William S. Burroughs’ Scathing “Thanksgiving Prayer,” Shot by Gus Van Sant

“Thanks­giv­ing Day, Nov. 28, 1986” first appeared in print in Tor­na­do Alley, a chap­guide pub­lished by William S. Bur­roughs in 1989. Two years lat­er, Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunt­ing, My Personal Pri­vate Ida­ho, Milk) shot a mon­tage that introduced the poem to movie, mak­ing it at the least the sec­ond time the direc­tor adapt­ed the beat author to…