Naked Lunch

Lee goes into more detail about the life and activities of his acquaintance A.J., who funds the shadowy organization known as Islam Inc, which operates in and around Interzone. Lee describes A.J. as a “notorious merchant of sex” (121) and presents an image of himself as “an international playboy and harmless practical joker” (123). In the first of these practical jokes, A.J. showed up to a ball dressed as a penis covered with an enormous condom, containing the slogan, “They shall not pass” (121). Another involved a large grasshopper known as a Xiucutl. This insect provokes an intense aphrodisiac response in a person if it lands on them. As such, A.J. decided on the opening night of the New York Metropolitan Opera to cover himself in insect repellent and release a swarm of Xiucutls. This resulted in a huge orgy at the opera.

In a third example, A.J. was in an altercation at Chez Robert, a restaurant that serves “the greatest cuisine in the world” (124). When A.J. yelled at the owner, Robert, to bring ketchup, Robert and his staff fell into a rage and tried to kill A.J. Backed into a corner, A.J. released a live boar into the restaurant to save himself, and the boar killed Robert.