william_kent
Well-known member
he wrote a book about it, "Diary of a drug fiend"
The Tarot
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Someone published a book on Burroughs and Scientology claiming it was a much bigger influence on him than usually accepted;
Scientology is largely overlooked in major texts about the life and work of William S. Burroughs, author of some of the most notorious literature of the 20th century. Its importance in the creation of the Cut-up Method and Burroughs’ view of language as a virus is undermined by the omission of details regarding his interest in the religion over the course of a decade – certainly the most creatively fertile period of his life. Instead, biographers and critics tend to focus on his other obsessions in the realm of fringe science, and on the period during the early 1970s when Burroughs left the religion and began a public crusade against it.
However, Burroughs’ involvement with L. Ron Hubbard’s organization was no fleeting interest; he was a fully-fledged member and even obtained the rank of ‘clear’ – a prestigious achievement for a Scientologist. Scientology ultimately inspired the plot, the structure, and various elements of some of Burroughs’ most important works, including The Soft Machine and The Wild Boys. His fascination was genuine, and his progress through the hierarchical structure of the Church signals a dedication that he would later downplay after being excommunicated in 1969.
Scientology is largely overlooked in major texts about the life and work of William S. Burroughs, author of some of the most notorious literature of the 20th century. Its importance in the creation of the Cut-up Method and Burroughs’ view of language as a virus is undermined by the omission of details regarding his interest in the religion over the course of a decade – certainly the most creatively fertile period of his life. Instead, biographers and critics tend to focus on his other obsessions in the realm of fringe science, and on the period during the early 1970s when Burroughs left the religion and began a public crusade against it.
However, Burroughs’ involvement with L. Ron Hubbard’s organization was no fleeting interest; he was a fully-fledged member and even obtained the rank of ‘clear’ – a prestigious achievement for a Scientologist. Scientology ultimately inspired the plot, the structure, and various elements of some of Burroughs’ most important works, including The Soft Machine and The Wild Boys. His fascination was genuine, and his progress through the hierarchical structure of the Church signals a dedication that he would later downplay after being excommunicated in 1969.
william_kent
Well-known member
Burroughs is totally explicit about the Scientology stuff - I think he even had an "e-meter" at one point
Scientology also spawned Manson & the Process Church of the Final Judgment
Scientology also spawned Manson & the Process Church of the Final Judgment
william_kent
Well-known member
Manson took Scientology classes in prison...
IdleRich
IdleRich
At my school we had RE from a guy who was this weird hardcore Christian. Which with hindsight isn't how it's supposed to be, RE is supposed ot be an academic overview of various religions, not some guy proselytising for his own particular and peculiar branch of Christianity as far as I understand it. But he did very much used to teach us a little about say Hinduism, and then explain why it was shit compared to Christianity.
Anyway, I bring him up cos his son was at our school and he was a weird Christian too and we used to debate or argue about this sort of thing all the time. He claimed that basically God had designed the world so that there were so many clues there that really, even if you lived on a desert island (I was going for the "but is it fair if you never get told about God cos you never knows about him?" approach but I think it's the same basic question as if you were born before the bible) or something, you should be able to work out... everything basicaly.
So Creepy Crawly Holy Hawley (as we called him) would disagree with Dante there. To be be honest I don't find Dante's solution particularly satisfactory either... I mean, is that fair?
william_kent
Well-known member
"A very effective thought control technique could also be worked out from Scientology, which could be used to make individuals into willing slaves." L Ron Hubbard
IdleRich
IdleRich
Well yeah... anyone who lives in our age and knows what they ought to about Scientology yet chooses to follow it wants their head examined, even more so than someone who becomes a Christian or whatever. I am not really a fan of any religion but I think Scientology is pretty much the very bottom of the whole dodgy lot of them.
IdleRich
IdleRich
He called them The Jack Parsons Project.
william_kent
Well-known member
I collect decks by Il Meneghello - hand printed limited editions
I'm fortunate enough to own one Il Meneghello deck housed in a handmade box crafted by the maestro himself
works of art
His writing is really good. Probably the best post-Crowley Thelemite writing I think. Freedom is a Two Edged Sword is great (caveat: so great I've not looked at it in like 15 years).
I have a short reprint of a diary of him attempting to kick somewhere - he failed though.
Him being an addict is one of the many things that make him interesting - mountaineer, poet, world class Chess player, sexual experimenter and massive arsehole to most of the people around him. His life is a bit like a one man testing lab for the counterculture that followed in the 60s.
Doug on What Magic Is This has just done a 3 part podcast on him - pro, anti, and then his own (very critical) thoughts. Good listen if you're interested: https://whatmagicisthis.com/
looooool
IdleRich
IdleRich
Not sure where to put this so... here seems as good as anywhere.
Yesterday we went for lunch at a sea food place in Caiscais called Mar do Inferno which is a strange name meaning something like sea of hell. And in fact the area where the restaurant is is called Boca do Inferno which is mouth of hell... so I asked my friend about this peculiar name and he told me something that was a complete surprise to me (although I don't know if that is where the name came from). Most of you will probably know that Fernando Pessoa is pretty much the most famous literary figure from Portugal.... I guess if England has Shakespeare, Norway has Ibsen and the US has James Patterson, then Portugal has Pessoa. But I never realised that he had, at least at some point, an interest in the occult and so he corresponded with Aleister Crowley leading, ultimately, to them meeting, at this very place, Hell's Mouth. I hope they tried the percebes anyhow, they were really good.
Probably all you Crowley geeks know about this anyway but it seems Pessoa helped him fake his suicide or something, I dunno. Maybe @DannyL or someone can tell me more about that.
Yesterday we went for lunch at a sea food place in Caiscais called Mar do Inferno which is a strange name meaning something like sea of hell. And in fact the area where the restaurant is is called Boca do Inferno which is mouth of hell... so I asked my friend about this peculiar name and he told me something that was a complete surprise to me (although I don't know if that is where the name came from). Most of you will probably know that Fernando Pessoa is pretty much the most famous literary figure from Portugal.... I guess if England has Shakespeare, Norway has Ibsen and the US has James Patterson, then Portugal has Pessoa. But I never realised that he had, at least at some point, an interest in the occult and so he corresponded with Aleister Crowley leading, ultimately, to them meeting, at this very place, Hell's Mouth. I hope they tried the percebes anyhow, they were really good.
Probably all you Crowley geeks know about this anyway but it seems Pessoa helped him fake his suicide or something, I dunno. Maybe @DannyL or someone can tell me more about that.
I didn't know anything about that! Very interesting. Crowley's middle years are a bit of a blind spot for me. He formed a commune in Sicily for a while smeone died there and he got booted out Italy shortly after I think. Around the same time as the alleged link with Pessoa I think