Brion Gysin is a prime example of the 21st Century magical multimedia artist, psychedelic explorer, and techno-shaman, and he belongs to the future. His time is now.
The Beat Godfather, The Great Beast, & the Necronomicon
Ever since his youth William Burroughs had been intrigued by magic and the occult, reading the Egyptian and Tibetan Books of the Dead and Eliphas Levi’s History of Magic while he was at Harvard. Evidently, with his return from the Old World to the New, he had not left such interests behind.
The Magical Universe of William S. Burroughs
He begins to talk of Black Magic and Curses in Morocco, travelling with
Medicine Men up the Amazon, and Astral Projection and Dream Control. I
realise that for Burroughs all this is utterly real, the “Magical
Universe” in fact.
Millions of Images: The Paintings of William S. Burroughs
2012 was a year of All-things-Burroughs. We had the On the Road film and a two-volume set
showcasing The Lost Art of Ah Pook and
currently The October Gallery in London is exhibiting his paintings, drawings, and
"talismanic objects."