William S. Burroughs

[Marsbar]

February 7, 2014
Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. West, Toronto
7 p.m. to 11 p.m. - $5 admission at the door

http://www.TheDrakeHotel.ca/dining/venues/Underground

This is the official Burroughs Centenary event for Toronto, presented by dreamachine.ca, burroughs100.com, nac.org and thediscogallery.com

A celebration of the life, work and sexuality of a cultural and literary icon, William S. Burroughs. Readings by poets Eric Schmaltz, Prof. Gregory Betts and Trobairitz (une Femme Compositeur), as well as anecdotes by Neil Hennessy about being young, gay and high in Tangiers in the 1950's. The Drake Underground will be transformed into a Moroccan tent with Brion Gysin's Dreamachine lighting the way and an immersive audio collage cut up by DJ Marinko.


Featuring a Moroccan Dreamachine Viewing Lounge Tent, in the spirit of the master musicians of Joujouka http://joujouka.org/, that William S. Burroughs regarded as: "A 4,000 Year Old Rock and Roll Band" (accessible to visit and experience even today!) and described on the LP sleeve liner of the Mystical Music recording produced by Brian Jones, Rolling Stones; evoking the exploratory spirit and exotic life of one of the 21st Century's literary luminaries and perhaps world's most notorious cultural icons; William S. Burroughs.


Throughout, an immersive audio environment will be "cut up" by DJ Marinko http://www.thediscogallery.com, consisting of recordings by and tracks fundamentally influenced by William S.Burroughs, the beat poets, experimental ambient electronic music of Joujouka.


Layered voices and velvety-grooves will ultimately be a backdrop to poetry readings led by Eric Schmaltz, Prof. Gregory Betts & guest "Trobairitz" (... une Femme Compositeur); respective to our city's deep texture of engaging literary tradition and hospitality as tirelessly supported by our dear friend, Charlie Huisken.


Live "Stream of Consciousness Drawing" by Yehudah Cullman (placebo effect, elegant flux)


Eluding to unfettering some savory-details with all of us during the evening, Neil Hennessy will be sharing “... recollections, and contextualizing the work and sexuality of Burroughs, Gysin, and the other Canadian expat Tangiers-residing homo writer extraordinaire Scott Symon, who was a dear friend to me in his later years. I have stories that many have never heard, and will go well beyond the mechanics of cut ups and delve deep into the politically incorrect teenage homo-eroticism that goes under-served and ignored by hetero critics and writers."