Hunter S. Thompson

[AbramIsaac]

So does anyone on here read (anything at all? j/p) Gonzo's shit?

Hunter S. Thompson is one of my favorite writers, if not THE favorite. If you don't know who Hunter S. Thompson is...ever seen Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas? Read any of the great articles from Rolling Stone from a few years back?

Anyone share my appreciation for this dudes crazy fucking awesomeness?

[Slimm]

Never heard of him actually, googled him and it sounds quite intresting. Might have to give it a try.

[AbramIsaac]

Well Fear and Loathing was based off of an Article he did through Rolling Stone. This is a good sample of his writing style translated to film, with his narratative being highly reflective of the article.

Everyone's favorite clip: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=41160408

Actually, the following is my favorite clip from that movie, and it's narrated just like the article is written, THIS is what you need to watch to get an introduction to his writing style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAbCbdGAzfw

[DƎRDYPK]

I'v seen Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas love that movie
I don't read much but if I did it would be Hunter S Thompson

[EminemIVLife]

He totally captured his time and his era. The definition of a journalist and a damn cool person to boot.

[Slimm]

Reading FAL atm.

[AbramIsaac]

I wanna get one of his books, that movie was awesome and I remember reading up on his interesting life

If you want to check out a wide variety of his article writing, you should pick up "The Great Shark Hunt", as it covers a large portion of his career, and a variety of topics.

If you want a single work, though, pick up Fear and Loathing, or Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail in '72.

[ThomasJ]

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (the movie) is fucking fantastic, I think I'm gonna pick up the book if I find it, and other books of his too.

[ThomasJ]

I wish I could tag AbramIsaac so he'd see my post. lol

[AbramIsaac]

Fear & Loathing is a great place to start reading his writing.

It's a complete body of work that is accessible due to the fact that it's not as reliant on the political elements that were so prevalent in most of his work after Las Vegas. That's not to say that his other writing isn't as good, or that Fear and Loathing is leagues ahead of a majority of his work.

It's just more of a stand-alone project. It reads as a solid piece, not a collection of articles. Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail in '72 is similar in this aspect, but it's very political. It's long, too. Still, it's a great example of what HST did best, and that is exposing the bullshit that seems to be beneath nearly everything in our modern world. Hell, just to see what he was saying about Nixon--before it was the normal thing to do--is worth the price of the book.

Still though, I'd suggest some of the Gonzo Paper volumes. The Great Shark Hunt is more than enough to keep you reading for a long time, but there are others. The most recent release is a collection of articles from his time at Rolling Stone, a "best of" type of book. There are a few biographies about him that are interesting as well.

He was an interesting man, and his writing will outlive all of us.

[ThomasJ]

Fear & Loathing is a great place to start reading his writing.

It's a complete body of work that is accessible due to the fact that it's not as reliant on the political elements that were so prevalent in most of his work after Las Vegas. That's not to say that his other writing isn't as good, or that Fear and Loathing is leagues ahead of a majority of his work.

It's just more of a stand-alone project. It reads as a solid piece, not a collection of articles. Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail in '72 is similar in this aspect, but it's very political. It's long, too. Still, it's a great example of what HST did best, and that is exposing the bullshit that seems to be beneath nearly everything in our modern world. Hell, just to see what he was saying about Nixon--before it was the normal thing to do--is worth the price of the book.

Still though, I'd suggest some of the Gonzo Paper volumes. The Great Shark Hunt is more than enough to keep you reading for a long time, but there are others. The most recent release is a collection of articles from his time at Rolling Stone, a "best of" type of book. There are a few biographies about him that are interesting as well.

He was an interesting man, and his writing will outlive all of us.

You, Sir, are awesome.

[Block]

I just watched The Rum Diary. Good movie.

[Spyder]

FAL movie sucked balls wtf haha.

johnny depp as a balding drug addict playing in a movie where he is just toke'd off his ass wandering around vegas
does not a movie make.

however i do want to see the rum diary. is that by the same writer?
if so wtf is with these guys over-using the same actors

jesus idk if tim burton has used anyone BUT johnny for everything, i think hes used him for female character lol

[AbramIsaac]

FAL movie sucked balls wtf haha.

johnny depp as a balding drug addict playing in a movie where he is just toke'd off his ass wandering around vegas
does not a movie make.

however i do want to see the rum diary. is that by the same writer?
if so wtf is with these guys over-using the same actors

jesus idk if tim burton has used anyone BUT johnny for everything, i think hes used him for female character lol

Hmmm...

Well, I guess we're all entitled to our own opinion. Of course, I don't agree with yours, but that's not all that important. I'll address some of your points though.

Johnny Depp is playing Hunter S. Thompson (as Raoul Duke) during the time that Fear & Loathing was being written. The movie itself is trying to capture the feeling of the writing. Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it misses the mark. Overall, I would say it accomplishes its goal fairly well.

Depp's character--Hunter S. Thompson--isn't a drug addict. He's some one who uses copious amounts of various drugs, but nearly all of them are psychedelics or dissociative. Outside of the Cocaine and Amphetamine, the drugs used in the film aren't all that likely to get anyone addicted, they contribute to the out-of-control nature of the overall experience.

Oh, and toke'd out isn't the best description. He doesn't toke on anything, save for a cigarette, and that glass dick that he hits before he writes some of the best passages of his entire career. Semantics, I know, but I think it's important to be accurate when you're derailing a work that's held in fairly high regard by a decent number of people.

The Rum Diary may be more up your alley. It's a slower movie, all around, but it's definitely more accessible for the masses. The reason Johnny Depp is used (again) is because he plays Hunter S. Thompson well. He looks like Thompson, speaks like Thompson, and knew the man well before he blew his brains out all over his typewriter.

Paul Kemp is not the same character as Raoul Duke, per se, but both characters are based very closely on Hunter S. Thompson. The difference is that Paul Kemp was the name of the protagonist in The Rum Diary, which is a novel Hunter wrote before he became a famous journalist. Raoul Duke is more of an alias, used to protect himself at the time when he was involved in all of this illegal activity. Both are essentially Thompson himself. It only makes sense to have Depp portray him in the new movie.

Both movies are worth a watch. Fear & Loathing was representative of HST's writing style at a particular time. So is The Rum Diary. The difference is that The Rum Diary was before Thompson really found his voice, and that is the way it is portrayed in the movie. So while F&L is more scatter-brained and non-linear, it offers brief moments of profound insight that aren't really there in The Rum Diary.

The HST that wrote Fear & Loathing would not have existed if not for the time he spent in Puerto Rico, which is when he wrote the Rum Diary. However, had Fear & Loathing not cemented his status as, a poster boy for Freak Power, The Rum Diary would have never seen the light of day.

Anyway, I like both movies.

[Spyder]

thanks for the in depth feed bro