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The Wild Boys (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Wild Boys is a novel written by Beat Generation
author William S. Burroughs
. It was first published in 1971 by Grove Press
.
, intertwined by sections (called "The Penny Arcade Peep Show") written in a process of free association and stream-of-consciousness. It is settled in an apocalyptic near-future, and the main plot shows the struggle between the wild boys - a revolutionary tribe of youths, living in a instinctual state existing outside the conventions of civilization, and free from mechanisms of social control like religion, nation and family - and the remnants of civilization itself, living an hedonistic and paranoic existence in totalitarian enclaves.
.
wanted to direct a film adaptation, and talked to Duran Duran
about writing the soundtrack in the same way that Queen
did for Mulcahy's Highlander
in 1986, but the project never came to fruition.
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
author William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
. It was first published in 1971 by Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
.
Introduction
The book is structured as a series of loosely-connected vignettesVignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
, intertwined by sections (called "The Penny Arcade Peep Show") written in a process of free association and stream-of-consciousness. It is settled in an apocalyptic near-future, and the main plot shows the struggle between the wild boys - a revolutionary tribe of youths, living in a instinctual state existing outside the conventions of civilization, and free from mechanisms of social control like religion, nation and family - and the remnants of civilization itself, living an hedonistic and paranoic existence in totalitarian enclaves.
Themes
The book embody themes like the idea of youths escaping from social control, anonymous sexuality, and shamanism. It has been described by some critics as a homosexual version of Peter PanPeter and Wendy
Peter and Wendy, published in 1911, is the novelisation by J. M. Barrie of his most famous play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up...
.
Film adaptation
Russell MulcahyRussell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
wanted to direct a film adaptation, and talked to Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
about writing the soundtrack in the same way that Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
did for Mulcahy's Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
in 1986, but the project never came to fruition.
Allusions in other works
- The novel inspired the Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
song, The Wild BoysThe Wild Boys (song)"The Wild Boys" is the twelfth single by Duran Duran, released in October 1984.The song was the only studio track on the live album Arena, and was produced by Nile Rodgers, who had previously remixed the single "The Reflex"...
. - The clothes, hair, and makeup of David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's character Ziggy StardustThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
was based on the description of the Wild Boys in the book. According to Bowie, "it was a cross between that and Clockwork Orange that really started to put together the shape and the look of what Ziggy and the Spiders were going to become. They were both powerful pieces of work, especially the marauding boy gangs of Burroughs's Wild Boys with their bowie knivesBowie knifeA Bowie knife is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife first popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie in the early 19th Century. Since the first incarnation was created by James Black, the Bowie knife has come to incorporate several recognizable and characteristic design features, although its...
. I got straight on to that. I read everything into everything. Everything had to be infinitely symbolic." - The neo-psychedelia and post-punk band The Soft BoysThe Soft BoysThe Soft Boys were a pop band during the punk era led by Robyn Hitchcock, whose initially old fashioned music style of psychedelic/folk-rock became part of the neo-psychedelia scene with the release of Underwater Moonlight...
took their name from two of Burroughs books, The Wild Boys and [The Soft Machine]]. - Former Joy Division front-man Ian Curtis mentioned The Wild Boys as one of his favourite books.