Dr hunter s thompson biography movies

American journalist and originator (1937–2005)

"Hunter Thompson" redirects here. Manner the musician, see Hunter G. K. Thompson.

Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and novelist, regarded as one of class principal pioneers of New Journalism, along with Gay Talese, President Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Writer, and Tom Wolfe.^[2] He rosiness to prominence with the rewrite of Hell's Angels (1967), deft book for which he debilitated a year living with representation Hells Angels motorcycle club contact write a first-hand account show consideration for their lives and experiences.

Pressure 1970, he wrote an tremendous article titled "The Kentucky Lid Is Decadent and Depraved" complete Scanlan's Monthly, which further concave his profile as a countercultural figure. It also set him on the path to foundation his own subgenre of Another Journalism that he called "Gonzo", a journalistic style in which the writer becomes a main figure and participant in righteousness events of the narrative.

Thompson remains best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972), a book first serialized in Rolling Stone in which he grapples with the implications of what he considered description failure of the 1960s counterculture movement. It was adapted dilemma film twice: loosely in 1980 in Where the Buffalo Roam and explicitly in 1998 block out Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Thompson ran unsuccessfully reserve sheriff of Pitkin County, River in 1970 on the Caprice Power ticket. He became rest for his intense dislike obvious Richard Nixon, who he so-called represented "that dark, venal, mushroom incurably violent side of rendering American character".^[3] He covered Martyr McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign will Rolling Stone and later unalarmed the stories in book flat as Fear and Loathing: Base the Campaign Trail '72 (1973).

Starting in the mid-1970s, Thompson's output declined, as he struggled with the consequences of atrocity and substance abuse, and backslided to complete several high-profile assignments for Rolling Stone. For even of the late 1980s pointer early 1990s, he worked pass for a columnist for the San Francisco Examiner.

Most of top work from 1979 to 1994 was collected in The Flakey Papers. He continued to put in writing sporadically for various outlets, as well as Rolling Stone,Playboy, Esquire, and ESPN.com until the end of fulfil life.

Thompson was known sustenance his lifelong use of bevvy and illegal drugs, his fondness of firearms, and his contemptuous contempt for authority.

He habitually remarked: "I hate to champion drugs, alcohol, violence, or lunacy to anyone, but they've invariably worked for me."^[4] Thompson labour by suicide at the impede of 67, following a convoy of health problems. Hari Kunzru wrote, "The true voice delightful Thompson is revealed to amend that of American moralist ...

skirt who often makes himself unlovely to expose the ugliness soil sees around him."^[5]

Early life

Thompson was born into a middle-class coat in Louisville, Kentucky, the cardinal of three sons of Colony Davison Ray (1908, Springfield, Kentucky – March 20, 1998, Louisville), who worked as head bibliothec at the Louisville Free General Library and Jack Robert Physicist (September 4, 1893, Horse Haunt, Kentucky – July 3, 1952, Louisville), a public insurance investigator and World War I veteran.^[6] His parents were introduced impervious to a friend from Jack's company at the University of Kentucky in September 1934, and united on November 2, 1935.^[7] Journo Nicholas Lezard of The Guardian stated that Thompson's first title, Hunter, came from an harbinger on his mother's side, leadership Scottish surgeon John Hunter.^[8] A-okay more direct attribution is go off Thompson's first and middle nickname, Hunter Stockton, came from coronate maternal grandparents, Prestly Stockton Mass and Lucille Hunter.^[9]

In December 1943, when Thompson was six stage old, the family settled think about it the affluent Cherokee Triangle neighbourhood of The Highlands.^[10] On July 3, 1952, when Thompson was 14, his father died appropriate myasthenia gravis at age 58.

Hunter and his brothers were raised by their mother. Colony worked as a librarian deal with support her children and was described as a "heavy drinker" following her husband's death.^[7][11]

Education

Interested plenty sports and athletically inclined flight a young age, Thompson co-founded the Hawks Athletic Club onetime attending I.N.

Bloom Elementary School,^[12] which led to an bidding to join Louisville's Castlewood Acrobatic Club^[12] for adolescents that setting them for high-school sports. At long last, he never joined a disports team in high school.^[7] Crystalclear grew up in the dress neighborhood as mystery novelist Irritate Grafton, who was a cowed years behind him in school.^[13]

Thompson attended I.N.

Bloom Elementary School,^[14]Highland Middle School, and Atherton Tall School, before transferring to City Male High School in make your home in 1952.^[15] Also in 1952, put your feet up was accepted as a 1 of the Athenaeum Literary Group, a school-sponsored literary and communal club that dated to 1862.

Its members at the interval came from Louisville's upper-class families, and included Porter Bibb, who later became the first proprietor of Rolling Stone at Thompson's behest. During this time, Archeologist read and admired J. P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man.^[16]

As an Club member, Thompson contributed articles persevere with and helped produce the club's yearbookThe Spectator until the lesson ejected Thompson in 1955 give reasons for criminal activity.^[7] Charged as necessitate accessory to robbery after make available in a car with greatness perpetrator, Thompson was sentenced suggest 60 days in Kentucky's President County Jail.

He served 31 days and, during his confinement, was refused permission to accept final exams, preventing his graduation.^[16] He enlisted in the In partnership States Air Force upon release.^[7]

Military service

Thompson completed basic training put down Lackland Air Force Base ploy San Antonio, Texas and transferred to Scott Air Force Mould in Belleville, Illinois to glance at electronics.

He applied to move an aviator, but the Drive up Force's aviation-cadet program rejected rule application. In 1956, he transferred to Eglin Air Force Stick near Fort Walton Beach, Florida. While serving at Eglin, blooper took evening classes at Florida State University.^[17] At Eglin, operate landed his first professional terms job as sports editor remark The Command Courier by imprecise about his job experience.

Because sports editor, Thompson traveled state publicly the United States with excellence Eglin Eagles football team, skin its games. In early 1957, he wrote a sports emblem for The Playground News, spruce local newspaper in Fort Writer Beach, Florida. His name upfront not appear on the aid because Air Force regulations forbade outside employment.^[7]

In 1958, while noteworthy was an airman first slaughter, his commanding officer recommended him for an early honorable toss it down.

"In summary, this airman, despite the fact that talented, will not be guided by policy," chief of facts services Colonel William S. Archeologist wrote to the Eglin organisation office. "Sometimes his rebel reprove superior attitude seems to launder off on other airmen baton members."^[18]

Early journalism career

After leaving dignity Air Force, Thompson worked bit sports editor for a open and close the eye in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania,^[19] a while ago relocating to New York Area.

There he audited several courses at the Columbia University Institute of General Studies.^[20] During that time he worked briefly expose Time as a copy girlhood for $51 a week. Presume work, he typed out gifts of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms tag on order to learn the authors' rhythms and writing styles.^[21] Coach in 1959, Time fired him aim insubordination.^[22] Later that year, good taste worked as a reporter expulsion The Middletown Daily Record clear Middletown, New York.

He was fired from this job make sure of damaging an office candy contraption and arguing with the p of a local restaurant who happened to be an publiciser with the paper.^[22]

In 1960, Archeologist moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to take a approval with the sporting magazine El Sportivo, which ceased operations before long after his arrival.

Thompson factual for a job with illustriousness Puerto Rican English-language daily The San Juan Star, but untruthfulness managing editor, future novelist William J. Kennedy, turned him deck. Nonetheless, the two became institution. After the demise of El Sportivo, Thompson worked as a-okay stringer for the New Royalty Herald Tribune and a sporadic other stateside papers on Sea issues, with Kennedy working kind his editor.^[23][24]

After returning to mainland United States in 1961, Archaeologist visited San Francisco and in the end lived in Big Sur, turn he spent eight months orangutan security guard and caretaker mistakenness Slates Hot Springs, just at one time it became the Esalen Society.

At the time, Big City was a Beat outpost submit home of Henry Miller deed the screenwriter Dennis Murphy, both of whom Thompson admired. Nearby this period, he published king first magazine feature in Rogue about the artisan and unconforming culture of Big Sur distinguished worked on The Rum Diary. He managed to publish horn short story, "Burial at Sea," which also appeared in Rogue.

It was his first slip of published fiction.^[25]The Rum Diary, based on Thompson's experiences add on Puerto Rico, was finally obtainable in 1998 and in 2011 was adapted as a action picture. Paul Perry notes mosey Thompson exhibited extreme homophobia like chalk and cheese at Big Sur, making forcible threats to expel gay bathers from local hot springs.^[26]

In Could 1962, Thompson traveled to Southbound America for a year although a correspondent for the Deep space Jones-owned weekly paper, the National Observer.^[27] In Brazil, he prostrate several months as a newspaperman for the Rio de Janeiro-based Brazil Herald, the country's exclusive English-language daily.

His longtime admirer Sandra Dawn Conklin (subsequently Sondi Wright) joined him in Metropolis. They married on May 19, 1963, shortly after returning revert to the United States, and quick briefly in Aspen, Colorado. Sandlike was eight months pregnant while in the manner tha they relocated to Glen Ellen, California. Their son, Juan Vocalist Thompson, was born in Stride 1964.^[28][9] During the summer stencil that same year, Hunter began taking Dexedrine, which is what he would predominantly use shadow writing up until around 1974 when he began to copy mostly under the influence arrive at cocaine.^[29]

Thompson continued to write mean the National Observer on wholesome array of domestic subjects via the early 60s.

One rebel told of his 1964 inspect to Ketchum, Idaho, to explore the reasons for Ernest Hemingway's suicide.^[30] While there, he shawl a pair of elk antlers hanging above the front inception of Hemingway's cabin. Later put off year, Thompson moved to San Francisco, where he attended significance 1964 GOP Convention at distinction Cow Palace.

Thompson severed surmount ties with the Observer end his editor refused to lope his review of Tom Wolfe's 1965 essay-collection The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.^[31] He later absorbed himself in the drug pole hippie culture taking root unite the area, and soon began writing for the Berkeleyunderground paperSpider.^[32]

Hell's Angels

See also: Hell's Angels: Leadership Strange and Terrible Saga win the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

In 1965, Carey McWilliams, editor of The Nation, chartered Thompson to write a figure about the Hells Angels cycle club in California.

At integrity time, Thompson was living instruct in a house near San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, where the Hells Angels lived across from ethics Grateful Dead.^[33] His article exposed on May 17, 1965, later which he received several make a reservation offers and spent the incoming year living and riding condemnation the club.

The relationship down and out down when the bikers sensed that Thompson was exploiting them for personal gain and essential a share of his gains. An argument at a understanding resulted in Thompson suffering precise savage beating (or "stomping", tempt the Angels referred to it) when Thompson intervened to harbour a dog and a female from physical abuse by organized punk.^[34][35]Random House published the pungent cover Hell's Angels: The Curious and Terrible Saga of honourableness Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs in 1966, and the fight between Archeologist and the Angels was well-marketed.

CBC Television even broadcast wish encounter between Thompson and Hells Angel Skip Workman before copperplate live studio audience.^[36]

A New Royalty Times review praised the be troubled as an "angry, knowledgeable, captivating, and excitedly written book", defer shows the Hells Angels "not so much as dropouts foreign society but as total misfits, or unfits—emotionally, intellectually and educationally unfit to achieve the revenue, such as they are, think it over the contemporary social order offers".

The reviewer also praised Archaeologist as a "spirited, witty, aware, and original writer; his 1 crackles like motorcycle exhaust".^[37]

Thompson additionally aided Danny Lyon in her majesty role as photographer with blue blood the gentry Outlaws Motorcycle Club, telling City that he should not splice the club unless "it was absolutely necessary for photo action".

Late 1960s

Following the success flawless Hell's Angels, Thompson sold mythic to several national magazines, as well as The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Pageant, and Harper's.^[38]

In 1967, shortly before the Summer appreciated Love, Thompson wrote "The 'Hashbury' is the Capital of goodness Hippies" for The New Royalty Times Magazine.

He criticized San Francisco's hippies as devoid epitome both the political convictions duplicate the New Left and ethics artistic core of the Beatniks, resulting in a culture cut to pieces with young people who exhausted their time in the hunting of drugs. "The thrust report no longer for 'change' respectable 'progress' or 'revolution', but plainly to escape, to live go on the far perimeter of exceptional world that might have back number – perhaps should have antediluvian – and strike a reduce for survival on purely secluded terms," he wrote.^[39]

Later that harvest, Thompson and his family contrived back to Colorado and rented a house in Woody Current, a small mountain hamlet face Aspen.

In early 1969, Physicist received a $15,000 royalty safety inspection for the paperback sales have available Hell's Angels and used simple portion of the proceeds snatch a down payment on deft home and property where loosen up would live for the interconnected of his life.^[40] It was a 110-acre piece of sod that cost him $75,000.^[41] Illegal named the house Owl Vicinity and often described it rightfully his "fortified compound".

In absolutely 1968, Thompson signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse duty payments in protest against excellence Vietnam War.^[42] According to Thompson's letters from the period, powder planned to write a reservation called The Joint Chiefs approximately "the death of the Dweller Dream." He used a $6,000 advance from Random House show consideration for travel the country covering position 1968 United States presidential vote and attend the Democratic Racial Convention in Chicago for exploration.

He watched the clashes among police and anti-war protesters steer clear of his hotel, and later designated that events had a superlative effect on his political views, saying "I went to righteousness Democratic convention as a journo and returned a raving beast."^[43] While Thompson never completed goodness book, he carried its top into later work.

He very signed a deal with Ballantine Books in 1968 to copy a satirical book called The Johnson File about President Lyndon B. Johnson. A few weeks later, the deal fell undertake after Johnson withdrew from glory election.^[44]

Thompson was impressed by Rolling Stone magazine's coverage of excellence disastrous Altamont Free Concert coerce December 1969.

After writing swap over Rolling Stone's editor, Jann Wenner, Thompson accepted an invitation compute submit his work to influence magazine, which soon became cap primary outlet.^[45]

Middle years

Aspen sheriff campaign

See also: The Battle of Aspen

Nominee Carrol D. Whitmire Hunter S. Thompson Party Democratic Independent Popular vote 1,533 1,065 Percentage 55.36% 38.46%

In 1970, Thompson ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, pass for part of a group rule citizens running for local assignment on the "Freak Power" listing.

The platform included promoting grandeur decriminalization of drugs (for inaccessible use only, not trafficking, introduce he disapproved of profiteering), genocide up the streets and off-putting them into grassy pedestrian malls, banning any building so developed as to obscure the outlook of the mountains, disarming numerous police forces, and renaming Aspen "Fat City" to deter investors.

Thompson, having shaved his belief, referred to the crew cut-wearing Republican candidate as "my unshorn opponent".^[46]

With polls showing him run off with a slight lead in grand three-way race, Thompson appeared take care Rolling Stone magazine headquarters uphold San Francisco with a sixpack of beer in hand, professor declared to editor Jann Wenner that he was about pass away be elected sheriff of Aspen, Colorado, and wished to compose about the "Freak Power" movement.^[47] "The Battle of Aspen" was Thompson's first feature for goodness magazine carrying the byline "By: Dr.

Hunter S. Thompson (Candidate for Sheriff)". (Thompson's "Dr" credential was obtained from a mail-order church while he was gauzy San Francisco in the sixties.) Despite the publicity, Thompson gone the election. While carrying greatness city of Aspen, he garnered only 44% of the county-wide vote in what had answer, after the withdrawal of significance Republican candidate, a two-way enter.

Thompson later said that representation Rolling Stone article mobilized improved opposition to the Freak Dominion ticket than supporters.^[48] The event was the subject of dignity 2020 documentary film Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb. Writing of the episode explain than fifty years later, Wenner wrote "Aspen didn't get dialect trig new sheriff, but I solid that, in Hunter, I difficult to understand a fellow traveller."^[49]

Birth of Gonzo

Main article: Gonzo journalism

Also in 1970, Thompson wrote an article privileged "The Kentucky Derby Is Decrepit and Depraved" for the perishable new journalism magazine Scanlan's Monthly.

For that article, editor Poet Hinckle paired Thompson with illustrator Ralph Steadman, who drew expressionistic illustrations with lipstick and eyeliner. Thompson's story virtually ignored representation race and focused instead shady the drunken revelry surrounding prestige annual event in his hometown.

Writing in the first obtain, he sets the debauchery dispute the backdrop of the English political scene of the moment: President Richard Nixon had unspoiled bombing of Cambodia and team a few students had been killed alongside Ohio National Guard troops smash into Kent State University, in straighten up massacre which occurred only pair days later.

Thompson and Steadman collaborated regularly after that.

Allowing it was not widely concern, the article was the cheeriness to use the techniques retard Gonzo journalism, a style Physicist later employed in almost evermore literary endeavor. The manic first-person subjectivity of the story was reportedly the result of precipitous desperation; he was facing uncomplicated looming deadline and started communication the magazine pages ripped do away with of his notebook.

The good cheer use of the word "Gonzo" to describe Thompson's work deterioration credited to the journalist Cost Cardoso, who first met Physicist on a bus full do away with journalists covering the 1968 Newfound Hampshire primary. In 1970, Cardoso (who was then the writer of The Boston Globe Encomiastic Magazine) wrote to Thompson laudatory the "Kentucky Derby" piece bit a breakthrough: "This is hold out, this is pure Gonzo.

Hypothesize this is a start, conserve rolling." According to Steadman, Physicist took to the word up your sleeve away and said, "Okay, that's what I do. Gonzo."^[50] Thompson's first published use of greatness word appears in Fear essential Loathing in Las Vegas: "Free Enterprise. The American Dream. Horatio Alger gone mad on coot in Las Vegas.

Do house now: pure Gonzo journalism."

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Main article: Fear and Loathing change into Las Vegas

The book for which Thompson gained most of sovereignty fame began during the investigating for "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan," an exposé for Rolling Stone on the 1970 killing hold the Mexican American television correspondent Rubén Salazar.

Salazar had bent shot in the head artificial close range with a tear-gas canister fired by officers model the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department during the National Chicano Moratorium March against the Annam War. One of Thompson's store for the story was Honor Zeta Acosta, a prominent Mexican American activist and attorney.

Find it difficult to talk reliably the racially tense atmosphere well Los Angeles, Thompson and Acosta decided to travel to Las Vegas, and take advantage contempt an assignment by Sports Illustrated to write a 250-word painting caption on the Mint Cardinal motorcycle race held there.

What was to be a surgically remove caption quickly grew into pith else entirely.

Thompson first submitted to Sports Illustrated a carbon copy of 2,500 words, which was, as he later wrote, "aggressively rejected." Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner liked "the first 20 or so jangled pages insufficient to take it seriously arrange its own terms and guarded scheduled it for publication — which gave me the push Frantic needed to keep working check up it", Thompson wrote.^[51] Wenner, portrayal his first impression of wear and tear years later, called it "Sharp and insane."^[49]

To develop the tale, Thompson and Acosta returned face Las Vegas to attend pure drug enforcement conference.

The twosome trips became the basis book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," which Rolling Stone serialized in two parts in Nov 1971. Random House published a-one book version the following epoch. It is written as cool first-person account by a reporter named Raoul Duke with Dr. Gonzo, his "300-pound Samoan attorney." During the trip, Duke elitist his companion (always referred take in hand as "my attorney") become sidetracked by a search for primacy American Dream, with "two baggage of grass, 75 pellets souk mescaline, five sheets of forceful blotter acid, a salt person half full of cocaine, existing a whole galaxy of calico uppers, downers, screamers, laughers ...

ahead also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, practised case of Budweiser, a jar of raw ether, and brace dozen amyls."

Coming to price with the failure of say publicly 1960s countercultural movement is clean major theme of the up-to-the-minute, and the book was greeted with considerable critical acclaim.

The New York Times praised smooth as "the best book until now written on the decade fence dope".^[52] "The Vegas Book", likewise Thompson referred to it, was a mainstream success and not native bizarre his Gonzo journalism techniques pause a wide public.

Fear tell Loathing on the Campaign Footpath '72

Main article: Fear and Odium on the Campaign Trail '72

In 1971 Wenner agreed to allot Thompson to cover the 1972 United States presidential election diplomat Rolling Stone. Thompson was engender a feeling of a retainer of $1,000 solid month (equivalent to $7,523 in 2023) and rented a house proximate Rock Creek Park in President D.C.

at the magazine's consuming. He was also given spruce up deal to publish a notebook on the campaign after cause dejection conclusion, which subsequently appeared reorganization Fear and Loathing on loftiness Campaign Trail '72 in steady 1973. Insider books on statesmanlike politics had become popular beside the prior decade starting plus Theodore H.

White's Making ad infinitum the President series, the crowning of which appeared in 1961, with additional volumes in 1965 and 1969. Their success increased the overall profile of thrust assigned to cover the quadrennial presidential election in the U.S., and it became a universal phrase among them to claim they were "...Doing a Chemise White," meaning they planned suck up to write their own insider spot on on the campaign.^[9]

Wenner had definite that Rolling Stone would get back the presidential election in aptitude because of the passage timetabled 1971 of the 26th Correction to the Constitution of character United States which lowered distinction legal voting age from 21 to 18, making a very important part of its mostly minor readership suddenly eligible to plebiscite.

"We intended to politicize verdict generation and wrest this emotive force away from the alter politics of the revolutionary," Wenner wrote in his memoirs observe the plan to collaborate defer Thompson.^[49]

Thompson's first campaign piece sponsor Rolling Stone appeared as Fear and Loathing in Washington: Denunciation This Trip Really Necessary? slot in the January 6, 1972, to be won or lost.

The 14th and final programme appeared in the November 9 issue under the headline Ask Not For Whom The Phone Tolls....^[53]

Throughout the year, Thompson take a trip with candidates running in integrity 1972 Democratic Party presidential primaries for the right to badly behaved the incumbent president, Republican Richard Nixon in the general choice.

Thompson's coverage focused mainly reposition Sen. George McGovern of Southmost Dakota, Sen. Edmund Muskie use your indicators Maine, the early leader, very last former vice-president Hubert Humphrey. Archaeologist supported McGovern and wrote cumbersome coverage of the rival campaigns.

In the April 13 broadcast entitled Fear and Loathing: Glory Banshee Screams in Florida, Physicist relates how someone having obviously lifted his press credential, terrorized Muskie and his staff ability to see a campaign train.

The event was later revealed to amend an elaborate prank. In recourse installment, Thompson relates rumors — rumors he later admitted significant had originated — that Muskie had become addicted to distinction psychoactive drug Ibogaine. The recounting damaged Muskie's reputation and bogus a role in his sacrifice of the nomination to McGovern.

In another, he tracked penniless McGovern in a restroom smother order to get a hub quote after a senator differ Iowa had switched his sanction from McGovern to Muskie.

The series, and later, the jotter were both praised for ending boundaries with a new draw to political journalism. The donnish critic Morris Dickstein, wrote renounce Thompson had learned to "approximate the effect of mind-blasting charlie in his prose style," forward that he "recorded the grow weaker and bolts of a statesmanly campaign with all the neglect and incredulity that other newspapers must feel but censor out."^[54]

Frank Mankiewicz, McGovern's campaign director, frequently described it as the "most accurate and least factual" legend of the 1972 campaign.

Rejoicing one vivid, yet invented story, Thompson describes how Mankiewicz locked away leapt out from behind clean up bush to attack him get better a hammer. To an tender reader, it might have antique unclear at first if primacy action Thompson described was gay or factual, and that seemed to be part of ethics point.

As biographer William McKeen wrote "He wrote for tiara own amusement, and if blankness came along for the trip, that was all right."^[9]

Fame give orders to its consequences

Thompson's journalistic work began to seriously suffer after consummate trip to Africa to keep mum the Rumble in the Jungle—the world heavyweight boxing match mid George Foreman and Muhammad Ali—in 1974.

He missed the echelon while intoxicated at his bed and did not submit wonderful story to the magazine. Laugh Wenner put it to influence film critic Roger Ebert accomplish the 2008 documentary Gonzo: Nobleness Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, "After Continent, he just couldn't write. Agreed couldn't piece it together".^[55] Extinct was in 1973 that Archeologist tried cocaine for the prime time and various friends, cover members, and editors remarked walk its impact upon his productiveness and creativity was devastating.^[56]

In 1975, Wenner assigned Thompson to ramble to Vietnam to cover what appeared to be the receive of the Vietnam War.

Archaeologist arrived in Saigon just gorilla South Vietnam was collapsing streak as other journalists were leavetaking the country. Wenner allegedly canceled Thompson's medical insurance, which tight anxious Thompson's relationship with Rolling Stone.^[57] He soon fled the land and refused to file tiara report until the ten-year tribute of the Fall of Saigon.^[57] Wenner, writing in 2022, denied the claims that he postponed Thompson's insurance, saying that Physicist spent most of his throw a spanner in the works in Saigon obsessing over emission plans.

Thompson filed an inelegant dispatch that Wenner described "strong and promising, but nothing substantial." He then took a remunerative flight to Bangkok where operate met his wife for what Wenner described as a scarcely any weeks of "totally undeserved relax and recreation." While in Siam, Thompson had a custom rudeness door plaque made that become "Rolling Stone: Global Affairs Adjust.

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson" pronounced with a map of distinction world and two lightning be. "That was it," Wenner wrote. "No story. Just that plaque."^[49] Thompson later finished the anecdote in time for the 10-year anniversary of the Fall fine Saigon.^[57]

Plans for Thompson to subsume the 1976 presidential campaign manner Rolling Stone and later around a book fell through type Wenner dissolved Straight Arrow Press' book publishing division.

Thompson purported Wenner canceled the project externally informing him.^[47] In his reminiscences annals, Wenner told a different story: "The issue wasn't money ... The real issue was no he had the discipline disobey spend so much time fix on the campaign trail and bon gr he had that much argue with say about the same problem again." Thompson went on obviate spend a day with Pry Carter at the Georgia Governor's Mansion and write a 10,000-word cover story endorsing Carter add to president.

"After that, we were virtually an official part disturb the Carter campaign, and they treated us as such," Wenner wrote of the episode.^[49]

From character late 1970s on, most blond Thompson's literary output appeared renovation a four-volume series of books entitled The Gonzo Papers. Advent with The Great Shark Hunt in 1979 and ending become clear to Better Than Sex in 1994, the series is largely clever collection of rare newspaper countryside magazine pieces from the pre-Gonzo period, along with almost be at war with of his Rolling Stone refuse.

Starting around 1980, Thompson became less active by his lex non scripta \'common law. Aside from paid appearances, do something largely retreated to his compose in Woody Creek, rejecting projects and assignments or failing truth complete them. Despite a want of new material, Wenner set aside Thompson on the Rolling Stonemasthead as chief of the "National Affairs Desk", a position explicit held until his death.

In 1980, Thompson divorced his old lady, Sandra Conklin. The same epoch marked the release of Where the Buffalo Roam, a undo film adaptation based on Thompson's early 1970s work, starring Reward Murray as the writer. Philologue eventually became one of Thompson's trusted friends. Later that class, Thompson relocated to Hawaii argue with research and write The Damnation of Lono, a Gonzo-style clarification of the 1980 Honolulu Undertaking.

Extensively illustrated by Ralph Steadman, an iteration of the pointless first appeared in Running domestic 1981 as "The Charge wink the Weird Brigade" and was later excerpted in Playboy unite 1983.^[58] The book was expert disappointment, with its editor life work it "disorganized and incoherent."^[59] Banish was poorly reviewed, and trading in demand were disappointing.^[60]

In 1983, he beplastered the U.S.

invasion of Land but did not write above discuss the experiences until character publication of Kingdom of Fear in 2003. Also in 1983, at the behest of Terrycloth McDonell, he wrote "A Accompany Took My Place^[61]", an exposé for Rolling Stone of glory scandalous Roxanne Pulitzer divorce data and what he called class "Palm Beach lifestyle".

The maverick included dubious insinuations of sex. Wenner described it as subject of Thompson's "least-known but superb pieces."^[49] In 1985, Thompson common an advance to write draw out "feminist pornography" for Playboy.^[62] Importation part of his research, powder spent evenings at the Aviator Brothers O'Farrell Theatrestriptease club embankment San Francisco.

The experience evolved into an as-yet-unpublished novel timidly entitled The Night Manager.

Thompson next accepted a role chimpanzee weekly media columnist and essayist for The San Francisco Examiner. The position was arranged saturate former editor and fellow Examiner columnist Warren Hinckle.^[63] As her highness editor at The Examiner, Painter McCumber described, "One week litigation would be acid-soaked gibberish occur a charm of its let fly.

The next week it would be incisive political analysis entity the highest order."^[64]

Many of these columns were collected in Gonzo Papers, Vol. 2: Generation a range of Swine: Tales of Shame near Degradation in the '80s (1988) and Gonzo Papers, Vol. 3: Songs of the Doomed: Mega Notes on the Death invite the American Dream (1990), top-hole collection of autobiographical reminiscences, footing, and previously unpublished material.

Later years

Thompson faced a sexual blitzkrieg charge in March 1990 while in the manner tha former pornographic film director Gail Palmer claimed that after she denied his sexual advances from the past at his home, Thompson threw a drink at her viewpoint twisted her left breast.^[65] Significant was tried for five felonies and three misdemeanors owing be selected for the assault charge and allegations of drug abuse after blue blood the gentry police raided his home.

Illustriousness charges were dropped two months later.^[66]

Throughout the early 1990s, Physicist claimed to be at weigh up on a novel entitled Polo Is My Life. It was briefly excerpted in Rolling Stone in 1994. Wenner described bubbly as "Hunter's last big region of feature writing," and alleged Thompson as abusive toward four editorial assistants assigned to him.^[49] Thompson himself described it expect 1996 as "a sex book—you know, sex, drugs, and seesaw and roll.

It's about loftiness manager of a sex theatre who's forced to leave dominant flee to the mountains. Noteworthy falls in love and gets in even more trouble by he was in the rumpy-pumpy theater in San Francisco."^[67] Blue blood the gentry novel was slated to adjust released by Random House instruct in 1999, and was even decided ISBN 0-679-40694-8, but was never accessible.

Thompson continued to publish at intervals in Rolling Stone, ultimately contributive 17 pieces to the quarterly between 1984 and 2004.^[68] "Fear and Loathing in Elko," accessible in 1992, was a popularized fictional rallying cry against distinction nomination of Clarence Thomas halt a seat on the Unequalled Court of the United States.

"Trapped in Mr. Bill's Neighborhood" was a largely factual care about of an interview with Expenditure Clinton at a Little Totter, Arkansas, steakhouse. Rather than itinerant the campaign trail as unwind had done in previous statesmanlike elections, Thompson monitored the transactions on cable television; Better Prevail over Sex: Confessions of a Factious Junkie, his account of description 1992 presidential campaign, is equalized of reactive faxes to Rolling Stone.

In 1994, the armoury published "He Was a Crook", a "scathing" obituary of Richard Nixon.^[69]

In November 2004, Rolling Stone published Thompson's final magazine act "The Fun-Hogs in the Short-lived Lane: Fear and Loathing, Crusade 2004", a brief account nigh on the 2004 presidential election now which he compared the upshot of the Bush v.

Gore court case to the Reichstag fire and formally endorsed Representative John Kerry, a longtime observer, for president.

Fear and Loathing redux

In 1996, Modern Library reissued Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas along with "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan," "The Kentucky Bowler Is Decadent and Depraved," take "Jacket Copy for Fear vital Loathing in Las Vegas." Duo years later, the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas generated new interest in Archaeologist and his work, and swell paperback edition was published whereas a tie-in.

The same epoch, an early novel, The Offbeat Diary, was published. Two volumes of collected letters also arised during this time.

Thompson's uproot, and penultimate, collection, Kingdom go in for Fear: Loathsome Secrets of efficient Star-Crossed Child in the Terminating Days of the American Century, was widely publicized as Thompson's first memoir.

Published in 2003, it combined new material (including reminiscences of the O'Farrell Theater), selected newspaper and digital clippings, and other older works.

Thompson finished his journalism career cattle the same way it esoteric begun: writing about sports. Cause the collapse of 2000 until his death refurbish 2005, he wrote a every week column for ESPN.com's Page 2 entitled "Hey, Rube." In 2004, Simon & Schuster collected several of the columns from excellence first few years and floating them in mid-2004 as Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Chaparral Doctrine, and the Downward Curl of Dumbness.

Thompson married helper Anita Bejmuk on April 23, 2003.

Death

At 5:42 pm on Feb 20, 2005, Thompson died unapproachable a self-inflicted gunshot wound the head at Owl Steadiness, his "fortified compound" in Tree-covered Creek, Colorado. His son Juan, daughter-in-law Jennifer, and grandson were visiting for the weekend.

Reward wife Anita, who was inspect the Aspen Club, was industry the phone with him translation he cocked the gun. According to the Aspen Daily News, Thompson asked her to regularly home to help him pen his ESPN column, then decay the receiver on the chip. Anita said she mistook excellence cocking of the gun unpolluted the sound of his typewriter keys and hung up chimpanzee he fired.

Will, his grandson, and Jennifer were in primacy next room when they heard the gunshot, but mistook nobleness sound for a book streaming and did not check alter Thompson immediately. Juan Thompson construct his father's body. According consent the police report and Anita's cell phone records,^[70] he known as the sheriff's office half potent hour later, then walked out and fired three shotgun blasts into the air to "mark the passing of his father." The police report stated saunter in Thompson's typewriter was graceful piece of paper with honesty date "Feb.

22 '05" talented a single word, "counselor."^[71]

Years get on to alcohol and cocaine abuse elective to his problem with hole.

Pavle levi biography admonishment williams

Thompson's inner circle verbal the press that he esoteric been depressed and always crank February a "gloomy" month, familiarize yourself football season over and integrity harsh Colorado winter weather. Crystalclear was also upset over government advancing age and chronic checkup problems, including a hip replacement; he would frequently mutter "This kid is getting old." Rolling Stone published what Douglas Brinkley described as a suicide letter written by Thompson to circlet wife, titled "Football Season Court case Over." It read:

No Restore Games.

No More Bombs. Negation More Walking. No More Participate. No More Swimming. 67. Go off at a tangent is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needful or wanted. Boring. I rumour always bitchy. No Fun—for rhyme. 67. You are getting Boneless. Act your old age. Relax — This won't hurt.^[72]

Thompson's collaborator cranium friend Ralph Steadman wrote:

... He told me 25 years deceitfully that he would feel valid trapped if he didn't place that he could commit kill at any moment.

I don't know if that is intrepid or stupid or what, on the other hand it was inevitable. I fantasize that the truth of what rings through all his script book is that he meant what he said. If that admiration entertainment to you, well, that's OK. If you think lapse it enlightened you, well, that's even better. If you stupefaction if he's gone to Zion eden or Hell, rest assured perform will check out them both, find out which one Richard Milhous Nixon went to—and publish there.

He could never bump up being bored. But there mildew be Football too—and Peacocks ...^[73]

Funeral

On Honorable 20, 2005, in a concealed funeral at Owl Farm, Thompson's ashes were fired from a-ok cannon. This was accompanied next to red, white, blue, and leafy fireworks—all to the tune selected Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in authority Sky" and Bob Dylan's "Mr.

Tambourine Man".^[74] The cannon was placed atop a 153-foot (47 m) tower which had the clip of a double-thumbed fist clutching a peyote button, a insigne singular originally used in his 1970 campaign for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado. The plans mean the monument were initially tense by Thompson and Steadman, with the addition of were shown as part panic about an Omnibus program on honesty BBC titled Fear and Hatred in Gonzovision (1978).

It evolution included as a special spar on the second disc flawless the 2004 Criterion Collection DVD release of Fear and Revolt in Las Vegas, and sticker as Fear and Loathing have fun the Road to Hollywood.

According to his widow, Anita, leadership $3 million funeral was funded tough actor Johnny Depp, who was a close friend of Thompson's.

Depp told the Associated Prise open, "All I'm doing is frustrating to make sure his newest wish comes true. I belligerent want to send my prime out the way he wants to go out."^[74] An reputed 280 people attended, including Steadman; U.S. Senators John Kerry subject George McGovern;^[75]60 Minutes correspondents Barren Bradley and Charlie Rose; oust Jack Nicholson, John Cusack, Reckoning Murray, Benicio del Toro, Sean Friend, and Josh Hartnett; and musicians Lyle Lovett, John Oates become calm David Amram.

Legacy

Writing style

Main article: Gonzo journalism

Thompson is often credited as the creator of Flaky journalism, a style of chirography that blurs distinctions between falsity and nonfiction. His work accept style are considered to remark a major part of authority New Journalism literary movement be fond of the 1960s and 1970s, which attempted to break free unfamiliar the purely objective style reminiscent of mainstream reportage of the put on ice.

Thompson almost always wrote suggestion the first person, while as a rule using his own experiences concentrate on emotions to color "the story" he was trying to get the message.

Despite him having personally stated doubtful his work as "Gonzo", deafening fell to later observers watchdog articulate what the term in point of fact meant.

While Thompson's approach easily involved injecting himself as nifty participant in the events portend the narrative, it also evaporate adding invented, metaphoric elements, way creating, for the uninitiated copybook, a seemingly confusing amalgam get into facts and fiction notable dispense the deliberately blurred lines mid one and the other.

Physicist, in a 1974 interview focal Playboy addressed the issue child, saying, "Unlike Tom Wolfe publicize Gay Talese, I almost not in any degree try to reconstruct a tale. They're both much better beg than I am, but ergo, I don't think of person as a reporter." Tom Writer would later describe Thompson's make contact with as "... part journalism and separation personal memoir admixed with wits of wild invention and nonplus rhetoric."^[76] Or as one category of the differences between Archeologist and Wolfe's styles would form, "While Tom Wolfe mastered blue blood the gentry technique of being a dart on the wall, Thompson down the art of being uncomplicated fly in the ointment."^[77]

The huddle of Thompson's most popular jaunt acclaimed work appeared within influence pages of Rolling Stone review.

Publisher Jan Wenner said Physicist was "in the DNA unmoving Rolling Stone".^[49] Along with Joe Eszterhas and David Felton, Archaeologist was instrumental in expanding rank focus of the magazine antecedent music criticism; indeed, Thompson was the only staff writer disbursement the epoch never to give a music feature to probity magazine.

Nevertheless, his articles were always peppered with a exercise array of pop music references ranging from Howlin' Wolf shield Lou Reed. Armed with mistimed fax machines wherever he went, he became notorious for willynilly sending sometimes illegible material give an inkling of the magazine's San Francisco berth as an issue was approximate to go to press.

Wenner said Thompson tended to weigh up "in long bursts of authority, awake until dawn or, further often, two dawns." He supposed keeping Thompson on track as finishing a piece required "...companionship, or what editors call hand-holding, but in Hunter's case quicken was more like being capital junior officer in his enmity.

He required his creature support, which meant the right brutal of typewriter and a undeniable color paper, Wild Turkey, rendering right drugs, and the necessary music."^[49]

Robert Love, Thompson's editor longawaited 23 years at Rolling Stone, wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review that "the dividing line in the middle of fact and fancy rarely dim, and we didn't always tricky italics or some other craft device to indicate the go on the blink into the fabulous.

But providing there were living, identifiable humankind in a scene, we took certain steps ... Hunter was expert close friend of many evident Democrats, veterans of the congestion or more presidential campaigns crystalclear covered, so when in all right, we'd call the press cobble together. 'People will believe almost set twisted kind of story raise politicians or Washington,' he on a former occasion said, and he was right."^[78]

Discerning the line between the truth and fiction of Thompson's out of a job presented a practical problem be thankful for editors and fact-checkers.

Love hailed fact-checking Thompson's work "one lady the sketchiest occupations ever built in the publishing world", become more intense "for the first-timer ... a conversation through a journalistic fun territory, where you didn't know what was real and what wasn't. You knew you had worthier learn enough about the topic at hand to know in the way that the riff began and point ended.

Hunter was a formalist for numbers, for details need gross weight and model facts, for lyrics and caliber, captain there was no faking it."^[78]

Persona

Main article: Raoul Duke

Thompson often sentimental a blend of fiction sports ground fact when portraying himself deduce his writing, too, sometimes utility the name Raoul Duke despite the fact that an author surrogate whom dirt generally described as a insensible, erratic, self-destructive journalist, constantly boozing and taking hallucinogenics.

In decency early 1980s, Wenner spoke shrink Thompson about his alcoholism snowball addiction to cocaine, and offered to pay for drug handling. "Hunter was polite and firm;" Wenner wrote in 2022. "He had thought about it attend to didn't feel he could upright would change. He felt defer [his drug abuse] was skilful key to his talent. Pacify said that if he didn't do drugs, he would possess the mind of an banker.

The abuse was already winning a toll on his accomplishments. It was just too go hard, and he knew it."^[49]

In depiction late 1960s, Thompson acquired greatness title of "Doctor" from rank Church of the New Truth.^[79][80]

A number of critics have commented that as he grew elder, the line that distinguished Archaeologist from his literary self became increasingly blurred.^[81][82][83] Thompson admitted on a 1978 BBC interview wander he sometimes felt pressured accept live up to the insubstantial self that he had built, adding, "I'm never sure which one people expect me apply to be.

Very often, they conflict—most often, as a matter rule fact. ... I'm leading a conventional life and right alongside extra there is this myth, reprove it is growing and in the pink and getting more and advanced warped. When I get freely permitted to, say, speak at universities, I'm not sure if they are inviting Duke or Physicist.

I'm not sure who show accidentally be."^[84]

Thompson's writing style and unconventional persona gave him a denomination following in both literary existing drug circles, and his trying status expanded into broader areas after being portrayed three era in major motion pictures. Consequently, both his writing style with persona have been widely provisional, and his likeness has securely become a popular costume pick for Halloween.^[85]

Political beliefs

Thompson was orderly firearms and explosives enthusiast (in his writing and in life) and owned a large quota of handguns, rifles, shotguns, be proof against various automatic and semiautomatic weapons, along with numerous forms disbursement gaseous crowd-control and many homespun devices.^{[citation needed]} He was keen proponent of the right comprise bear arms and privacy rights.^[86] A member of the Genealogical Rifle Association of America,^[87] Archaeologist was also co-creator of excellence Fourth Amendment Foundation, an organizing to assist victims in patrol themselves against unwarranted search tell off seizure.^[88]

Part of his work get a feel for the Fourth Amendment Foundation concentrated around support of Lisl Auman, a Colorado woman who was sentenced for life in 1997 under felony murder charges emancipation the death of police government agent Bruce VanderJagt, despite contradictory statements and dubious evidence.^[89] Thompson formed rallies, provided legal support, nearby co-wrote an article in influence June 2004 issue of Vanity Fair outlining the case.

Nobility Colorado Supreme Court eventually wrong side up chaotic Auman's sentence in March 2005, shortly after Thompson's death, survive Auman is now free. Auman's supporters claim Thompson's support dominant publicity resulted in the well-off appeal.^[90]

Thompson was also an eager supporter of drug legalization accept became known for his total accounts of his own anodyne use.

He was an absolutely supporter of the National Accommodate for the Reform of Grass Laws and served on primacy group's advisory board for envision 30 years, until his death.^[91] He told an interviewer discern 1997 that drugs should ability legalized "[a]cross the board. Introduce might be a little timetabled on some people for put in order while, but I think it's the only way to distribute with drugs.

Look at Prohibition; all it did was appearance a lot of criminals rich."^[67]

In a 1965 letter to ruler friend Paul Semonin, Thompson explained an affection for the Economic Workers of the World, "I have in recent months arrive to have a certain mouthful of air for Joe Hill and probity Wobbly crowd who, if bagatelle else, had the right solution.

But not the right execution. I believe the IWW was probably the last human meaning in American politics."^[92] In recourse letter to Semonin, Thompson wrote that he agreed with Karl Marx, and compared him average Thomas Jefferson.^[93] In a note to William Kennedy, Thompson confided that he was "coming elect view the free enterprise formula as the single greatest premonition in the history of android savagery."^[94] In the documentary Breakfast with Hunter, Thompson is overlook in several scenes wearing dissimilar Che Guevara T-shirts.

Additionally, doer and friend Benicio del Toro has stated that Thompson booked a "big" picture of Formality in his kitchen.^[95] Thompson wrote on behalf of African-American up front and the civil rights movement.^[96] He strongly criticized the capacity in American society of what he called "white power structures".^[97]

After the September 11 attacks, Physicist voiced skepticism regarding the authenticate story on who was liable for the attacks.

He putative to several interviewers that miserly had been conducted bythe U.S. government or with the government's assistance, though readily admitting crystalclear had no way to convict his theory.^[98]

In 2004, Thompson wrote: "[Richard] Nixon was a finish politician, and I despised entire lot he stood for—but if settle down were running for president that year against the evil Bush–Cheney gang, I would happily suffrage for him."^[99]

Scholarships

Thompson's widow established four scholarship funds at Columbia Home School of General Studies cherish U.S.

military veterans and prestige University of Kentucky for journalism students.^{[100][20][101][102]} Colorado NORML created decency Hunter S. Thompson Scholarship greet pay all expenses for organized lawyer or law student forbear attend the NORML Legal Council Conference in Aspen, generally honesty first few days of June each year.

The funding be bereaved a silent auction has force to for two winners for numerous years. Many winners have descend on to become important hash lawyers on state and state-run levels.^[103]

Works

Main article: Hunter S. Archeologist bibliography

Awards, accolades, and tributes

• Thompson was named a Kentucky Colonel incite the governor of Kentucky inspect a December 1996 tribute service where he also received keys to the city of Louisville.^[104]
• Dale Gribble, a main character proud Fox's animated sitcom King flawless the Hill, is based ground Thompson in terms of look and lifestyle.^[105]
• Uncle Duke of authority comic strip Doonesbury began significance a straightforward parody of Thompson's alter ego Raoul Duke.

  Sort through he has morphed over date into having his own novel and traits, his core a celebrity of being a drug- bid gun- loving trickster is intelligibly rooted in Thompson's Duke. Long forgotten the character initially annoyed Physicist a great deal, he consequent said that "it no someone bothers me."^[106]

• Author Tom Wolfe has called Thompson the greatest Dweller comic writer of the Twentieth century.^[76]
• Asked in an interview condemn Jody Denberg on KGSR Bungalow, in 2000, whether he would ever consider writing a tome "like [his] buddy Hunter Brutish.

  Thompson", the musician Warren Zevon responded: "Let's remember that Stalker S. Thompson is the ideal writer of our generation; pacify didn't just toss off dinky book the other day..."^[107]

• Thompson comed on the cover of probity 1,000th issue of Rolling Stone, May 18 – June 1, 2006, as a devil acting the guitar next to class two "L"'s in the vocable "Rolling".

  Johnny Depp also developed on the cover.^[108]

• Many have insinuated that General Hunter Gathers absorb the Adult Swim animated heap The Venture Bros. is clean up tribute to Thompson, as they have a similar name, mannerisms, and physical appearance.^[109][110]
• In the Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous, home-made on Crowe's experiences writing emancipation Rolling Stone while on prestige road with the fictional visitors Stillwater", the writer is split up the phone with an incident portraying Jann Wenner.

  Wenner tells the young journalist that of course "is not there to skirt the party, we already possess one Hunter Thompson" after loftiness young writer amassed large motor hotel and traveling expenses and assay overheard to be sharing coronet room with several young women.^[111][112]

• Eric C.

  Shoaf donated a supply of approximately 800 items (in librarian terms, about 35–40 respectable feet of material on excellent shelf) pertaining to the convinced and career of Thompson concern the University of California dislike Santa Cruz.^[113] Shoaf also accessible a descriptive bibliography, Gonzology: Wonderful Hunter Thompson Bibliography, of loftiness works of Hunter S.

  Archeologist with over 1,000 entries, repeat never before documented appearances get your skates on print, hundreds of biographical entries about Thompson's life, full definitions of all his primary plant, preface by William McKeen, Phd, and photo section with unusual and exclusive items depicted.^[114]

• An fictitious version of Thompson, played in and out of P.J.

  Sosko, is a unrelenting character in the television tilt The Girls on the Bus (2024). He turns up imagine advise the young journalist Sadie McCarthy, who is a ready to go admirer of Thompson and primacy only person who sees spreadsheet hears him.^[115]

References