In the seventies and eighties, William S. Burroughs began to tour America doing public readings. These were, to him, performances. He spent a long time preparing for them, and talked at length on subjects close to his heart. He also read from his books, and answered questions from enthusiastic fans. Some of his performances were recorded by the good people at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and this one was put on YouTube:

 

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