You Got to Burn to Shine

Book excerpt: The originator of Spoken Word and performance poetry, John Giorno is one of the most influential figures in the world of contemporary performance. You Got to Burn to Shine, his first book in many years, collects intensely rhythmic, sexual and philosophical poetry spanning two decades. Here, too, are deeply personal memoirs, including the story of his friendship with Andy Warhol (Giorno had an occasionally sexual relationship with Warhol, met his mother, and starred in Warhol's first film, Sleep); an anonymous sexual encounter with Keith Haring, an aspiring painter who recognized Giorno in a subway station toilet; and notes toward a Buddhist understanding of death in the age of AIDS.