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love or loath him, the legacy of william seward burroughs is impossible to ignore. it is all around us, from popular music to advertising, magazines to cinema, his influence is everywhere. where fellow beat writer, jack kerouac opened up literature to a whole new generation, burroughs changed how literature is perceived entirely. not satisfied with deconstruction the novel, burroughs then went on to re-examine the whole gamut of art forms and leave his stamp indelibly printed on painting, filmmaking and contemporary music. a rebel and a true revilutionary burroughs was the first public figure to truly revel in the world of sex, drugs and rock'n' roll - the 'godfather of punk' a 'marquise de sade' for the late twentieth century' - his lifestyle was as extreme as his prose. yet this was no ordinary debauched old man, burroughs was charismatic and eloquent and, above all, he was that rare animal, an adult intellectual that genuinely understood and never once lost touch with his predominantly youthful following.
in1982 david dawson, roger ely and genesis p-orridge organised a showcase tour of britain, the final academy, based on and featuring works of and inspired by william burroughs. burroughs influenced bands such as 23 skidoo, psychic tv and cabaret voltaire were booked to perform, various of his film collaborations (with anthony balch and brion gysin) were screened, there were poetry readings by john giorno and installations featuring beat related works were set up. the highlight of the tour, of course, was the appearance by burroughs himself at each event, where he read from several of his works in particular 'the place of dead roads'.
on 4th october the final academy came to manchester and burroughs'reading was booked at the famous hacienda club, run by innovative record label factory. there were screenings of the writer's collaborative films including a re-edit of 'ghosts at no. 9' by genesis p-orridge and the classic 'towers open fire' along with the much anticipated appearance by the literary outlaw himself. his performance, as always, was spellbinding, his unmistakable drawl adding so much depth of character to the written word. fascinating, often disturbing, the excerpts he chose were chock full of satirical observation and deadpan wit confirming that until you hear burroughs read you never really appreciate just why he is heralded a genious.
the manchester show was videotaped by factory's video production wing, ikon, and given a limited release in 1983 as a two-tape box set. now, for the first time, the final academy document gets a full release on dvd. the footage has been carefully restored and features edited highlights of burroughs' readings, a performance by john giorno and the aforementioned movies 'towers open fire' and ghosts at no. 9', making a worthy addition to any william burroughs collection and a great introduction to his work for the uninitiated.
