“A.J.’s cover story? An international playboy and harmless practical joker. It was A.J. who put the piranha fish in Lady Sutton Smith’s swimming pool and dosed the punch with a mixture of yagé, hashish and yohimbine during a Fourth of July reception at the U.S. Embassy, precipitating an orgy. Ten prominent citizens-American, of course-subsequently diedContinue reading “RKS Literature: Americans Dying of Shame (William S. Burroughs)”
Category Archives: literature
RKS Literature: The Modern Surgeon: (William S. Burroughs)
“Dr. Benway: ‘You young squirts couldn’t lance a pimple without an electric vibrating scalpel with automatic drain and suture…Soon we’ll be operating by remote control on patients we never see…We’ll be nothing but button pushers. All the skill is going out of surgery….All the know-how and make-do…Did I ever tell you about the time IContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Modern Surgeon: (William S. Burroughs)”
RKS Literature: The Puritanical and Opinionated Cannabis Smoker (William S. Burroughs)
“He was a ritual tea smoker and very puritanical about junk the way some teaheads are. He claimed tea put him in touch with supra blue gravitational fields. He had ideas on every subject: what kind of underwear was healthy, when to drink water and how to wipe your ass. He had a shiny redContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Puritanical and Opinionated Cannabis Smoker (William S. Burroughs)”
RKS Literature: A Preference for Prolonged Mistreatment Over Brutality (William S. Burroughs)
“I deplore brutality,” he said. “It’s not efficient. On the other hand, prolonged mistreatment, short of physical violence, gives rise, when skillfully applied, to anxiety and a feeling of special guilt. A few rules or rather guiding principles are to be borne in mind. The subject must not realize that the mistreatment is a deliberateContinue reading “RKS Literature: A Preference for Prolonged Mistreatment Over Brutality (William S. Burroughs)”
RKS Literature: Senior Geezers and Junkies (William S. Burroughs)
“I made the round with him once for kicks. You know how old people lose all shame about eating, and it makes you puke to watch them? Old junkies are the same about junk. They gibber and squeal at the sight of it. The spit hangs off their chin, and their stomach rumbles and allContinue reading “RKS Literature: Senior Geezers and Junkies (William S. Burroughs)”
RKS Literature: The Russian Love for Vodka Leaves No Room For Port! (Bulgakov)
“Styopa Likodeyev no longer has to talk on the phone at the Variety. After being discharged from the clinic where he spent eight days, Styopa was transferred to Rostov, where he was appointed manager of a large speciality foods store. Rumor has it that he has sworn off port completely and drinks only vodka steepedContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Russian Love for Vodka Leaves No Room For Port! (Bulgakov)”
RKS Literature: The Devil’s Angel Does Not Like Conversing with a Woman in Love! (Bulgakov)
“No scenes, no scenes.” retorted Azazello with a grimace. “You should put yourself in my position. Smacking some bureaucrat in the puss, booting out some old geezer, shooting someone, or anything along those lines, that’s my real speciality, but talking with a woman in love-no thanks.” Mikhail Bulgakov, “The Master and Margarita”, 1966.
RKS Literature: At the Devil’s Ball (Bulgakov)
“And in general, may I be so bold as to offer you some advice, Margarita Nikolayevna, never ever be afraid of anything. That’s unwise. The ball will be lavish, that I won’t try to hide from you. We’ll see some people that wielded power in their day. But, truly, when one thinks how microscopically smallContinue reading “RKS Literature: At the Devil’s Ball (Bulgakov) “
RKS Literature: The Sovereignty of the American People (Vonnegut)
“The sovereignty of the United States resides in the people, not the machines, and it’s the people to take back if they so wish. The machines,” said Paul, “have exceeded the personal sovereignty willingly surrendered to them by the American people for good government. Machines and the pursuit of efficiency have robbed the American peopleContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Sovereignty of the American People (Vonnegut)”
RKS Literature: The Fork on the Road (Vonnegut)
“Every child older than six knew the fork, and knew what the good guys did here, and what the bad guys did here. The fork was a familiar one in folk tales the world over, and the good guys and the bad guys, whether in chaps, breechclouts, serapes, leopardskins or banker’s grey pinstripes, all separatedContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Fork on the Road (Vonnegut)”
