Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson
by Corey Seymour, Jann S. Wenner
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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
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 thi...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 thi...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 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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This was a really enjoyable book. I feel that because it is told completely from people's own personal interactions with Hunter S Thompson, you truly get a feel for the role he played in their lives as well as the appreciation they had for him. There is no mistaking the fact that he was completely insane. The book takes you from infancy to post suicide, and he has never been very normal. The drugs though, obviously deteriorated him through out the years and this is blatant in people's recoun...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
People who REALLY like Hunter S. Thompson
This oral history was compiled from interviews with friends and family by the editorial staff at Rolling Stone, for whom Dr. Thompson wrote much of his best work. While it is nice to get a context for much of Thompson's work, the overall impression is that, while much of his work is quite good, he never lived up to his own aspirations to be his generation's Hemmingway or Fitzgerald. It is clear that his addictions to drugs and alcohol limited his writing to small fragments that he would assemble...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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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 May, 2008
"Oral biographies" always seem...like cheating. You get 50 people to talk about someone, splice it up into roughly chronological chapters, throw in some candid pics, and you've got a book. But there's plenty to say about Thompson as so much of his legend was forged very forcefully (and maybe deliberately) by his constantly impressing people with his gonzo batshit-ness. That last sentence had a lot of adverbs, I know.
I recently re-read "Fear and Loathing" and wondered how...more
I recently re-read "Fear and Loathing" and wondered how...more
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There is not a better way to learn every detail about the good doctor's life than reading this book. The oral history covers every moment of his entire life, beginning with childhood friends (amazing how they tracked them down), up through everyone he had contact with until his death. The editing together of all the different passages was phenomenally done by Jann Wenner; not a moment in time is missed. Plus, being an oral biography, you'll read every acquaintance's personal insight into what ma...more
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recommended to Mark by:
Bob Lapp
recommends it for: serious Hunter S. Thompson fans
recommends it for: serious Hunter S. Thompson fans
This is a book of stories about the good doctor contributed by people who were friends and family or people who worked with him. It's a book for people who are ardent Hunter S. Thompson fans.
I don't think there are enough funny stories of complete craziness to sustain anyone but those who've read all of his stuff. Those fans will enjoy the book for the occasional story that they haven't heard and a more intimate picture of the literary maniac who entertained us through the seventies and ...more
I don't think there are enough funny stories of complete craziness to sustain anyone but those who've read all of his stuff. Those fans will enjoy the book for the occasional story that they haven't heard and a more intimate picture of the literary maniac who entertained us through the seventies and ...more
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Read in April, 2008
This is a fabulous book with great insight into the mastermind madman behind some of the best writing of my generation. Follow Hunter S. Thompson's life from the time he was a small boy as seen through the eyes of his friends and closest companions. The book ends at the end of his life but with a new perspective as the tragedy of his death turns into something beautiful once you come to fully understand the personality behind the choice. One who lived so deliberately and purposefully would also...more
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Read in January, 2008
Like the Rolling Stone memorial issue after Thompson's death, this book is comprised of the remembrances of HST's friends, colleagues and family. This really provides an insight into exactly who the man was, and what made him that way. What I found particularly interesting was the consensus that after a while, his drug use really put a damper on his creativity, and he became somewhat of a charade of himself-- insight that you might not guess from the normal Thompson bravado (and his constant s...more
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Read in May, 2008
I enjoyed this. Jann Wenner himself was the largest contributor and in the midst of his glowing admiration (and jealousy) put up front and on display, he also shared a point of sadness about how a lot of years of HST's life could have produced many more great pieces, but were wasted. His insistence on keeping up his persona and lifestyle got in the way of his assignments - but of course he was never a true believe in assignments anyway. Would have loved for Anita's interviews to be included. ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Built out of oral histories, this book shows how unpleasant, difficult and cruel this man was. It's a chilling portrait of someone who wrote well for a while and then, through his addiction issues, lost his craft, his life and humanity.
Why did people put up with this man? (I would guess he was engaging in person--however this book doesn't show us many of those moments.)
The excerpts from his writing are often very good however hardly worth the fuss his editors went to in order to drag t...more
Why did people put up with this man? (I would guess he was engaging in person--however this book doesn't show us many of those moments.)
The excerpts from his writing are often very good however hardly worth the fuss his editors went to in order to drag t...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
HST fans
while at times it felt like jann wenner cashing in on Hunter's death (& at others had shades of a posthumous hatchet job), i had to give it 4 stars because there is good research here, and info that is new, & there are some heartfelt quotes, as well. even amidst the dirty feelings, you know that many of these folks truly loved Hunter. it did seem weird that anita would not allow any of her quotes to be used. still, for the true HST devotee, this is a must read.
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Thompson fans only
This oral biography contains a wealth of fascinating and often entertaining insider stories about HST from all sorts of people who either interacted with him professionally or were close to him personally or both. I liked the structure, which was a faster read than a normal biography, but sometimes it jumped around too much to follow easily. I definitely feel like I just hung out with someone fascinating and came away wanting to do it again.
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Read in January, 2008
This is a great book if you want to know more about the actual man himself. It goes beyond the whole "Raoul Duke" persona and gives insight on the real Hunter S Thompson. Beware to those who worship the Good Doctor, this book does contains a fair amount of shocking revelations about the man, not all of which are glowing testimonials to his genius.
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