Picture of author.

Victor Bockris

Autor(a) de The Life and Death of Andy Warhol

23+ Works 1,466 Membros 15 Críticas 1 Favorited

About the Author

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
Image credit: portrait of Victor Bockris by Elsa Dorfman, www.elsa.photo.net early seventies.

Obras por Victor Bockris

Associated Works

Warhol (I Classici Dell'Arte) (2004) — Contribuidor — 11 exemplares
unmuzzled ox 13 — Contribuidor — 7 exemplares
7786 - Burroughs, Wm. — Prefácio — 3 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Nome canónico
Bockris, Victor
Data de nascimento
1949-07-23
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
USA
Local de nascimento
Sussex, Grossbritannien
Locais de residência
New York, New York, USA
Educação
University of Pennsylvania
Ocupações
Writer
Biograph

Membros

Críticas

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
 
Assinalado
sfj2 | 3 outras críticas | 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.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
Matt_Ransom | 3 outras críticas | 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.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
tENTATIVELY | 2 outras críticas | 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.


… (mais)
 
Assinalado
evil_cyclist | 2 outras críticas | Mar 16, 2020 |

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Associated Authors

Estatísticas

Obras
23
Also by
3
Membros
1,466
Popularidade
#17,521
Avaliação
½ 3.5
Críticas
15
ISBN
112
Línguas
10
Marcado como favorito
1

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