Sherry Chandler » Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
That infamous Gonzo Kentuckian, Hunter S. Thompson, has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, appropriate perhaps to his love of guns. Oddly enough, he got his start in journalism writing about sports for an air force newspaper. Like ZAP comics and peyote-induced mysticism, Thompson took the counterculture to places my inner farm girl couldn’t go. (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the only movie Johnny Depp ever made that I couldn’t watch.) I was once told, back in the halcyon 70s, that I was entirely too sane. Not praise, perhaps, for an aspiring poet. Nevertheless, I mark the passing of this “counterculture icon” with regret.
Dewy-eyed Sondra Dee also died this last weekend. The two icons of American media share the current NYTimes obituary page. You know, I’m not even sure that they are opposites.
Update: Well, perhaps it wasn’t so odd that Thompson started as a sports writer for the Air Force – he currently had a column for ESPN, which shows what I know. Anyway, Beatrice has some nice Thompson links if you’d like to read more.
Update 2: Just found this nice eulogy over at Have Coffee, Will Write. Fellow Green River Writer Jeff Hess is obviously much better qualified to appreciate Thompson than am I.
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