Angst und Schrecken in Las Vegas (1971)

Thompson writes like someone drunk and high as well as mentally out of control. It works for him. I find his writing addictive as well as exhausting to read. Nevertheless, his place in time as an historian of sorts, is assured by the physical veracity of the experience of his books. ( )

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Breathless writing that never apologizes for its excessive subjects or their debauchery.

As a straight-laced geek, Hunter opened up some doors for me, so I could experience life on the 'edge' without ever having to go there myself. ( )

Listened to the audiobook every night while Shaun slept. It's one of the best stories to fill up all those quiet moments. ( )

I have the Modern Library edition which includes the rollicking essay "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved." That piece demonstrates how good Gonzo journalism can be. The rest of the book is excellent as well. ( )

I remember reading about Thompson way back during my O-levels. His 'gonzo' style of writing - mixing reality and fiction together in a journalistic style - was fascinating. I was also intrigued by the movie starring Johnny Depp. It was all over Reddit, and people would constantly gush over it.

So, here I am, more than a decade later, finally checking out the book the movie's based on, and damn, what a ride it was! Initially, it felt more like a fever dream than reality, especially the events leading up to the race. The antics he and his 'attorney' get up to were hilarious and sad at the same time, mostly in the way they con their way through Las Vegas (and an assortment of characters).

The writing hit that sweet spot between being self-aware and absurd. He knows what he's talking about; he also knows what he's talking about is utterly ridiculous and nihilistic to the point Nietzsche would blush. Finding the elusive 'American Dream' is exactly that - a fading reality and a dream that was crushed much earlier. But more than that, I enjoyed his depiction of the police conference - the irony there was simply too much.

Of course, as I read more about the book (and how it came to be), I understood why and where its gonzo style comes from. Thompson himself noted that much of the drug-fuelled rampages he and his attorney go on in the book is fiction and that they were sober at the time. There are also sequences that were complete fiction (understandable) though much of the story is true or exaggerated from what actually happened.

Thompson has written a lot more since then and given fascinating interviews. Sadly, he took his own life at the age of 67, leaving behind this note: "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."

Long live Thompson. No one will replace or can even emulate you. Now, go read the damn book you filthy degenerate. ( )