‘Naked Lunch’ all day long

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It’s been 50 years since readers first opened covers to read, ‘I can feel the heat closing in, feel them out there making their moves, setting up their devil doll stool pigeons, crooning over my spoon and dropper I throw away at Washington Square Station, vault a turnstile and two flights down the iron stairs, catch an uptown A train ....’ To celebrate the anniversary of the publication of ‘Naked Lunch,’ William S. Burroughs’ masterpiece, Beyond Baroque is hosting a reading of the book, beginning today at noon.

Friday night, Beyond Baroque hosted a panel about Burroughs, with V. Vale of RE/Search, who interviewed Burroughs many times, filmmaker Marc Olmsted and Gerald Casale of Devo. Maybe some of them will be on hand today for the reading. The event also has an element of community and anarchy -- so if you show up to listen, you might just find yourself reading.

-- Carolyn Kellogg