Re: Hunter S. Thompson
bendy
> I can't put into words how disheartening it is to me that Thompson committed suicide.
>
> RIP
>
As someone raised by a hard-drinkin', big-game-shootin' journalist born
in the 1930's, I can tell you that the shadow of Hemingway looms large
for the alpha-males of that generation. Kerouac too. This one seemed as
predictable as Spaulding Grey, in retrospect.
Saw him speak around 1987. Showed up for the gig two hours late, sat
down with a bottle of cognac on the table in front of him. He didn't
read anything, just fielded questions. He wasn't particularly witty in
his responses. Started ranting about the apathy of the younger
generation. All and all, a pretty sad show.
Bendy
-- ch-scene: the list that mirrors alt.music.chapel-hill --
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ch-scene
David Menconi
> in the 1930's, I can tell you that the shadow of Hemingway looms large
> for the alpha-males of that generation. Kerouac too. This one seemed as
> predictable as Spaulding Grey, in retrospect.
>
> Saw him speak around 1987. Showed up for the gig two hours late, sat
> down with a bottle of cognac on the table in front of him. He didn't
> read anything, just fielded questions. He wasn't particularly witty in
> his responses. Started ranting about the apathy of the younger
> generation. All and all, a pretty sad show.
>
> Bendy
I saw him that same year (in Boulder, Colo.), & had an identical experience; except I think he was drinking whiskey rather than cognac that night. anyway, I left after about a half-hour, it was so depressing.
I had also tried to interview HST in advance of the event for the daily paper in Boulder, a bewildering experience. never actually got him on the phone, but had a series of increasingly weird conversations w/his flack (now *that* was a thankless job). first he would, then he wouldn't, then he wanted to take questions in writing & finally he asked if he could just
interview himself. my editor said no & that was that.
David Menconi/Raleigh (NC) News & Observer
919/829-4759
http://www.OffTheRecordBook.com
Bob Wall
paok
RIP
pk
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Wall <bob....@earthlink.net>
Sent: Feb 21, 2005 11:13 AM
To: ch-s...@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Hunter S. Thompson
grady
Davis, but on some level it seems like Bonnie Raitt's dad the Broadway
singing star would complete that trio as well or better.
So: Hunter Thompson, Sandra Dee, and ___________?
Or maybe it's Davis, Raitt & Dee, and Miller, Thompson & ___________.
That one makes the most sense.
If that's the case, maybe it's time for Tom Wolfe to die, especially
after all that hanging-out he's been doing with the Bushes. Yeesh.
Ross
John Iwaniszek
Here's another take: http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2005/02/hunter-s.html
Chris Calloway
> I can't put into words how disheartening it is to me
> that Thompson committed suicide.
I can't but think how unsurprising it is.
3
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search.
http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
Todd Morman
Nice one. I heartily second the recommendation of "Fear and Loathing on the
Campaign Trail '72," the most hilariously on-point political reporting I've
ever read. It's a brilliant mix of perfectly tuned observation, outrageous
exaggeration and deeply personal (if not anguished) revelation.
todd too bad more folks haven't read it morman
James Hepler
Did anyone read his somewhat more recent works?
Better than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie was
quite interesting.
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
greco...@hotmail.com
This is from Salon, via NY Post. These are the most details I have
seen so far...
I was devastated when I heard the news. He didn't seem like the kind
to needlessly check out unless he himself (and not his ashes, see
article) were fired out of a canon, soaked in Cognac with a pack of
cigs in his mouth.
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/41022.htm
Gonzo to the end: Hunter S. Thompson's last request? Thompson's friend
Warren Hinckle has told the New York Post that, shortly before the
writer walked into the kitchen of his Colorado home and fatally shot
himself, he told his son, Juan, he wanted a "great funeral -- I want my
ashes shot out of a cannon." Hinckle says Juan was visiting Thompson
with his wife and young son at the time of his father's suicide, and
that Thompson's wife was out at the gym. Hinckle says Juan told him
that his father, moments before his death, was "talking about a
funeral, great funeral. Typical Hunter ranting, nothing out of the
ordinary about that. And then he walked into the next room ... and
pow." (N.Y. Post)
Todd Morman
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E2725327,00.html
===
Tobia [Thompson's lawyer of 15 years] said his client and friend didn't leave a suicide note, only obscure directions he had issued to friends and family in recent days. "This was definitely not spur of the moment," said Tobia, who plans to fly to Colorado today. "He arranged to have things dealt with, and he wanted his family close by, but he didn't want anyone to know - he didn't want anyone to try to stop him."
Tobia said he didn't know of anything specific that led to Thompson's suicide but noted the two had discussed it in the past.
He did say that the decision had nothing to do with the re- election of George W. Bush or the current trend in national politics, which provided a certain grist for Thompson's mill. Nor did the writer have any significant financial problems. With his land, archives, royalties and other valuable, Tobia said, Thompson's estate is worth millions of dollars. The best explanation, perhaps, is that in recent months Thompson had chronic pain from back surgery and an artificial hip.
===
todd makes it easier to take doncha think morman