Editor's note
Monday, July 30, 2007
Lawrence. Kansas. Burroughs was frequently asked—as all Lawrencians inevitably are: Why Kansas? When you could live anywhere—in any of the world’s cultural capitals—why Lawrence, Kansas? Read story.
The Life of William S. Burroughs
A timeline
Monday, July 30, 2007
1914 to 1997 Read story.
Ten Years Gone
Assigning William S. Burroughs a place in local space-time
Monday, July 30, 2007
William S. Burroughs is 10 years gone now and only vestiges remain. His little Datsun and an old typewriter rust in a thicket behind the red house where he lived at 1927 Learnard Ave., and on drunken Friday nights citizens of a certain age may emit stories of the times they saw him buying cat food at Dillons. Read story.
The Burroughs Guy
An interview with James Grauerholz
Monday, July 30, 2007
James Grauerholz is heir and executorof the estate of William S. Burroughs—maestro of the Beats, writer of “Naked Lunch,” international queer, academic junkie, wife-shooter, Harvard graduate, an undeniably American artist. Grauerholz lived 30 years with Burroughs. Street Level joins Grauerholz in a booth at Pachamama’s for a moseying reminiscence of Burroughs and the Beats... Read story.
The Inner Circle
Memories collected from the FOBs (friends of Burroughs)
Monday, July 30, 2007
"Most of his peers are dead—who's left? People who really were his disciples. They were sort of the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to the Antichrist." —Dennis Domer, professor emeritus of American studies at KU. Read story.
Remembering William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg
A piece by Jim McCrary
Monday, July 30, 2007
I've been asked many times to put something up about William Burroughs in Lawrence, Kansas. Sort of. Okay, once someone asked me WHAT he did out here. What he did? All this because I had the extreme privilege to work for William Burroughs as Office Manager for 10 years, as well as the opportunity to spend time with him on a daily basis doing well...nothing most of the time...until William died August 2, 1997. William, of course, had a steady stream of visitors in Lawrence, and one of those was his best friend, Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. I use William and Allen's friendship to offer a 'snapshot' of what I observed. Read story.
Tales of Ohle
An interview with David Ohle
Monday, July 30, 2007
David Ohle met Burroughs in the mid-’70s while teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. They became close friends after Ohle moved back to Lawrence in 1984. Ohle is the author of two novels (plus one forthcoming) and many short stories. He earned his master’s degree from KU in 1972 and teaches fiction writing and screenwriting at the university. Read story.
Burroughs' Student
An interview with Wayne Propst
Monday, July 30, 2007
Propst—who calls himself a “leisure consultant”—is an experimental artist and raconteur. Scatterbrained fascination oozes from his pores. He calls himself Burroughs’ student. Read story.
Hell, Man, I'm Not Gonna Shoot 'Em Way Out There!
A piece by Jon Blumb
Monday, July 30, 2007
The first time I set up a shooting range for William Burroughs, I went out to the farm early and set up targets on a board, an improvised table, and lawn chairs. When I brought William to the spot later that afternoon, he sized up the distance, commenting, “Hell, Man, I’m not gonna shoot ‘em way out there! Move ‘em up closer—most gunfights are just across a room!” Read story.
A Portrait of the Old Man's Art
Monday, July 30, 2007
One of William S. Burroughs’ chief activities in his Lawrence years was creating art. After receiving a kick-start in the form of a celebrated opening at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York in 1987, his art was in some demand by curators and collectors for the rest of his life... Read story.
Old Man's Curse
Monday, July 30, 2007
I never feel the heat closing in, this 10-year specter over my head, setting up his flaccid old man revenge fantasy, putting a curse over me and my home maybe a higher-up elbow in Kansas City, vault a decade and two cities, catch a flexible writing gig… Read story.
Outgrowing the Interzone
Monday, July 30, 2007
A poisonous lie is the sum total of what Burroughs accomplished. Read story.
In Bed With Burroughs
A piece by Marcus Ewert
Monday, July 30, 2007
In 1988, when I was 17, I flew across country to the Naropa Institute with the express purpose of sleeping with either Allen Ginsberg or William Burroughs. By sleeping with them, I would join my life to theirs, thereby speeding up my own ascent into personal and artistic greatness. Burroughs wasn't at Naropa that year, so I made my play for Allen, and that worked out great: Allen and I genuinely got along. And he had no problem with the fact that I still wanted to 'connect' with Burroughs at some point-on the contrary. Read story.
Memories of Learnard
A piece by Mark Luce
Monday, July 30, 2007
My son, Miles, was conceived in William S. Burroughs’ bedroom. Perhaps I should explain. Read story.
Remarks on Behalf of the Community
William S. Burroughs memorial service: A Eulogy
Monday, July 30, 2007
We gather here today as a community of men and women who admired and loved William S. Burroughs and were transformed by his extraordinary life. We are here to mourn William’s death, but that is a secondary matter... Read story.
Memories of Burroughs
A guestbook for readers' recollections of the Old Man
Monday, July 30, 2007
Multimedia
Burroughs: 10 Years After
An audio slideshow featuring reading by William S. Burroughs and photos by many of his friends and acquaintances.
View slideshow (22:17)
Narratives
› Memories of Burroughs. Listen (various clips).
› Burroughs on Tape. Listen (various clips).
› A history of Burroughs and the Beats as told by James Grauerholz, Burroughs' friend and estate executor. Listen online (48:29)
Download mp3 (right-click and save, 66MB)
Burroughs in Lawrence
An audio slideshow featuring commentary by Dennis Domer, former KU professor and local historian.
View (6:28)
Burroughs' Art
An audio slideshow featuring commentary by Spencer Museum of Art Curator Stephen Goddard.
View (3:22)
In Search of Burroughs
By Renee Tajima-Pena
An excerpt from a documentary about the Beats, wherein the filmmaker visits Lawrence trying to find Burroughs. (7:29)
Home Movie: "W.S.B."
Courtesy W. Propst.
Burroughs and local friends; plus Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, Steve Buscemi, and cats. (16:41, small version)
Burroughs on stage
Reading "Partline" (from a work in progress) on March, 22, 1975, at the Loeb Student Center, NYU. (5:28)
Burroughs and the arts
The Lawrence Journal-World covered the Los Angeles opening of "Ports of Entry: William S. Burroughs and the Arts" in 1996. The retrospective travelled to KU's Spencer Museum of Art as well.
» Read coverage
The Death of Joan Vollmer
First published on lawrence.com, "The Death of Joan Vollmer" meticulously explores the history surrounding Burroughs' shooting and killing his wife, Joan.
» Download the full document (1.9MB PDF)
Kurt Cobain and Burroughs
Kurt Cobain was an acknowledged fan of Burroughs' oeuvre. RealityStudio compiled this dossier documenting the relationship between the two.
» Read coverage
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Reader guestbook
The most comprehensive perspective of Burroughs' time in Lawrence will hopefully come from you, dear reader.
We hope you'll take a moment to share how the Old Man's presence here affected you...
» Share your memories.
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Section photo used by kind permission of the Allen Ginsberg Trust. All rights reserved.