Burroughs, Paik, McLuhan

As I am currently about midway through, William Burroughs' Naked Lunch, I payed particular attention while watching the DVD on Burroughs. Although we only got to see a little bit of it, the DVD really offered a glimpse into the mind of the writer. Even in watching him speak during the interview, one can notice the style of thought that comes forth in his writing. My favorite aspect of the documentary was seeing the contrast between Burrough's writing, which is dark, violent, and often very grotesque, and Burroughs in a normal conversation, where he exposes himself as being extremely intelligent, articulate, and well read. This alone exposes that his work, although often haphazard, has very specific authorial intent.
Often when I think about video art, I think of what is on the screen itself. I look at how the artist manipulates and edits the film. I rarely take into account the surrounding environment. What Impressed me about Nam June Paik was not necessarily the video work itself, but how well he integrated video as form and content into large sculptures and installations. The DVD really offered insight into a wide variety of his work. It sparked in me a definite interest in the artist, and I will look deeper into his work in the future.
The DVD biography of Marshall McLuhan was a little bit silly, to say the least. The narrator used too much over the top language and description that felt out of place in a straight documentary. The animation of the Maelstrom was also overused and felt forced. That being said, the documentary was, once again, a very valuable insight. McLuhan's character did not come out as thoroughly in The New Media Reader as it did in the film. The DVD summed up his character very well. In the short time I learned about his faith and attitude towards life. Most importantly was the information about his opinion of technology. Although we did not get to see all of the four questions he said should be asked about a new invention, I thought the questions themselves were very well thought out and important in a technological age. His competing interest and fear of gregarious technology carry a vital message today.