William Burroughs
[Writer, b. 1914, St. Louis, Missouri, d. 1997, Lawrence, Kansas.]

 The image disintegrated in photo flash of total recognition — other image on screen — Hold in sight — smell of burning metal in his head — 
 The cut-up method brings to writers the collage, which has been used by painters for fifty years. And used by the moving and still camera. In fact, all street shots from movie or still cameras are by the unpredictable factors of passersby and juxtapositions cut-ups. And photographers will tell you that often their best shots are accidents. (1978) 
 All I had to do was find out what music picture odor brought out in the subject face I wanted. Then I took my picture just before I played the music or whatever the cue was and the subject never knew when the picture was taken since I still used the false click gimmick. Reaction time? Yes, I went into that. You see, I couldn’t just pick up the money and forget it. Better if I had. I was warned. But I couldn’t get it out of my mind. And I found the answer: allowing for reaction time there was still an interval of a few seconds unaccounted for... I was taking a picture not of the face as it is “now” but as it would be in a few seconds: I was photographing the future. 
 …pain of the long slot burning flesh film — canceled eyes, old photo fading — violet brown souvenir of Panama City… 
 Dead post card you got it? — Take it from noon refuse like ash — Hurry up See? These pictures are yourself… 
 The photo collage is a way to travel that must be used with skill and precision if we are to arrive... The collage as a flexible hieroglyph language of juxtaposition: A collage makes a statement. 
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