William Burroughs NIKE CM

Burroughs never wanted to be an icon for American counter-culture, and was a self confessed 'factualist' and 'libertarian conservative', who despised what he percieved his good friend Ginsebergs marxism, so its not really any kind of stain on his legacy, as he never claimed to be anti-capitalist or hold some kind of high-cultural high ground.

This is so wrong on so many levels. Jesus.

I moved to Portland to become a writer paritly because I knew Burroughs spent at lot of time here in the late 80s and would chill with Gus Van Zant. It make me sad to see that Nike (based outside of Portland in Beaverton) kind of got on to having him to do this. it kind of takes the awe of having him been here

Or perhaps Bill Hicks was just completely wrong.
Few people, Hicks included, are quite as Cool as William Burroughs.
I see no problem with Burroughs doing this.
If any of my favorite Bands did it, if Palahnuik did it, if Hicks did it, if most people did it, it would be artistic betrayal and a cheapening of their artistic work.

It doesn't apply to Burroughs, he is beyond such concepts as selling out.

Bill Hicks said that once you do a commercial, you are off the artistic role call. Burroughs may be an exception to this rule if only because he had paid his dues, contributed so much to literary and artistic culture, and yet sadly was never given the credit he deserved. He was also ill at the time and most likely needed the money. R. I. P. Mr. Lee

COMBAT!

WSB was here to go...maybe he thought some running shoes would come in handy

Strange choice ... the bulk of NIKE's target audience likely never heard of WSB (then or now), and many would likely balk at his work. So, why use him for the ad? Irreverence? Record cash surplus?

that is so true

WSB was a cult figure at that time. He was featured in Laurie Anderson's stuff, appeared in a Ministry video, which was featured in Beavis and Butthead, Drugstore Cowboys was in theaters, did an album with Curt Cobain... So, he was very famous among the alternative rock people, which Nike targeted.