the book "Junky"

[BrandonAA]

has anyone ever read the book junky by WIlliams Burroughs. It was written a long while back (50+ yrs). It's the whip in my opinion.


Did anyone else know that he is the old man who befriends mat dillon in "Drugstore Cowboy"?

[MrJim]

William Burroughs is an interesting character. I found that scene in the book where he uses the makeshift needle with a pin and blower fascinating, but terribly high risk. I actually have a recording of his story "the priest" I believe it is with kurt cobain making a really rough guitar soundtrack for it. He lived until only a few years ago. I believe he was about ninety when he died.... I'll look it up though.

[MrJim]

It was 1997, He was 83 and spend more years on dope than off it.

[moldie]

I've read all of Burroughs' books. Naked Lunch and Interzone are his best in my opinion. Junky is all right, Queer stinks (maybe I'm just a homophobe). The funniest thing about WB is he shot his wife in the head during a drunken game of william tell while living in mexico.

[h8edbyu]

what is the game, William Tell?

[moldie]

yeah, he put an apple on his wife's head and then tried to shoot it off.

[prospero]

He got off a murder rap though. It was at a party so there were loads of witnesses to confirm it was a genuine accident.


It's quite amazing he lived to such a ripe old age considering he was a heroine addict most of his life. Confirms the theory that good quality heroine is pretty much non-toxic.

[moldie]

burrough's used to write all the time about the wonderful preservative powers of heroin. I never quite understood his logic but he seems to be an example.

[chickenhawk]

William S. Burroughs didn't start writing till his later thirties after his wife was shot......by him there are different accounts of how it happened but the william tell version is his own. Before his writing he was a common criminal junky who was chased out of new orleans,new york, st,luis. Befriended by other beat generation writes such as keraouc, ginsberg and others he shaped many peoples mind on herion addiction and drug addicts. He is a great writer and it is a shame we don't have anybody being published today that is his calper.

[Mezza]

For anyone new to Burroughs writing I would recommend 'Junky' before stuff like 'Naked Lunch'. The latter is a bit too surreal for some tastes whereas 'Junky' is a superb read for anyone with any interest in drugs.

[Interzone]

Junky was the first book I've read by him. I just recently read an excellent book entitled: Literary Outlaw. He was a geneious and some have said to have heard him admit he shot Joan Vollmer (His Wife) on purpose as "an accident."