PODCAST:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/nodeodorantinouterspace/S2E7_-_Naked_Lunch_-_FINAL_EDIT.mp3

Listen to the podcast here (click to play/right click and select “save target as” to download):

S2E7 – Naked Lunch (book/movie)*

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

Ryan: 3 Stars “…A mad trip into the tattered drift of subconscious undercurrents…”

Wilk: 1 Star “…I would not recommend this book in any sense other than offering a person the opportunity to taste milk that I already knew to be sour and spoiled…”

Rick: 5 Stars “…I found my experience hilarious and fascinating and I consider the book to be a true classic. Those who hate the book i fear only hate it because it is the safe thing to do, but hopefully it was only because they didn’t prepare to consume it...”

(Click the links to read full written reviews on Goodreads.com)

SUBJECT MATTER:

Book: “Naked Lunch” by William S. Burroughs



“Since its original publication in Paris in 1959, Naked Lunch has become one of the most important novels of the twentieth century. Exerting its influence on the relationship of art and obscenity, it is one of the books that redefined not just literature but American culture. For the Burroughs enthusiast and the neophyte, this volume—that contains final-draft typescripts, numerous unpublished contemporaneous writings by Burroughs, his own later introductions to the book, and his essay on psychoactive drugs—is a valuable and fresh experience of a novel that has lost none of its relevance or satirical bite.” (from Amazon.com)

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“Naked Lunch” by David Cronenberg (Peter Weller)



“In this adaptation of William S. Burroughs’s hallucinatory, once-thought unfilmable novel Naked Lunch, directed by David Cronenberg (Videodrome), a part-time exterminator and full-time drug addict named Bill Lee (Robocop’s Peter Weller) plunges into the nightmarish Interzone, a netherworld of sinister cabals and giant talking bugs. Alternately humorous and grotesque—and always surreal—the film mingles aspects of Burroughs’s novel with incidents from the writer’s own life, resulting in an evocative paranoid fantasy and a self-reflexive investigation into the mysteries of the creative process. ” (from Amazon.com)

SHOW NOTES:

It’s a new month and you know what that means—here you are again. Meanwhile, Australia calls your name as you rot behind the illusion of work and family. So, while you waste away into obscurity, why not dive face first into the resounding groin-punch-opera of our latest podcast?

This month we read and watched William S. Burroughs’s “Naked Lunch.” This book provided a lively exchange between our hosts, and it even brought forth a stunning pre-written statement by Rick. It is the hope of all of us that one of our fans will take his words and forever etch them on their body in the shimmering ink of a local tattoo artist.

We also watched the cinematic version of Naked Lunch, which was met with a better reception overall from the three hosts. This podcast promises to be one of our most controversial, as the hosts did not have a consensus on the overall merit of “Naked Lunch.” Wilk, could not bring himself to say that he liked anything about the book and was unsure if it was art or if it was simply a contemporary companion piece to an era that has long since passed us by. The personal life of the author made it difficult for Wilk to give the book a pass, or the benefit of the doubt, since his life was utter chaos brought on only by himself. The book seemed to be a reflection of that, to Wilk, the simple mutterings of a horrible mind that were little more than noise. Rick loved it.

Anyways, please listen and explore for yourself. Until next time, have a dog with beautiful breath lick your body, because there is no deodorant in outer space!

-Wilk

FUN FACTOIDS: This book even made its way onto an episode of The Simpsons. Check out this clip below:

Also, thanks to our good friend and podcast ally Dole for pointing out to me that William S. Burroughs even made a connection with some 90’s era bands.

In 1992, Burroughs can be heard and seen in this classic “Ministry” song off their album “Psalm 69”. Check out: “Just One Fix”:

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) also met Williams S. Burroughs. There is an article about the two by “Reality Studio” titled “William S. Burroughs and Kurt Cobain: A Dossier” and you can check it out here: http://realitystudio.org/biography/william-s-burroughs-and-kurt-cobain-a-dossier/

An audio recording came of this relationship in 1993 (though it was recorded remotely): “The Priest They Called Him”

Still confused by this book and movie??? If you care to watch an in-depth film analysis on the movie “Naked Lunch,” check out this video by Rolling Bottle Films:

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.