In 1968, Bissett collaborated with experimental rock group Th Mandan Massacre to release a spoken word album, "Awake In Th Red Desert," in a limited edition of 500 copies"." The album became a highly sought after collector's item, until reissued by Feeding Tube Records in 2019. In 1969, having performed earlier in the evening at a concrete poetry show, bissett fell through a folding door that was supposed to be latched shut and plummeted 20 feet to a basement concrete floor, severely injuring his head. bissett suffered brain damage, and was rendered catatonic and paralyzed. A two-year court case was won by the insurance company and bissett never received any compensation.