The 1960s provided the perfect milieu for Heathcote Williams, and it will be interesting to see how his talents survive the postpsychedelic age. His major works, The Local Stigmatic and AC/DC, are both concerned with the effect of the media on our lives and with the schizophrenic nature of modern existence. Williams's examination of Marshall McLuhan's theories relating to television and civilization, the effects of hallucinogenic drugs, and the panic over the sexual revolution tie his plays to a particular cultural era. Their foul language, which shocked English and American audiences during the 1960s, seems rather puerile and affected today. Still Williams presents serious issues to be resolved, and his perverse humor and energy are often channeled into forceful statement.

Little is known about Williams's youth or education. He was born in Helsby, Cheshire. In his early twenties he became fascinated with the gathering of would-be orators...