He is Dr. (the doctor was as mythical as he was) Hunter S. Thompson. An American writer of magnificent proportion.
I have just watched a documentary film about him, titled "Gonzo: the Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson".
I highly recommend it.
It tells the story, not only of a self-created man but of the times in America during the '60's and 70's.
Thompson, to those who do not know, was an abuser of alcohol, drugs and life. But he was an excellent writer, much of the time. His best book (in my opinion, though not of others) was "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72", a chronicle of the American presidential campaign in 1972, during which Thompson almost single-handedly ruined the presidential hopes of Edward Muskie, spent an hour and a half in the back seat of a limousine with Richard Nixon, and lost his hope at the presidential defeat of George McGovern.
I believe in today's society, he would be known as a bi-polar individual. He could be funny and lovable and he could be mean and vicious. But all in all, ever and ever, he was "Hunter".
Get the movie. Watch it. Let me know of your opinion.
To those of you who don't know, Thompson ended his life in 2005 with a gunshot to the head in his kitchen.
Did I read where his remains or some of them were sent into space. I should say ashes.
ReplyDeleteWas it so terrible to live? Why??
ReplyDeleteSteve - There was a ceremony where his ashes were exploded into a nighttime sky but they were designed to drift down over the land he owned near his home in Colorado.
ReplyDeleteKeats - Hunter had lost his ability to write as he once had, was in perpetual pain from back surgery and apparently just decided it was time to leave.
He had a pair, to make a decision like that. Thanks for the clarification.
ReplyDeleteSteve in Germany
I never appreciated him until I was older and drove to Vegas. There is something about that town that made me appreciate the man and the myth.
ReplyDeleteIt's not easy to "fade away."
Mike - Apparently Hunter had been talking about suicide all his life so it didn't really surprise anyone.
ReplyDeleteHoly Moly Cat! WTH?? first your dark post about dying, now this? I am treading water here...
ReplyDeleteadded to netflix. :)
ReplyDeleteMeggie - If you're still treading, you don't have to worry!
ReplyDeleteTombo - Think you may enjoy it.
Happened to read some of his writings, remarkable. Wish he didn't have to choose the Hemmingway way in the end!
ReplyDeleteAnil - I think it's regrettable that Hemingway went that way, too.
ReplyDelete