Tuesday, February 22, 2005
RIP Dr. Gonzo
I was saddened to hear that Hunter S. Thompson died on Sunday, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. I have always had an admiration for his surreal style, his take-no-prisoners attitude toward journalism and the subjects he wrestled with like some modern-day sumo, armed only with wit, a pharmacopea that would make Timothy Leary green with envy, and an arsenal out of a survivalist's wet dream. I remember him on Leno, plugging a book a few years back, where he and Leno were out on his firing range, with a fully-stocked liquor cabinet, firing high-powered weaponry at a teddy bear.
I suppose he probably died as he lived, facing yet another unknown change of consciousness. I gather he was in a lot of pain that the various drugs weren't helping with, and maybe he didn't want to go out in a hospital bed, plugged into lots of tubes and wires. Hell, I don't want to go out that way.
I've seen his influence in the style of others, including SFGate columnist Mark Morford. I enjoyed "Where the Buffalo Roam." I got bored out of my skull with the film version of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." I even wrote a humor piece in his style for Intercom, the magazine for technical communicators, a bit on how he might have written instructions on programming a VCR. I won an honorable mention for that.
I've never managed to properly translate his style into music. I think Warren Zevon may have come close with "Lawyers, Guns, and Money."
Rest well, old soul. I'm sure there will be many substances, licit and otherwise, that will be drunk, smoked, and otherwise ingested in your memory.
I suppose he probably died as he lived, facing yet another unknown change of consciousness. I gather he was in a lot of pain that the various drugs weren't helping with, and maybe he didn't want to go out in a hospital bed, plugged into lots of tubes and wires. Hell, I don't want to go out that way.
I've seen his influence in the style of others, including SFGate columnist Mark Morford. I enjoyed "Where the Buffalo Roam." I got bored out of my skull with the film version of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." I even wrote a humor piece in his style for Intercom, the magazine for technical communicators, a bit on how he might have written instructions on programming a VCR. I won an honorable mention for that.
I've never managed to properly translate his style into music. I think Warren Zevon may have come close with "Lawyers, Guns, and Money."
Rest well, old soul. I'm sure there will be many substances, licit and otherwise, that will be drunk, smoked, and otherwise ingested in your memory.
