As agent I negotiated a contract approving all these obscurations, and delivering Burroughs an Advance of $800 on an edition of 100,000 copies printed back-to-back—69’d so to speak—with another book on drugs, by an ex-Narcotics Agent. Certainly a shabby package; on the other hand, given our naïveté, a kind of brave miracle that the text actually was printed and read over the next decade by a million cognoscenti—who did appreciate the intelligent fact, the clear perception, precise bare language, direct syntax & mind pictures—as well as the enormous sociologic grasp, culture-revolutionary attitude toward bureaucracy & Law, and the stoic cold-humor’d eye on crime.
Allen Ginsberg
September 19, 1976 NYC
NOTES
PROLOGUE
“Prologue”: originally titled “Preface,” it was retitled “Prologue” for Junky (1977). Note that the whereabouts of the MS. for this text are not known.
“put down an out-and-out con”: corrected from “put me down as an ‘out-and-out con’” (in Junky [1977], xiv); see Appendix 3.
“junk-dependent cells”: at this point Ace inserted a note in Junkie (9): “Ed. note: The foregoing is not the view of recognized medical authority.”
“phenomenal age”: at this point Ace inserted a note in Junkie (9): “Ed. note: This is contradicted by recognized medical authority.”
JUNKY
“he said, pulling up his pants”: restores an unused line from the “Junk” MS.
“Herman and I”: from here to “gave us static” was an insert added to the 1950 “Junk” MS., sometime in either 1951 or 1952.
“Here are the facts”: before this phrase Ace inserted a note in Junkie (33): “Ed. note: Authorities maintain that the marijuana-smoker usually forms a psychological habit pattern; under present laws, the use of marijuana is in itself a crime.”
“Anyone who has used good weed”: before this phrase Ace inserted a note in Junkie (34): “Pub. note: This opinion is contradicted by recognized medical authority.”
“spatial relations”: note a final phrase deleted on the “Junk” MS.; “since space-time is an inseparable continuum.”
“my old lady”: after this phrase Ace inserted a note in Junkie (42): “Ed. note: This is, undoubtedly, the ‘common-law wife’ to whom the author alludes later.”
“crippled”: note a following line deleted on the “Junk” MS.; “He was stupid as a man can get without being classified as defective.”
“mediator between man and junk”: note a final phrase deleted on the “Junk” MS.; “who alone could receive the contributions of the faithful.”
“I knew Nick was”: from here to “pack him in” restores an unused line from the “Junk” MS.
“take their business to Walgreen’s”: note a following line deleted on the “Junk” MS.; “We’d be better off without their business anyway.”
“Benny was another oldtime Jewish shmecker”: from here to “pink face and white hair” (55) was an insert made in March 1951 (see Letters 81).
“outside the city limits”: note a following line deleted on the “Junk” MS.; “It is unthinkable that you could find anyone in Houston who has never been outside the city.”
“The residents are surly”: note a final phrase deleted on the “Junk” MS.; “like most populations that subsist on tourists.”
“In the French Quarter”: from here to “After three quick beers I felt better” (61) was an insert made in early 1951. In his letter of March 5, Burroughs refers to this as a sample of the “connections between junk and sex” that he now wanted to develop (Letters 81).
“He couldn’t have been anything but Irish”: restores an unused line from the “Junk” MS.
“as though it were actually changing color”: restores a phrase unintentionally omitted from Junky (1977) (74).
“There were a few others”: from here to “We ought to find another place” was omitted from Junkie, and restored for Junky (1977) (76).
“prosecute anything”: Ace inserted a note in Junkie (89) at this point: “Ed. note: This statement is hearsay and the publisher accepts no responsibility for its accuracy.”
“now. I have to go to court. If I possibly can, I’ll take”: these words, present in the “Junk” MS. and Junkie (103), were unintentionally omitted from Junky (1977) (92).
“I lay on the narrow”: from here to “the neck snaps” was an insert almost certainly made in April 1952.
“deeper and tougher front”: the “Junk” MS. continues with the struck lines, probably cut when the later chapter on Wilhelm Reich was removed in summer 1952; “If anyone ever braces the doctor directly so he can’t slide away, he will likely go into protein cleavage and end up a pile of protozoa—‘a bionous heap,’ as Reich puts it.”
“A three-lane highway”: from here to “she will be ten years untangling” (90) was omitted from Junkie, and restored for Junky (1977) (105–8).
“A lot of people made quick easy money”: from here to “a vast muttering of banal regret and despair” (91) was omitted from Junkie, and restored for Junky (1977) (108–9).
“I had gone into partnership”: from here to “pull out of the Valley” (92) was omitted from Junkie, and restored for Junky (1977) (109–10).
“No one in the Valley had ever heard of quinine water”: at this point in the original “Junk” MS. came the start of Chapter 28, the section on Wilhelm Reich; see Appendix 1.
“remain in Mexico when I got there”: the “Junk” MS. continues with the deleted lines; “Travel books never give the information I want. I am in a process of deciding whether to go to a place or not. I want to know what I can buy there with how much money, and what is the political and legal picture.”
“The Chimu Bar”: from here to “we separated at a corner, shaking hands” (94) was an insert made in summer 1952. Burroughs wrote to Ginsberg on July 13: “I enclose a chapter on a Mexican queer bar which they can use or not as they see fit. It is to be inserted back in the original manuscript of JUNK at page 150 as indicated” (Letters 135). This material was in fact first written as part of his Queer MS., which Burroughs transposed from third to first person.
“I dropped my shirt and shorts on the pistol”: when transposing this material from his Queer MS., Burroughs omitted the following lines; “Though he was near forty Lee had the thin body of an adolescent. His shoulders and chest were wide across and very shallow. The line of his body curved in from the chest to a flat stomach. Body hair was sparse and dark in contrast to the light brown hair of his head.” Clearly indicating when this material was written, and why he would drop it, Burroughs quotes these lines in his letter of April 5, 1952, in the context of discussing the problem of deciding which person he should be writing Queer in, first or third (see Letters 111).
“The boy smiled and lay down on the bed”: when transposing this material from his Queer MS., Burroughs omitted the following lines; “Lee’s body was moving in rhythmic contractions, every muscle caressing the smooth hard body of the other, the amoeba reflex to surround and incorporate. His body tensed convulsively rigid, sparks flashed behind his eyes and the breath whistled through his teeth. Slowly his muscles relaxed away from the other’s body.”
“Some time later”: from here to “queer bars brought me down” was an insert probably written and made in summer 1952. These passages did not appear in Junkie, and were restored for Junky (1977) (114).
“The meaning of “mañana”: from here to “Do you want to score?” (96) was the last page of the original “Junk” MS. completed in December 1950. This page did not appear in Junkie, and Burroughs complained about the omission in his 1959 letter to A. A. Wyn (see Appendix 3).
“A user may be”: from here to “indelible” (96) restore unused lines from an insert that was never made.
“There is only one pusher in Mexico City”: this
marks the start of the forty pages of additional material Burroughs was required to write by Ace to make the novel up to length (see Letters 134–35).
“An addict may be ten years off”: from here to “but you are never off after the first habit” were omitted from Junkie, restored for Junky (1977) (116–17).
“One script will last a day”: from here to “trying to shoot this crap” was omitted from Junkie, and restored for Junky (1977) (118).
“During this time”: this section was introduced on the MS. under the subheading “Attempts at Cure: Anti-Histamines.”
“Our Lady of Chalma”: this paragraph was an insert, probably made in 1952.
“the arm swinging out”: from here to “limp wrist of the fag” restore unused lines lightly deleted on the “Junk” MS., which clarify this ironic gesture of group identity.
“with a few exceptions”: this phrase was unintentionally omitted from Junky (1977) (123).
“Aside from junk itself”: from here to “the intervals of sickness” restore unused lines marked for omission on the “Junk” MS.
“The end of the month”: from here to “shaking her head” (103) derives from a page out of MS. sequence, probably written and inserted in spring, 1952; like all the material from this point until “Junk short-circuits sex” (104), it did not appear in Junkie but was restored for Junky (1977) (123–24).
“My old lady looked at me”: from here to “shaking her head” restore unused lines from the “Junk” MS.
“You can’t stop shooting C—as long as it is there you shoot it”; restores an unused line from the “Junk” MS.
“You don’t want another shot right away”: restores an unused line from the “Junk” MS.
“I tried the Chinese cure”: from here until “best go back to the needle” (105) restore unused passages marked for omission on the MS.
“control over my actions”: at this point, the “Junk” MS. has a further, deleted line; “But I knew sooner or later the time would come to quit and then I would be able to do it.”
“One morning in April”: from here until “His toothless mouth was twisted with hate” (119), the material originally derives from the Queer MS.
“the magic of childhood”: at this point, the original Queer MS. has a significant line, cut when Burroughs transposed this material into his “Junk” MS.; “The glory and the freshness of a dream.” Quotation is from William Wordsworth’s Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.
“A junkie does not ordinarily kick”: from here to “a self cured junkie” restore unused lines marked for omission on the “Junk” MS.
“than drink like this”: the original Queer MS. version of this material continues with what became the beginning of Queer when reedited for publication in 1985 (“Lee turned his attention . . .”).
“lay on the table”: the original Queer MS. version of this material continues, in a way that clarifies the kind of cuts Burroughs had to make when transposing to his “Junk” MS.; “He was naked. Wonder who paid for the room? Lee sat up in bed. Sore ass. ‘My God!’ Lee thought, ‘I been beat for my virtue!’”
“no loss either”: the original Queer MS. version of this material continues; “Cheap bastard. He makes me for all my valuables, avails himself of my person and doesn’t even leave me 15 centavos car fare.”
“What do you carry it for?”: the original Queer MS. version of this material continues; “‘It’s passive and feminine.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘A provocation. Look what happens last night. You end up getting pogged by a middle aged Mexican cop . . . or maybe he was just probing you for your money. Thees gringo, he got it somewhere.’”
“the way you’ve been acting lately”: the original Queer MS. version of this material continues; “And if you want to go to bed with a member of your own sex, of which I certainly disapprove, I should think you would want to dress well and come on a little. At least take a bath. You won’t get anywhere waving a rusty pistola.”
“horror that has grown inside it”: the original Queer MS. version of this material continues; “Lee saw penises grow centipede legs, others moving about like jointed caterpillars. Lee watched curiously. ‘Very artistic’ he said in a pansy voice. He did not feel fear.”
“I sent my wife”: from here to “I will try” restore lines inserted on the Queer MS. version of this material at the time Burroughs prepared the material for transposition to “Junk.”
“with the cellular stoicism that junk bestows on the user”: restores unused phrasing from the “Junk” MS. (cf “stoically” in Junky [1977] 134).
“play with the cat some time”: the “Junk” MS. continues with lines marked for omission; “When I am on junk, I take pleasure in tormenting and terrorizing cats. I hold a cat out the window or provoke the unfortunate animal into biting or scratching, then slap it across the face with brutal force. I give the cats a bath and hold their heads under water.”
“where everything is exactly”: from here to “possible” restore lines struck through on the “Junk” MS. Note that in the same line, “inanity” is a correction of “insanity” (in Junky [1977] 139).
“Every time exactly that much less”: restores a line struck through on the “Junk” MS.
“with the children”: restores a phrase struck through on the “Junk” MS.
“twisted with hate”: this marks the end of material transposed from the Queer MS. (which carries on as per Queer 18).
“free junk and immunity”: at this point, Ace inserted a note in Junkie (143): “Ed. note: This statement is hearsay and the publisher excepts [sic] no responsibility for its accuracy.”
“I kept a little on hand”: from here to “dropped in sick” restores a line struck through on the “Junk” MS., which did appear in Junkie (144), but not in Junky (1977) (145).
“Lexington is full of young kids now”: a retyped page of the “Junk” MS. continues; “I fixed Bill up with Old Ike, but Bill wasn’t satisfied. He couldn’t limit himself to a schedule, so he was always running short. Besides he didn’t really like M, and kept asking me to find him an H connection.”
“One day I was in the Opera Bar”: from here to “it was so full of crisp money” (126) did not appear in Junkie. This material, introduced on the MS. as “The Bad Piece of H,” was originally written as a separate piece from “Junk” during late summer 1952, and was inserted for Junky (1977) (149–51).
GLOSSARY
Glossary: Burroughs’ first draft (Ginsberg Collection, Stanford University) begins with a different opening paragraph, and a different first line to the second: “The purpose of a glossary is to explain the meaning of words and expressions used in a book. It seems logical to put the glossary at the beginning so the reader will be able to understand what he is about to read. I don’t know why glossaries are always found at the end of a book. Anyway, here is my glossary at the beginning of this book.
“‘Jive talk,’ which seems to be largely a Negro invention, is used more in connection with marijuana than junk.”
This draft was divided into four separate sections of entries. The second was introduced as “largely ‘jive talk’”; the third as “specific to ‘lush workers’”; and the fourth as “miscellaneous expressions.”
“Heat”: this entry is restored from Burroughs’ first draft glossary, and seems to have been lost in revision.
“Nembies”: after the phrase “to take the edge off,” Burroughs’ first draft glossary continued; “Sometimes injected intravenously. If you miss the vein you will surely get an abscess. Barbiturates are more dangerous than junk because a user of barbiturates—eight or more capsules per day—gets the horrors when he is cut off barbiturates, and he is subject to epileptic fits with frequent head injury from flopping around on concrete floors. He is most lik
ely to find himself cut off in a place where the floors are concrete.”
“The People . . . Narcotics agents. A New Orleans expression”; corrects a continuity error (cf “Another New Orleans expression” in Junky [1977]) introduced because in Burroughs’ first draft glossary, not made in alphabetical order, his entry for “The People” followed the one for “Pusher.”
“Score: To buy junk or marijuana”; restores a correction made in Burroughs’ first draft glossary (cf “To buy weed or marijuana” in Junky [1977] 157).
“For example, ‘Fey’”: in Junkie this was followed by “also now (1953)”; deleted for Junky (1977).
APPENDIX 1: CHAPTER 28 OF
THE ORIGINAL “JUNK” Manuscript
(Ginsberg Collection, Stanford University)
“he calls ‘orgones’”: on the manuscript Burroughs spells it “Orgonne,” an error that suggests he wrote this material without refreshing his memory by reading any of Reich’s books. Note the glossary definition: “ORGONE ENERGY: Primordial Cosmic Energy; universally present and demonstrable visually, thermically, electroscopically and by means of Geiger-Mueller counters. In the living organism: Bioenergy, Life Energy. Discovered by Wilhelm Reich between 1936 and 1940.” (See Wilhelm Reich, The Mass Psychology of Fascism [Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975], 34.)
APPENDIX 3: LETTER FROM WILLIAM BURROUGHS
TO A. A. WYN [1959]
(Ginsberg Collection, Columbia University)
“Preface. Page 8, Line 8”: see “Prologue” xlii.