Home > Hunter S. Thompson

Thompson frequently refers to himself as "Raoul Duke" or "Dr. Gonzo." He received his certification from a mail-order church in the sixties.

Thompson, originally a sports journalist writing for various publications, worked for Rolling Stone magazine during the late 1960s and 1970s, and has published several books and numerous articles. He is noted for the creation of gonzo journalism, a writing style that combines extravagance, including the use of diverse and sometimes multiple recreational drugs, and his eccentric personality.

Thompson's style of reportage meshes fact with drug-sotted fantasy, the archetypal example being Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Published in 1971, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a first-person account by a journalist of a trip to Las Vegas with his "300-pound Samoan" attorney to cover a narcotics officers' convention and the "fabulous Mint 400" motorcycle race. During the trip the journalist and his lawyer become sidetracked by a search for the American dream, with the aid of heroic amounts of LSDD-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide commonly called acid LSD or LSD-25 is a powerful semisynthetic hallucinogen and psychedelic entheogen. A typical dose of LSD is only 100 micrograms, a tiny amount equal to one-tenth the weight of a grain of sand. LSD causes of, etherFor ether in physics and philosophy, see Aether. For the Book of Mormon Prophet Ether see Book of Ether. Ether is the trivial name for the compound diethyl ether CHCHOCHCH; the systematic ( IUPAC) name of the compound is ethoxyethane . Alchemist Raymundus, adrenochromeAdrenochrome is an oxidation byproduct of adrenaline that acts as a psychoactive drug. Hunter S. Thompson mentions adrenochrome in his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In the book it is derived from a living donor's adrenal gland (removing the gland k, ibogaineIbogaine is a psychoactive indole alkaloid derived from the rootbark of an African plant, Tabernanthe iboga''. Used as a part of the bwiti ceremony in Central Africa, specifically Gabon and Cameroon. In recent years it has been noted for its ability to tr and numerous other drugs. The journalist and the attorney are never named, but they are obviously thinly-diguised versions of Thompson himself, and his friend and lawyer Oscar Zeta AcostaOscar Zeta Acosta ( April 8, 1935 1974) was an attorney, author, politician, and Chicano activist who was portrayed as Hunter S. Thompson's sidekick Dr. Gonzo in Thompson's book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (sub-titled, A Savage Journey to the Heart of.

Some of Thompson's other books include Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, a collection of Rolling Stone articles he wrote while covering the campaigns of President Richard M. Nixon and his unsuccessful opponent, Senator George McGovernGeorge Stanley McGovern (born July 19, 1922 in Avon, South Dakota) was a United States Congressman, Senator, and Democratic presidential candidate most noted for his opposition to the Vietnam War. He is currently serving as the United Nations global ambas, and Hell's Angels, an account of his travels with the infamous motorcycle gangThe Hells Angels (without the apostrophe), formed in 1948 in Fontana, California (where the local chapter remains active), epitomized the outlaw biker counterculture of the 1960s, and have been associated with gang rape, white supremacy, and murder. The F. His latest book, Kingdom of Fear, is an angry commentary on the passing of the American Century . Thompson currently writes a Web column, "Hey Rube," for ESPN. He has at times also toured on the lecture circuit, once with John Belushi.

In 1970, Thompson made an unsuccessful bid for Sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado. He ran on a platform promoting decriminalization of drugs and the sale thereof, and renaming Aspen, Colorado as "Fat City." The Republican sheriff against whom he ran had a crew cut, prompting Thompson to shave his head bald and refer to his opposition as "my long haired opponent."

A slogan of Thompson's, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro," appears as a chapter heading in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He has also been quoted as saying "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."

Thompson is an admitted fan of firearms and is known to keep a keg of gunpowder in his basement.