart, Kim Has a Dark Side to His Character
Progressive Education
The Wild Fruits
Old Man Bickford
The Mummy Piece
The President
Colonel Bradfield
Every Man a Good
Kim Like the Great Gatsby
Just Say No to Drug Hysteria [Excerpt]
Words of Advice
Track Listings (18) - Disc #4
Dinosaurs
Sexual Conditioning
Dead Souls
(The Cat Inside) Excerpts
The Saints Go Marching Through All the Popular Tunes
Summer Will
Outside the Pier Prowled Like Electric Turtles
The Total Taste Is Here, News Cut-Ups
We See the Future Through the Binoculars of the People
Just Checking Your Summer Recordings
Creepy Letter, Cut-Up at the Beat Hotel in Paris
Inching, Is This Machine Recording?
Handkerchief Masks, News Cut-Up
Word Falling, Photo Falling
Throat Microphone Experiment
It's About Time to Identify Oven Area
Last Words of Hassan I Sabbah
I Was Fooling Around With These Tapes in Hotels Hallelujah Chorus ...
It's easy to forget that William S. Burroughs was once young and incredibly gifted, among the finest satirists that the English language has ever produced. Perhaps Burroughs the old raspy-monotoned man, the provocateur, hu... more »ckster, junkie, experimentalist, or murderer spring to mind first. But this lovingly assembled Giorno Poetry Systems product reveals a Burroughs in love with words, performance, theater, and people. The expressive, distinct, often hilarious way in which this curious creature reads his powerful, transporting work has to be heard. "'Perhaps the appendix is already out, doctor,' the nurse said, peering dubiously over [Dr. Benway's] shoulder. 'I saw a little scar... Perhaps the appendix is on the left side, doctor. That happens sometimes, you know!'" Culled from a variety of rare, unreleased, and out-of-print sources, these recordings are a treat for the fan and the just curious alike. They show the prophet of our violent, drugged-up, blurry future at the height of his considerable powers. --Mike McGonigal« less
It's easy to forget that William S. Burroughs was once young and incredibly gifted, among the finest satirists that the English language has ever produced. Perhaps Burroughs the old raspy-monotoned man, the provocateur, huckster, junkie, experimentalist, or murderer spring to mind first. But this lovingly assembled Giorno Poetry Systems product reveals a Burroughs in love with words, performance, theater, and people. The expressive, distinct, often hilarious way in which this curious creature reads his powerful, transporting work has to be heard. "'Perhaps the appendix is already out, doctor,' the nurse said, peering dubiously over [Dr. Benway's] shoulder. 'I saw a little scar... Perhaps the appendix is on the left side, doctor. That happens sometimes, you know!'" Culled from a variety of rare, unreleased, and out-of-print sources, these recordings are a treat for the fan and the just curious alike. They show the prophet of our violent, drugged-up, blurry future at the height of his considerable powers. --Mike McGonigal
CD Reviews
Entertaining & informative as to the mind and method of WSB
Mr. Egregious | 06/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Spanning the whole of his career, this 4-disc box set is well worth the price. Not only does Bill's intonation assist the reader into how to go about reading the author's works, Burroughs's satire and wit is a mile a minute on every disc except Disc Four. The final disc is a collection of his cut-up experiments that he conducted in the early 1960's. These spliced fragments of passing cars, television commercials, and poetry readings foreshadow '90's alternative. The package includes an extensive collection of photos spanning over the whole of the author's life. From pre-Naked Lunch to this final work, The Cat Inside, this is a great audio collection for anyone wanting to appreciate the Godfather of the Beats."
No such a thing as to much of a good thing
Mojo Brown | 12/27/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To sum this collection up in a word....Brillant. Hat's off to the folks responsible for this essential compilation of some of the finest spoken performances I have ever heard. This monster 4cd set, is packed to the gills with classic pieces from Bill's entire writing life time. The box contains a large booklet with rare photo's and additional info, as well as an unpublished piece. Each cd box, contain small booklets with even more rare photo's of Burroughs through out his life. This is a genius time machine. No distracting music. The audiences in the live segments,are mixed down to a dull roar. It may not have everything.... but it certainly satisfies, none the less. A must have for any true Burroughs fans."
Excellent reference for WSB fans and all humans!!!
Mojo Brown | 11/06/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Having anxiously awaited this Giorno Poetry Systems release, I am pleased to report that I was not disappointed in any regard. Technically the recordings are as well finished as any WSB release other than Dead City Radio, which is no insubstantial feat given that the age of some of these recordings approaches thirty years. Well divided among the four discs are excerpts of political rantings, historical observation and cut-up works along with full recitations of several well known WSB characters, creations and creatures. Despite the fact that the set contains no truly previously un-released material, one look at the discography gives good cause to consider that as a requirement for a tasty well rounded boxed set. A few of the works are certainly not for the timid or frail of thought and some of the experimental recordings may hold sustained interest only for the WSB technophiles. If you own no recorded William S. Burroughs (yet) and seek a disc set representative of his work throughout his prolific and often hilarious renderings of his own writings, you have found that (set of) disc(s). Rates a "put down what your doing and find one" on the When to get it? scale and 10 out of 10 on the Photo and print inserts match the audio? scale."
We Are Here to Go!
J. Merritt | 01/05/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Pity this is no longer available, because it's an excellent summation of Burroughs' experimental prose and recordings. I doubt that I'm alone in preferring to experience his material through his recitations rather than in print. The sound of his inimitable voice, rendering his words exactly as he meant for them to be expressed, adds immeasurably to their impact. Crazed, drug-addled, bizarre, liberal and cynical at the same time, quite often hallucinatory and occasionally even sentimental, Burroughs pushed the envelope of narrative fiction as much as any author of the 20th century, and few writers have ever been so adept at the oral interpretation of their own work. If you can find a copy to buy, you're likely to get hooked. As it were."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1