Honu-Hugger
Well-known
Not rangefinder news, but news for some of us. Hunter S. Thompson died at his home in Colorado yesterday.
peter_n
Veteran
The really sad thing is that he took his own life. 
back alley
IMAGES
very sad.
joe
joe
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
He is one of my favorite writers. Sad news . I will miss reading new stuff from him.
Rob
Rob
jdos2
Well-known
Goodbye, Duke.
akalai
Well-known
Hey D2,
Sad news indeed. Big fan of his writings, read "The Great Shark Hunt" while delirious in Thailand thanks to some fever I thought was malaria and ended up swapping the book in Laos for a T-shirt which I thought was a good deal, but I think his best books were "Hell's Angels" and the collections of his letters, "The Proud Highway" and "Fear and Loathing in America". I just hope that they eventually publish the third volume of letters.
Anyway a big Freak Power Salute to Hunter!
AKALAI
Sad news indeed. Big fan of his writings, read "The Great Shark Hunt" while delirious in Thailand thanks to some fever I thought was malaria and ended up swapping the book in Laos for a T-shirt which I thought was a good deal, but I think his best books were "Hell's Angels" and the collections of his letters, "The Proud Highway" and "Fear and Loathing in America". I just hope that they eventually publish the third volume of letters.
Anyway a big Freak Power Salute to Hunter!
AKALAI
T
tedwhite
Guest
He used to come down here to Bisbee and hang out with my friend Wolfe O'Meara. As the evening progressed they would manage to get thrown out of every bar in town (not an easy task). Then in a few months Wolfe would go up to Woody Creek for a repeat performance.
scottgee1
RF renegade
Ah, Hunter . . .
Ah, Hunter . . .
I first stumbled on Hunter's work in Rolling Stone. At that point, his voice was fresh and hysterically funny (to me anyway). I remember laughing until tears streamed down my face. His tone was perfect for the foment of the late '60s and early '70s.
To me, his best work is inextricably intertwined with Ralph Steadman's art. What a pair those two must have made . . . a crazed, drug addled ex-Kentucky boy and a rather proper British artist. Together they saw some of the horror of contemporary society and put their take of it down on paper for the rest of us to explore. I got the sense that Ralph could look into Hunter's brain and illustrate anything Hunter imagined.
He would say things that other people would only think. Some castigated him for it and would then later repeat his insights in more polite terms. Most of their names will be forgotten; I suspect some Hunter's work will live forever.
I tried reading some of Hunter's recent stuff and it just made me sad. The anger was there but he seemed to be parodying his earlier persona. Ho, ho, ho, indeed.
His most important work recently was using his celebrity to call attention to injustices like the Lisl Auman case.
For those who might want to read some of his work, I'd suggest Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Others might disagree, but I still find it an exhilarating read. For those who prefer video, check out the film of the same title, starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. It catches the spirit of the book pretty well. My wife walked in during the hotel lobby/hallucination sequence, watched for about thirty seconds and stumbled dizzily out of the room saying it had made her sick to her stomach. And we have a 26" TV!
Honestly though, I'm not a bit surprised at how he died. Makes complete sense to me that he would choose his own time and place and use one his now legendary "powerful weapons".
Ah, well. The King of Gonzo is dead. Long live Gonzo!
my two cents worth/ScottGee1
Ah, Hunter . . .
I first stumbled on Hunter's work in Rolling Stone. At that point, his voice was fresh and hysterically funny (to me anyway). I remember laughing until tears streamed down my face. His tone was perfect for the foment of the late '60s and early '70s.
To me, his best work is inextricably intertwined with Ralph Steadman's art. What a pair those two must have made . . . a crazed, drug addled ex-Kentucky boy and a rather proper British artist. Together they saw some of the horror of contemporary society and put their take of it down on paper for the rest of us to explore. I got the sense that Ralph could look into Hunter's brain and illustrate anything Hunter imagined.
He would say things that other people would only think. Some castigated him for it and would then later repeat his insights in more polite terms. Most of their names will be forgotten; I suspect some Hunter's work will live forever.
I tried reading some of Hunter's recent stuff and it just made me sad. The anger was there but he seemed to be parodying his earlier persona. Ho, ho, ho, indeed.
His most important work recently was using his celebrity to call attention to injustices like the Lisl Auman case.
For those who might want to read some of his work, I'd suggest Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Others might disagree, but I still find it an exhilarating read. For those who prefer video, check out the film of the same title, starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. It catches the spirit of the book pretty well. My wife walked in during the hotel lobby/hallucination sequence, watched for about thirty seconds and stumbled dizzily out of the room saying it had made her sick to her stomach. And we have a 26" TV!
Honestly though, I'm not a bit surprised at how he died. Makes complete sense to me that he would choose his own time and place and use one his now legendary "powerful weapons".
Ah, well. The King of Gonzo is dead. Long live Gonzo!
my two cents worth/ScottGee1
M
Magnus
Guest
Slowly but surely all the goodies go ....
Ever afraid of being the only one left ?
Ever afraid of being the only one left ?
peter_n
Veteran
At the end of a retrospective in the Guardian today by Kate Taylor, there is this passage:
When asked in a recent interview if he had any regrets, his response was dimissive. "Those I have are so minor. Would I leave my Keith Richards hat with the silver skull on it in the coffee shop at LaGuardia? I wouldn't do that again. But overall, no. I don't have any regrets."
Love it!
When asked in a recent interview if he had any regrets, his response was dimissive. "Those I have are so minor. Would I leave my Keith Richards hat with the silver skull on it in the coffee shop at LaGuardia? I wouldn't do that again. But overall, no. I don't have any regrets."
Love it!
don sorsa
pointer, shooter
Thanks for the link Peter. The Duke, a strange talented dude. I'm glad he lived and wrote.
scottgee1
RF renegade
Another thought for those who are interested . . .
When the dust clears from all the repetitive obits talking about Gonzo, etc., keep an eye open for tributes from Hunter's friends. He had a lot of 'em and was apparently a great one himself.
I think it was Timothy White who wrote about a time when he got fired for writing The Truth about a story over his editor's objections. Like a lot of professional writers, he had no savings and was desparate. Hunter found out and sent him $400. White later learned that Hunter had gone to the bank and completely cleared out his own meagre bank account to give White the money.
RIP indeed./ScottGee1
When the dust clears from all the repetitive obits talking about Gonzo, etc., keep an eye open for tributes from Hunter's friends. He had a lot of 'em and was apparently a great one himself.
I think it was Timothy White who wrote about a time when he got fired for writing The Truth about a story over his editor's objections. Like a lot of professional writers, he had no savings and was desparate. Hunter found out and sent him $400. White later learned that Hunter had gone to the bank and completely cleared out his own meagre bank account to give White the money.
RIP indeed./ScottGee1
jan normandale
Film is the other way
Saw that line around 1.00 Monday am. Who's going to write the things that need to be written now? We owe you, all the best.
JN
JN
Honu-Hugger
Well-known
"The media business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs.
There's also a negative side."
--Hunter S. Thompson
There's also a negative side."
--Hunter S. Thompson