“I think that the truth of what rings through all his writing is that he meant what he said. If that is entertainment to you, well, that’s OK. If you think that it enlightened you, well, that’s even better. If you wonder if he’s gone to Heaven or Hell, rest assured he will check out them both, find out which one Richard Milhous Nixon went to — and go there.”
– Ralph Steadman
Very few writers achieve an image that overshadows their actual body of work, but boy, is Dr. Hunter S. Thompson ever one of them. Hunter S. Thompson quotes are some of the most bizarre (yet insightful) quotes out there. His persona of an acid-soaked degenerate frantically pecking away at the keys of an electric typewriter while surrounded by mounds of rotting, half-eaten grapefruits isn’t entirely spot-on, however.
That has been largely played up, especially for the sake of movies like Where the Buffalo Roam and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1937, Thompson loved sports from an early age and co-founded an athletic club at his elementary school. In 1952 he was accepted into the Athenaeum Literary Association and contributed articles to its yearbook, although he was kicked out three years later when he was charged as an accessory to robbery. He did not graduate high school following his month-long stint in the slammer.
Thompson joined the Air Force. While stationed at Eglin Air Force Base he lied about his experience to land a job as sports editor for The Command Courier. Following his honorable discharge he worked for Time until he was fired for insubordination. He was subsequently fired from another newspaper for damaging an office candy machine and arguing with one of the rag’s advertisers.
Thompson ultimately took a job with The Nation to write a story about the Hells Angels. Preferring to live his subject material rather than merely report on it, Thompson spent the next year riding with the club until its members beat the shit out of him. Fortunately for the young author his book Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs put him on the national radar.
Thompson first employed his signature Gonzo style of journalism, which did away with any pretense of objectivity to present himself as the hero of the story, in his 1970 article “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved” for Scanlan’s Monthly. This style was birthed out of necessity, as Thompson often had to resort to frantic cadence in order to meet deadlines.
Thompson wrote on a range of topics. “The ‘Hashbury’ is the Capital of the Hippies” critiqued aimless dropouts who sought drugs over political or artistic ideals. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas covers everything from the death of the American Dream to the effects of ether on Thompson’s own body. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 treats readers to its writer’s inimitable political musings, and marks the beginning of Thompson’s outspoken hatred for Richard Nixon.
Thompson began to slow down in 1974, mostly publishing anthologies of his earlier work from there on out. He committed suicide in 2005.
Thompson was a gun nut, political activist (who was very nearly elected sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado in 1970), ardent supporter of the legalization of all drugs (which he did, in fact, consume prodigiously), communist sympathizer, and 9/11 skeptic, and he managed to summon an even greater hatred for George W. Bush than he ever had for Nixon. He was one of a kind, and this is good, because we probably couldn’t handle another.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Quotes
Hunter S. Thompson Quotes on Life
The Best Hunter S. Thompson Quotes
Hunter S. Thompson Music Quotes
Hunter S. Thompson Motorcycle Quotes
Hunter S. Thompson Love Quotes
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