The Metuchen Cultural Arts Commission, the Forum Theater and the Raconteur Book Store will present a screening of the documentary WILLIAM S. BORROUGHS: A MAN WITHIN followed by a question and answer session with the film’s director Yony Leyser, on Saturday, January 8th at 8:00 P.M. at the Forum Theatre, 314 Main Street in Metuchen.
Hailed as the grandfather of punk and the godfather of the beat generation, Burroughs was a bartender, a private detective, a factory worker, an exterminator, a heroin addict, and a writer. His novel, Naked Lunch, one of the last books to be banned by the U.S. government, remains one of the most recognized literary works of the 20th century. William S. Burroughs: A Man Within is the first and only posthumous documentary about the legendary “Pope of Dope.” Narrated by Peter Weller, who played a Burroughs-like character in the film version of Lunch, Leyser’s portrait of the formidable proto-Beat author is a kind of genealogy of hip that connects Burroughs with many currents of America’s outlaw cultural tradition. He was a close friend and sometime lover of Allen Ginsberg, an idol of the Clash, the Dead Kennedys, Iggy Pop and Sonic Youth. Featuring never before seen footage of Burroughs and exclusive interviews with John Waters (who calls him “a religious figure”), Patti Smith (who recalls having a crush on him), Gus Van Sant, Laurie Anderson, Amiri Baraka, Jello Biafra, David Cronenberg, and many more, with a soundtrack by Patti Smith and Sonic Youth, Leyser’s intimate documentary delves into the troubled and fascinating world of one of the greatest authors of our time.
The screening begins at 8:00 p.m. on January 8th. Tickets are $12 at the door. The Forum Theatre is located at 314 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ. For more info visit www.raconteurbooks.com or call Nancy Goldberg, Metuchen Recreation Director at 732-632-8502. #