All Modern, Pop, Neo-Classical, Victorian, Guilded Age visual imagery and Avante-Garde Free Press articles for the 21st Century. Quality contributors welcome and encouraged.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Hunter S Thompson: Literary Outlaw
Hunter S Thompson, novelist, activist, political junky and creator of "Gonzo" journalism - electrified America with stingy sharp wit and snappy language that's spanned over four decades and inspired the counter-culture generation of the sixties and seventies, giving birth to a style of prose that turned on an entire nation. His first book, Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, became an instant bestseller, branding himself on the literary map of an outlaw journalist. Below are Thompson's personal photographs of the original Hell's Angels along with quotes and other various photos that chronicle his self-imposed hell of a great violent life.
Thompson's portrait after the brutal beating by Hell's Angels
"The hard core, the outlaw elite, were the Hell's Angels... wearing the winged death's-head on the back of their sleeveless jackets and packing their "mamas" behind them on big "chopped hogs." They rode with a fine unwashed arrogance, secure in their reputation as the rottenest motorcycle gang in the whole history of Christendom." (source Hell's Angels - Hunter S.Thompson)
"Filthy Huns Breeding like rats in California and spreading east. Listen for the roar of the Harley's. You will hear it in the distance like thunder. And then, wafting in on the breeze, will come the scent of dried blood and human grease ... the noise will grow louder and they will appear, on the west horizon, eyes bugged and bloodshot, foam on the lips, chewing some rooty essence smuggled in from a foreign jungle ... they will ravish your women, loot your liquor stores and humiliate your mayor on a bench on the village square ..." (source Chapter 3, p. 36 Hell's Angels Hunter S. Thompson)
"The Edge... There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. The others- the living- are those who pushed their luck as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to when it came time to choose between now and later." (source Hell's Angels - Hunter S.Thompson)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Rich, Thompson is my favorite journalist because he didn't let tradition or other people dictate to him. He singlehandedly forged/built/created a whole new brand of writing. He was brilliant, even if not the sanest by other people's standards. I heard a quote that I love, just b/c it's creative "sanity is a subjective experience, we all see the world just a little differently than the person next to us".
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. When I read Fear and Loathing, I was instantly hooked and headed to Barnes and noble and bought every book they carried. Then in his latter years he published his letters then 2 more, narrating his life and felt that those books were my favorites. A very unique character of intelligence and there's nobody that can replace his work or written word. At times, I try and emulate his style, but there's only 1 HST. I was so pissed when he died, because America really needs someone like him right now. Surprised you're a fan, but I guess one has to hate the sin and not the sinner. Peace!
ReplyDeleteI have long stated people should be known more for their successes than their sins, and I meant it. :) Let's face it, even his harshest critics admit he was a master of the literary craft.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to make this an article in itself, but I love gifted people, even if I may not always agree w/their lifestyle choices