Gonzo
The Life of Hunter S. Thompson
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4.7 • 53 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Few American lives are stranger, more action-packed, or wilder than that of Hunter S. Thompson. Born a rebel in Louisville, Kentucky, Thompson spent a lifetime channeling his energy and insight into such landmark works as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - and his singular and provocative style challenged and revolutionized writing.
Now, for the first time ever, Jann Wenner and Corey Seymour have interviewed the Good Doctor's friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues and woven their memories into a brilliant oral biography. From Hell's Angels leader Sonny Barger to Ralph Steadman to Jack Nicholson to Jimmy Buffett to Pat Buchanan to Marilyn Manson and Thompson's two wives, son, and longtime personal assistant, more than 100 members of Thompson's inner circle bring into vivid focus the life of a man who was even more complicated, tormented, and talented than any previous portrait has shown. It's all here in its uncensored glory: the creative frenzies, the love affairs, the drugs and booze and guns and explosives and, ultimately, the tragic suicide. As Thompson was fond of saying, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Uproarious and unpredictable, this oral biography is a fitting look at the turbulent life of Gonzo journalism pioneer Hunter S. Thompson (1937 "2005), a life surrounded by many but understood by few: always pushing, Thompson created a kind of inner circle of people who stood the test. That circle is well represented among the volume's many voices, including ex-wife Sandy Thompson and their son, Juan; longtime collaborator Ralph Steadman; actors Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson; and old friends Porter Bibb and Ed Bastian. The storytellers provide a great number of angles, bringing forth insight that goes well beyond Thompson's famous love for alcohol and drugs "though they don't neglect the intoxicants, nor the eccentric writer's most obvious quirks (such as his indiscriminate verbal outbursts: he was always yelling at himself, like 'AAHHH!!! CAZART!!!' ). A rich, rollicking vision of Thompson that highlights his outlandish personality and passion for language ( He started typing out Fitzgerald and Hemingway books word for word he said, 'I just like to get the feel of how it is to write those words.' ), Wenner and Seymour's work also encompasses the unlikely transition of Gonzo from radical, reactionary style du jour to culture-defining literature: Only a handful of writers in a generation can pull that off, and Hunter transcended his competition. This fine, fond biography amuses, inspires, outrages and haunts at all the right moments "and sometimes all at once.
Customer Reviews
Comprehensive, satisfying
As a huge fan of Thompson’s, learned much. Funny, informative and finally sorta sad. Proves that always having fun takes a lot out of you. Finding that lots of my heroes as a young man sometimes weren’t very nice people a lot of the time….
Epic
There is no author whose words have touched my life like Hunter S. Thompson's. If you call yourself a Gonzo fan, this is a must-read. Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die.
It’s complicated…
I don’t know how to feel about this book. It’s complicated. On the one hand, it was an interesting and compelling read. On the other hand, I found it sad and depressing. Clearly the man had unique talent and was an iconic writer, personality and creative force. But wow, what a dichotomy in terms of a human being: at times kind, generous, hilarious and loving, but also routinely mean, tortured, selfish, and manipulative. Not to mention the decades of raging drug/alcohol abuse. It’s hard to not come away feeling that HST needed serious help early on in life, and that his resulting GONZO persona, lifestyle and excesses were really just ways to cope rather than as political statements on unbridled individual freedom (that led to decline and death at age 67). I will always wonder what a sober, healthy Hunter might have produced later in life — perhaps a different kind of masterpiece. In the end, his ex-wife said it: Hunter’s life was tragic.