Son of a bitch.
If your only exposure to Hunter Thompson has been Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, go immediately to your nearest bookstore or library and read this:
Thompson stalks the 1972 election, from early primary battles (including the battle to get his Rolling Stone press credentials acknowledged), to blistering McGovern/Nixon commentary, culminating in a complete break down, rambling fragments, and the horrible realization that Nixon was going to be in office for another four years - all with increasingly black illustrations by Ralph Steadman. Alas, it was all downhill from here, but when you've reached such an impressive high that's not such a bad thing. When you're done with that, pick up the first volume of his collected writings, Gonzo Papers Vol. 1: The Great Shark Hunt:
To see Hunter in action, get your hands on the glorious Criterion Collection edition of Terry Gilliam's adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:
Hunter contributes a drunken, rambling commentary track on the film itself, but the real gems are on the bonus disc, particularly a mid-70s BBC documentary following HST and Ralph Steadman from Woody Creek to Los Angeles, passing through Vegas (natch) along the way. If you're a fan of the film, the Criterion release is well worth the extra scratch; if you haven't seen it, but are interested in HST, rent this version and make sure you spend some time with the extras.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the nearest shooting range and fire some very large caliber handguns.
FnordChan
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