Q & A: Yony Leyser
Director Yony Leyser’s William S. Burroughs: A Man Within screens at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 9, at Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts in Lawrence, 785-749-1972). He will attend and answer questions with the executor of
Burroughs’ estate, James Grauerholz. Leyser spoke with us by phone.
The Pitch: Were you a fan of Burroughs’ work before you made the movie?
Leyser: Part of the reason I came to Lawrence was because I knew Burroughs lived there. I kind of almost moved to Lawrence with the intention of working on something about him.
How long ago did you start on the film?
I started five years ago in Lawrence. I was kicked out of CalArts Film School in Los Angeles, and my sister taught in Lawrence. I wrote an article [for the University Daily Kansan] called “From Beatnik to Anarchist: Radical Eruptions in Lawrence.” I mentioned Burroughs and started talking to the estate and was introduced to several of his friends down there and started working on the project. I had no idea it would turn into such a big movie and how big of a scale it would become. Burroughs says his books are like turning a film into words. There’ve been a lot of great books on Burroughs, but I don’t think there’s been a great comprehensive documentary since the one when he was alive — the Howard Brookner one [1983’s Burroughs]. I decided there needed to be one made after his death, so I made it.
You spoke with his friends and you spoke with those he influenced. Did you get footage from any of these people that hadn’t been used before?
Yeah. Most of it came from people’s basements. Sonic Youth, when I was interviewing them, were like, “We shot all of this Super 8 film of him that was never touched or developed or watched.”
Who’s the audience for this film?
The film’s for everybody. As far as the Lawrence screening, I think it’s going to be the coolest screening of all. Half the people at the screening will have known him or seen him around or met him. He lived in Lawrence longer than anywhere else. So this hometown screening is probably the most important screening we’ll have, at least as far as William is concerned, or what he would’ve wanted.
