The Performer

doi:10.1017/9781009554732.026

Chapter 24 - The Performer

The Attention Economy in Comic Routines and Cinematic Roles

from Part IV - Modes of Creativity

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2026

Katharine Streip

Edited by

Oliver Harris,

Davis Schneiderman and

Alex Wermer-Colan

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Oliver Harris: Affiliation:
Keele University
Davis Schneiderman: Affiliation:
Lake Forest College
Alex Wermer-Colan: Affiliation:
Temple University

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Summary

Affect makes us vulnerable to attention capture. William Burroughs explored the aesthetic functions of playing with and capturing attention through his comic routines, his writing and his performances. This chapter shows how the outrageousness of Burroughs’ routines and his iconic performances in “Chappaqua,” “Drugstore Cowboy” and “The Black Rider” break down defensiveness through laughter and expose the enablers and drivers of addiction, challenging us to rethink our vulnerabilities in the face of drugs, social institutions, and new forms of media. His comic routines and performances reveal the social drivers of addiction, such as the health system’s involvement in the opioid crisis and the War on Drugs’ investment in social control, and anticipate the capture and resale of attention leading to the contemporary “attention economy,” the profits of surveillance capitalism and engineered addiction to social media.

Keywords

William Burroughs comedy jokes affect attention capture ChappaquaDrugstore CowboyThe Black Rideraddiction jokes cut-ups

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Type: Chapter
Information: William Burroughs in Context , pp. 317 - 327
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009554732.026 [Opens in a new window]
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026

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References

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