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[Giorno] William Burroughs, James Grauerholtz and I were in Berlin the week after Chernobyl, and we got caught endlessly in the warm Spring rains; big fat raindrops filled with radioactivity splashing in my face and running down my hair and into my lips over and over again, radioactive rain soaked into William Burroughs' brown fedora, a tiara of diamonds as we ran down the streets to the hotels, I'm melting, big fat raindrops bejeweled with radioactivity soaked into this black leather jacket that I'm wearing tonight, great wet clusters in the soft black leather shoulders, 100,000 rhymes, I only wear it on special occasions, I feel like Louis the 14th, I got a coat sewn with 10,000 diamonds, and we got off easy.

1986

[moderator] Welcome to "Backstage at the Lied Center."

[moderator] Above is a poem John wrote in 1986 and was willing to share with us tonight

[moderator] I'll begin my asking the first question.

[moderator] John, you're here in Lawrence to perform at the "Nova Convention Revisited," a concert to pay tribute to William S. Burroughs.

[moderator] You've been a longtime friend of Mr. Burroughs. How and when did you meet?

[Giorno] In New York when William returned in November of 1964 we met and became good friends.

[moderator] What sort of impact did Mr. Burroughs have on your writing -- or vice versa?

[Giorno] William Burroughs and I have lived together on and off for 30 years. And William Burrough's mind is one of the greatest minds in the world that I have met other than some great Tibetan Lamas's.Spending a lot of time with him his mind has been a great joy.

[moderator] This question come from one of our audience members. Is there anything too dangerous to express in words?

[Giorno] Nothing is too dangerous because wisdom is expressed in words. Indeed William is difficult reading and I try to understand.

[moderator] How much time do you spend writing these days?

[Giorno] A couple of hours everyday on one thing or another because I work on serval pieces at one time.

[moderator] What is your process of writing poetry?

[Giorno] It's not very interesting I just write down what is in my mind and then I use in a poem.

[moderator] Here's a question from an audience member. Does Giorno do anything special to unlock the creative spirit?

[Giorno] Nothing intentional but I'm a Buddhist in the Tibetan Nyingma tradition, and I meditate everyday. And any other skillful means that seems appropriate like alcohol and drugs. There are no rules or restrictions.

[moderator] Another question from the audience: I'm curious to know Giorno's opinion of Dennis Cooper (poet and author of "Try", "Frisk", "Closer", "Wrong").

[Giorno] That's High Risk books.

[Giorno] Dennis is a great poet and a friend.

[moderator] High Risk?

[Giorno] High Risk is an imprint of Serpent's Tail Press that publishes both of us.

[moderator] On your World Wide Web page, you're described an "proto-punk." What does that mean?

[Giorno] I've been around for a long time.

[moderator] What was your involvement, if any, in the punk scene? Did you hang out with punkers?

[Giorno] I live in New York only a block from CBGBs. The rock venue where it began.

[moderator] What was it about the punk scene that interested or excited you?

[Giorno] They were poets making music.

[moderator] Let's talk a little about Dial-A-Poem. How and why did that get started? Why was it so controversial?

[Giorno] I started Dial-A-Poem in 1968 and it was the first time that the telephone was used for mass communications. It was very successful and we got millions of calls and inaugurated a dial-a-something industry.

[moderator] What is the status of Dial-A-Poem today?

[Giorno] It's too much trouble for me to produce now but there are hundreds of them across the country and around the world.

[moderator] Here's a question from the audience: Who are Giorno's favorite visual artists?

[Giorno] I haven't thought about that in a long while. But I had the good fortune of being in New York in the early 1960s and met these young unknown artists who were great influences on me like Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Bob Rauschenberg.

[Giorno] But I don't think about painting and sculpture so much these days.

[moderator] Who were in Andy Warhol's "Sleep." What was it like to work with Warhol?

[Giorno] It was a great joy Andy had a lot fabulous ideas and skillful means and ways of doing things I never thought of before.

[Giorno] He opened the door.

[moderator] Another audience question: How will cyberspace and multimedia affect the directions of artistic verbal expression?

[Giorno] It has been effecting it for the last 30 years and it is o.k. for the poet to do anything. It's just skillful means.

[moderator] In 1984, you begin the AIDS Treatment Project, which provides assistance directly to those with AIDS. How has the organization evolved through the years?

[Giorno] Giorno Poetry Systems began the AIDS treatment project in 1984 in response to the catastrophe of the AIDS epidemic. And it has taken many shapes over the years. We give cash grants for emergency situations: back rent, utilities, nursing, taxis, whatever is needed. Money given with love and affection. We support Tibetan medicine for people with AIDS.

[moderator] Would explain some of the things that Tibetan medicine can offer AIDS patients?

[Giorno] Tibetan medicine jolts the immune system into activity, so as long as the AIDS patient is not too sick there are very good results.

[moderator] What is involved with the medical treatment?

[Giorno] A Tibetan doctor does the diagnosis with the individual patient and sees what is needed, and what medicines are appropriate.

[moderator] How many people has AIDS Treatment Project helped up to this point?

[Giorno] Untold thousands over the many years.

[Giorno] I work for one or two hours everyday seven days a week, every week, every month, every year.

[Giorno] And this has also encouraged other people to do the same who have started small AIDS Treatment Projects all around the country.

[moderator] John, you are a very compassionate man, and have a reputation from treating strangers as if they are longtime friends. Where does that compassion come from? Who or what did you learn it from?

[Giorno] Compassion is in everyone and it is just finding a way to release it. I do Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice and maybe that has helped.

[moderator] Another question from the audience:Does Giorno have any fond memories of the late Timothy Leary?

[Giorno] His last words were the best: WHY NOT!

[moderator] Another audience question: Burroughs in Lawrence evokes a David Lynch ("Blue Velvet") feeling. What does Giorno make of small towns like ours?

[Giorno] Lawrence is very lucky. I love Lawrence I've been here five times this year to visit William.

[moderator] There's a photograph on one of your AIDS Treatment Project brochures of Mr. Burroughs and Kansas artist Dennis Helm. How did you know Dennis?

[Giorno] Dennis was a very good friend of James Grauerholz and James helped Dennis very much before he died. And I have an interest in helping anyone with AIDS, if only to hug them and make them feel good.

[moderator] Were you familiar with Dennis' artwork?

[Giorno] Not before I met him.

[moderator] Another audience question: Thanks to John, I've had the phrase "I'm washing the sink with a plastic sponge" running through my head just about every day for the past decade (at least). Does he agree with Burroughs that the word is a virus?

[Giorno] Yes. Absolute mind is beyond discursive thoughts and words.

[moderator] Let's talk about your future projects -- writing and otherwise. What are you working on now?

[Giorno] I'm finishing a new book of poems and memoir pieces. And Giorno Poetry Systems is releasing a 4 CD set called "The Best of William Burroughs," with five books of photographs and text.

[moderator] An audience question: To what does Giorno look forward to most in the Nova Convention Revisited?

[Giorno] The energy of the seven of us performing together. Because William is going to do a short unscheduled performance.

[moderator] What can we expect from your segment?

[Giorno] "Just Say No To Family Values"

[moderator] How interesting. And here's the last question from the audience: What does he recommend one to do prepare for the experience?

[Giorno] Just relax, open up, and do it.

[moderator] Moderator, please express to John my profound gratitude for his agreeing to do this with us. Thanks to you, too!

[moderator] Now, one last question from the moderator.

[moderator] What part does obscenity play in creativity?

[Giorno] Everyone makes love or is pornographic in their everyday life and this is the source. One of the many things in our everyday life which are the display of wisdom.

[moderator] Thanks for being with us tonight, John. It was pure pleasure.

[moderator] Also, thanks to all of you for linking up and participating in our chat. Other chats scheduled in conjunction with the "Nova Convention Revisited" concert are:

[moderator] � 3 p.m. CST Monday -- Bob McGrath, a New York-based producer who is directing the Nova concert, McGrath's projects include the Philip Glass' opera "La Belle et la Bete," which was performed a year ago at the Lied Center.

[moderator] � 1 p.m. CST Tuesday -- A live chat session from the Nova press conference with Patti Smith, Ed Sanders, Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, Philip Glass and John Giorno. Laurie Anderson, who will perform at the concert, will not be available during the press conference. We'll try to catch up with later in the day.

[moderator] Transcripts of all of these chat sessions, plus live coverage of the concert's rehearsals and a review of the concert will be posted on the Lawrence Journal-World's home page.