Naked Lunch

I tried very hard to like the book Naked Lunch. All the cool kids thought it was just the bee’s knees. Well, when I read it, I just didn’t get it. Then I read it again and it didn’t get any better. A few cool vignettes that add up to a big nothing. Not surprisingly, I discovered later on that Burroughs randomly cut up his writing and arranged it into a novel. What did he expect other that complete confusion?

Well, the film offered no other clues and neither does this soundtrack, composed by Howard Shore and Ornette Coleman. The soundtrack is a mix of Shore’s heroic scoring and the spazzed out horn playing of Coleman. Sometimes it works, more often it’s a typical free-form jazz mess. I get it, you can play notes fast on your tooter (scooter), now how’s about a melody my hat on?