Hunter S. Thompson: After 9/11

[BoondockSaint]

A coward who couldn't face the modern world and took the easy way out.

 

Inexplicably some grant him hero status for killing himself.

I understand that viewpoint, but there is much more to him than what I'm assuming you know. As far as I am concerned, he was a hero to me before he died and however he did die wouldn't have changed that.

[Jim Schue]

I still haven't read "Kingdom of Fear", have you by any chance?

 

Yeah, I've got it. It's just like the other compilations of his letters.

[HHSDad]

Maybe he was a coward. I don't know. I do know that he never in a million years figured he'd live as long as he did, given his extreme abuse of drugs and alcohol, and that because of that abuse, it left him with a number of medical difficulties that apparently became too much to bear.

I wouldn't say that he was a coward. Many creative people suffer from disorders like depression, bipolar, ADD, etc. and many of them self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. I think that combined with the dark nature of Thompson's writings has had him in a continuous death-spin that was fated to end in suicide. I'm not sure if he would have been the writer he was if he had been "cured" or "normal".

[Habib]

I've never read any of his stuff, but I might put something of his on my next Amazon purchase.

[rockmom]

I wouldn't say that he was a coward. Many creative people suffer from disorders like depression, bipolar, ADD, etc. and many of them self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. I think that combined with the dark nature of Thompson's writings has had him in a continuous death-spin that was fated to end in suicide. I'm not sure if he would have been the writer he was if he had been "cured" or "normal".

 

:thumb: Well said!

[ram2003]

I like HST, but he loses cool points for having gone to Male.

[Getslow]

I wouldn't say that he was a coward. Many creative people suffer from disorders like depression, bipolar, ADD, etc. and many of them self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. I think that combined with the dark nature of Thompson's writings has had him in a continuous death-spin that was fated to end in suicide. I'm not sure if he would have been the writer he was if he had been "cured" or "normal".

 

One morning Ernest Hemingway took his own life using a .303 Mannlicher rifle (an elephant gun so long that he took off his shoes and pulled the dual triggers with his toes). He'd said for years that when he couldn't write anymore, he was no use to anyone. It's now believed that Hemingway's family carried a genetic trait that causes depression (his father, brother, sister and granddaughter also committed suicide). The point is that there's no knowing what was going on in someone's head. I've always thought that there were a lot of similarities between Hemingway and Thompson, both stylistically and otherwise. There's part of me that thinks they both chose to end their time in this world for that same reason.

[Jim Schue]

One morning Ernest Hemingway took his own life using a .303 Mannlicher rifle (an elephant gun so long that he took off his shoes and pulled the dual triggers with his toes). He'd said for years that when he couldn't write anymore, he was no use to anyone. It's now believed that Hemingway's family carried a genetic trait that causes depression (his father, brother, sister and granddaughter also committed suicide). The point is that there's no knowing what was going on in someone's head. I've always thought that there were a lot of similarities between Hemingway and Thompson, both stylistically and otherwise. There's part of me that thinks they both chose to end their time in this world for that same reason.

 

Thompson revered Papa a great deal, and wrote about him on several occasions. In hindsight, the way HST wrote about the way Papa killed himself, I probably should've seen his suicide coming. I may have, and that may be why I wasn't too surprised when HST bit the bullet (no pun intended).

[The Professor]

What exactly is "Gonzo Journalism"?

[BoondockSaint]

What exactly is "Gonzo Journalism"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzo_journalism

[Jim Schue]

Two years ago today, one of our finest American writers felt he no longer had anything to give this world, and took his life. There will never be another like him; and I doubt the world could handle another like him.

 

I'm tipping this whisky tonight for you, HST! :thumb:

[02Ram54]

The greatest article I ever read on the Kentucky Derby was his. I don't have time to read through it and make sure it's safe for BGP consumption, but if you google it and read it, it's worth the trip- just don't expect it to have too much to do with the Kentucky Derby...

[Jim Schue]

The greatest article I ever read on the Kentucky Derby was his. I don't have time to read through it and make sure it's safe for BGP consumption, but if you google it and read it, it's worth the trip- just don't expect it to have too much to do with the Kentucky Derby...

 

It's titled "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent And Depraved," and with HST's penchant for expletives, it can't be posted here. But it is indeed outstanding. Also a must-see are the accompanying drawings by Ralph Steadman.

[Habib]

My Amazon order arrived yesterday which included "Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail '72." Couldn't sleep last night and, although I'm reading a couple of other books, decided to thumb through this one. Ended up mowing down about 100 pages at 4 AM.

[BoondockSaint]

My Amazon order arrived yesterday which included "Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail '72." Couldn't sleep last night and, although I'm reading a couple of other books, decided to thumb through this one. Ended up mowing down about 100 pages at 4 AM.

He is truly a writer that make you want to keep on reading, no matter what he's talking about. What do you think about it so far?