Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson
by Corey Seymour
published
October 20th 2008
(first published 2007)
by Back Bay Books
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binding
Paperback, 512 pages
isbn
0316005282
(isbn13: 9780316005289)
description
Hailed everywhere as a brilliant biography, GONZO is a startling portrait of Hunter S. Thompson, the genius who spent a lifetime channeling his energy...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 551)
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
biography fans, Hunter S. Thompson fans
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
gonzos
This book has stolen, or borrowed several memories from another book dealing on HST.
Also it should be noted that the introduction by Johnny Depp was not written for this book, but rather was used in an article several years ago for Rolling Stone, he had no say in its publication for the text at hand.
Keep in mind that Jann Wenner was on terrible terms with HST during his final days. Anita Thompson (HST's widow) also refused to have any of her words used in the publication of this ...more
Also it should be noted that the introduction by Johnny Depp was not written for this book, but rather was used in an article several years ago for Rolling Stone, he had no say in its publication for the text at hand.
Keep in mind that Jann Wenner was on terrible terms with HST during his final days. Anita Thompson (HST's widow) also refused to have any of her words used in the publication of this ...more
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1 comments
A comprehensive look at the career of Gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson. The oral narration has everything ..from Hunter's Kentucky Derby and Rhode Island yacht racing essays to Fear and Loating in Las Vegas to his eventual demise due to drug and alchohol addiction.
As a long-time journalist, I became enamored with Thompson in the early 1980s, reading Shark Hunt and the Fear and Loathing books. I drifted away from him as I got older; the drug usage he bragged of was no longer cool and instead...more
As a long-time journalist, I became enamored with Thompson in the early 1980s, reading Shark Hunt and the Fear and Loathing books. I drifted away from him as I got older; the drug usage he bragged of was no longer cool and instead...more
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Read in September, 2008
There's a scene in Desert Solitaire (I think) where Edward Abbey describes two vultures circling the sky above him and he talks about the privilege of having your bones picked clean by them.
By the time I finished reading Gonzo, I felt something like that except the privilege of publicly picking the corpse clean did not result in leaving it with any dignity. I didn't need to know anything about the particulars of Thompson's bodily functions or the point of entry/exit of the bullet.
The ...more
By the time I finished reading Gonzo, I felt something like that except the privilege of publicly picking the corpse clean did not result in leaving it with any dignity. I didn't need to know anything about the particulars of Thompson's bodily functions or the point of entry/exit of the bullet.
The ...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommended to Lori by:
HeatherThis review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in August, 2007
A collection of anecdotes about one of the most unique americans to have ever stomped on the Terra.
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Read in May, 2008
I give everything I like 5 stars. And 1 if it sucks. It would be zero but then you might just think I forgot to rate how bad it sucks. Not a lot of in-between ratings. And anything by and about Hunter S. Thompson is usually something I'm going to dig. I based my stars, not on the writing like usual, because this is a chronological book based on interviews from people in his life, (minus his 2nd wife, Anita Thompson, who refused to have her words published, which makes me wonder why because ...more
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Read in July, 2008
An oral history-style biography of the author Hunter S. Thompson. The narrative is assembled as a series of quotes by people close to Thompson. I like this style a lot because the variety of voices gives the story freshness and authenticity. Unfortunately, it was not put to terrific use in "Gonzo." Jann Wenner, founder of "Rolling Stone" magazine, and Thompson's editor during the prime of his career (the late '60s and early '70s), is the main compiler of this story, and also ...more
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Read in July, 2008
FEAR AND LOATHING IN MONTEBELLO
It was February 20, 2005, and in what seemed to be a never-ending vortex swallowing all decency, the good doctor was gone, and in the most vexing of manners. What a damn time to make exit. With the mania of the current situation what the hell is going to happen? The American nightmare came into fruition last year in November. Two major party candidates (though there were more than that, obviously) – on one hand a liar who promised bad and gave a lot worse, th...more
It was February 20, 2005, and in what seemed to be a never-ending vortex swallowing all decency, the good doctor was gone, and in the most vexing of manners. What a damn time to make exit. With the mania of the current situation what the hell is going to happen? The American nightmare came into fruition last year in November. Two major party candidates (though there were more than that, obviously) – on one hand a liar who promised bad and gave a lot worse, th...more
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Read in June, 2008
“But don’t forget – The Scum Also Rises.” – Hunter S. Thompson
There are enough texts examining and illuminating the myth of that great social and literary pyrotechnic Hunter S. Thompson, but an oral biography from the people who were closest to him seemed like a worthwhile read.
Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson is a complete biography through Thompson’s zany life that manages to reveal a few intriguing tidbits about the man behind the legend. Hunter’s first wife, Sandy ...more
There are enough texts examining and illuminating the myth of that great social and literary pyrotechnic Hunter S. Thompson, but an oral biography from the people who were closest to him seemed like a worthwhile read.
Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson is a complete biography through Thompson’s zany life that manages to reveal a few intriguing tidbits about the man behind the legend. Hunter’s first wife, Sandy ...more
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Read in April, 2008
I discovered the works of Hunter S. Thompson my freshman year in college. Although I can’t remember, exactly, how I stumbled across Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I do recall marveling in the zaniness of it. I subsequently went out and purchased all of Thompson’s books. It’s not so much Thompson’s writing, but more the personality and attitude that comes across on the page that I enjoy. That said, I had been waiting to read the new book Gonzo, an oral history of Thompson’s life, since...more
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Read in July, 2008
A memoir written by all the people who ever knew him from when he was born 'til the day he died. Some of my favorite stories include:
"Hunter was a little bit drunk, but he said, "Thats nothing. The thing thats drunk is in my pocket." He had a drunk monkey in his pocket. The way he explained it was that he got off the plane in Rio with the monkey and went to a bar, and somebody said they would buy him a drink as long as they could buy the monkey a drink. It probably was a ...more
"Hunter was a little bit drunk, but he said, "Thats nothing. The thing thats drunk is in my pocket." He had a drunk monkey in his pocket. The way he explained it was that he got off the plane in Rio with the monkey and went to a bar, and somebody said they would buy him a drink as long as they could buy the monkey a drink. It probably was a ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of Rolling Stone and HST, as well as those interested in the voice of an artist
As political strategist James Carville says in the book, "Hunter S. Thompson lives the life we would all like to have lived."
Not sure if the drug binges and alcoholism was what he had in mind, or not. But underneath that statement, there is truth. HST lived a life that was totally his! Even to the end he went out on his own at a time of his choosing. He did what he wanted, when he wanted and with who he wanted to do it with.
This biography was unique in the sense that it was prob...more
Not sure if the drug binges and alcoholism was what he had in mind, or not. But underneath that statement, there is truth. HST lived a life that was totally his! Even to the end he went out on his own at a time of his choosing. He did what he wanted, when he wanted and with who he wanted to do it with.
This biography was unique in the sense that it was prob...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Thompson completists
I expected to like this more, having a) a longstanding, deep appreciation of Thompson's outsized yet fine-grained vision of America and b) found the Pythons' oral history a treasurehouse of strange details, deep background, and constant surprising pleasures.
This, alas, was more a compendium of bad behavior. Now, that's not surprising, but Thompson's own best work was far better at crafting such extravagant irresponsibility, and always coupled the game to beautiful insights. I was (am) a ...more
This, alas, was more a compendium of bad behavior. Now, that's not surprising, but Thompson's own best work was far better at crafting such extravagant irresponsibility, and always coupled the game to beautiful insights. I was (am) a ...more
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Read in January, 2008
I sat down and read this in an afternoon and the flow was really nice. It was a compilation of memories and biographical details from the people closest to Hunter S. Thompson... his many business partners, friends, his son, girlfriends, family members, etc. There was a lot I didn't know about his life, and I especially enjoyed the building up to his career - all of the accounts of his earlier years and what made him the person he became. Everyone in his life attested to the fact that he was a fu...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like crazy people.
This is the only biography that I've read that actually made me understand what it was like to be a part of its subject's life. The people that were close to the monstrous personality that was the Good Doctor were an array of all types: writers, artists, politicians, celebrities, authority figures, and just regular folk, but they all had something interesting to bring to the table and they all appreciated how special he was. They both loved him and understood the sacrifices of emotion, time, sta...more
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Read in January, 2008
This book made me think of people with that extra spark. People that believe in themselves so fully that others are magically drawn into their sphere. I can think of only a handful of people I have known that have this power. I admire it - though I see the downside of it, where it can be hard for people like this to empathize with others because they are so centered in their own world. But people in HST's life so wanted to be a part of his world that he could treat them horribly and they'd b...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Dan by:
Jonathanrecommends it for: Fans of Hunter S Thomspon
This Oral Biography of Hunter S Thompson is an excellent history of the Man and The legend and how the two were at odds with each other.
Hunter was a horrible drug addict and drunk. But he was a great man, a great author and a person capable of evil and good. This biography shows it all. When Hunter was being a miserable puke and when he was at his greatest as an author and a friend. It told it all, the good and the bad (and in...more
Hunter was a horrible drug addict and drunk. But he was a great man, a great author and a person capable of evil and good. This biography shows it all. When Hunter was being a miserable puke and when he was at his greatest as an author and a friend. It told it all, the good and the bad (and in...more
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Read in October, 2008
Very much along the lines of the Kitchen Readings book I reviewed earlier, but with less tall-tale-telling (though there is plenty of that), and more in depth into his character and personal history. Highly engaging, many integral people from his life are here, all with funny, sad, amazing, and enthralling stories and insights into the good doctor. Some great photos (his baby photo looks like he hit the ground running), and not many folk seem to have missed out putting their 2 cents in. Great st...more
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