Commissioner of Sewers: William S. Burroughs

In his later years, after decades of ignominy (partially brought on by the fact that he was a homosexual heroin addict and wrote about it), author William S. Burroughs became a cultural icon, showing up in films (Decoder, Drugstore Cowboy, Thanksgiving Prayer), on rock songs, and even appearing in a television ad for sneakers. Made in 1986, Klaus Maeck's Commissioner of Sewers: William S. Burroughs is a biographical profile intended to help provide perspective on the Burroughs oeuvre of literature, art, and thought. Combining interview footage and rare public readings, the documentary captures Burroughs at a time when he had settled nicely into the role of elder statesman of the Beat writers, touching on some non-writing endeavors (including his painting) that may be new to some viewers (as well as the more familiar parts of his life, such as accidentally shooting and killing his wife while drunk). Burroughs describes his motivations and objectives (some might term them preoccupations) in all of his artistic endeavors and discourses on favorite themes like the nature of art, language as a virus, and the drug underground in his trademark laconic, drawling delivery (a treat for those who never saw him perform live). A portrait of a rebel that worked outside of the mainstream during his most productive years, and within it when the media became less restrictive in later years (wearing one of his more prominent convictions on his sleeve, Burroughs intones gravely on Ministry's album Just One Fix, "Smash the control images; smash the control machine"), this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Tribby)