MaryJae
Rest in Peace
RECEIVED Wed., Feb. 23, 2005
Dear Editor,
With the unexpected passing of Hunter S. Thompson Sunday, I'm hoping that the memoriums focus more on his content than his self-created myth. While the booze/drugs/guns persona no doubt had a boulder of truth to it, I always felt that much of the excesses and brutal tone of books like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas stemmed from hyperbole rather than any desire to create a literal record. Part of this was for effect ... guys embellish their party stories. But less superficially, I think Thompson was wrapping himself in the protective patina of the failed romantic. Look at his deep emotional connection to altruistic pipe dreams like the McGovern campaign. He really believed, and when America burst his bubble it broke his heart. This is why Terry Gilliam (whom I love) got it wrong in his Fear and Loathing movie – he took it all too literally. There is more heart and soul to Hunter, and less thuggish behavior. RIP, Dr. Gonzo.
With the unexpected passing of Hunter S. Thompson Sunday, I'm hoping that the memoriums focus more on his content than his self-created myth. While the booze/drugs/guns persona no doubt had a boulder of truth to it, I always felt that much of the excesses and brutal tone of books like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas stemmed from hyperbole rather than any desire to create a literal record. Part of this was for effect ... guys embellish their party stories. But less superficially, I think Thompson was wrapping himself in the protective patina of the failed romantic. Look at his deep emotional connection to altruistic pipe dreams like the McGovern campaign. He really believed, and when America burst his bubble it broke his heart. This is why Terry Gilliam (whom I love) got it wrong in his Fear and Loathing movie – he took it all too literally. There is more heart and soul to Hunter, and less thuggish behavior. RIP, Dr. Gonzo.
Walter Ehresman
