David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the ‘Weird Cult’ and High White Notes: The Rise and Fall of Gonzo Literature. He is also the editor of Beatdom Literary Journal.

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9 Posts

The Dualism of Duluoz

An eagerly awaited new edition of Gerald Nicosia’s splendid Kerouac biography provides the definitive portrait of a great artist and a profoundly troubled man.

David S. Wills

1 Jun 2023 · 15 min read

Murakami On Writing

In his new book, Murakami attempts to set the limits of what he wants people to know about him—and that isn’t much.

David S. Wills

24 Nov 2022 · 11 min read

Napoleon in Rags

Jann Wenner’s attempt to set the record straight only confirms the unattractive picture painted by his critics.

David S. Wills

3 Oct 2022 · 13 min read

“A Pleasure to Burn”: We Are Closer to Bradbury’s Dystopia Than Orwell’s or Huxley’s

For decades, it has been common to call authoritarian new laws, norms, or government actions “Orwellian.” In 1984, George Orwell so brilliantly portrayed a nightmarish future that his name became synonymous with almost anything one wishes to describe as oppressive. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, meanwhile, provided a rather

David S. Wills

12 Feb 2022 · 9 min read

Cancelling the Beat Generation

Almost from its inception, the Beat Generation seemed to be doomed to failure. In and around Columbia University, a ragtag group of bohemians coalesced based upon an odd array of mutual interests. Two of them were homosexuals, one bisexual, and all were interested in drugs and subversive literature. William S.

David S. Wills

8 Oct 2021 · 9 min read

Huxley, Burroughs, and the Church of Scientology

Like it or not, hidden within those influential texts are the bizarre jargon and lunatic assertions of a mendacious madman.

David S. Wills

6 Jul 2021 · 13 min read

Fifty Years of Fear and Loathing

Finding out the truth about any aspect of Hunter Thompson’s life is frustrating given his propensity for self-mythologising.

David S. Wills

21 Mar 2021 · 14 min read

Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb—A Review

Freak Power is a fascinating look into the heart of a grassroots political campaign during a violent era in American history, as one man channelled the rage and confusion of a maligned subculture into a surprisingly coherent and subversive political movement.

David S. Wills

24 Nov 2020 · 8 min read

Decadence and Depravity in Louisville, Kentucky

The publication of his electrifying dispatch from the Kentucky Derby on May 2nd, 1970, had announced him as among the most innovative and powerful voices in American letters.

David S. Wills

2 May 2020 · 15 min read