So, i like Hunter S. Thompsons work, although i'm only really starting to read the lot - currently reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail. Hunter S. Thompson has inspired me a lot lately, especially in the terms of song writing, as he has a great, reflective and often even philosophical way to describe his observations. I like that Thompson doesn't necessarily write about politics in the usual way, telling us what the politicians say, and merely being the paid messenger from the liar to the herd, but that he instead writes about all that, which the people in power does not want us too see, and reflecting upon the lower classes situation - in this case doing the '72 election. All of this reading got me wondering - any one here that have read some of his stuff? Any thoughts on it? I'm just curious!
Yeah, true. He had kind of a liking for firearms... and drugs. Still, the writing's good, and he explains his liking for weapons multiple times through his books - he didn't believe that any authorities would actually help... Generally, i don't think he believed much in authority
Dunno, somehow I missed his important writings you were mentioning, I only know this hellsangelsstory and the unfinished book that was published only in parts - and I even forgot the title. His testament and burial made it quite some time in liberal culture-magazines, cliche enfant terrible... I think he could afford not to believe in authority - but what else? Bit of a lifestyle anarchist, that's ok for him, but it would have been nice to do more than to write impressive kaskades of sharp and true critisizm - and then accept them to be assimilated by the system and reduced to the material for a mere ikon of liberal culture. Tim Leary was shot up into the orbit too, Hemmingway loved firearms and blew his head of with a shotgun, Ginsberg, Wilson, Hakim Bey are claimed to be a anarchist writers... so what? Yes, he was a talented writer, his works are impressive, but for me they lack the point and his reception in the media makes me when I think of the cool desperation of his farewell letter to his wife... 57 and finished.
I FUCKIN LOOOOOOOOVE Hunter S Thompson. Got stuck into his writing in highschool to the point that I ended up buying a cigarette holder for my smokes and doing my writing on a typewriter. I cried like a fucking baby when he shot himself and I still get a little odd when his suicide is mentioned.
gobbledigooks: I actually don't think Hunter S. Thompson thought of himself as anarchist - for example he supports McGovern in the '72 campaign (mostly because of his anti-war stance, he's still pretty critical towards him and the whole presidential campaign), but none the less, he did still support him over Nixon. Even if he talked about the insignificance of voting in general too. His burial and all that was a pretty entertaining story though! I think most critical literature at some points become assimilated into mainstream like his... And don't forget that he wrote for rolling stones magazine, it's not like it was a DIY zine.
Yes, agreed - I was reading a bit more on the net about him, so I would say I was blinded by the far-off germun media, and I didn't knew about his life in the time before the late 80's. Fine thing he did with his candidature for the sheriff's office in his hometown, using the campaign to show off the contradictoriness and absurdity and exaggerating it even further - I think he should have continued with direct actions like that to open peoples eyes, I guess you are right about not-seeing-himself-as-an-anarchist - again, the gurmun media made him an anarchist post mortem, the same thing they do with Wilson or Hakim B. He was a fine writer, so I'll try to find some more of his stuff, this candidature-story is somehow very inspiring for what we try do here and the reasons to do it are very much the same.
Hunter was punk rock way before punk rock, read every thing he wrote and then read it again. GG Allin ain't got shit on Gonzo.
gobbledigooks: Never heard of that story - got to check it out Punkmar: Well, i can't help at least to think that some early punk rock bands may have been inspired by his writings in their lyrics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_S._Thompson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Aspen See also: The Battle of Aspen In 1970 Thompson ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, as part of a group of citizens running for local offices on the "Freak Power" ticket. The platform included promoting the decriminalization of drugs (for personal use only, not trafficking, as he disapproved of profiteering), tearing up the streets and turning them into grassy pedestrian malls, banning any building so tall as to obscure the view of the mountains, and renaming Aspen "Fat City" to deter investors. Thompson, having shaved his head, referred to his opponent as "my long-haired opponent", as the Republican candidate had a crew cut. With polls showing him with a slight lead in a three-way race, Thompson appeared at Rolling Stone magazine headquarters in San Francisco with a six-pack of beer in hand and declared to editor Jann Wenner that he was about to be elected the next sheriff of Aspen, Colorado, and wished to write about the Freak Power movement. Thus, Thompson's first article in Rolling Stone was published as The Battle of Aspen with the byline "By: Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Candidate for Sheriff)." Despite the publicity, Thompson ended up narrowly losing the election. While actually carrying the city of Aspen, he garnered only 44% of the county-wide vote in what became a two-way race as the Republican candidate for sheriff agreed to withdraw from the contest a few days before the election in order to consolidate the anti-Thompson votes, in return for the Democrats withdrawing their candidate for county commissioner. Thompson later remarked that the Rolling Stone article mobilized his opposition far more than his supporters.
can you give the author and title please - if you can recommend the reading, i am getting interested in him too.
i recommend it fosho. but maybe reading the books he wrote beforehand would be a good idea too. it was this one: http://www.amazon.com/Gonzo-Life-Hunter ... 0316005274
yes, reading the customers reviews isn't that great, some people who knew thompson are blaming henn wenner for posthume murder, so i guess you are right, bettter to get a personal point of view/feeling on/about Thompson first, then reading what others like wenner have to say. - shit, i found a website with his "battle of aspen" article and a documentary about his political campaign, 1970 he must have been a genius - but the stupid machine had a breakdown and ate it - i hope i can find it again. thanks for the link!
As do I! Although I stopped doing anything stronger than weed and alcohol. If you've read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas rather than watched the movie, It really dives deeper into the kind of theory of Gonzo Journalism... That theory being the perpetuation of ones own insanity and an almost nihilistic view of life.
SurgeryXdisaster: Will read that afterwards. So far, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail is good and intelligent entertainment!
yer all a bunch of swine hordes gobbling every bit of what you think is different and tearing it up like the seagulls do fish heads. take yer anarchy and sell another product bastardized generation of nothing....i believe thats what the good man would have to say about this topic.
Distro: Probably, then again, there's a huge difference in what he would say in the media to piss someone off, and what he would say in his books.