Hunter S. Thompson

Discussion in 'The Bookshelf' started by RelinquishedAll, Jul 17, 2012.

  1. ITT: Everything ever created by Hunter S. Thompson.

    For the people who don't know Hunter:
    Hunter was a journalist and author who lived from the 18th of July 1937 to the 20th of February 2005. He became famous with a story he did on the Hells Angels, for which he lived and rode with them for a period of time.

    Hunter was different from other journalists, both by his lifestyle and writing style. Hunter invented something called 'Gonzo journalism'. The idea of Gonzo journalism is that the story being reported is just as important as the reporting itself. He was the first journalist to include himself in the story, instead of reporting it from the sideline. He believed that to truly cover a story, you had to live it. And so he did.

    Where normal journalists would make hasty notations in notebooks, Hunter was experiencing the things to make notations about. One of his favorite pieces of equipment was a tape recorder. In this way, he could record the 'feeling' of a place using one hand, keeping the other hand free for the consumption of excessive amounts of drugs.

    Hunter always tried to write with a sort a rhyme, a flow as fast as he lived the moment.


    To me, Hunters work is more than just literature; It's a lifestyle, a philosophy. I could rant on and on about how amazing I think the things are he wrote, but it would be better if you experienced it yourself.

    His most famous and well known work is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. If you decide on reading this book, I advise you to watch the movie first. Johnny Depp lived with Hunter for a year to understand his role, and succeeded quite well. While reading the book, the narrating voice of the movie will sound in your head, and it will help you understand what Hunter tried to create.
     
  2. Awesome author was awesome. Certainly one of my favorites to say the least. :)
     
  3. No. Read the book first, you must hear the book in Hunter's voice, not J Depp doing HST. HST is one of my idols, and his writing was so great, even beyond Fear and Loathing. Kingdom of Fear is a masterpiece. A man who gave drugs a good name.
     
  4. Thanks for the tip, going to read that one.

    Even better would be to listen to ´The Gonzo tapes´. They are the official tapes HST recorded for the Hells Angels and Fear and Loathing stories, digitally remastered.
     
  5. I read Fear and Loathing quite a few years ago, when the movie came out I couldn't believe that the book could be done on film. Well, it blew me away when I saw the movie, the way the essence of the written story was transferred to film was unbelievable...def read the book first, it is a real page turner, hard to put down after you start reading it...HST was THE man....
     
  6. Yesterday was his birthday, he would have turned 75.

    One of the greatest men ever lived if you ask me. A true inspiration.
     
  7. Somebody tell me about the fucking golf shoes!
     
  8. The Great Shark Hunt is amazing
     
  9. Brilliant, I still consider fear & loathing on the campaign trail '72 to be his best work though.
     

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