For fans of the original"Gonzo"journalist Hunter S. Thompson there's a documentary appropriately called Gonzo on the Documentary Channel Sunday Jan. 29 at 8 PM Eastern. From what I saw of the preview it should prove to be a great chronicle of Hunter's life. They showed a clip of an interview with Sonny Barger founder/president of Hell's Angels, who Hunter was associated with and came very close to getting killed by while doing research for his not-so-flattering book about them.I've been a fan of Hunter since my teens and have read all his books and most of his papers and published magazine articles. He was truly one of a kind and we'll never see his likes in journalism again.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I have read almost everything he has written too. Great movie about HST Where the buffalo roam ,Bill Murray and Peter Boyle.

_________________
BSG

Hi Gratz,Where The Buffalo Roam was a gem of a movie and Murray did a great job of portraying Gonzo.The also is a movie that I believe starred Johnny Depp as Hunter S. and his portrayal impressed Hunter so much that the two of them formed an almost father-son relationship.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Hey guitslinger, do you mean "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"?

great stuff guys!

Cheers


-Nutter

Hi TGS ,hope all is good. The Depp movie was good but Peter Boyle was riht on as Lazlo. Ralph Steadman designed a Gonzo Strat for Fender a while ago .Pretty cool.

_________________
BSG

HA! This thread is right up my street!

I believe I've seen the documentary in question on TV where I live. Lot's of fun, if it's the one I'm thinking of.

I've been into HST since the tenderest age when I first read Hell's Angels. Eye opening - and just a taste of things to come in the next decade of his writing. Brilliant, glittering stuff!

I never had the pleasure of meeting Thompson, to my disappointment. But I did have a chat with Ralph Steadman one time. I knew in advance that I'd be meeting him and did something very unusual for me, I took one of his books along for him to sign. Mostly as a prop for something to talk about: I believe he's privately sick of being "just the guy who knew Hunter Thompson" and much as that is what I'd have liked to hear about it seemed tactful to ask about other things instead. Here's my signed copy of Ralph's Leonardo book, custom ink splatters and all:




Steadman did say a few things in passing about Thompson, but I have a better story from a mutual acquaintance who happened to meet both of them together...

In real life Ralph Steadman is quite the English Country Squire, living a genteel and upright life in a big old house in a scenic rural location. When my acquaintance was visiting Steadman had his family and possibly the vicar in for afternoon tea out of bone china with cucumber sandwiches and other Miss Marple-ish trimmings. But just then Hunter Thompson turned up on an unexpected visit: Steadman (rightly) imagined that his family and guests wouldn't exactly be on the same wavelength as the Duke of Gonzo so he installed HST in a separate drawing room and then spent a nerve-wracking afternoon flitting between the two, trying to keep them apart without it showing. And my friend said that Steadman turned into a compete schizoid in the process, waving his arms around and talking wildly with Thompson, gulping beers and raving about drugs and fear and loathing and the rest of it - and then popping across the hall to the other room to offer the vicar some more smoked salmon and have refined conversation about the local church fundraiser, or whatever.

What a gas - I wish I could have seen that!

Anyhow. As hinted, I'm not really into collectibles, but for the heck of it here is my signed limited edition 23/50 copy of the rare Fear And Loathing Letters volumes, in a handmade presentation set from the Old English Bindery in Vancouver. Sadly, I wasn't there to see them signed: a nice person got these for me from source:



Here's a page about those volumes:

http://www.oldenglishbindery.com/fear.html

Gonzo lives! - C

_________________

WOW!

Ceri, you never cease to amaze me. Nice edition you got there!

P.S.: The moment I read "cucumber sandwich", I knew this was gonna be a great story!

If you want to do recipes we'd better take it off-forum. ...My cucumber sandwiches have that little secret bit extra.

Far as signed editions are concerned, there's certain authors with whom finding an un-signed copy is the rare, collectible item! But we'd best not name 'em in public...

Cheers - C

_________________

Hee-hee - though it might not be who I have a feeling you're thinking of right now. That lady actually doesn't do much signing - though I could get you one if you want...? I doubt you do.



Cheers - C

_________________

Sorry to disappoint you, mate, but it's not generally the sort of literary material I feed on - nor give away as (well-meant!) presents, come to think of it! But thanks ever so much for the extremely gracious offer... it is well appreciated...!

-Nutter

...Cripes, I just looked on Abe Books and it seems a first edition of Hell's Angels in good condition is currently selling for $3500! Streuth - for return on investment that puts Strats of the same period to shame!

Sadly, mine is just a paperback copy - but this Forum is just the sort of place there might be someone with a real first edition of that book kicking around. Assuming back in the day they didn't use the pages for roll-ups, that is...

A first edition of Fear And Loathing In Las Vagas is pushing a grand and a half too. Get checking your bookshelves, people!

(Shameless to even look, but I notice my "Black Set" of the Fear and Loathing Letters (above) ain't doing too badly either. Wow. ...How horribly materialistic of me.)

Cheers - C

_________________

someone should investigate!

Well congrats! Not like with some other authors, who's autographed works pile up one's garage...

Ah this is fun!

-Nutter