Lecture 3- Cut-Ups

Cut-Up Method

American novelist William Burroughs and Brion Gysin created cut-up techniques which would be used in more ways than they first intended.

The cut-up method was actually thought of before Gysin invented the technique. Tristan Tzara, part of the Dada movement formed an idea of randomly choosing words.This shows they could see what would occur in years to come.

Gysin's skills from various occupations such as being a painter, writer, sound recordist and poet, could be a precursor for the formation of the cut-up technique found in 1959.

Brion Gysin

William Burroughs

Burroughs whom respected Gysin, used his cut-up techniques in his own writing. Experimenting with perceptions Burroughs took many drugs in order to view the world, through different and sometimes even whacky perceptions. He noticed that human perceptions of the world change when under these condititons.

Possibly due to his experience with various drugs, Burroughs believed the cut-up method not only includes the forming of words, but also the use of images and blocking the cut-outs into different positions, preferrably long columns. Due to the cut-up method Burroughs had the ability of making lyrics for music.

 

Kurt Cobain was fascinated by Burroughs and used cut-up techniques in his own music.

 Gysin was fascinated by music and cut-up the human sound on tape. However, Gysin was always given credit for his discovery of the cut-up method.