Dr. Hunter S. Thompson Remembered

A tribute to the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. The magazine published many of Thompson's original gonzo journalism pieces and editor Jann Wenner should be acknowledged for its risky publishing.

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's "gonzo journalism" has inspired this blog -- Thrasher's Wheat -- to advance into the frontier we coin as "gonzo blogging."

Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner writes in his tribute "My Brother in Arms":

"These are sad days here at ROLLING STONE. This morning I cried as I struck "National Affairs Desk: Hunter S. Thompson" from the masthead -- after thirty-five years. Hunter's name is now listed with Ralph Gleason's on what Hunter would have called "the honor roll." Hunter was part of the DNA of ROLLING STONE, one of those twisting strands of chemicals around which a new life is formed. He was such a big part of my life, and I loved him deeply."

Here are a few highlights of the issue via washingtonpost.com:

President Jimmy Carter:

"Hunter Thompson was a delightful, unpredictable and unforgettable friend of mine for more than 30 years. He interviewed me for many hours, tape-recording extensive conversations about every conceivable subject, some of which were quite discomforting. Later, I learned, with some relief, that he had lost all the tapes.

Thompson threatened my press secretary, Jody Powell, if he didn't gain immediate access [for a re-interview]. One night he even built a fire in front of Jody's hotel-room door in an attempt to smoke him out."

Pat Caddell (George McGovern strategist on the '72 campaign): [On a white-knuckle car ride with fellow passenger Warren Beatty and Thompson at the wheel].

"He nearly drove them off a bridge into the Potomac. He was jumping the medians and scaring the [expletive] out of everybody."

Pat Buchanan (aide to Richard Nixon during the '68 campaign):

"Hunter and I were holed up in some hotel in Nashua [New Hampshire] and discovered that we were in possession of either a gallon or a half-gallon of Wild Turkey. I had a lot of stamina in those days, and the two of us stayed up all night arguing fiercely about communism -- it got pretty vicious by dawn."

For Kurt Vonnegut, "Thompson put his finger on everything that was fickle and false about American life." Vonnegut weighs in with this comment in Free-Times:

“From this moment on, let all those who feel that Americans can be as easily led to beauty as to ugliness, to truth as to public relations, to joy as to bitterness, be said to be suffering from Hunter Thompson’s disease.”

More on the fear and loathing of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Gonzo Journalist: 1937 - 2005 and Dr. Thompson Remembered by Former Presidents and Distinguished Writers.

Here is a selection of Hunter S. Thompson's best writings and analysis of his work. Also, "Who Killed Hunter Thompson?" by Warren Hinckle.

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