Dead City Radio

William S. Burroughs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 1990)
• Original Release Date: September 18, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fontana Island
• ASIN: B000001FYF
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,084 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #30 in Music > Miscellaneous > Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews > Poetry
  • #80 in Music > Miscellaneous > Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews > Spoken Word

Editorial Reviews

great cd from the master! RARE CD!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ah Dzizz, who works in coal..., August 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dead City Radio (Audio CD)

"Ah Pook the Destroyer," with its gravelly pronunciation of the names of a Mayan pantheon intoned over the most sugary strings, is almost as funny as Oscar Brand's "We Set Sail." Too much. We listen to the sardonic "Thanksgiving Prayer" in lieu of saying grace every year before Thanksgiving dinner. The younguns are embarrased to a one as we recite along with WSB ("mean, bitter, evil, church-goin' women"). They think we are insane and might be right. But the wife and I are still very much in love after all these years, a blessing the credit for which we tend to give to our never having joined the PTA and to this CD. Spices up the old Johnson, no less.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ode to apocalypse- the monsters behind the machine...., March 8, 2004

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dead City Radio (Audio CD)

If you've never read Burroughs, or if it has been awhile and you would like to refresh your acquaintance, then this recording is what you are looking for. The old magician gives readings from a variety of sources including _Naked Lunch_, _Interzone_, and _The Western Lands_. He invokes his vision in the name of Pan, god of panic; Ah Pook, the destroyer; and even Jesu the Christ. "Invoke" is the proper word, for this is a work of magic. Burroughs is weaving a vision. He wants us to peek through the chinks and see the monsters that lie behind the machine- behind the great shining lies. His objective is no less than a basic disruption of reality itself. This is art as magic, artist as magician.

Remember: 1)Control is controlled by the need to control- just like a junky on junk, 2)Everything is permitted BECAUSE nothing is true, and It's the little touches that make a future solid enough to destroy.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for...this cd, and I'm not being sarcastic, May 2, 2002

By 

S. R Robertson "crap basket" (Oh Henry?) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead City Radio (Audio CD)

A somnambulant, mood-swifting mindtrip into the world of William S. Burroughs...and what better than to hear arrousing and exciting tales of moral decadence, science fiction atroscities, the convictions of racism and prejudice, flowing dream imagery, political ideas & warnings, and frequent contradictions resulting in poetic tales that defy explanation and expand yr. conciousness. After being told in his deadpan spooky and signature voice to tape, they are adapted to an eclectic arrangement of classical orchestra, John Cale's keyboard weirdness, Sonic Youth's cataclysimc subway noise, and various other contributions that work well with the stories...

Some of the best are hard to pick out, but there are highlights: the reading of a particularly hanuting excerpt from Naked Lunch involving The Black Market Cafe done to shadowy chamber music will send chills down yr. spine, the short story Where He WAs Going which flows along at a snail's pace pulling you into the mind of a worried bank robber knowing death is creeping around the corner (and this one has great ending, plus organ music, and the overall effect will leave a mark on yr. mind), the readings of the Bible are amusing and not meant to be taken seriously, but the best prize here is his nearly 10 minute telling of the Apocalypse done to some sweeping mixes...basically sums up all his post apocalyptic desires in one amazing track.

The rest are just as interesting, his political theories are expressed in "No More Stalins, No More Hitlers" and the classic sardonic peice "A THanksgiving Prayer" which since Burroughs is neither a Christian or celebrates that holiday you can guess the idea. "Bryon Gysin's All-Purpose Bedtime Story" includes some great short philosophies: "Control is controlled by it's need to control." and the idea that this universe is a glob of spit on it's way to the floor...SPLAT! "Love Your Enemies" will send jollies down yr. loins and laughing devices if nothing else...when he says love your enemies, he means it in a different light. "Kill THe Badger" is just plain sad, "A New way To Measure..." is unsettling somewhat, and that German song he sings at the end is simply odd.

Basically, this is Burroughs' mind done to music. It's tour de force...whiter and redder than life.