Long Live Gonzo

[pricescope]

Right to the end, Hunter S. Thompson lived his first name. This was his last piece on the Web: Shotgun Golf with Bill Murray


'Truth is weirder than any fiction I've seen ... '

 

[AGBF]

Hi, Leonid-

I didn't think that your contribution should just sit here unrecognized. I really have nothing of interest to say, which is why I was holding my peace. On the other hand, I did read Thompsons's (aka HST's) obituary in "The New York Times" and my parents and I have been discussing him on and off. I learned they had seen the movie of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (which I didn't know existed) and they learned I had read the book. My mother thought he had copied Hemingway's books by hand (he copied one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's) and noted that his method of suicide was the same as Hemingway's. My mother even knew that a Doonesbury character was modelled on him. I guess, in other words, he was a household name. Otherwise, by definition, our household would not have been discussing him.

Thank you for posting the tribute.

Deb

 

[lostdog]

HST is said to have re-typed all of Hemingway''s published works.

 

[movie zombie]

the king of gonzo is dead.....and it is, indeed, a sad day.

i came to hunter s''s writing a little late and first in the form of FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS. as i read, i kept asking mysef, why am i reading this?! and then i hit the small section where he describes las vegas itself and i reread that section several times, each time coming away with a big "wow". his ability with succinct descriptions and ability to zero in on the core of something is exactly why i decided i loved his writing. i went on to read several more of his books and was never disappointed.

i never met hunter s. thompson and he may have been a little too far over the edge for me on a personal basis, but i think he filled a need and a void and i for one will miss him.

peace, movie zombie

 

[pricescope]

Hunter S Thompson - Fear and loathing on the road to Hollywood (click ">" button to play video)

 

[movie zombie]

i am already a movie zombie having seen more movies in the last 5 days than most people see in a year....but i started to watch this but decided i better get some sleep [it is now 119a tuesday morning] before i hit the theatre at noon.....besides i want to savor this. thank you for the post. it will be the first thing i watch once i''m done with cinequest.

movie zombie

 

[pricescope]

After reading quite a bit of HST, it's cool to watch and actually listen to him. Just adds another dimension. Johnny Depp played him very well actually.

Here is another video from 2003. HST on Iraq

 

[AGBF]

Thanks for the video, Leonid and Irina. Hunter Thompson was really charming. I have to look at the part where he was running for office again. He reminds me of someone in that scene, but who he reminds me of eludes me. I had never seen him, just read his book. From the video he seems smart, quirky, and adorable.


Deb

 

[decodelighted]

I still can''t believe he''s gone!! I''ll be back to watch these clips for sure .... Thanks Pricescope!

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 3/7/2006 9:10:18 AM
Author: decodelighted
I still can''t believe he''s gone!! I''ll be back to watch these clips for sure .... Thanks Pricescope!

me, too.....i felt the world was a better place with HTS in it.

movie zombie

 

[rubydick]

Gotta say, HST was a major influence in my life. In high school, a buddy turned me on to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. To this day, I have to say that there are certain passages of that book that rank at the top of my best-ever list.

My buddy introduced it to me just before we saw One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Made an impression. That night was the first time I went to Thailand, too.

Later, I read his stuff in Rolling Stone. And still later, got round to reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72.

Certainly no discussion of Yankee lit over the past 40 years can ignore HST. He did it, he was it.

I know there are many bean counters who will declare him a failure. Hemmingway in the same dustbin. No problem. You either get it, or not.

His influence? Not unlike Miles or Hendrix or Jaco. Who changed the world, who did it first and who does everyone sound like now?

I'm not making a case for living fast, dying young and having a good-looking corpse. Just for giving credit to the masters. And HST was a master.

 

[movie zombie]

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS was also my first read of HST. at first i thought why am i reading this crap....and then i hit that section in which he dissects vegas and i reread it and reread and thought ''this man is a brilliant''. there was no going back after that.

movie zombie