Thursday, November 27, 2008

OUR WHACKY UNCLE BILL



Uncle Bill draws down on the flightless butterball.

(And here’s link to Uncle Bill’s Thanksgiving Prayer)

at

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:18 PM

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Urn2ryLwI

    this one includes the Thangsgiving Prayer plus When Did I Stopped Being President and Commissioner of Sewers - all excerpts - mixed in with some good interviews. HIghly RECommendable.


    Word Verification: (believe it or not): IMIGHT

    i just did.

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  2. Anonymous3:25 PM

    and a beautiful video of John Giorno reciting his last moments with Uncle Bill at his death bed.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LQntvlDjXE&NR=1

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  3. Gerin4:26 PM

    It's not 'www.Billtube.com',
    but it's also great:

    Thanksgiving Prayer
    "To Jack Dillinger and hope he is still alive.
    Thanksgiving Day November 28 1986"


    Thanks for the wild turkey and
    the passenger pigeons,
    destined to be shit out
    through wholesome American guts.

    Thanks for a continent to despoil
    and poison.

    Thanks for Indians to provide a
    modicum of challenge and
    danger.

    Thanks for vast herds of bison to kill and skin leaving the
    carcasses to rot.

    Thanks for bounties on wolves
    and coyotes.

    Thanks for the American dream,
    To vulgarize and to falsify until
    the bare lies shine through.

    Thanks for the KKK.

    For nigger-killin' lawmen,
    feelin' their notches.

    For decent church-goin' women,
    with their mean, pinched, bitter,
    evil faces.

    Thanks for "Kill a Queer for
    Christ" stickers.

    Thanks for laboratory AIDS.

    Thanks for Prohibition and the
    war against drugs.

    Thanks for a country where
    nobody's allowed to mind his
    own business.

    Thanks for a nation of finks.

    Yes, thanks for all the
    memories-- all right let's see
    your arms.

    You always were a headache and
    you always were a bore.

    Thanks for the last and greatest
    betrayal of the last and greatest
    of human dreams.

    - William S. Burroughs

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  4. Leftcoastcat6:06 PM

    On the eve of a cultural tide shift, hopefully the waning influence of

    "decent church-goin' women,
    with their mean, pinched, bitter,evil faces."

    I say:

    Thank you Uncle Bill, you called it like you saw it, blessed be.

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  5. Maggie M'Gill7:54 AM

    My friend Dale (who was avoiding the South African army draft at the time) was working as an assistant at Claude Gill books on Piccadilly in the autumn of 1981. Bill Burroughs was in London, promoting “Cities of the Red Night” (I have a copy which he signed for me at Compendium in Camden – hurrah). Anyway, one quiet afternoon, Dale was working in the bookshop’s children’s section downstairs, fixing some fluorescent tube lighting. An elderly gentleman appeared at the top of the stairs, looked at Dale, and said: “you shouldn’t be doing that – you should be creating art”. Dale, who was a great guy, but was also rather a clever clogs, replied “I’m creating kinetic art!” Uncle Bill (for it was he) looked back with withering disdain, and said: “Fuck kinetic art, kid – you should be writing!” He then turned round and left. Dale was rather startled that someone who looked a bit like his grandfather should use such language.

    Anyway, the point of the tale is that Dale was in fact a BIG William Burroughs fan, but he failed to recognise him – he was really cross when he saw photos later that Burroughs had been in town. An opportunity missed, and all that. For the record, I remember that Dale wrote extremely well.

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  6. Gerin11:52 AM

    Mr. Bill was in Dubrovnik in 1935 or '36. I knew he was to come but missed the opportunity 'cause I was born 20 years after his Adriatic romance.

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  7. Mick7:45 PM

    And that's why at Doc40 we pay our odd but regular tribute to Uncle Bill.

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  8. Anonymous8:04 AM

    Will Self was eulogising Bill, or more precisely his writing, on one of BBC Radio 4's book programmes just the other day. He didn't rate the new Burroughs/Kerouac thing, "And the Hippo Boiled Its Own Bum", or whatever it's called. Cities of the Red Night remains my personal fave.

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  9. nick devine3:56 PM

    his estate still throws killer partys. Sex, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll are all still on the ticket. Lawrence, KS; not a bad as you might think.

    p.s. nice little blog you gots here.

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  10. Mick4:57 PM

    Thank you kindly, Nick. I've heard that Lawrence is a lot fun.

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