Brion Gysin: His Name Was Master: Texts and Interviews by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge & Peter Christopherson

by Andrew McKenzie (Editor)

The iconoclast behind the "cut-up” technique in conversation with two original members of the seminal industrial band Throbbing Gristle Brion Gysin (1916–86) has been an incredibly influential artist and his development of the “cut-up” technique with William S. Burroughs has inspired generations of writers, artists and musicians. Gysin was also a skilled networker and revered together with his friend Paul Bowles, he more or less constructed the post-beatnik romanticism for life and magic in Morocco, and was also a protagonist in an international gay culture with inspirational reaches in both America and Europe. Not surprisingly, Gysin has become something of a cult figure. One of the artists he inspired is Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, who collaborated with both Gysin and Burroughs in the 1970s, during his work with Throbbing Gristle and COUM Transmissions. The interviews made by P-Orridge have since become part of a New Wave/Industrial mythos. This volume presents them in their entirety alongside three texts on Gysin by P-Orridge, plus an introduction. This book is an exclusive insight into the mind of a man P-Orridge describes as “a kind of Leonardo da Vinci of the last century,” and a fantastic complement to existing biographies and monographs.

Genres: Collections

383 pages, Paperback

Published April 24, 2018

Reviews

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a monumental book, shedding even more light on the life and work of Brion Gysin. The conversation here is loose, but informative, and Gysin’s place in the history of art and literature is firmly cemented with his reminiscences.

[Michel Ortega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las entrevistas unicas disponibles en este volumen son un documento fiel de la relación entre Genesis Breyer P-Orridge y Brion Gysin. El libro es una pieza crucial para entender la vida de Brion Gysin; un artista, y ocultista.

[Christian Rettig · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's heady, but there is a lot of information being discussed within these interviews. The gossip is even interesting to read about. I can't recommend this unless you have a passing interest in the work and life Gysin.