 The character name William Lee is the pseudonym  William S. Burroughs (qv) used when he wrote his first novel,  "Junky". One memorable segment from the original novel, "The Talking  Asshole," is recited almost verbatim in the film. Early in the  movie, a character utters the mangled phrase "No glot, Clom Fliday"  which is the final line of the novel.