Ok, I'm weirded out. Please SOMEONE here tell me they also

[Bouncy Ball]

had no idea who Hunter Thompson was.

Someone?

Geez. Apparently an icon and I had barely heard of him.

But if it makes my fellow DUers this sad, he must have been AWESOME.

:hug:

[Not_Giving_Up]

1. I knew the name

But was only vaguely familiar with the work.

[Fenris]

2. It's okay that you don't know who he was.

But you should definitely check him out. He was indeed awesome.

:hi:

[Bluebear]

3. I missed him too

We can't touch all points of culture, but since so many of our fellow DUers are grieving, I will have to check him out on their recommendation.

[CabalPowered]

4. From an 03 article...

In truth, I could be a lot happier about the collapse of Bush and his people and his whole house of cards and everything he stands for, if it didn't also mean the certain collapse of the U.S. economy, and the vital infrastructure, and, indeed, the whole "American way of life."

It will not be anything like the collapse and Impeachment of Richard Nixon, which had little or no impact on day-to-day life in this country. Nothing really changed, except Some people went to prison, of course, but that was to be expected, considering the crimes they committed and the shameful damage they caused ... They were criminals, and the righteous American people punished them for it. Our system worked, and we were all heroes.

Ah, but that was twenty-nine (29) years ago, bubba, and many things have changed. The utter collapse of this Profoundly criminal Bush conspiracy will come none too soon for people like me, or it may already be too late. The massive plundering of the U.S. Treasury and all its resources has been almost on a scale that is criminally insane, and has literally destroyed the lives of millions of American people and American families. Exactly. You and me, sport -- we are the ones who are going to suffer, and suffer massively. This is going to be just like the Book of Revelation said it was going to be -- the end of the world as we knew it.

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/thompson/030729.html

[Bouncy Ball]

5. Whew!

It's like everyone around you freaking out over someone passing away, finding out who it is and thinking "WHO?" and "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME THAT I DIDN'T KNOW WHO THAT WAS?"

Seriously not a good feeling.

Thanks guys. I AM going to check his stuff out. I'm sad it will be after his death, though. :-(

[Elidor]

9. There are at least two sides to Thompson:

There is the entertainment aspect, best embodied in "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas," a 1972 novel later made into a movie starring Johnny Depp.

But that is just the surface Thompson. His political writing was scathing and brilliant and unbound by convention or good manners. He was also a vastly entertaining sports writer.

Here's what he looked like:


Oh, yeah, I'd almost forgotten till I read the post below–Doonesbury's Uncle Duke character was based on him. (He didn't like it one bit.)

[tavalon]

30. Now, here's a place where I can share a similar feeling

I didn't know who Kephra was until the day he died. I went back and read a lot of his stuff and felt very, very sad that I didn't know the man before he died.

Prepare to feel the same way.

[givemebackmycountry]

6. Bouncy..

Stop at your friendly local bookstore tomorrow and pick these up.

Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail 1972
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

There will be nothing left for you to learn.

Ever read Doonesbury?

You know who Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is.

He's right up your alley.

You would have loved him.

[Bouncy Ball]

7. Wait, what did he have to do with Doonesbury???

I LOVE Doonesbury!

[Crunchy Frog]

10. The Duke character is modelled after him.

[hfojvt]

32. Duke is not a very nice character

Isn't he always manipulating ways to make money by taking advantage of tragedy and personal connections.
It was kinda funny, though, we he was an aide to Jesse Ventura and he went to trash Garrison Keiler's house and ended up trashing Jesse's house instead.

[Elidor]

11. Uncle Duke was based on him

[Richard Steele]

14. The character Raphael "Uncle" Duke...

..was based on Hunter Thompson.

Not always 'loosly' based, either.

[Fenris]

15. The character of Duke was based on him.

Dr. HST:



Duke:

[last_texas_dem]

8. I've never read any of his books

I read a recent article he wrote for Rolling Stone and liked it. And Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 is among the thirty-five or so books I currently have lined-up to read, whenever I get to them! But I've never read any of his books, though I've gotten several recommendations about them.

It sucks to hear about his suicide, and I'm sorry for his family and all the DUers (and thousands of other Americans- and non-Americans for that matter) who have lost one of their favorite authors.

[LibertyorDeath]

12. Have you ever seen Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas

Staring Johnny Depp & Benicio Del Toro it's based on HST's book

[Bouncy Ball]

16. No, never saw it.

[LibertyorDeath]

27. Worth seeing think it came out in 98 or 99

http://www.gonzo.org/articles/

http://www.gonzo.org/

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=Hunter+S.+Thompson&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

[auntAgonist]

13. I had never heard of him either....

time to do some research I think.

:(

[Floogeldy]

17. Don't feel bad

Might be a generational thing.

He was the goods, baby. All the way.

[tavalon]

31. Naw, I don't think so

He was writing great stuff before Will Pitt was even born, I do believe. But in this day and age, not every icon is known by everyone.

[enigmatic]

18. He was da man.

As others have said, go out and get "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" and "Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail" tomorrow; you won't regret it..

[sandnsea]

19. Here

Will put up some of his work, in the link below. Google up some articles. You know him, you just haven't connected the name to the work. It's unmistakeable, sharp, funny, words don't do him justice. He's one of the best and definitely one of the good guys.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3150838

[Spider Jerusalem]

20. You MUST read "Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail '72".

It is the single greatest thing ever written about the American political process. A paragraph from that book is better than the entire CAREERS of most of the "respectable", "mainstream" journalists.

[enigmatic]

I agree

Best political book written in the past 40 years.

[Zomby Woof]

21. When I first read him in high school...

"Generation Of Swine" - there was no going back.

The books other DUers are recommending are indispensable, and I will add his 1992 campaign tome, "Better Than Sex" as well, just for the obituary of Nixon.

[Spider Jerusalem]

22. Oh, and here is the obituary he wrote for Richard Nixon.

HE WAS A CROOK

MEMO FROM THE NATIONAL AFFAIRS DESK

DATE: MAY 1, 1994

FROM: DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON

SUBJECT: THE DEATH OF RICHARD NIXON: NOTES ON THE PASSING OF AN AMERICAN MONSTER.... HE WAS A LIAR AND A QUITTER, AND HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN BURIED AT SEA.... BUT HE WAS, AFTER ALL, THE PRESIDENT.

"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."

---Revelation 18:2

Richard Nixon is gone now, and I am poorer for it. He was the real thing -- a political monster straight out of Grendel and a very dangerous enemy. He could shake your hand and stab you in the back at the same time. He lied to his friends and betrayed the trust of his family. Not even Gerald Ford, the unhappy ex-president who pardoned Nixon and kept him out of prison, was immune to the evil fallout. Ford, who believes strongly in Heaven and Hell, has told more than one of his celebrity golf partners that "I know I will go to hell, because
I pardoned Richard Nixon."

I have had my own bloody relationship with Nixon for many years, but I am not worried about it landing me in hell with him. I have already been there with that bastard, and I am a better person for it. Nixon had the unique ability to make his enemies seem honorable, and we developed a keen sense of fraternity. Some of my best friends have hated Nixon all their lives. My mother hates Nixon, my son hates Nixon, I hate Nixon, and this hatred has brought us together.

Nixon laughed when I told him this. "Don't worry," he said, "I, too, am a family man, and we feel the same way about you."

It was Richard Nixon who got me into politics, and now that he's gone, I feel lonely. He was a giant in his way. As long as Nixon was politically alive -- and he was, all the way to the end -- we could always be sure of finding the enemy on the Low Road. There was no need to look anywhere else for the evil bastard. He had the fighting instincts of a badger trapped by hounds. The badger will roll over on its back and emit a smell of death, which confuses the dogs and lures them in for the traditional ripping and tearing action. But it is usually the badger who does the ripping and tearing. It is a beast that
fights best on its back: rolling under the throat of the enemy and seizing it by the head with all four claws.

more

[VolcanoJen]

24. One of my absolute favorite Gonzo pieces!

I remember reading this in Rolling Stone, in the wake of the national Nixon love fest that occurred following his death.

Hunter S. Thompson told the real story, and he never, ever, ever fucking ever pulled punches.

I'm just destroyed by the news of his suicide. :-(

[zann725]

23. I'm embarrased to say I didn't either. Though reading the threads now,

he sounds amazing. I've got to read-up.

[WilliamPitt]

25. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hell's Angels

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972

The Great Shark Hunt

Generation of Swine

...in that order.

And *then* I'll tell you what to read.

[Mojambo]

26. If I hadn't worked in a bookstore for nearly 5 years

I'd be hard pressed to say I would have known of him either.

[donheld]

28. I never felt like i knew him well enough

Everytime i read his work i was blown away with his insight. We need more journalists like him. Will, Don't give up.

[tavalon]

29. Sorry, I can't do that

I wasn't planning on spending any time on DU tonight - I was going to get my Barge (that's a houseboat in Seattle lingo) cleaned up and do a load or two of laundry. Instead, I've cried, I've lifted my glass to Gonzo and I'm trying to ease my saddened heart. Maybe in an hour or two I'll pull myself away and get going on the life stuff that must be done.

Damn, Hunter, I will miss your writing. I'm so sorry that life irreparably broke your heart.

[hfojvt]

33. I barely knew the name Hunter Thompson

actually had a copy of "Fear and Loathing" in my store and was not sure it was the type of book I wanted to sell. Then I met this really cool Deadhead who had a copy that had no cover and was held together by a rubber band. She said it was a fantastic book, but I never got around to reading it, and I am not sure if I gave her my copy or what.

But as far as your reaction to Hunter's death, I had a similar reaction to hearing about Khephra. Was he someone I knew about, since I have been on DU for a while, but the name was not familiar at all. But did we cross paths, or swords, or greetings on DU. Maybe now that I have a star I can do a search and find out.

[Rhiannon12866]

34. I wasn't sure, either. Try this link

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/02/03/thompson/

[mwb970]

35. You have to be a certain age. n/t