Hunter S. Thompson - Gonzo Journalist

Hunter S. Thompson was a journalist and author who pioneered what became known as "Gonzo" journalism, which essentially means that he inserted himself into the story. His most recognized work was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which was later turned into a film starring Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky in either 1937 or 1939 (most likely 1937, but various sources will dispute this), Thompson was making trouble from a young age. He joined the Air Force to avoid serving a full sentence on a robbery conviction. It was there that he began to write his first published works: sports columns for the military newspaper produced at the Air Force base.

After receiving an early discharge, Thompson went to work for newspapers in the Northeast. After insulting an advertiser and getting into a fight with a candy machine, he was fired from a job in Middletown, NY, and moved to Puerto Rico, where he wrote for a bowling magazine. He then worked at the San Juan Star with William Kennedy, who would later receive a Pulitzer Prize for his novel Ironweed, which was also turned into a movie.

After living in California for a few years, Thompson began his career in gonzo journalism when he embedded himself with the Hell's Angels, a notorious outlaw motorcycle gang. He hung out with them for nearly a year before they became angry one night and decided to gang beat him in a parking lot. Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs was published in 1966 to much critical acclaim. That book put Thompson on the national radar, and he spent much of the next 6 years writing articles for various magazines.

Around this time, Thompson made the move to Woody Creek, Colorado, where he established his home base at Owl Farm. It would remain his home for the rest of his life. He ran for Sheriff of Pitkin County in 1970 on the Freak Power ticket. His platform called for decriminalization of narcotics but a ban on police officers eating mescaline on the job, along with several more ambitious plans for the party ticket, which included renaming Aspen, Colorado "Fat City" in an effort to thwart over-development. He also wanted to dig up all the roads in downtown Aspen and replace them with grass, banishing cars to the outskirts of town. To avoid being branded a hippie, Thompson shaved his head and starting referring to his "long-haired opponent", who actually sported a crew cut. Thompson narrowly lost after the Republican candidate quit so that voters would consolidate with the Democratic candidate.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream was published in 1972, with the failure of the 1960's counterculture movement as a central theme. It was a huge success, becoming the must-read book for anyone into the drug culture, the downfall of American society, or general craziness.

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 was published in 1973 and was considered the top political book of its time. It focused on the failed attempt by George McGovern to wrestle the White House from Richard Nixon's greedy little hands. Thompson expertly depicted the insanity of a presidential campaign, and even moreso the insanity of the American voter who managed to elect Richard Nixon for president for a second consecutive term. Nixon was Thompson's enemy #1, and in the end it was Nixon who slipped up, getting caught in the Watergate scandal during the 1972 election and being forced to resign two years later to avoid impeachment. Thompson continued to harass Richard Nixon for what he had done to this country for the rest of his life. His obituary for Nixon was given the simple headline, "He Was A Crook".

Hunter Stockton Thompson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in February, 2005, after watching the country that he loved vote George W. Bush for a second term in office. He's most likely in hell right now, chain-whipping Richard Nixon while eagerly awaiting the apology of 50 million Americans.

Other published works by Hunter S. Thompson include Curse of Lono, The Great Shark Hunt, The Generation of Swine, Songs of the Doomed, Better Than Sex, Fear and Loathing in America, The Proud Highway, Kingdom of Fear, and Hey Rube.

Hunter S. Thompson blog