Fear and Loathing in America

Louisville's finest returns with another huge batch of his private correspondence, hammered out from Woody Creek on his typewriter with the frenzied rat-tat-tat report of shots from the hip. Covering the Wonder Years, from the election of Nixon (which first fired his invective), Vietnam, the 1972 campaign, publication of the instantly notorious Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, to Watergate, the walking pharmacy reveals himself to be a surprisingly dedicated librarian, having dutifully filed carbons of all his correspondence for such an eventuality. By 1968, the success of Hell's Angels had seen his stock, if not his income, rise, and on the magazine Scanlan Monthly was born Gonzo journalism, dismissing objectivity for furious spontaneity fired from both barrels. However, the hidden image on the Polaroid was a bleary-eyed moralist in deadly earnest, uncontrollably seized by the free-associative rantings of a Tourette's sufferer.

The good doctor sees himself, the sub-title suggests, as an outlaw journalist. He certainly wants to resettle his country, and in many ways these 750 pages read as a "Dear John" from an estranged and bitterly spurned lover, the offending suitor being the American Dream. It's no coincidence that Gatsby, that symbol of its empty heart, is a recurrent reference. In fact, a book about the Death of the Dream was the white elephant that stalked these years, the Big Work that never happened. At least this volume contains much invention, not least of the self, and, if not always sober, then certainly incisive thinking, whether he's addressing fellow Gonzoid Ralph Steadman, Tom Wolfe or the Alaska Sleeping Bag Company. He claims his business is "defusing bombs and disarming landmines", a disingenuous reversal of how he often seems to be acting. An iconic reputation became his ball and chain, and he grew into a love/hate figure, particularly to himself, resembling an outrageous uncle at a family party. He was to become worshipped beyond his means, but for this period, while he huffed and puffed to blow Nixon's White House down, he remained a legend in his own overblown inkdom, something these letters vividly capture. --David Vincent

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Sometimes it is best to not get too close to people you like or admire... - Rated
Hell's Angels, Rum Diary and of course Las Vegas are some of my favourite books, not just by hunter but ever. I even 'sorta kinda' liked Kingdom of Fear, although by then he really was just repeating himself and the whole 'fear and loathing...' thing had really been beaten to death.

So of course I thought I would interested in the 'real' Thompson. Not a bit of it. I found him to be dull, misogynistic and obsessed about money. This is a collection of various letters and correspondence to all (and it is pretty much all) and sundry. There's even a letter where he complains about the fact the leather on a leather jacket he bought isn't up to much. Of course had the letter been just typed up correspondence it would be really dull, however many/most of these are almost facsimiles of the correspondence he sent. So lots of pictures, scrawls, manic writing etc etc. Which is what keeps this 'book' propped up. I am sure there were some gems of wisdom/writing in their somewhere, but it is a slog of a book - page after page of complaining, whining, and how such and such owes him umpty thousand dollars and lots of threatening. At least that is what I came away with from this.

I regret reading this now as Hunter just comes across as someone who really isn't particularly likeable and will forever 'stain' my re-reading of Vegas et al. Die hard hunter fans only (and even then I'm not sure - I thought I was one).

SOMETHING LIKE THIS SHOULDN'T BE INTERESTING, BUT... - Rated
It's HST and I loved it. A great insight into a period of a man's life - from his point of view and at the time it happened. A man who said it like he saw it, and walked it like he talked it. Whether his views are for you (they are for me) or not, it's still an entertaining, open and honest read. One that I would imagine is impossible not to get anything out of. For example, on a writing level alone, 'witnessing' the thought processes that go into producing a text worthy of being read outside of one's significant others is worthy of the entrance fee alone.

Not perfect, but close enough - Rated
This 2nd volume of collected letters covers probably the most fertile period of HST's professional life to date, that gave rise to his best known works: Fear and loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and loathing on the campaign trail. A common thread running throughout is Thompson's plans to write a book on the death of the american dream, a project he has yet to fully realise, but that has been a recurrent theme in his work. you also get a good insight into how F&L in Las Vegas was written (basically it's two 'assignments' stuck together) and how Thompson worked during that time.
There is also a whole series of letters covering his failed run for the office of Sheriff, which makes for interesting reading.
However, most importantly of all, what you get here is the picture of a man who, despite his cartoonish public persona, is actually a thoroughly decent person, who,though harsh with his enemies,is gentle and generous with his friends and family.

egg sucking dogs.............. - Rated
this is a fantastic collection.a must read for any fan of the Good Doctor.Very revealing and stunningly honest.imo surpasses
the Gonzo "fiction" texts by a country mile.Rare insight and Brutal Truths abound.....Ye Gods!....give it a try and you will NOT be dissappointed.
But what the hell?....

Fear and Loathing in America: The Brutal Odyssey of an Outla - Rated
Having spent most of my days imitating Gonzo hedonism, I believe myselfquite qualified to review Thomson's life and naturally this 'book'. Ibelieve that although this 'book' is very good it lacks in its ability tosay what Thomson thinks, that is, that drugs are overall damaging tosociety and in effect are evil. May I prompt the reader to read instead myown work about my life called 'Tony Biscuit-biff: The Ass-Munching lifeand Times of a crazy Drug-taker', out in paperback last month. Yes this isa better review of the truth and is really funny to. Thomson is stupid, Iam great.
bye