Wants to Be a Hunter Again
The legacy of famed writer Hunter Due south. Thompson is accompanied by bizarre tales, profound quirks — and some of the greatest literary material in history. Although he was a trailblazer, Thompson is remembered for much more than his revolutionary approach to journalism.
Other journalists remarked on the "gonzo" life he led, from his strange pets to his chaotic relationships to his fascinating ascension into his field-altering career. The phrase "gonzo journalism" was coined to describe his unique style of reporting. Check out these other intriguing facts nigh the "Godfather of Gonzo Journalism," Hunter S. Thompson.
He Copied Famous Novels…Literally
Hunter S. Thompson has gone down in history as a literary genius for expert reason. He learned how to write by emulating the greats. How did he pull this off? He literally copied downwardly the works of his favorite writers to learn how to properly craft a volume.
His main focus was F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Peachy Gatsby. "He used to blazon out pages from The Great Gatsby, simply to get the feeling…of what it was like to write that style," Louis Menand told The New Yorker. This might sound excessive, but this patient exercise led him to write more than 30 generation-defining novels.
He Was in Jail During His High School Graduation
Enough of people blow off their high school graduation ceremonies, yet Thompson didn't nourish the result for a unique reason: He was in jail. During his senior yr, he was found guilty of being an accessory to robbery and sentenced to two months in jail, which conflicted with the engagement of his high schoolhouse graduation.
"Hunter had a tape, and he was already on probation," ane of his friends from babyhood, Neville Blakemore, shared with Rolling Stone. "He was given an ultimatum, jail or the military, and Hunter took the Air Strength. He didn't graduate with his class."
He Was an Extremely Inventive Child
Earlier he was ane of the great writers of the 20th century, Thompson was an inventor! Okay, the title may be a stretch, but he certainly had some inventive concepts rattling effectually in his head equally a kid. 1 even led him to produce a unique mode of transportation.
Take you considered turning a washing machine into a vehicle? When Thompson was only 15 years old, he tore apart a washing car and reassembled its engine to produce an electric-powered go-kart. While the invention was never widely produced, it was one of the first displays of his brilliant mind.
He Almost Drowned in a Riptide
Throughout his journalistic career, Thompson was frequently called to report on political events. When he was on assignment in Miami for the Democratic National Convention in 1972, he had downtime ane evening and decided to take a break from his work and enjoy a swim.
Unfortunately, he picked a bad day to dive into the ocean. Thompson got defenseless in a dangerous riptide that carried him out to ocean. He managed to stay adrift all night and washed upward exhausted on the beach the next morning.
He Had His Ashes Shot from a Cannon
When Thompson tragically took his own life in February of 2005, he left behind explicit instructions about how to brand his funeral pop — specifically in terms of handling his ashes. Rather than sticking them in an urn on a mantel, Thompson had an anarchistic request well-nigh what to do with his remains.
Post-obit his funeral — with some help from Johnny Depp — Thompson's ashes were shot out of a cannon, alongside a plethora of stunning fireworks. Witnesses of the display included Depp, Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn and some of the writer's other famous friends. His widow told ESPN, "He loved explosions."
He Spent Millions on Illegal Substances
According to those shut to Thompson, the writer's life and career was plagued by drug addiction. He was a connoisseur of illegal substances and often wrote multi-million dollar checks to encompass his bills for substances that helped him stay awake to write.
His assistant told The Medium, "Drugs were most like a ritual. I was like, 'yep, main?' and he would deed like, 'Here is the drug; do it for me.' Everything was louder, faster, funnier, totally grandiose…The days would commonly last about 36 hours — coking and smoking and drinking and rolling joints the whole time."
He Stole from Ernest Hemingway
In 1964, Thompson was called for an consignment by the National Observer to visit the tardily Ernest Hemingway'south home. While writing the slice "What Lured Hemingway to Ketchum?", Thompson apparently became overenthusiastic virtually being in the home of a literary great — and then he stole the antlers to a higher place Hemingway'southward front door!
His widow, Anita, shared with The Aspen Times that Hunter "afterward regretted this," and they "planned to take a road trip dorsum to Ketchum and quietly return them, just we never did." Fortunately, Anita was able to later reconnect with Hemingway's family unit and return the antlers to them with no hard feelings.
He Scored an Unusual Interview with Keith Richards
Back in 1993, Rolling Stones member Keith Richards was slated for an interview with ABC. However, he had a meltdown presently before the interview and demanded more coin for his appearance. No one could get him to exit his dressing room, so ABC turned to Thompson for assistance.
How did Thompson draw Richards out of seclusion? He played the audio of a pig being slaughtered (through a megaphone, of course) until Richards was too annoyed to remain shut in the room with the dissonance. When he opened the dressing room door, Thompson immediately began to interview the irritated band member.
He Ran for Sheriff in Colorado
Thompson is known for his exceptional writing career, but practise you know well-nigh his political career? Back in 1970, he took information technology upon himself to run for the position of sheriff in Pitkin Canton, Colorado. Running on the "Freak Power" ticket, he used satire (obviously) to depict attending to the problems with local politics.
He told Rolling Stone, "Why not challenge the institution with a candidate they've never heard of?…Why not run an honest freak and plow him loose…to show up all the normal candidates for the worthless losers they are and always have been?"
He Became a Mail-Order Dr.
Despite never participating in a doctoral program, Hunter Thompson boldly assumed the title of Dr. Thompson back in 1974. What inspired this new proper noun? He supposedly ordered a doctorate in divinity through the mail, making him insist he was qualified to merits the title.
In an interview with Playboy, interviewers asked Thompson, "You're not a existent minister, are yous?" Thompson replied, "What? Of grade, I am. I'm an ordained Dr. of Divinity in the Church building of the New Truth. 50 have a whorl with a big gold seal on it hanging on my wall at home."
He Was All-time Buds with Johnny Depp
Thompson and Depp had a close working relationship, and they quickly became besties. Depp starred in several films based on Thompson's books, including his leading office in the movie version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The two kept in shut correspondence between filming and developed a lasting friendship.
They often hung out at Thompson's subcontract, discussing art, music, literature and life. They besides wrote one another messages over the years. "Any his intake was, was his intake…if you were prepared to get that extra mile, he would stop y'all only to make sure," Depp told Far Out Magazine.
He Was a Major Civil Rights Activist
Although he gained traction in the morally questionable world of journalism, his centre was rooted in ceremonious rights activism. He frequently used his position of ability to phone call out injustices that he saw within the infrastructure of the authorities, lodge and the economy.
"This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves…that we are really only a nation of 330 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to purchase guns and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable," Thompson once shared.
He Owned a Zoo of Pets
Thompson was an avid animal enthusiast. He didn't stick with adopting a cat, canis familiaris or goldfish when it came to picking his firm pets. Throughout his globetrotting career, he caused a menagerie of creatures that most people could just see if they went to the zoo.
What were his pets exactly? He had a pride of (extremely noisy) peacocks who occupied the trees in his yard, a pair of massive Dobermans and a monkey. The monkey as well happened to be an alcoholic who loved to guzzle liquor. As a result, he tragically passed away (with dramatic flair) later falling off Thompson's balcony. Sunset Boulevard, everyone?
He Pulled a Terrifying Prank on Jack Nicholson
All of Thompson's friends knew he had a dark sense of humour. His twisted jokes oftentimes came at the expense of the peace of listen of his pals, including Jack Nicholson. On Nicholson's birthday, Thompson drove to his dwelling, fired a gun and played horrific animal noises at full blast.
Unfortunately, Nicholson didn't know Thompson was behind the noise, and he was worried about his condom. Fearing the worst, he locked his family in his basement and called the F.B.I. It wasn't until he plant an elk heart on his front end porch that he realized Thompson was behind the debacle.
He Had Dogs Who Persistently Dug for Buried Treasure
Thompson preferred to deal with his surplus of greenbacks the quondam fashioned style — by burying it in the ground. On his farm in Aspen, Colorado, he packed gold Krugerrand coins into ammunition canisters and buried them throughout his yard, determined to continue his pension fund safe from prying hands.
The problem with this method? His Dobermans. No thing where Thompson cached the canisters, his duo of strong canines dug up every bit of the treasure. He was and then irritated with their behavior that he taped boxing gloves to the dogs' forepart paws to prevent them from digging.
He Caused a Major Explosion
What does a bored genius practice in his spare time? Produce explosions, of form. Once, Thompson and his pals were waiting on a friend who was running late to hang out with them. Suddenly, they got the brilliant idea to make full a tractor tire with flammable gas for fun. Unfortunately, the programme (literally) blew up in their faces.
His friend Michael Cleverly shared that he "saw a massive orangish glow in the sky. Then the concussion hit him…Back at Owl Farm, everyone was flat on their backs. The just one who counted the broken windows was the guy who fixed them."
He Lived with the Hell's Angels Biker Gang
If there was i matter that Thompson took seriously, it was volume research. When he began to prepare for writing Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, Thompson saw only one reasonable route to becoming informed most the gang — joining them.
In an interview with Studs Terkel, Thompson shared that he spent a yr with the Oakland Hell'south Angels. Afterwards, he noted, "The Angels…claim that they don't look for problem. They only try to live peaceful lives…but…they become out and put themselves into situations deliberately and constantly that…cause them to avoid humiliation by fighting."
He Was Stranded in Saigon
Although Thompson contributed a plethora of pieces to Rolling Stone early in his career, the magazine and the author had a falling out in 1976. What was the root of their feud? The magazine left him stranded in war-torn South Vietnam. Y'all read that correct — they hung him out to dry in Saigon.
Thompson willingly traveled to Southward Vietnam to report on the fall of Saigon. However, one time he touched down, he got the upsetting news that his story had been pulled by publisher Jann Wenner. A furious Thompson was stranded and left to return to the States on his own, with no international healthcare or fiscal support.
He Almost Killed Bill Murray
In improver to Johnny Depp, ane of Thompson's other best buddies was Pecker Murray. They bonded over the fact that they both had childish spirits and loved to pull pranks. The two celebrities got themselves into problem with their jokes at times, and it virtually price Murray his life in the 1980s.
One afternoon, Thompson and Murray got drunk, and Thompson decided to duct record Murray to a chair and drop him into a swimming puddle. The intention was for Murray to escape like Houdini, but the untrained thespian was obviously unable to escape the restraints. Fortunately, Thompson rescued Murray before he really drowned.
He Almost Blew Upwardly Johnny Depp with Dynamite
From exploding a tire to virtually drowning an histrion, Thompson doesn't accept the greatest track record for safety. The writer ofttimes treated the macabre and traumatic as completely normal, finding danger to be interesting rather than upsetting. While living with Thompson, Johnny Depp nearly lost his life to the writer'due south recklessness.
One day, Depp was seated in Thompson'southward basement, lighting a cigarette, when he realized he was sitting next to a batch of dynamite. Fortunately, none of the sticks defenseless fire, nonetheless Thompson hadn't warned him that explosives were sitting under his luxurious domicile, which was strange to say the least.
He Founded a Journalistic Movement
For all Thompson's journalistic accomplishments, one of the most pregnant was his formation of a new fashion of writing dubbed "gonzo journalism." Through his witty, satirical, self-centric reporting, Thompson brought the new grade of critique to life. What exactly does gonzo journalism entail?
Information technology practices pulling the kickoff-person P.O.V. into subjective journalistic pieces, resulting in an opinion-based critique of society or the cocky. Thompson executed this manner in almost everything he wrote. Although many writers since then take attempted to emulate his style, they have all fallen short of the "Godfather of Gonzo Journalism."
He Invented a Bizarre New Sport
It'south no cloak-and-dagger that Thompson — a lifelong member of the NRA — was a firearms enthusiast. Near the end of his career, he decided to brew his love of firearms with his proficient sports reporting. He concluded up detailing the design for a new game for ESPN's magazine: shotgun golf.
"The purpose of the game is to shoot your opponent's loftier-flying golf ball out of the air with a finely-tuned 12-approximate shotgun, thus preventing him (your opponent) from…making a 'hole in one.' Points are scored by blasting your opponent's shiny new Titleist out of the air and causing his shot to neglect miserably."
He Clashed with His Neighbors — Intensely
If you lot recollect you lot have had some bad neighbors, endeavor living side by side door to someone like Hunter S. Thompson. After moving onto his subcontract, he made several requests of the local council, including paving the dirt roads so his dwelling wouldn't get dirty. When they refused, he sought revenge on those who resisted his envisioned changes, including his neighbors.
His squabbles with his fellow homeowners oft resulted in intense displays of backlash, including (merely not express to) importing Bengal tigers to scare away trespassers and starting an bogus trout farm in their nearby creek. He even unleashed gunfire near his neighbor's mansion, and he was (obviously) completely unapologetic when caught.
He Skipped the Fight of the Century to Pygmy Hunt
In 1974, Rolling Rock mag paid for him to travel to Zaire to report on the legendary fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. When he arrived, he promptly gave abroad his pricey tickets and ready off into the forest to search for pygmies, Nazis and ivory.
While he didn't find any Nazi or pygmies, he did successfully purchase ivory from locals, pretending to be George Foreman's doctor during the exchange. He afterward returned to his hotel and spent the night drinking. He awoke the next morning with no clue who had won the fight.
He Saved Rolling Stone Magazine
While information technology'due south difficult to imagine the publishing world without Rolling Stone, there was a indicate when the publication nigh went under. During the early 1970s, the arroyo of the magazine began to wane in popularity, causing its sales to suffer. Fortunately, they came across the witty, widely-loved writing of Thompson just in time to save their skin.
"A year after signing on, [Thompson] produced the articles that became Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972), a tour de strength of pop faction…Information technology sold many copies of Rolling Stone, and it gave Thompson…a permanent running headline," The New Republic shared.
He Wasn't Nixon's Biggest Fan
Of all the critics of Nixon'south presidency, Thompson may take been at the pinnacle of the listing. He often jabbed at the president's ability to lead the country using vulgar and hyper-critical statements. His outspoken hatred was so roughshod that Nixon banned Thompson from visiting the White Business firm.
Afterwards his death, Thompson composed a scathing eulogy for Nixon in Rolling Stone, calling him "a political monster straight out of Grendel" and sharing, "My female parent hates Nixon, my son hates Nixon, I hate Nixon and this hatred has brought united states together."
He About Killed His Assistant
When a black bear began to impose on his farmland, Thompson attempted to drive the creature abroad past firing his shotgun at the animal. Unfortunately, i of his shots accidentally hit his assistant, Deborah Fuller. Of the incident, Thompson shared: "It embarrassed me, and it ruined my rubber record."
Fortunately, in that location were no difficult feelings betwixt Thompson and Fuller. Their local sheriff, Bob Braudis, shared, "Deborah's mood was stoic. She was smiling and withal had her ironic sense of humor. 'Hunter has threatened to shoot me dozens of times, and now the son-of-a-b***h has!'"
He Landed His Start Writing Gig in the Armed services
In his youth, in order to avoid jail time for robbery, Thompson joined the United States Air Forcefulness. Although he pursued an interest in studying electronics during his enlistment, he ultimately turned his attention to a career in writing at Eglin Air Force Base, where he worked equally a sports journalist for The Command Courier.
In order to score the position, he lied about his prior experience on his application. Fortunately, they took a chance on Thompson, and his journalistic career began. He was later honorably discharged, with his commanding officer sharing, "This airman, although talented, will non be guided by policy."
He Is Named After Scotland'southward Most Famous Surgeon
While Hunter South. Thompson may be the most famous member of his family, he wasn't necessarily the almost accomplished. He was named after an antecedent on his mother'due south side, Nigel John Hunter, who was a renowned surgeon in Scotland. In fact, he was somewhat of a medical rock star.
In a biography chosen The Reluctant Surgeon, a Biography of Nigel John Hunter, Hunter was described equally "the near of import naturalist betwixt Aristotle and Darwin, the Shakespeare of medicine and the greatest man the British e'er produced…He prescribed the orthopedic shoe that immune Lord Byron to walk."
He Has a Son Who Dabbles in Writing
He may not accept quite every bit prolific a career as his father, but Thompson'southward son, Juan Fitzgerald Thompson, has besides tried his mitt at writing. Back in 2016, he published a book showcasing the personality, values, hilarity and career of his begetter entitled Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson.
Juan wrote the book in response to what he felt the media was failing to explore nigh his father beyond his gonzo journalism. "I felt this compulsion to point out that at that place was this other dimension to him, every bit a person and equally a writer," he told The Guardian.
Source: https://www.reference.com/history/hunter-thompson-facts-godfather-gonzo-journalism?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740005%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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