HW: More (literary) Bandits Talk

[Jeremy R. Horne]

On Tue, 5 Nov 1996, William Duffy wrote:

> Stephen Lindsey wrote:
> >
> > Wow ! Synchronicity cool 8-)
> >
> > I'd just been meaning to post on another HW literary connection I'd found, and
> > indeed it has a Burroughs connection.....
> >
> > In 'On The Road' by Jack Kerouac  (legendary book, cornerstone of hte 'Beat'
> > generation) I've just found a reference to an 'Orgone Accumulator' this
> > is in the part where J.K. and Neial Cassady go down to visit William
> > Burroughs at his ranch in Texas (they are all mentioned under pseodonyms in the
> > book). There is a description of the device that Mr Burroughs has in his yard,
> > together with a note from Mr Burroughs that he usually feels a little, well
> > randy I suppose, after using it.  SO there you go (I can dig out the exact quote
> > from the book at home). I have to wonder if this is where Bob Calvert got the
> > idea for the song though.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Steve L.
> >
> > > Jon Jarrett wrote:
> > > >
> > > > x       Max Wilcox talking about `The Naked Lunch' being used by Calvert
> > > > forces me to remind everyone that the same book gave the name to one of my
> > > > other favourite bands, Steely Dan. I quote Jeff Baxter, "`Steely Dan' is a
> > > > huge steam-powered hydraulic dildo in the William Boroughs book `The Naked
> > > > Lunch'. We thought it'd make a good name for a rock band."
> > > >         This is the only Steely Dan/Hawkwind connection I'm ever likely
> > > > to find, so I thought I'd make the best of it ;-)
> > > >         Jon
> > >
> > >         And, if what I've read is to be believed, the term Heavy Metal was
> > used
> > > as a musical destinction from a character in a Burroughs book, the Heavy
> > > Metal Kid, I believe. It was then used by someone in the soundtrack from
> > > Easy Rider, in Born to Be Wild, and the rest is then history.
> > >         Here endeth the lesson.
> > > -Max Wilcox
> > >
>
> I saw a documentary on TV some time back, and in this documentary they
> speak of an actual machine called the Orgone Accumulator. The machine
> did exist, and apparently did what the song claims it to do!
>
> William
>
Yes, that was Wilhelm Reich's life project. Not only were Burroughs and
Calvert highly interested in the Orgone Accumulator but also Kate Bush
who wrote a song about it, "CloudBusting" on Hounds of Love and The Whole
Story compilation.