Going Gonzo: Two Reviewers Tackle Hunter S. Thompson

Written by: The CinCitizens

LET’S SHOCK THE SQUARES!

A review by Russell Davidson

How much do most people know of the writer Hunter S. Thompson? “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” book and movie, for sure, but what else? Thanks to director Alex Gibney, we now have a lesson. Learn it.

Gibney does a great job of documenting HST’s trajectory. For those of you unawares, Thompson was hugely influential, if for nothing else than for creating this new school of journalism, Gonzo. The key to Gonzo is to participate in the story, to be an active member of whatever you’re covering. For Thompson, this meant running with the Hell’s Angels for his first book (for which they pummeled him), running with politicians for “Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail,” running with drug-fueled friends for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Thompson saw the true way to the essence of a story was to jump right in, subjectivity be damned. This “New Journalism,” also practiced by Tom Wolfe and others, changed the landscape of reporting.

The film also reminds us of how funny Thompson was. Humor is the most effective way to skewer your targets, and Thompson lived to make fun and the hypocrites, the pompous, the liars, the privileged, the what he called “frightened dullards.” In the beginning, Gibney shows us that HST really was a crusader for change, an activist. He ran for sheriff (but lost). He championed McGovern and was instrumental in Jimmy Carter’s election. The death of the Kennedys, however, seemed to have knocked the wind out of him, and he became more bitter, more hopeless. A huge topic for him was the American Dream, and how it could all be bullshit.

And for those who have forgotten, or never knew, Gibney gives insight into how HST was the first writer-as-rock-star of his era, becoming hugely popular with his “Fear and Loathing” books and partying with celebrities and all the usual hangers-on. This worked against him, as his persona overtook the man himself, a familiar trap, and he became this character he could never live up to, a hostage to himself. Of course, his celebrity also made it impossible to be anonymous, as he could no longer hang back and eye situations without getting recognized. This effectively killed his writing.

Gibney has so many interesting people talking about Hunter, it makes you wonder if anyone turned him down. Pat Buchanan, Sonny Barger, Tom Wolfe, Jimmy Carter, George McGovern, an ex-wife, a current wife, his son, all sorts. It’s obvious from the film that while HST may have been a tad difficult, a little crazy, most liked him, have a fondness for him. Indeed, the film’s true success is filling in the person that was HST, a history class, with the coolest subject. Here was a real guy, not a Doonesbury cartoon. After seeing Gonzo I have a much deeper appreciation of the writer, of how serious he was, about certain things, about how devoted he could be, to certain causes. And the clips Gibney gets are a blast! Audio tapes of HST and his “attorney” asking “where’s the American Dream” of some poor woman at a taco stand, or of Hunter dropping his grass and cursing, all the home movies and so on, SO much fun to watch. It’s the birth of Gonzo, well-researched, well-done. Kudos to Alex Gibney.

For a long stretch, HST was the most famous journalist in America. He was more than a drugged-out gun nut, more than some hedonistic caricature. He loved America, for all it’s ills and problems. He wanted to shake things up, to make a difference. He was proud to be a “freak,” and never stopped marveling at the ridiculousness of the world we live in.

Coming out of the movie, I was smiling. HST was sure needed, an antidote for his time. We could use him now.