Hunter S. Thompson Suicide

[32tendu]

Hey there,

I didn't know if this was posted this morning. However, here's the link to the story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/21/books/21...artner=homepage

You can also read it at www.reuters.com

[BW]

I felt sad when I heard about his suicide this morning. It's been a long time since I've read his books, though I surely enjoyed them when I did. The one that stands out in my memory is "Hells Angels". I did note that he's written one more recently that must be, at least in part, about Bush. Might be interesting to see that one.

I think Hunter S. Thompson must be close to one of the last of his gonzo kind.

[Mel Johnson]

I can see the Eifman bio-ballet now: Fear and Loathing in Fifth Position!

[Mme. Hermine]

Wasn't that the subtitle to Musagete, Mel?

[Mel Johnson]

You know, you could be right!

[dirac]

Thank you, 32tendu. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is a great book, and Thompson did some great political journalism, too. I actually first became familiar with him as the model for Mike's Uncle Duke in "Doonesbury." In the end he was probably hogtied to the Gonzo thing in a way that wasn't good for him.

Another article on Thompson, from the Los Angeles times, with comments from Thompson's fellow New Journalists Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese:

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcas...on22feb22.story

A brief account of the career of Duke, from the Doonesbury website:

http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/thecast/duke.html

[sandik]

An editor at a Seattle paper edited his San Francisco Examiner columns in the 1980's and talks about the relationship here

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/212...=1&searchdiff=1

My favorite part -- Thompson's comment on sitting down to battle with his editor "We are, after all, professionals."

[dirac]

Thanks for that, sandik.

For the Death as a Good Career Move file: an AP report says sales have risen sharply for Thompson's books:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apu...hompson%20Sales