The Doctor will see you now: Hunter S. Thompson
Written: Dec 02 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: There is only one Hunter S. Thompson, God bless him, and no one else his like.
Cons: His bizarre, stream-of-consciousness style grates with many readers.
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| kevincmurphy's Full Review: Thompson, Hunter S |
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." -- HST
A consummate Fitzgerald fan, Hunter S. Thompson, a.k.a the Great Gonzo, stands as the journalist of the drug decades. Those who consider his prose too whacked-out and self-indulgent to be of any merit should consider the times when he was writing. In an era when DEMOCRATS sicced cops on nonviolent protesters and a MAJORITY of citizens voted for Nixon not once but TWICE -- well, who in that age was thinking clearly?
Although I find the laxity with which HST's editors coddle his fundamental inability to meet a deadline somehow annoying, who can deny the man's talent? Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 is so rich with wit and insight that it puts our domesticated journalistic establishment to shame. To my mind, only Michael Lewis's Trail Fever has come close to approximating the sheer honesty of Thompson's take on modern American politics.
Moreover, the good doctor's most renowned work, Fear and Loathing: In Las Vegas, stands as the great travelogue of the 1970s (as The Grapes of Wrath was to the 1930s and On the Road was to the 1950s), a riveting chronicle of the madness inherent to the times (and to the sheer existence of a decadent gambling paradise in the midst of a scorching murderous desert.) And the Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, a collection of the young Hunter's letters, is an insightful portrait of the Gonzo as a young man.
Nowadays, when our news and political coverage comes so sanitized, test-marketed, focus-group-tested, and bland, the image of Dr. Thompson sending drunken hecklers after Edmund Muskie, enjoying a Two Minutes Hate with some Young Nixon supporters, or avoiding gargantuan bats with his attorney in the Nevada desert, is a guilty pleasure.
**Terry Gilliam, creator of Brazil and Time Bandits, directed a film version of Fear and Loathing: In Las Vegas, with Johnny Depp as the good Doctor and Benicio del Toro as his loyal attorney. It got panned by the critics, but the nexus of Gonzo, Python, Ed Wood, and Fenster was a perfect match for me. For what it's worth, I thought it was as excellent a movie as you could make out of such a weird, wild book.**
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kevincmurphy
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Member: Kevin Murphy
Location: New York,NY
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 39 members
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