William Burroughs

Applied Ballardianism forthcoming from Urbanomic in 2017

June 26, 2017 Simon Sellars 3

Forthcoming from Urbanomic in late 2017 – Applied Ballardianism: A Theory of Nothing by Simon Sellars. Fleeing the excesses of 90s cyberculture, a young researcher sets out to systematically analyse the obsessively reiterated themes of a writer who prophesied the disorienting future we now inhabit. The story of his failure is as disturbingly psychotropic as those of his magus—J.G. Ballard, voluptuary of the car crash, surgeon of the pathological virtualities pulsing beneath the surface of reality. An existential odyssey inextricably weaving together lived experience and theoretical insight, this startling autobiographical hyperfiction surveys and dissects a world that is unmistakably Ballardian.

‘Working for the building’: An Interview with Ben Wheatley

May 30, 2016 Jamie Sherry 6

Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise opened earlier this year, garnering praise, bemusement and opprobrium in roughly equal measure. In this exclusive interview, Wheatley tells us about the process of adapting the film, his attraction to Ballard, and his working relationship with scriptwriter and editor Amy Jump.

Welcome to the High-Rise.

Myths of a Near Future: Simon Sellars, Bruce Sterling and V. Vale

November 15, 2010 Simon Sellars 11

Two years ago, Simon Sellars, Bruce Sterling and V. Vale appeared on a panel, ‘Myths of a Near Future’, to discuss the work of J.G. Ballard. Our friend Tim Chapman was in the audience and he has kindly transcribed the discussion. Here it is, two years late, but hopefully still of interest: ‘Myths of a Near Future’.

The 032c Interview: Simon Reynolds on Ballard, part 2

December 7, 2009 Simon Sellars 7

Simon Reynolds is one of the most recognizable music critics around. His work reached a peak with the publication of Rip It Up and Start Again, a timely excavation of post-punk: Cabaret Voltaire, PiL, Magazine, and so on. What’s more, J.G. Ballard was a thread throughout the book, as Reynolds charted the influence of JGB — and especially his experimental novel, The Atrocity Exhibition — on the era. In this interview, as Simon meets Simon, these topics are discussed in the wake of JGB’s death.

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Rick McGrath’s Letter From London: The JG Ballard Memorial

November 30, 2009 Rick McGrath 14

“Greetings from London! Hope all is well with you. I’ve just attended the long-anticipated JG Ballard Memorial celebration at the Tate Modern and now I’m catching my breath — and a few beers — at a nearby Thames-side pub with fellow Ballardians. We’re having a wonderful time — wish you were here. But let’s start at the beginning. We have time to order some Alsatian off the barbie…” Love from Rick.

“Driven by Anger”: An Interview with Michael Butterworth (the Savoy interviews, part 1)

November 5, 2009 Mike Holliday 10

The story of Savoy Books is one of the strangest in publishing history: a tale of lost opportunities, missed opportunities, repression, censorship, imprisonment … and, most importantly, an incredible legacy of work that continues to disturb, challenge and confront. Mike Holliday talks to Savoy co-founder Michael Butterworth about all this and more, including the guidance Butterworth received as a young writer from J.G. Ballard.

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‘Le passé composé de J. G. Ballard’: JGB on Empire of the Sun

March 11, 2009 Dan OHara 5

Dan O’Hara back-translates an interview with JGB originally published in French in 1985. As the interviewers observe, Ballard was almost the subject of a French cult due to Crash. Asking why there are no car-crashes in Empire of the Sun, they reveal a very suggestive lacuna, with Ballard replying that even when one characteristic theme is absent from a work, the underlying emotion may remain the same, expressed by different means. Choice of metaphor is merely a matter of tone