I never realized William S Burroughs was so much older then the rest of the Beats. I thought he was around the same ago as Kerouac and Ginsberg. I also always had the impression that Buroughs was better friends with Kerouac and Ginsberg. But now I'm thinking they really didn't spend that much time together. Was this film accurate in its portrayal of Burroughs?
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I wish Philip K. Dick had written Lord of Light
Yeah, the portrayal of Bill was definitely accurate to the novel, although in both the book and the movie the house he's living in was much nicer than it was in real life.
Burroughs was 8 years senior to Kerouac, and 12 years older than Neal and Allen.
But Burroughs was the last of the triumvirate to take up writing — and it was only at the insistence of Jack and Allen, who had basically been born writers.
"Naked Lunch" was Jack's phrase, and Bill's first book ("And The Hippos Were Boiled In Their Tank") was co-written by Kerouac.
The three of them were definitely full-on besties. Bill had been living in Manhattan where they became tight and formed "The Beat Generation" (1944) ... but by the time of the events of OTR (1948-49) had moved to outside of New Orleans for a spell.
In fact, Bill's wife, Joan Vollmer (portrayed by Amy Adams) had been roommates with Jack's first wife, Edie, which is how the two met.
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