This week's book, chosen in a moment of "what the heck am I going to write about this week," is Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Naked Lunch is based on notes and writings that Burroughs made while he was a junk (opium and its many derivatives) addict. This an unnerving and graphic tale of one man's descent into full-fledged addiction, as he travels from New York to Tangiers, and finally into Interzone, a fictitious place where "the forces of good and evil vie for control of the individual and all of humanity." This is an in-depth look at the bizarre and twisted, sometimes eloquent thoughts of an addicted man. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone with a weak heart for morbid descriptions, but it is a quality work of literature from an author who is overlooked for the most part by mainstream culture. (Although he did do a cameo in the movie "Drugstore Cowboy")
I read this book when I was in my "tales of down and out, messed up drug addicts" faze. I also got into Jim Carroll at this time and Bukowski (he wasn't a junkie, but he still wrote down and out types of tales). This is a good vacation book, and may even help bring out your inner, twisted thoughts (sans drugs).
On a different note, there's a new exhibit at the WAM. It's called "John Singer Sargent: Painter of the Gilded Age". It's a collection of portraits and other works, dating from the late 1800's, to early 1900's. Get a glimpse of how people in Worcester (some of the portraits are of early Worcester social mavens, imagine that) and get some culture at the same time. If you don't know where the Worcester Art Museum is by now, you should crawl out of your cave and find out for yourself.
This week's Sunday night film is "Nell". I can't decide if this movie looks good or not. Every time I see a preview I change my mind. Only one way to find out, I guess.
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