Artists' Workshop Society, Program #14: Megaton for William Burroughs (1965)

Detroit, Michigan: Artists' Workshop Press (program/newsletter), 1965.
11" x 8.5", two leaves, four pages, stapled mimeographed sheets.

Sunday, February 7, 1965: program #14: MEGATON for William Burroughs, a mimeographed program produced by John Sinclair's Detroit-based Artists' Workshop Press for their Sunday Program of 7 February 1965. This notes:

"Today's program has been organized by Larry Weiner & John Sinclair and will present the first taped performance of Gordon Mumma's MEGATON FOR WILLIAM BURROUGHS, an electronic composition for 6 channels of magnetic tape & 4 channels of amplified live sound, with 5 performers."

Gordon Mumma in note stated: "I am sending you a recording of the first concert performance of MEGATON FOR WILLIAM BURROUGHS for you to use in your program, and thereafter as a contribution to the tape library of the Detroit Artists' Workshop. 

"If you use this tape Sunday in Detroit it will be the first public playing of the premier performance of thee work in recorded form. Its second recorded performance will be given on February 10th at the College Philosophique in Paris on a program called Le musique et L'Informel under the direction of André Boucouredilier. 

"Three concert performances have been given: the first was on the 1964 ONCE festival (from which this recording was made), the second in April of 1964 at the Richmond Professional Institute, Richmond, Virginia, and the third later the same month at Harvard University in Cambridge. The piece is scheduled for concert performances later this year in St. Louis (March), Milwaukee & Madison (April), and New York City (May). That's its dull history..."

Also noted in the "Burroughs" program is a reading from William S. Burroughs' works Naked Lunch and Nova Express by Jim Semark, John Sinclair, Robin Eichele, and George Tysh.

This copy was acquired from Third Mind Books (Ann Arbor, Michigan, US).

External Links: 

• YouTube: Gordon Mumma – Megaton for Wm. Burroughs (1965)
• Brainwashed: Gordon Mumma, "Electronic Music of Theatre and Public Activity"
• Detroit Artists Workshop: main site