Burroughs I have most written works (more than Ginsberg and nearly as many as Kerouac novels but I guess the key is the Beats) and am largely ambivalent about him as I have a love hate relationship with him and his work . . . . .the centrality to his entire output being motivated by the murder or at least manslaughter of his wife, Joan, who he shot in the head whilst 'playing' a junk fuelled game of William Tell with a revolver and an apple on her head sticks in my craw . . . . . .
but this . . . . . is sheer magic and illustrates it nicely
Tom Frost: They say you murdered your wife. Is that true?
Bill Lee: Who told you that?
Tom Frost: Word gets around.
Bill Lee: It wasn’t murder. It was an accident.
Tom Frost: There are no accidents. For example, I’ve been killing my own wife slowly over a period of years.
Bill Lee: What?
Tom Frost: Well, not intentionally. I mean, on the level of conscious intention, it’s insane, monstrous.
Bill Lee: But you do consciously know it. You just said it. We’re discussing it.
Tom Frost: Not consciously. This is all happening telepathically, non-consciously.
Bill Lee: What do you mean?
Tom Frost: If you look carefully at my lips, you’ll realize that I’m actually saying something else. I’m not actually telling you about the several ways I’m gradually murdering Joan
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