Horns: The Last Words Of Dutch Schultz

William S. Burroughs: The Last Words Of Dutch Schultz (This Is Insane)

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Before Spearhead, Michael Franti was a member of The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy. Stepping away from their traditional rapping mode, the Heroes created a bed of music over which William S. Burroughs performed readings from some of his better known routines. The resulting album, Spare-Ass Annie and Other Tales, is by turns hilarious, disgusting, insightful, and insane. The insanity level is particularly high on the track I am sharing with you today.

Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Flegenheimer) was a New York City-area gangster in the 20s and 30s, who was "taken out" by his bosses when they worried he might rat on them... Though he was shot, and mortally wounded, it took nearly a full day for Dutch Schultz to die, during which time he drifted in and out of consciousness, babbling nonsensical and incoherent phrases. Thinking the words might be death-bed confessions, the police had a stenographer write down what the dying man was saying.

I don't know if the police were ever able to use any of Dutch Schultz' last words to their benefit, but Mr. William S. Burroughs managed to put them to quite good use for us!

Hip hop doesn't get too much play on The Machine, so this post might seem anomalous- but it's got horns!
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This song is taken from my (almost) worn out cassette copy of Spare-Ass Annie..., so the fidelity is not the best. My apologies for that, but I hope hope HOPE you are intrigued enough to track down your own copy. You will like it.

History: The Western Lands

William Burroughs, Techno Animal, and Iggy Pop: The Western Lands

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From Spiritus-Sempris:

"Hassan-i-Sabbah (in Persian / Arabic حسن بن صباح or حسن صباح ) (circa 1034 - 1124), or "The Old Man of the Mountain", was an Iranian Ismaili missionary who converted a community in the late 11th century in the heart of the Elburz Mountains of northern Iran. The place was called Alamut and was attributed to an ancient king of Daylam. When Hassan discovered Alamut in the late 11th Century, it was in the hands of a Seljuk subject. Hassan prepared the takeover of the castle by secretly converting its staff. With the household on his side, he was smuggled into the castle and began to establish his rule at Alamut. When the castle's residents realized they were no longer in control it was too late. Hassan graciously allowed the former tenant leave of his castle in addition to a draft of 3,000 silver dinars in payment for the castle. From this point on his community and its branches spread throughout Iran and Syria and came to be called Hashshashin or Hashshishin or Assassins, an Islamic mystery cult."
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When I first came across the legends of Hassan-i-Sabbah, in the writings of William S. Burroughs, I assumed he was just another character that Burroughs invented. He was certainly an audacious enough type. Turns out the guy was real, though. If you check out the link to Spiritus-Sempris, up top, you can get the full story, so here's the short and fast:

After Hassan took over the mountain fortress of Alamut, he began assembling his forces. Local youths from neighboring tribes would be abducted and drugged. When they woke up, they found themselves surrounded with beautiful women and delicious foods and pretty much everything else an impressionable soul might determine to be just like paradise. Hassan explained to the drugged youths that they had been allowed a glipse into heaven, and if they would do his bidding (carry out assassinations against the enemies of Hassan-i-Sabbah), they were guaranteed admission to heaven for all eternity. The youths were trained in the art of assassination then sent to live in cities near and far, awaiting their orders...