Brion Gysin, an artist, writer, and key figure in the 20th-century avant-garde, straddled multiple artistic movements, leaving a profound influence on literature, art, and music. This article explores Gysin’s early fallout with the Surrealists, his pivotal collaboration with the Beat Generation, and his role in introducing the Master Musicians of Joujouka to the West. It highlights his invention of the Dreamachine, his development of the cut-up technique with William S. Burroughs, and his influence on musicians like Brian Jones and David Bowie. Gysin’s legacy of experimentation, mysticism, and boundary-pushing creativity endures, despite his battles with cancer in his later years.

Introduction

Brion Gysin, an artist, writer, and provocateur, lived a life that straddled numerous artistic worlds, never fully belonging to any one movement but influencing many. A relentless exploration of the boundaries of art, literature, and consciousness itself marked his career. From his early years entangled with the Surrealists, to his later years working with the Beat Generation and pioneering cut-up techniques, Gysin’s influence rippled through the counterculture of the 20th century. He remains an enigmatic figure whose contributions continue to inspire new generations of artists, musicians, and writers.

Early Years and the Surrealist Fallout: The Breton Incident

Born in 1916 in England, on a Canadian Air Base, to Canadian parents, Gysin spent much of his youth travelling and immersing himself in various cultures. After moving to Paris in the late 1930s, he quickly became involved with the Surrealist movement led by André Breton. Gysin’s early work as a painter drew upon the dreamlike, automatic techniques favoured by the Surrealists. However, it wasn’t long before his relationship with the group soured dramatically.

The root of Gysin’s fallout with Breton stemmed from an exhibition in 1939, where Breton unceremoniously removed Gysin’s paintings from a Surrealist show without explanation. Breton’s authoritative control over the movement had long caused tension, and Gysin’s removal from the exhibit reflected a larger issue with the way Breton dictated the direction of Surrealism. Gysin, who had always been more independently minded, saw the movement as too insular and hierarchical. This argument with Breton was not simply about art—it was about freedom, control, and the limits of creativity. Gysin’s exile from the Surrealist circle would set him on a path that would ultimately redefine his artistic identity.

Rather than seeing this as a setback, Gysin used his rejection to pursue an entirely different creative direction. He continued painting but also turned his attention to writing and developed a broader view of what art could mean. He began exploring themes of mysticism, magic, and consciousness, believing that creativity should not be constrained by traditional forms or movements.

Middle Period: The Beat Generation and the Music of Joujouka

The next transformative period in Gysin’s life came when he moved to Tangier, Morocco in the 1950s. Here, he found himself in the company of Beat writers such as William S. Burroughs, Paul Bowles, and Gregory Corso. Gysin’s close friendship with Burroughs would define much of his work during this period, particularly through their collaboration on the cut-up technique. This method, where texts were cut and rearranged to create new meaning, was developed after Gysin accidentally sliced through a newspaper and saw the potential in the disordered text. While Burroughs is often credited for popularising the technique in novels like Naked Lunch, it was Gysin who pioneered the idea, reshaping the literary avant-garde in the process.

Gysin’s time in Morocco also introduced him to the Master Musicians of Joujouka, an ancient Sufi musical collective from the Rif Mountains. The trance-inducing, hypnotic qualities of their music deeply resonated with Gysin’s interests in ritual, mysticism, and altered states of consciousness. He saw the musicians as keepers of a spiritual tradition that transcended time and sought to bring their work to Western audiences.

Gysin and Burroughs famously organised performances of the Master Musicians, introducing their powerful sound to visitors like Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, who would later record Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka in 1968. Gysin’s role as a cultural bridge between the West and the mysticism of Morocco was not limited to the Beats. His collaboration with Jones would help bring the Master Musicians to the attention of a wider audience, weaving Gysin’s influence into the world of 1960s rock music.

During this period, Gysin also invented the Dreamachine, a stroboscopic device that created visual stimuli intended to induce hallucinations when viewed with closed eyes. The device was designed to stimulate the brain’s alpha waves and unlock states of consciousness similar to dreaming or meditation. It exemplified Gysin’s belief that art could function not just as an aesthetic experience but as a tool to transcend normal perception. The Dreamachine remains one of Gysin’s most famous creations, blending his interests in visual art, mysticism, and the inner workings of the mind.

Later Period: Influence on Brian Jones and Rock Music

By the late 1960s, Gysin’s influence extended far beyond the literary and artistic avant-garde. His relationship with Brian Jones was pivotal in bringing the Master Musicians of Joujouka into the orbit of Western pop culture. Jones, captivated by the primal, trance-like quality of their music, travelled to Morocco to record them. Though Jones’s untimely death would cut short his involvement, the recording of Pipes of Pan would be released posthumously in 1971, further cementing the musicians’ legacy in the West. Gysin had successfully helped create a cultural exchange that transcended borders, influencing rock musicians like Jones and later Mick Jagger.

Beyond his impact on the Rolling Stones and the Beat writers, Gysin’s artistic legacy began to percolate into other areas of pop culture. His experiments with cut-ups would influence later generations of musicians, including David Bowie, who incorporated the technique into his songwriting. Punk and post-punk artists would also find resonance in Gysin’s avant-garde approach, recognising that creativity could emerge from chaos and fragmentation.

Though he was never fully embraced by the mainstream, Gysin’s ideas and techniques quietly shaped the underground movements that followed. His approach to art was prophetic in its anticipation of later multimedia experimentation, blending sound, vision, and text in a way that blurred the boundaries between different forms of artistic expression.

The Written Works

The written works of Brion Gysin reflect his continuous experimentation with language and art, his interest in mysticism and altered states of consciousness, and his profound influence on the avant-garde and counterculture movements of the mid-20th century. Here’s a detailed synopsis of each of Brion Gysin’s key novels and written works, listed chronologically:

To Master – A Long Goodnight (1946)

Synopsis: Gysin’s first attempt at a novel, To Master – A Long Goodnight, remains unpublished. Little is known about the details of the novel, but it is believed to reflect Gysin’s early engagement with surrealism and his evolving ideas about art and narrative. This work marks his initial foray into fiction and highlights the experimental nature that would come to define his later career.

Minutes to Go (1960)

Synopsis: This collaborative work, created with William S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso, and Sinclair Beiles, is one of the earliest examples of the “cut-up” technique in literature. The cut-up method involves taking existing texts, cutting them up, and rearranging the pieces to create new meanings. Minutes to Go mixes poetry and prose to explore the possibilities of fragmented language and meaning, reflecting Gysin’s belief that language controls human perception. This book helped push the boundaries of literary form and inspired Burroughs to further develop the cut-up method.

The Exterminator (1960)

Synopsis: Another collaboration with William S. Burroughs, The Exterminator features prose and poetry intercut in a highly fragmented, nonlinear style. This text delves into themes of societal control, politics, and surveillance, offering a dystopian vision of a world governed by unseen forces. Gysin’s contribution to this work continued to develop his ideas about the power of language and how it can be disrupted through experimental techniques. The Exterminator was significant in shaping Burroughs’ subsequent novels, such as Naked Lunch.

The Process (1969)

Synopsis: The Process is Brion Gysin’s only full-length solo novel. It tells the story of an African professor named Ulys O. Hanson, who embarks on a spiritual and mystical journey across the Sahara Desert. As Hanson is drawn deeper into the landscape and local culture, he encounters various surreal and transformative experiences. The novel is an experimental blend of philosophical musings, hallucinatory imagery, and Gysin’s reflections on mysticism, Sufism, and the Moroccan landscape. The novel is also an exploration of racial identity, colonialism, and the search for personal liberation. The Process is widely regarded as Gysin’s most accomplished literary work and has achieved a cult following for its avant-garde style.

Here to Go: Planet R-101 (1982)

Synopsis: This book is a collection of interviews between Brion Gysin and Terry Wilson, offering an in-depth exploration of Gysin’s life, thoughts, and works. The interviews cover a range of topics, from his invention of the Dreamachine (a device designed to induce visual hallucinations) to his pioneering work with the cut-up technique. The conversations also delve into Gysin’s time spent in Morocco, his friendship with William S. Burroughs, and his reflections on art, magic, and perception. Here to Go serves as a comprehensive introduction to Gysin’s wide-ranging influence on the Beat Generation and beyond.

The Last Museum (1986)

Synopsis: Published posthumously, The Last Museum is a semi-autobiographical novel set in the surreal, post-war Europe of the 1950s. The story takes place in a decaying Paris museum, where Gysin blends elements of fiction and memoir to create a narrative that explores the tension between art and life. The novel draws from Gysin’s personal experiences as a painter and writer living in Paris, and it includes characters based on notable figures from the Beat Generation, such as Burroughs. The Last Museum is both an elegy for a bygone era and a reflection on Gysin’s role within the cultural movements of his time.

Brion Gysin Let the Mice In (1973)

Synopsis: This work is a collection of Gysin’s poems, cut-up experiments, and essays. The pieces included span his career, showcasing his deep engagement with language as a medium for experimentation. Brion Gysin Let the Mice In illustrates the development of Gysin’s literary ideas, particularly his use of cut-up techniques, and it provides a window into his broader artistic and philosophical concerns. The essays in the book offer insight into Gysin’s theories about creativity, language, and the mind, and the poems often reflect his interest in mysticism and the subconscious.

Back in No Time: The Brion Gysin Reader (2001)

Synopsis: Edited by Jason Weiss, Back in No Time is a comprehensive collection of Brion Gysin’s writings, including excerpts from his novels, essays, journal entries, and cut-up experiments. The book covers the full breadth of Gysin’s career and highlights his innovations in both literature and visual art. It serves as an essential introduction for readers unfamiliar with Gysin’s work and as a valuable resource for those looking to explore his contributions to the Beat Generation, avant-garde art, and experimental writing. The title itself, Back in No Time, reflects Gysin’s preoccupation with time, perception, and the boundaries between different forms of consciousness.

The Final Years: Battles with Cancer and a Lasting Legacy

The last decade of Gysin’s life was marred by several battles with cancer. His resilience in the face of illness reflected his lifelong commitment to pushing creative boundaries despite personal adversity. Gysin never allowed his illness to halt his work completely. Even as his health declined, he continued to paint, write, and collaborate with artists like Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, who saw Gysin as a key influence in the evolution of industrial and experimental music.

Gysin passed away in 1986 after years of fighting multiple bouts of cancer. His death marked the end of an extraordinary, multifaceted career, but his influence has only grown in the years since. While his contributions were sometimes overshadowed by those he collaborated with, such as Burroughs or Brian Jones, there is no denying Gysin’s pivotal role in 20th-century art and culture.

His legacy is one of constant experimentation and boundary-pushing, from the early fallout with Breton, to his collaboration with the Beats, his promotion of the Master Musicians of Joujouka, and his final years as a mentor to the countercultural musicians of the 1980s. Gysin’s work spanned art, literature, music, and mysticism, transcending easy categorisation and leaving behind a body of work that continues to inspire artists who seek to challenge conventions.

In the end, Gysin’s life was one of restless creativity, his work often residing at the fringes of the avant-garde but always pushing forward. His vision—an art that defies limits and pierces the veil of reality—remains a beacon for those who believe in the transformative power of art.

References

1. Burroughs, William S. The Job: Interviews with William S. Burroughs. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.
   • Relevant for understanding the collaborative work and influence Gysin had on Burroughs.
2. Wilson, Terry. Here to Go: Planet R-101. London: Creation Books, 2001.
   • A key source of insight into Brion Gysin’s life and philosophy, featuring interviews with Gysin.
3. Knight, Nicole. Dreamachines and Cut-ups: Brion Gysin’s Legacy in Literature and Art. Paris: Gallimard, 2010.
   • Focuses on the significance of Gysin’s innovations, especially the Dreamachine and cut-up technique.
4. Geiger, John. Chapel of Extreme Experience: A Short History of Stroboscopic Light and the Dreamachine. Brooklyn: Soft Skull Press, 2003.
   • Explores the history of the Dreamachine, its creation, and its cultural impact.
5. Jones, Brian. Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka. LP recording, 1971.
   • A significant example of Gysin’s influence on bringing Moroccan music to the West, with Jones’s collaboration.
6. Skerl, Jennie, and Robin Lydenberg, eds. William S. Burroughs at the Front: Critical Reception, 1959-1989. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1991.
   • Includes references to Gysin’s contributions to Burroughs’ work, especially regarding the cut-up method.
7. Harris, Oliver. The Secret of Fascination: The Cut-up and William S. Burroughs’s Writings. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003.
   • Contains in-depth analysis of the cut-up technique and Gysin’s contributions to the development of this method.
8. Lotringer, Sylvère, ed. Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of William S. Burroughs, 1960-1997. Los Angeles: Semiotext(e), 2001.
   • Contains interviews with Burroughs that shed light on his relationship with Gysin and their shared innovations.
9. Robinson, Jeremy. Brion Gysin: Tuning in to the Multimedia Age. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004.
   • A thorough biography of Gysin that examines his impact across different artistic fields.
10. P-Orridge, Genesis Breyer, and Carl Abrahamsson, eds. Sacred Intent: Conversations with Carl Abrahamsson 1986–2019. London: Trapart Books, 2020.
    • Provides insight into Gysin’s late years and his influence on later artists like Genesis P-Orridge.
11. Brion Gysin Website: http://www.briongysin.com
    • The official website dedicated to Brion Gysin, offering comprehensive information on his life, works, and legacy.
12. Flicker (The Film): http://www.flickerflicker.com
    • The website for Flicker, a documentary film exploring Brion Gysin’s invention of the Dreamachine and its cultural impact.