eroin – Homosexual – Author – Alcoholic – Artist. What do all these words have in common? When it comes to the life of William S. Burroughs, all of them are pieces in the puzzle of his life. Add in a few guns, snakes and his accidental killing of a loved one and it gets even more unsettling and complicated. All this and more is revealed by first time filmmaker, Yony Leyser. He has crafted an in-depth and well-thought-out documentary of William S. Burroughs, a man who is best remembered by some for his novel Naked Lunch. The book was labeled pornographic and obscene in its vivid use of description, angst and fury. Yet, as an artist on all levels, Burroughs influenced all aspects of the genre including writing, art, music and poetry. His journey of discovery of self is both disturbing and exemplary. Burroughs’ solitary genius–or “beautiful mind,” shall we say–influenced the Beat Generation and the evolution of the Punk movement. Most importantly, he opened a door to homosexuality, which at that time was double-bolted shut by the chaste society of the 1950s.
The groundbreaking Naked Lunch triumphed over being taken off the shelf and banned by the U.S. government, resulting in the last obscenity trial of this nature. Allen Ginsberg (featured in rare footage throughout the film and a dear friend of Burroughs) went through the same ordeal for his long poem Howl. Along with Ginsberg, writer and director, Yony Leyser has compiled an extensive amount of interviews, both archival and exclusively new. Burroughs’ friends, lovers, associates and admirers, such as John Waters, Patti Smith, David Cronenberg, Iggy Pop, Gus Van Sant and numerous others in the creative world, offer immeasurable insight into his friendship and his talent. Seeing this film, one might make the snap judgment of distaste with a feeling of disgust, regardless of Burroughs’ artistic achievement. Yet, like peeling away the layers of an onion, a sense of understanding and empathy for William S. Burroughs combined with a reflection of thoughts create a vivid portrait of the man within.
A man of many intuitive thoughts and ideas, William S. Burroughs was also very interested in other people’s thought processes. Brion Gysin introduced him to the concept of the “cut-up” technique. A painter and writer, Gysin collaborated with Burroughs on this process of randomly selecting and rearranging words. Doesn’t sound like anything too innovative? Let’s have a go at it: In closing, here is a cutaway of one specific diary entry from Burroughs. “Love is painkiller. What is it? Natural. There. Love?” To discover just what Burroughs really wrote in his diary before the cutaway created here, just watch William S. Burroughs: A Man Within. Anyone with an ounce of creativity will be inspired in one way or another. William S. Burroughs: A Man Within DVD is available for $29.99 at the link below. ( By Bill Biss )
