Biography

Although William S. Burroughs's main contribution to the arts is as a writer, his experimental approach to literature and his general outlaw lifestyle have proven a huge influence on generations of musicians in various genres. A product of the Beat Generation, Burroughs was a writer who bucked convention in favor of a surrealistic cut-&-paste approach, a concept adopted by many experimental and electronic musicians. Burroughs was also an unabashed drug user and all-around loose cannon, making him a punk icon and inspiration to the likes of Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and Richard Hell. In his later years, he collaborated on spoken-word projects with Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and Tom Waits, among others. Burroughs died in 1997 at the age of 83, but remains one of America's most heralded countercultural figures.

Top Tracks

• Click on the track to launch in Spotify

• Bradley The Buyer

• Meeting Of International Conference Of Technological Psychiatry

• Where You Belong

Discography

• Click on the album to launch in Spotify

• The Final Academy Documents [CD]

  Cherry Red

  2002

• Break Through in Grey Room

  Sub Rosa

  2001

• Naked Lunch

  Warner Audio Video

  1995

• Call Me Burroughs

  Rhino

  1995

• Vaudeville Voices

  European Import

  1994

• Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales

  Island / Island Red

  1993

• Dead City Radio

  Island

  1990

• The Doctor is on the Market

  Les Temp Modernes

  1986

• The Elvis of Letters

  Tim/Kerr

  1985

• You're the Guy I Want to Share My Money With

  East Side Digit

  1981