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8th out of 13 books
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Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie (The Gonzo Papers #4)
"Hunter S. Thompson is to drug-addled, stream-of-consciousness, psycho-political black humor what Forrest Gump is to idiot savants."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer
Since his 1972 trailblazing opus, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Hunter S. Thompson has reported the election story in his truly inimitable, just-short-of-libel style. In Better than Sex, Thompson hits the ...more
--The Philadelphia Inquirer
Since his 1972 trailblazing opus, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Hunter S. Thompson has reported the election story in his truly inimitable, just-short-of-libel style. In Better than Sex, Thompson hits the ...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
August 22nd 1995
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1994)
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Ellen
rated it
Recommends it for:
People insanely in love with every word Thompson wrote whether it makes sense or not.
Shelves:
nonfiction
Hunter S. Thompson's brain on drugs circa 1966 - 1980s
Hunter S. Thompson's brain on drugs - 1990s - 2005
I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that Hunter S. Thompson's reputation won't hold up. In fairness, I did go back and read sections of Hell's Angels and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and will acknowledge that he could often write well. Whether he ever wrote well enough to merit the adulation he's been given is questionable.
...more
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"No wonder the poor bastards from Generation X have lost their sense of humor about politics. Some things are not funny to the doomed..."
Though he tried desperately to avoid it, Hunter S. Thompson in this book again casts himself into the pit of despair that is modern politics. It is "Fear and Loathing" all over again, but this time on the Campaign Trail '92. He was lured in partly by his hatred of Bush and the hope that he could be beaten, and partly because of ...more
Though he tried desperately to avoid it, Hunter S. Thompson in this book again casts himself into the pit of despair that is modern politics. It is "Fear and Loathing" all over again, but this time on the Campaign Trail '92. He was lured in partly by his hatred of Bush and the hope that he could be beaten, and partly because of ...more
Some say that the high obtained from a successful political campaign is “better than sex,” but not Hunter S. Thompson. He was certainly a political campaign junkie, but even Thompson couldn’t place politics above carnal pleasure. And he would know a thing or two about politics, having ran for Sheriff (on the “Freak Power” vote - losing by a slim margin) in Pitkin County, Colorado and closely following and reporting on the 1972 Presidential Campaign.
I have almost completed reading the T...more
I have almost completed reading the T...more
Hunter Thompson was one of a kind. I can scarcely recall a time of my life when he was not a presence in it. His suicide was something I felt as though he were someone I'd known, and his absence is something that will last.
I don't know how I missed this book when it originally came out, and just picked it up at a charity shop for 3 quid. I have to say, that's about what it was worth.
This was all about him and his slight connection to the Bill Clinton presidential campaign. It clearly a...more
I don't know how I missed this book when it originally came out, and just picked it up at a charity shop for 3 quid. I have to say, that's about what it was worth.
This was all about him and his slight connection to the Bill Clinton presidential campaign. It clearly a...more
There are two kinds of Hunter S. Thompson fans: Those who get Gonzo tattoos over spring break and those who read his political stuff, like this book.
It's the former who embrace the drug-addled mythology of the man. The latter can appreciate the brilliant writer and social commentator the world lost to suicide in 2005.
Although I was just a young lad in '92, I still find his letters and essays fascinating. He knew how the real political process worked better than anyone el...more
It's the former who embrace the drug-addled mythology of the man. The latter can appreciate the brilliant writer and social commentator the world lost to suicide in 2005.
Although I was just a young lad in '92, I still find his letters and essays fascinating. He knew how the real political process worked better than anyone el...more
A contentious Presidential race, a population weary of years of Republican domination that have left the country in the grip of a recession, the rise of a previously obscure Democrat who goes from the underdog to the poll leader and eventually to the presidency . . . and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” leading the pop charts. No, this isn’t 2008, but 1992, the year that the senior George Bush was ousted by a saxophone-playing governor from Arkansas, and the year that Hunter S. Thompso...more
It has been too long, too dry, too boring, back to Gonzo...
Aptly sub-labeled "Confessions of a Political Junkie," Hunter delves into the political hysteria of the 1992 presidential race. He dives into the realms of personality and character beyond the generic banter of other reporters and news agencies.
His appeal is unsurpassed, whether you agree with him or not, you're consumed by his writing. Reality and fantasy mesh into his reality and shape his perceptions ...more
Aptly sub-labeled "Confessions of a Political Junkie," Hunter delves into the political hysteria of the 1992 presidential race. He dives into the realms of personality and character beyond the generic banter of other reporters and news agencies.
His appeal is unsurpassed, whether you agree with him or not, you're consumed by his writing. Reality and fantasy mesh into his reality and shape his perceptions ...more
Barbara
added it
oh my god..this is hysterical and picks up with the Clinton campaign in 92
There are no words fond enough to describe Thompson's writing. I blazed through this book, and I think anyone else would, too.
HST makes a great point about outgoing political parties leaving their problems for the next president. I wonder if he would have thought that Bush Jr. left his problems for Obama like Bush Sr. did for Clinton. I also wish he would have stayed alive long enough to see Obama elected. There will never be another political junkie like Thompson, and journalism ...more
HST makes a great point about outgoing political parties leaving their problems for the next president. I wonder if he would have thought that Bush Jr. left his problems for Obama like Bush Sr. did for Clinton. I also wish he would have stayed alive long enough to see Obama elected. There will never be another political junkie like Thompson, and journalism ...more
Gosh, do I miss HST. He would have loved this politidal season.
This book, written in 1994, details (sort of) the 1992 presidential campaign, but really it serves as a larger meditation on campaign junkiedom and the looming political black hole on the horizon for the new millennium. He was so ahead of his time about so many things, but especially the ruthlessness and singular desire to win shared by Bill and Hill. If I would have read this when it came out, I probably would have dismis...more
This book, written in 1994, details (sort of) the 1992 presidential campaign, but really it serves as a larger meditation on campaign junkiedom and the looming political black hole on the horizon for the new millennium. He was so ahead of his time about so many things, but especially the ruthlessness and singular desire to win shared by Bill and Hill. If I would have read this when it came out, I probably would have dismis...more
For a books following the 1992 presidential race, this one is surprisingly righteous. Or maybe not so surprisingly so. I thought that maybe because the politics were so closely removed from the present, that it would suffer for it, but it didn't, partially because THE SAME PEOPLE ARE STILL HANGING AROUND WASHINGTON (there's a pretty f-ing brilliant pic of George II in there, sticking his tongue out at the camera), and partially because Hunter S. Thompson is hilarious - and I think always had t...more
Thompson is over-published, which is part of the problem with this book. A lot of it I had already read or heard through his magazine pieces, his documentary, or his letter collection.
There is good stuff in here, but it's not his best collection, and you can see the same stuff in other sources.
There is good stuff in here, but it's not his best collection, and you can see the same stuff in other sources.
Suzy Walker
added it
The disjointed writing of HST is offset by the realness of the situations. As I was only twelve during the bush/clinton election it was interesting to see what attitudes to politics were like then and what predictions for the future of american politics were being made.
Hunter S. Thompson is the single most important political writer in my lifetime. His perspective is just as explosively wild as modern capitalistic Republican logic.
I knew I was a politcal junkie before I read this title. This book sealed the deal.
I knew I was a politcal junkie before I read this title. This book sealed the deal.
Read this in three days. It was good and pleasant and an easy read. Funny and entertaining, nothing too heavy. A nice light read after slogging through (and enjoying, but it was still a slog) the Glass Bead Game for three months.
It wasn't what I expected. HST's style is enjoyable and gaining perspective on the '92 election was enlightening. I assume I know what happened in the '90s, but really I didn't get my head out of the sand until 2000. James Carville is crazy
I skimmed the end, onto FALILV.
I skimmed the end, onto FALILV.
Thompson always entertains me with his books, and this one is no exception. A take on the 1993 campaign trail that I had not yet heard. As usual, I actually got a few history lessons along the way.
Tattered Cover Book Store
added it
Recommended to Tattered Cover by:
Dave E
Shelves:
staff-recommends
Guest starring James Carville, Ted Turner and Richard Nixon as the
Devil, the story of the "92 (Clinton v. Bush) campaign, complete with
actual faxes.
Devil, the story of the "92 (Clinton v. Bush) campaign, complete with
actual faxes.
Michelle
added it
This book has its ups and downs, slow moments and unforgettable ones. Fortunately, the gems are worth slogging through the less gripping parts.
Second favorite Hunter S. Thompson book. I'm a huge politics nerd, so I pretty much worship this book about the 1992 American presidential election.
this is a hilarious read (especially in retrospect), illuminating when considering HST's reflections on a young bill and hillary clinton
A rather listless and, frankly, confused outing -- this was the obvious beginning of Hunter's sad end.
This is an account of Hunter Thompson's time on Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign. I love the fact that he doesn't pull any punches ... he calls Bill Clinton the sleaziest person he's ever met and describes a bar fight between himself and James Carville (my hero) the night of the election. It's vintage Hunter S. Thompson ... I read this during an 8-hour layover in Brussels, Belgium, in 1998, which was the only thing that kept me from going insane (the Brussels airport is nothing but a white box wit...more
This is what happens when Hunter tries to be the persona opposed to the real man.
Super funny stuff. The doctor had me laughing a lot throughout this one.
Charles
added it
I get the itch to re-read this book every two years/election cycle.
Hariebbell
added it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
great tales from the 1992 campaign for presidency.
Study of the Clinton political campaign. Extremely entertaining.
Sarah Padgett
added it
Lovin' HST RIP
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Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author, famous for his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become the central figures of their stories. He is also known for his promotion and use of psychedelics and other mind-altering substanc...more
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