Fear and Loathing in Clay City '05
From all reports (and frankly all my information is second hand), Hunter S. Thompson, the world's first, foremost, and for all intents and purposes only Gonzo Journalist is dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound.
I first became aware of Thompson because of Terry Gilliam's film version of Thompson's book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". I was intrigued by the previews and decided to track down this book of obscure Americana. The book was insane. A stream of consciousness ride through Las Vegas and the surrounding desert hosted by Raul Duke (Thompson's alias) and Dr. Gonzo ( Thompson's Lawyer friend who Hunter was supposed to be interviewing) who are drugged out of their minds. The two parts of the book (and the movie for that matter) that stick out most in mind are as follows. Duke/Thompson checks into a fancy hotel loaded to the gills on acid and becomes convinced that the hotel's clientelle are in fact a herd of blood crazed Dinosaurs in the midst of an unholy mating frenzy. Later, Duke and Gonzo attend an Anti-Drug Police Conference while drugged out of their gourds. The cops, full a nice mix of arrogance and ignorance, don't even notice that the enemy is in attendance. It was brilliant.
I definately went through my Hunter S. Thompson faze. I read "Hell's Angels" about Thompson infiltrating and investigating the infamous Hell's Angels biker gang, as well as both volumes of the Gonzo Papers. But one of my favorites was "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" where Thompson chases Nixon like a rabid pitbull chasing a bleeding mailman, and is forced to watch in horror as the opposition, George McGovern, spontaneously combusts. To say his disappointment and depression over the event mirrored many of my feelings during the recent election would be an understatement. I never got around to reading "Better Than Sex" which is about the '92 election, but I've recovered it from my parents' basement and have plans of reading it sometime soon.
Hunter S. Thompson was a rare breed. He lived and died on his own terms, and left behind a strange legacy that only a few will follow. Via con Dios, Raul Duke.
I first became aware of Thompson because of Terry Gilliam's film version of Thompson's book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". I was intrigued by the previews and decided to track down this book of obscure Americana. The book was insane. A stream of consciousness ride through Las Vegas and the surrounding desert hosted by Raul Duke (Thompson's alias) and Dr. Gonzo ( Thompson's Lawyer friend who Hunter was supposed to be interviewing) who are drugged out of their minds. The two parts of the book (and the movie for that matter) that stick out most in mind are as follows. Duke/Thompson checks into a fancy hotel loaded to the gills on acid and becomes convinced that the hotel's clientelle are in fact a herd of blood crazed Dinosaurs in the midst of an unholy mating frenzy. Later, Duke and Gonzo attend an Anti-Drug Police Conference while drugged out of their gourds. The cops, full a nice mix of arrogance and ignorance, don't even notice that the enemy is in attendance. It was brilliant.
I definately went through my Hunter S. Thompson faze. I read "Hell's Angels" about Thompson infiltrating and investigating the infamous Hell's Angels biker gang, as well as both volumes of the Gonzo Papers. But one of my favorites was "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" where Thompson chases Nixon like a rabid pitbull chasing a bleeding mailman, and is forced to watch in horror as the opposition, George McGovern, spontaneously combusts. To say his disappointment and depression over the event mirrored many of my feelings during the recent election would be an understatement. I never got around to reading "Better Than Sex" which is about the '92 election, but I've recovered it from my parents' basement and have plans of reading it sometime soon.
Hunter S. Thompson was a rare breed. He lived and died on his own terms, and left behind a strange legacy that only a few will follow. Via con Dios, Raul Duke.
2 Comments:
Pretty decent review JoeJoe. That's actually more info than I've seen on any of my half-hearted attempts to find out more about Thomspon. Most everyone simply knows him as, and only mentions, "Fear and Loathing" and describes him only as the Gonzo Reporter. Thanks for the info.
New webcomic is up.
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