Burroughs was apparently attempting to shoot a glass off his wife’s head. Image: Seb Westbrook-Grubb

Joan Vollmer died in 1951 when her husband – the famous writer William Burroughs – shot her with a pistol, apparently while attempting to shoot a glass off her head.

In this radio poem, Burroughs and other witnesses tell an ever-changing story of what happened on that night. But the ghost of Joan also has a voice, and now she gets the chance to tell her version of events too.

Written and produced by Jade Wimbledon (@jadewimbledon)

Cast:

Joan Vollmer: Candice Palladino
William Burroughs: Boima Blake
Eddie Woods, Lewis Marker and Lawyer: Michael Becker
Journalist and Coroner: Hannah Green
Judge: Sebastian Westbrook-Grubb

Music: 

Fela Kuti: ‘Ginger Baker and Tony Allen Drum Solo (Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival)’
Paul Clarvis: ‘Jazz swing 5’
Oscar Peterson: ‘Night and Day’
Polar Bear: ‘Lost in Death, Pt. 1’

Music licensed under Londonmultimedianews.com PRS Limited Online Licence

SFX:

Pistol shot by Ethob (via FreeSFX http://www.freesfx.co.uk)
Silbato knife sharpener whistle by Dobroide (via http://www.freesound.org under creative commons licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Party background by snakebarney (via http://www.freesound.org)