"The 'Priest' They Called Him" is a collaboration between the American novelist William S. Burroughs and musician Kurt Cobain. On the piece, Cobain provides noisy, discordant guitar backing based on "Silent Night" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" to Burroughs' deadpan reading. Originally released as a limited edition 10-inch picture disc on Tim/Kerr Records in 1993, it was subsequently re-released on CD and 10-inch vinyl.
History
Kurt Cobain was first exposed to the work of beat poet William S. Burroughs while a senior in high school, and Burroughs' writing became an influence on his songwriting. In 1992, Cobain contacted Burroughs about possibly doing a collaboration. Burroughs responded by sending him a recording of "The Junky's Christmas" Two months later in a studio in Seattle, Cobain added guitar backing based on "Silent Night" and "To Anacreon in Heaven". The two would meet shortly later in Lawrence, Kansas and produce "The 'Priest' They Called Him", which is a spoken word version of "The Junky's Christmas".
Reception
A July 1993 review in CMJ magazine by Beth Renaud stated that "This nearly 10-minute story is another from the endless box of junkie tales, black with Burroughs' macabre, low-key humor. Behind his unmistakeable voice is Cobain's over-frought guitar work, a la Steve Fisk's weirdo accompaniment to the Steven Jesse Bernstein album". In 1993, the release received airplay on college radio in the United States. Billboard reported that sales of the release increased after Cobain's death in 1994.
Personnel
All personnel credits adapted from the single's liner notes.
Performers
- William S. Burroughs – voice
- Kurt Cobain – guitar
Technical personnel
- James Grauerholz – producer, mixing engineer
- Thor Lindsay – executive producer
- Brad Murphy – engineer
- Barrett Jones – engineer
- E. J. Rose – mixing
Design personnel
- Steve Connell – design, layout
- Mark Trunz – photography
- Gus Van Sant – photography
Charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
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! Chart (1993)
! Peak<br />position
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! scope="row"| US Progressive Retail (CMJ)
| style="text-align:center;"|32
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|}
References
Notes