Burroughs Live: The Collected Interview of Wiliam S. Burroughs, 1960--1997 [Paperback]

For a man who hated interviews, William Burroughs (1914-1997) ended up doing quite a few of them over 30-plus years, appearing in print everywhere from Mademoiselle to Semiotext(e). Gathered for the first time in Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of William S. Burroughs, edited and annotated by Sylvere Lotringer, the 99 pieces begin with the fictional interviews that Burroughs wrote himself, elaborating his hallmark junkie personae, and ending on a conversation with Allen Ginsberg about Burroughs's exorcism. In betweem, the writer discusses interplanetary invasions, morphine addiction treatments, the influence of Rimbaud and Celine, his three lines of defence against criminals (a mace gun, a cobra, and a cane) and more.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

This massive collection includes published as well as unpublished interviews with Burroughs and transcripts of conversations with celebrities like Tennessee Williams and David Bowie. For the most part, the material is arranged geographically and chronologically. In addition to Burroughs's life and art, the topics covered reflect the concerns of his novels narcotics addiction and drug laws, control and deconditioning, homosexuality, overpopulation, and censorship. Of particular note after September 11 are Burroughs's comments on terrorism. Burroughs, as Lotringer notes, hated being interviewed, and that's evident, particularly in the flat responses made in some of the shorter pieces. There is a good deal of repetition, and the editor's decision to provide bibliographic citations at the end of the volume rather than in a headnote is a real inconvenience to the reader, who must flip back and forth to find the source of each interview. Those industrious enough to sift through the silt will no doubt find their share of gold nuggets, but most readers will be adequately served by the more selective Conversations with William S. Burroughs. For research-level collections. William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Burroughs Live gathers all the interviews, both published and unpublished, given by William Burroughs, as well as conversations with well-known writers, artists, and musicians such as Tenessee Williams, Timothy Leary, Patti Smith, Keith Richards, Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, and Gregory Corso. The book provides a fascinating account of Burroughs's life as a literary outlaw. Illuminating many aspects of his work and many facets of his mind, it brings out his scathing humor, powerful intelligence, and nightmarish vision.

Sylvère Lotringer, general editor of Semiotext(e), lives in New York and Baja, California. He is the author of Overexposed: Perverting Perversions (Semiotext(e), 2007).