Immagine dell'autore.

Victor Bockris

Autore di The Life and Death of Andy Warhol

23+ opere 1,467 membri 15 recensioni 1 preferito

Sull'Autore

Victor Bockris has spent over thirty years writing about the cultural heroes of the twentieth century. He is the author or co-author of major biographies of Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, John Cale, Patti Smith, the Velvet Underground, Bebe Buell, and many others. He lives in New York City
Fonte dell'immagine: portrait of Victor Bockris by Elsa Dorfman, www.elsa.photo.net early seventies.

Opere di Victor Bockris

Opere correlate

Warhol - I classici dell'Arte. Il Novecento n.11 (2004) — Collaboratore — 11 copie
unmuzzled ox 13 — Collaboratore — 7 copie
7786 - Burroughs, Wm. — Prefazione — 3 copie

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Nome canonico
Bockris, Victor
Data di nascita
1949-07-23
Sesso
male
Nazionalità
USA
Luogo di nascita
Sussex, Grossbritannien
Luogo di residenza
New York, New York, USA
Istruzione
University of Pennsylvania
Attività lavorative
Writer
Biograph

Utenti

Recensioni

10 pages in, I nearly gave up on this biography: vague and trite statements, random paragraphing of kitchen-sink facts. But 10% in, it became a more coherent and grounded book that told me much I didn't know about Richards and the Stones. Sadly, the final chapter updating to 2003 reverts to the hodge-podge of random opinions and semi-facts, with frequent typographic errors. Did the revised edition entirely bypass an editor and proofreader?
½
 
Segnalato
sfj2 | 3 altre recensioni | Jan 12, 2024 |
While a lot of these Playboy interviews released to Kindle tend to suffer from mediocre interviewers (even when they’re well known) and not enough real depth, the first one is terrific. Alex Haley must have realized right away that Keith was a different kind of cat, and almost brutally honest, even introspective at times. Haley did the smartest thing he could do: he used questions as prompts, then got out of the way and let Keith be Keith. What emerges is a deeply flawed but very likable guy with more depth than some would expect, and with some surprising views on who should — or at least has a reason to — use drugs, and who shouldn’t. By allowing Keith to give full answers to sparse questions, even when he hits the switchback, Haley makes this short interview seem more than it is, because we get a real sense of Keith, who comes off as both a charming rogue and a surprisingly thoughtful and pragmatic guy. You also come away with an unflattering image of a legendary rock and roll icon (not one of the Stones) by Keith that’s inadvertent, rather than intentional; just Keith telling the truth. If Keith Richards wasn’t your favorite Stone before reading this, he might be afterward. Brief, but definitely worth a read, since it’s available on Kindle Unlimited and can be read for free.… (altro)
 
Segnalato
Matt_Ransom | 3 altre recensioni | Oct 6, 2023 |
Ok, I hope Bockris never reads this review b/c I don't really want to hurt anyone's feelings but I just HAVE TO SAY THIS: by this point in Burroughs' career every moronic parasite in the world was trying to attach theirself to him & this bk exemplifies that. Bokcris cd take the most brilliant subject & trivialize it thru gossip & name-dropping 'til you'd feel like puking. All of Bockris' bks shd just be called "If I Drop These Names Will I Be Famous TOO?!" I mean, why not just get to the point? The cover portrait is by Robert Mapplethorpe - another artiste whose work I hate. This bk is SO New York in the worst way. Too bad the center of the publishing industry is there b/c we end up w/ idiocies like this: this bk MUST BE IMPORTANT b/c it has ALL the scenesters in it (no matter if half of them are idiots!)! The only thing that salvages this is that Burroughs is, yes, actually represented in it somewhat. If you're going to read everything connected to the guy, save this one for LAST. I'd hate to see you die w/ this one under yr belt & "The Book of Breeething" (eg) unread.… (altro)
 
Segnalato
tENTATIVELY | 2 altre recensioni | Apr 3, 2022 |
With William Burroughs: A Report from the Bunker by Victor Bockris is a collection of interview notes from the 1970s and 1980s. Bockris is the author of several books on the people in the New York underground -- Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and John Cale. He wrote on the Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol, and Keith Richards.

Bockris is a man who was in the right place, at the right time, and with the right people. This is the second book of his I have read. The first was the unauthorized biography of Patti Smith which turned up nothing new nor, although a bit harsh, any real scandal that made it "unauthorized" in the contemporary muckraking definition of the term.

The book is a collection of notes presumably from recordings of meetings with Burroughs and Ginsberg, Lou Reed, Susan Sontag, Warhol, and a variety of other players in the New York scene. The discussions seem unscripted and flow as expected in a natural conversation. Burroughs talks about a variety of subjects from writing, politics, drugs, sex, and his wife's death. The discussions are usually interesting and it was fun to see Burroughs get irritated with Ginsberg over semantics. Burroughs also makes a stand against him being the godfather of the (New York) punk rock movement. He says he has little to do with it outside of being a Patti Smith supporter and fan.

The meetings take place in New York and are down to earth for the most part just people drinking (and sometimes using drugs) and talking about art and the problems in the world. It is common talk and not pseudo-intellectualism. It is the blending of the Beats and the rising "punk" generation. Burroughs bridges the generations and in a real way helped direct the younger group. Burroughs lived the life and quite a long one at that especially with the life he lived. Generally, he is either loved or thought of as a fraud. Myself, although I am still pretty baffled by Naked Lunch, Junkie was well ahead of its time. This collection of interviews is well worth the read for seeing Burroughs in a relaxed, natural environment.


… (altro)
 
Segnalato
evil_cyclist | 2 altre recensioni | Mar 16, 2020 |

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Statistiche

Opere
23
Opere correlate
3
Utenti
1,467
Popolarità
#17,514
Voto
½ 3.5
Recensioni
15
ISBN
112
Lingue
10
Preferito da
1

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