Naked Lunch - Revision history

Spider of Destiny at 17:29, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T17:29:18Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 19:09, 28 September 2024

2024-09-28T19:09:21Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 19:40, 15 August 2021

2021-08-15T19:40:25Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 00:59, 27 July 2021

2021-07-27T00:59:51Z

Spider of Destiny at 20:17, 19 November 2020

2020-11-19T20:17:20Z

Spider of Destiny at 20:11, 25 August 2014

2014-08-25T20:11:17Z

Duncan: /* See Also */ Reduced 4 links to 1

2008-07-13T19:54:15Z

Tonefish: taken out chunks that seem to be seen as my 'personal view'

2008-07-12T11:39:58Z

taken out chunks that seem to be seen as my 'personal view'

Tonefish: FZ readings links

2008-07-07T11:38:35Z

FZ readings links

Tonefish: Book context, FZ reading, film note, Xenochrony link etc

2008-07-07T11:19:22Z

Book context, FZ reading, film note, Xenochrony link etc

New page

The publication of ''Naked Lunch'' in Paris in 1959 captured the spirit of the counter-culture revolution that was to grow in Europe and America throughout the '60s. Its author, [[William S. Burroughs]], was hailed as a leader of this 'beat generation', along with such luminaries as [[Jack Kerouac]] and [[Allen Ginsberg]]. Publication of the novel in America in 1962 added fuel to the fire of this ''avante-garde'' movement, which gained impetus with his ''Nova Trilogy''; ''The Soft Machine'' (1961), ''The Ticket That Exploded'' (1962) and ''Nova Express'' (1964).

This last novel's title lent itself to the formation of ''The Nova Convention'', a series of New York seminars attended by beat-poets, novelists, essayists, social critics, spoken-word performers and musicians, with William S. Burroughs at the helm. [[Frank Zappa]] attended one of these performances in [[The Nova Convention: Entermedia Theater, Dec 1978|December 1978]] and read [[The Talking Asshole]], from Naked Lunch.

Burroughs wrote a covering article for the DVD release of the movie ''Naked Lunch'' (filmed by [[Wikipedia:Naked Lunch (film)|David Cronenberg in 1991]]) in which he said; "...In 1979 Frank Zappa came to me with the concept of 'Naked Lunch' as an off-Broadway musical. This struck me - and still does - as a pregnant idea, but it was not to be." They remained friends and FZ sent a dozen roses to Burroughs for his 70th birthday in 1984.

FZ's use of caricature, satire and parody in his work has similarities to those of Burroughs. In Naked Lunch Burroughs exposes the pitfalls of America's consumerist state, and the overall human addiction to control. Unfortunately because of its absurdity and strong drug content, the novel is often misinterpreted as merely a drug novel written by a delusional addict. Its sub-plots of taboo fantasies and drug-addiction, peculiar and monstrous creatures, eccentric personalities and corruption all serve to unmask mechanisms and processes of control, and have led to much controversy.

Naked Lunch was banned by Boston courts in 1962 due to obscenity. A decision reversed in 1966 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in the last major literary censorship battle in America. The Appeals Court found the book did not violate obscenity statutes, as it was found to have some social value. The redeeming literary merit of the work is found in the biting satire and social criticism its episodes contain. Burroughs digests the modern American mind and spits out a wild, repulsive parade of images and characters that encapsulate the state of the 20th century

Burroughs states in the book's introduction; "The title means exactly what the words say: '''''Naked''''' Lunch, a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork."
==Notes==
*More on Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Naked Lunch|Naked Lunch]], [[Wikipedia:Beat Generation|Beat Generation]], [[Wikipedia:The Nova Trilogy|The Nova Trilogy]]
*The Nova Trilogy employs a constructive technique of 'cut & paste narrative', developed by Burroughs and [[Brion Gysin]]. A method also adopted by David Bowie, Kurt Cobain & Thom Yorke of Radiohead. This concept has also evolved into [[Wikipedia:Bastard pop|Bastard Pop]] or [[Wikipedia:Mashup (music)|Mashup]]. (See also Zappa's [[Wikipedia:Xenochrony|Xenochrony]])

[[Category:Side Projects]]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 This last novel's title lent itself to the formation of ''The Nova Convention'', a series of New York seminars attended by beat-poets, novelists, essayists, social critics,  spoken-word performers and musicians, with William S. Burroughs at the helm. [[Biography|Frank Zappa]] attended one of these performances in [[The Nova Convention: Entermedia Theater, Dec 1978|December 1978]] and read [[The Talking Asshole]], from Naked Lunch.
-Burroughs wrote a covering article for the DVD release of the movie ''Naked Lunch'' (filmed by [[Wikipedia:Naked Lunch (film)|David Cronenberg in 1991]]) in which he said; "...In 1979 Frank Zappa came to me with the concept of 'Naked Lunch' as an off-Broadway musical. This struck me - and still does - as a pregnant idea, but it was not to be." They remained friends and FZ sent a dozen roses to Burroughs for his 70th birthday in 1984.
+Burroughs wrote a covering article for the DVD release of the movie ''Naked Lunch'' (filmed by [[Wikipedia:Naked Lunch (film)|David Cronenberg in 1991]]) in which he said; "...In 1979 Frank Zappa came to me with the concept of 'Naked Lunch' as an off-[[Broadway]] musical. This struck me - and still does - as a pregnant idea, but it was not to be." They remained friends and FZ sent a dozen roses to Burroughs for his 70th birthday in 1984.
 FZ's use of caricature, satire and parody in his work has similarities to those of Burroughs. In Naked Lunch Burroughs exposes the pitfalls of America's consumerist state, and the overall human addiction to control. Its sub-plots of taboo fantasies and drug-addiction, peculiar and monstrous creatures, eccentric personalities and corruption help unmask mechanisms and processes of control, but led to much controversy among American readers.

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:09, 28 September 2024
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		+
	The publication of ''Naked Lunch'' in Paris in 1959 captured the spirit of the counter-culture revolution that was to grow in Europe and America throughout the '60s. Its author, [[William S. Burroughs]], was hailed as a leader of this 'beat generation', along with such luminaries as [[Wikipedia:Jack Kerouac\|Jack Kerouac]] and [[Wikipedia:Allen Ginsberg\|Allen Ginsberg]]. Publication of the novel in America in 1962 added fuel to the fire of this ''avante-garde'' movement, which gained impetus with his ''Nova Trilogy''; ''The Soft Machine'' (1961), ''The Ticket That Exploded'' (1962) and ''Nova Express'' (1964).		The publication of ''Naked Lunch'' in Paris in 1959 captured the spirit of the counter-culture revolution that was to grow in Europe and America throughout the '60s. Its author, [[William S. Burroughs]], was hailed as a leader of this 'beat generation', along with such luminaries as [[Wikipedia:Jack Kerouac\|Jack Kerouac]] and [[Wikipedia:Allen Ginsberg\|Allen Ginsberg]]. Publication of the novel in America in 1962 added fuel to the fire of this ''avante-garde'' movement, which gained impetus with his ''Nova Trilogy''; ''The Soft Machine'' (1961), ''The Ticket That Exploded'' (1962) and ''Nova Express'' (1964).

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The publication of ''Naked Lunch'' in Paris in 1959 captured the spirit of the counter-culture revolution that was to grow in Europe and America throughout the '60s. Its author, [[William S. Burroughs]], was hailed as a leader of this 'beat generation', along with such luminaries as [[Jack Kerouac]] and [[Allen Ginsberg]]. Publication of the novel in America in 1962 added fuel to the fire of this ''avante-garde'' movement, which gained impetus with his ''Nova Trilogy''; ''The Soft Machine'' (1961), ''The Ticket That Exploded'' (1962) and ''Nova Express'' (1964).
+The publication of ''Naked Lunch'' in Paris in 1959 captured the spirit of the counter-culture revolution that was to grow in Europe and America throughout the '60s. Its author, [[William S. Burroughs]], was hailed as a leader of this 'beat generation', along with such luminaries as [[Wikipedia:Jack Kerouac|Jack Kerouac]] and [[Wikipedia:Allen Ginsberg|Allen Ginsberg]]. Publication of the novel in America in 1962 added fuel to the fire of this ''avante-garde'' movement, which gained impetus with his ''Nova Trilogy''; ''The Soft Machine'' (1961), ''The Ticket That Exploded'' (1962) and ''Nova Express'' (1964).
 This last novel's title lent itself to the formation of ''The Nova Convention'', a series of New York seminars attended by beat-poets, novelists, essayists, social critics,  spoken-word performers and musicians, with William S. Burroughs at the helm. [[Biography|Frank Zappa]] attended one of these performances in [[The Nova Convention: Entermedia Theater, Dec 1978|December 1978]] and read [[The Talking Asshole]], from Naked Lunch.
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ==Notes==
 * More on Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Naked Lunch|Naked Lunch]], [[Wikipedia:Beat Generation|Beat Generation]], [[Wikipedia:The Nova Trilogy|The Nova Trilogy]]
-* The Nova Trilogy employs a constructive technique of 'cut & paste narrative', developed by Burroughs and [[Brion Gysin]]. A method also adopted by [[David Bowie]], [[Kurt Cobain]] & Thom Yorke of Radiohead - who has recently worked with Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of the Russian composer) on a similar technique for a string ensemble album. This concept has also evolved into [[Wikipedia:Bastard pop|Bastard Pop]] or [[Wikipedia:Mashup (music)|Mashup]].
+* The Nova Trilogy employs a constructive technique of 'cut & paste narrative', developed by Burroughs and [[Wikipedia:Brion Gysin|Brion Gysin]]. A method also adopted by [[David Bowie]], [[Kurt Cobain]] & Thom Yorke of Radiohead - who has recently worked with Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of the Russian composer) on a similar technique for a string ensemble album. This concept has also evolved into [[Wikipedia:Bastard pop|Bastard Pop]] or [[Wikipedia:Mashup (music)|Mashup]].
 * See Zappa's [[Xenochrony]] application of this approach.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:17, 19 November 2020
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	[[Category:Side Projects]]		[[Category:Side Projects]]
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 Burroughs states in the book's introduction; "The title means exactly what the words say: '''''Naked''''' Lunch, a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork."
 ==Notes==
-*More on Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Naked Lunch|Naked Lunch]], [[Wikipedia:Beat Generation|Beat Generation]], [[Wikipedia:The Nova Trilogy|The Nova Trilogy]]
+* More on Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Naked Lunch|Naked Lunch]], [[Wikipedia:Beat Generation|Beat Generation]], [[Wikipedia:The Nova Trilogy|The Nova Trilogy]]
-*The Nova Trilogy employs a constructive technique of 'cut & paste narrative', developed by Burroughs and [[Brion Gysin]]. A method also adopted by David Bowie, Kurt Cobain & Thom Yorke of Radiohead - who has recently worked with Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of the Russian composer) on a similar technique for a string ensemble album. This concept has also evolved into [[Wikipedia:Bastard pop|Bastard Pop]] or [[Wikipedia:Mashup (music)|Mashup]].
+* The Nova Trilogy employs a constructive technique of 'cut & paste narrative', developed by Burroughs and [[Brion Gysin]]. A method also adopted by [[David Bowie]], [[Kurt Cobain]] & Thom Yorke of Radiohead - who has recently worked with Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of the Russian composer) on a similar technique for a string ensemble album. This concept has also evolved into [[Wikipedia:Bastard pop|Bastard Pop]] or [[Wikipedia:Mashup (music)|Mashup]].
-*See Zappa's [[Xenochrony]] application of this approach.
+* See Zappa's [[Xenochrony]] application of this approach.
 ==See Also==
 *[[The Talking Asshole]]
 [[Category:Side Projects]]