Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of Wiliam S. Burroughs, 1960-1997

For a man who hated interviews, William Burroughs (1914-1997) ended up doing quite a few of them over 30-plus years, appearing in print everywhere from Mademoiselle to Semiotext(e). Gathered for the first time in Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of William S. Burroughs, edited and annotated by Sylv re Lotringer, the 99 pieces begin with the fictional interviews that Burroughs wrote himself, elaborating his hallmark junkie personae, and ending on a conversation with Allen Ginsberg about Burroughs's exorcism. In betweem, the writer discusses interplanetary invasions, morphine addiction treatments, the influence of Rimbaud and C line, his three lines of defence against criminals (a mace gun, a cobra, and a cane) and more. (Feb.)