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Real English Tea Made Here – the cut-up tapes of William S. Burroughs

Printed Matter, Inc. is launching Real English Tea Made Here, an anthology of the cut-up tapes of William S. Burroughs (I would assume with Brion Gyson).

From the press release: “The tapes curated as Real English Tea Made Here were originally created in Tangier and New York in the early 1960s using reel-to-reel analogue tape, sound-on-sound technology. The cut-up collage concept, with its roots in Dada soundworks and the simultaneous poetry of Hugo Ball, Richard Huelsenbeck, Marcel Janco and Tristan Tzara, released Burroughs from the constraints of linear narrative.

Many later pieces (now lost) were recorded by Burroughs in 1965 in Paul McCartney’s small experimental recording studio in Montagu Square, London, managed by Burroughs’ friend Ian Sommerville. Burroughs was a frequent visitor and watched as McCartney put together Eleanor Rigby there. McCartney in turn, learned all about cut-ups.”

I have spoken about the book The Third Mind before – these recordings are some of the work that was derived from the process outlined (or transmitted if you will) from that seminal work.

The event is Saturday, June 14 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Printed Matter (NYC).

My earlier post about The Third Mind.

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