Brion Gysin (1916–1986)

If the Cut-Up Trilogy was considered of limited interest to readers in the sixties & seventies, 'Minutes To Go' is flat-out obscure. An epistolary collection of ideas & poesy, Gysin's tone is preachy (and, to be honest, a bit of a turn-off), Gregory Corso comes off as reluctant & shrill (protesting the attack on his poetic sensibilities as if protesting physical abuse), Sinclair Beiles is unaccountably gleeful (a child with a new surgical instrument), and Burroughs has become nondescript & show more inscrutable (having receded into the character of a technician from a hidden star). One is inclined to expect some sort of revelation, but none is forthcoming. All is arch experiment. 'Minutes To Go' is an oddity for the absolutely obsessed. show less

This comprehensive biography presents the achievements of Brion Gysin, a multi-faceted artist whose work has influenced performers such as David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Recalling the heady atmosphere of the so-called Beat Hotel in Paris in the late 1950s and 1960s, it features first-hand reminiscences by contemporaries, plus a biographical essay and chronological listings. productive literary collaboration with William Burroughs. As well as looking at his work as a sound poet and performance show more artist, it features reproductions of his paintings and graphics, and examples of his permutated poems and other writings. show less

Of course, I keep writing over & over: Something Else Press = greatness. This is another installment in the Gysin/Burroughs/(&, in this case, Ian Somerville) history of cut-ups. Add to that some of Gysin's graphics & permutation poems. & fotos too. The permutations were probably pretty exciting to Gysin when he wrote them but now they just seem like: So what? to me.

"I AM THAT I AM
AM I THAT I AM", etc..

I like permutating things but I don't really think that Gysin's simple permutations add show more up to much. Still, this is a substantial bk for a person not jaded to the subject(s). What so? show less

Almost as good as "The Job" for putting forth THE IDEAS. Burroughs had the highest respect for Gysin & this bk shows how intensely & fervently they clicked. An impetus for collaboration for those who haven't been there yet.