Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005)

Hunter S. Thompson, a renegade among writers and giant among American personalities died tonight the same way he lived: Fast and unexpected. Why he took a gun to himself, no one may know for sure, but it can be assumed that he has some sort of twisted logic behind it, as he did all of his actions.

Thompson was an idol of mine. An idol, really, to an entire generation of independent thinkers and aspiring writers. I’m sure he’ll be noted by the mainstream media as a Gonzo journalist (a term he coined), but his place is pop culture and history, I’m afraid, may be overlooked.

Thompson was hated by journalism, but loved by journalists because of his defiance. He defied the laws of grammar, etiquette and society in general for decades and, in turn, inspired the idea of independent reporting before “blog” was even a word.

He broke down politics in a form American counterculture could understand through his years as the national writer for Rolling Stone and through his books, most notably Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72. Also, as an avid sports fanatic, his work for ESPN and Sports Illustrated brought the same no-holds-barred, non-starry-eyed view to the world of sports.

Thompson originated, in a sense, the idea of reporting through experience. He saw politicians, athletes and celebrities through the same scope. He never kowtowed to Associated Press standards, nor did he pull any punches. Today, a writer like him would never even be given a press pass.

Sure, he was biased, but he had a purpose. As he said: “Objective journalism is one of the main reasons American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long.”

He remained a pop icon not because of his open and honest embrace of drugs, music and counterculture, but because of his passion for what he thought was right. From running for sheriff of Aspen on a “freak power” ticket to defending an imprisoned innocent to denouncing Richard Nixon, Thompson wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. And he usually did it using a few curse words, lots of capital letters and a writing style that is often imitated, but never duplicated.

There’s nothing that someone like me could write that would really do his contribution to my field any service. So, I’ll use his:
If there is, in fact, a Heaven and a Hell, all we know for sure is that Hell will be a viciously overcrowded version of Phoenix...

Don’t rest in peace, Dr. T (cause he simply wouldn’t want to).