Hunter S Thompson recently hit the news again since it came to light that his friend Johnny Depp spent a whopping 3 million dollars on his funeral (not a conventional funeral as you could expect from Hunter, his ashes were fired out of a giant fist/cannon along with a huge firework display).
Quite a few years since Hunter’s death (a gun to the head) so, we thought we would show you some of his greatest works. We love them and we hope you will too!
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail
The book is a collection of articles he wrote whilst the 1972 presidential campaign was going on. It’s an excellent book that focuses on the background of American Politics.
The Nixon and the Watergate affair was just one of the huge topics raised in this insane collection. It’s all from Thompson’s own view, which you may only enjoy if you agree with him, he’s not very subtle about his feelings towards the opposing lot. That being said, any open minded soul will understand and enjoy his views. A fascinating report of 70’s politics.
Rolling Stones articles, collection
Hunter worked for Rolling Stones magazine for many years, it was what made him a household name. If you were lucky enough to have read these at the time when they were published, we’re insanely jealous.
39 articles, some never ever seen. They’re mainly political but he also speaks about music, sport and Palm Beach.
All equally brilliant, eccentric reads.
The Rum Diary
Written in the start of the 60’s though it wasn’t published until 1998, when Johnny Depp found it when he was researching his role as Hunter in the film for Fear and loathing in Las Vegas.
The book is set in the 1950’s, in Puerto Rico. Overall it is a story of a jealous affair mixed with drugs, ink and a lot of rum. A less crazed novel compared to his most well-known ones. But pretty insane none the less.
Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
This book personifies Hunter as the rock and roll writer he is now famously known as. This isn’t a regular book. This was lived by Thompson. Many of his works were written in Gonzo style, he’s famously called ‘the father of gonzo journalism’ meaning it’s written in an objective, journalistic style, though it’s said to be fiction and over exaggerated this has been argued about Hunter as he was known for living a bizarre life. In his other books people have speculated if it’s actually autobiographical just with changed names.
This book was Hunter’s only book that he has called non-fiction.
Hunter lived with The Hells Angels for over a year, the book is the story of that year. This tells of the origins of the Hell’s Angels and the truth behind the myths.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
This is the book that is said to have made Hunter.
A ‘gonzo’ tale of two men: a doctor of journalism and his neurotic attorney who constantly advises him to do insane things such as inhale Ether, take cocaine at a D A convention about marijuana addicts and throw a tape player in the bath tub he is sitting in when the Jefferson Airplane song ‘White Rabbit’ peaks, killing him (gonzo throws a grapefruit at his head instead).
The book and the movie is really just one big trip. There’s hallucinated giant lizards and eels, wrecked hotel rooms and lots of drink and drugs. Overall it’s a book that shouldn’t make sense but somehow does? A drug fuelled masterpiece.
Well, it goes without saying that Hunter, you were too weird to live, too rare to die.
We will always applaud you.
