The Naked Lunch

I’ve just begun reading William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. What a crazy piece of writing! I am enjoying it, although much of the time I have no idea what he is talking about. Some of the lines are hilarious and many of them utterly grotesque. My brother, who teaches this book in his English classes at the University of Iowa, describes the reading of this novel as watching a three ring circus. Reading it has made me want to look deeper into Burroughs life. I know he wrote the book over a period time as he was emerging from heroine addiction. Wikipedia begins its entry on Burroughs by writing:

William Seward Burroughs II (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997; pronounced /ˈbʌroʊz/) was an American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer. Much of Burroughs’s work is semi-autobiographical, drawn from his experiences as an opiate addict, a condition that marked the last fifty years of his life. A primary member of the Beat Generation, he was an avant-garde author who affected popular culture as well as literature. In 1984, he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

The Naked Lunch entry gives an explanation of the title:

Burroughs states in his introduction that Jack Kerouac suggested the title. “The title means exactly what the words say: naked lunch, a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork.” In a June 1960 letter Jack Kerouac wrote to Allen Ginsberg saying he was pleased that Burroughs had credited him with the title but had not recently heard from him.

I am a fan of the Beats, but Burroughs for some reason has escaped me. I wonder if all his work is as crazy and non-sensical as Naked Lunch. I am looking forward to making my way through the book.

Live Power Farm

A few days ago Hannah and I went to the general meeting for Live Power Community Farm. Live Power is Community Supported Farm (CSA) in Covelo that grows bio-dynamic food using all animal and solar power and delivers food baskets to town throughout the summer and fall. What is amazing is that their drop off point in Ukiah is right next door to my house. Last summer I enjoyed their fresh produce immensely. The farmers discussed associative economics and how by working in partnership with the farmer the “eater” is practicing a new kind of economic relationship. In an article entitled; Community Supported Agriculture and Associative Economics, Jeff Poppen writes:

People can associate economically in a cooperative manner;
excessive competition between buyers and sellers is not neces-
sary. After the economic turmoil following World War I, Rudolf
Steiner wondered how to set a price value on goods. Nature plus
labor creates goods with a value, such as farming some potatoes.
The true price of the crop is when we receive enough to enable
us to satisfy all our needs until it is time again to produce the
same product, another crop of potatoes.
Ideally, we need to be clear that we don’t get paid for our
labor or the potatoes, but simply to satisfy our needs until there
are more potatoes. When grandpa grows several bushels of pota-
toes for his family, we have an example of associative economics.
The family wouldn’t consider paying him, just as they wouldn’t
consider letting him go without something he needs.
tions as well.

Hannah and I are really getting into the local food movement. The potential seems to be vast.These guys are another farm that is practicing this style of agriculture. You can do a chicken share! Eat healthy, live long!