Talk:William S. Burroughs

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Influence on popular culture

Burroughs is frequently referenced, sometimes explicitly, in popular culture and there seems to be no mention of it in this article. To begin with, there are numerous band names - Steely Dan, Soft Machine, and numerous others that are Burroughs references. The term "Blade Runner" also has its origins in Burroughs work, albeit, it had a very different meaning from what the scriptwriters of the film turned it into. Nevertheless, if I'm not mistaken, some royalties had to be paid to Burroughs for use of the name. In addition, Burroughs seems to have had some role in coining the term "Heavy Metal", though he wasn't referring to a musical genre. I think this topic merits a subsection under "Legacy". Peter G Werner (talk) 19:29, 27 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yage and ayahuasca

I haven't read The Yage Letters. It seems like reliable sources agree that when Burroughs wrote about yage, he meant ayahuasca, but does he explicitly say in his writings that they're different names for the same thing? Prezbo (talk) 16:08, 13 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

D. Woodard and W. S. Burroughs with Dreamachine, 1997.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 19:07, 2 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]