Following the monumental success of his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson surpassed even the most generous hopes of what a journalist could become. Hunter was a celebrity. The rock star of journalism, he was constantly surrounded by sympathizers and acolytes. Even other celebrities were drawn to the wild character Hunter S. Thompson had become. His look and mannerisms were so distinct that cartoonist Garry Trudeau even created a Thompson-esque character named “Uncle Duke” (assumedly taken from the Roaul Duke persona of Fear and Loathing) for
his comic strip Doonesbury. Rumors of the crazy gun toting, bomb making, drug-fueled master of Owl Farm were legendary in most social circles and people traveled from across the globe to be a part of the weirdness.

    Hunter continued to fight for his political beliefs, this time, by following politicians and using his acquired fame to sway voters in his favor. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 depicted a monster in the form of Richard Nixon, a man that Hunter had developed a deep hatred for, and painted Nixon’s opponent, George McGovern, as the answer our country needed. It has been suggested that Hunter’s support of McGovern may have won the Senator his party’s nomination for presidency. However, after McGovern’s defeat, Hunter turned his attention to newcomer Jimmy Carter who had won Hunter’s support at a lawyer’s conference where Carter boldly stated his disdain for the problems in the country he blamed on lawyers and lawmakers. While traveling with Carter, Hunter’s fame was so widespread that he often signed more autographs then Carter himself.

    After finishing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I picked up a few of his other books and watched every piece of footage I could get my hands on. I too became enthralled with the idea of “The American Dream”. I had never felt that the true spirit of freedom this country stands for was correctly portrayed and presented to my generation. The textbooks at school were laden with speeches and documents written by men who undoubtedly believed that we had a dream in this country and that dream was the accumulation of wealth and success through hard work and perseverance. Hunter believed that that dream was dead or dying at best. And I began to believe it too.

    Although Hunter was becoming more of an icon every day, his personal relationships began to slowly burn after years of his crazy antics. His relationship with Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner was rapidly deteriorating due to Hunter’s failure to meet deadlines, and Jann’s failure to fulfill promises of expenses to be covered in the field. His relationship with his wife Sandi was a continuing struggle throughout the mid to late seventies and by 1980, they would be divorced. Although Sandi maintains that she always loved Hunter, his lifestyle of abundant drug and alcohol consumption made him increasingly irritable and he was often out of control. Even his good friend Ralph Steadman found it difficult to deal with Hunter on a regular basis. They had traveled together to Africa in ’74 to cover the Ali-Foreman fight, dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle”, but never actually made it to the fight as Hunter decided instead to smoke a bag of grass, grab his whiskey, and go swimming in the hotel pool.

    The one person who perhaps felt the most detached from Hunter was his only son, Juan. In interviews, Juan speaks of his father with great admiration and respect, but it is also in a way you might speak about a teacher or close friend. It is clear through Juan’s recollections, that Hunter was never really there as a father in the way most would want. Juan always had a natural fondness for his father but understood that his lifestyle made it difficult to establish a very deep relationship.

    Despite his vices and increasing tension between his family and friends, Hunter continued to enjoy success throughout the coming years, albeit a very different type of success. Hunter’s trip to Hawaii to cover a marathon for Running Magazine became an epic journey as Hawaii became his temporary home while he began working on what is now known as The Curse of Lono. The book, while not remembered as one of his best, is filled with wild tales of everything from setting off homemade bombs on the porches of the locals, to secluding himself in the sacred huts of the City of Refuge with nothing but a typewriter, a bottle of whiskey, and some ice.

    The inventor of Gonzo journalism continued to have his work published in magazines and books while the impact of his writings hit the next major frontier: Hollywood. With the beginning of the new decade, Hunter’s work finally made the jump from the page to the screen. Where the Buffalo Roam was released in 1980 and starred Bill Murray as Hunter S. Thompson as we follow him and his attorney Carl Lazlo on a series of misadventures, most of which were somewhat based on Hunter’s real-life experience. However, it wasn’t until Terry Gilliam picked up the pieces of what was left of a project started many years and a few directors before him, and pulled together a marvelous cast and crew to give Hunter’s most famous novel the movie it deserved. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas opened in 1998 and starred Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro. The movie brought Hunter’s work to a whole new generation and the book itself saw a much-deserved increase in sales. Hunter’s legacy was secured.

    Hunter remarried eventually to his long-time assistant, Anita, and told her when they married that she would be lucky if she got ten years of life with him. Hunter never had it in him to become old. His exit strategy was simple; his passion for guns was so great that he probably grew to love the instrument of his eventual demise long before he ever used it. He was always upfront about his feelings, as is noted in the documentary Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood, which can be found in the special features of the Criterion Collection edition of Fear and Loathing. In the footage, we see Hunter and Ralph Steadman hounding the poor attendant of a Hollywood funeral home, with their extravagant designs for Hunter’s eventual burial site. His wish is that an enormous pillar be constructed near his home, adorned with his symbol for Gonzo, a fist with two thumbs clutching a peyote badge. From this tower we are told that he wishes to have his ashes shot from the top of this massive cannon, so that he may sprinkle down over the land he loved so much. The shop owner is skeptical that it can be accomplished. Skepticism, however, never stopped the likes of Hunter S. Thompson.

    At around two a clock in the morning on February 20 2005, I was showing my little brother the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, as I was surprised he had not seen it thus far. He enjoyed watching it but soon fell asleep, much as I was unable to finish the film my first time. I continued to watch it and fondly looked upon Hunter himself during his brief cameo in the film. Little did I know that at around that very same moment Hunter was taking his last breath and was about to pull the trigger. At eight thirty in the morning, I was woken by the sound of my phone ringing; my girlfriend was calling. I answered and her tone was somber. She informed me that the legendary writer Hunter S. Thompson had killed himself earlier that morning. I was shaken as the weight of the news sunk in and I like so many of his fans and friends mourned his passing.

    Hunter had taken his life sitting in his kitchen at his home at Owl Farm. His son and his family were visiting from out of town at the time; he wanted the family to be there in the end. They recall hearing the gunshot, but initially mistook the sound for a large book falling. His son Juan was the first to find him and after discovering his body, he grabbed his father’s gun, went outside, and fired three shots into the air. A typewriter was found in front of the body, paper loaded, it was dated two dates ahead and was blank save for the word “counselor”, his last word to us all. What is considered the official suicide note was delivered to his wife Anita a few days before. This is what it said:

“No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won't hurt.”

    His funeral was considered an utmost success and thanks to his pal Johnny Depp his vision became reality. Depp paid for the entire affair and the massive cannon was erected just as he envisioned it. Hunter’s remains were fired into the air amidst the crackles of fireworks and the tune of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, Hunter’s favorite song. He was sent off surrounded by his loved ones, close friends, celebrities, followers, and fans. A good time was had by all.

    And in the absence of his presence, I can’t help but find myself wondering if the American Dream he so desperately sought had been with him all along. Hunter was an outlaw, a troublemaker, a journalist, a visionary, an eccentric, but most importantly a patriot. He fought for his beliefs in a country that allowed him to reach into the farthest corners of his imagination and bring his voice to the world. His extremes were the necessary ones. He was one of the most important writers of our times and if there ever was a glimmer of truth to that idea of the American Dream, I believe the last embers of it flashed brightly that night over Woody Creek Colorado. And then faded away.

Labels: books, film/tv, heroes