Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson
Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson
In 1971, the outlandish originator of gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) commandeered the international literary limelight with his best-selling, comic masterpiece Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Following his 1966 debut Hell’s Angels, Thompson displayed an uncanny flair for inserting himself into the epicenter of major sociopolitical events of our generation. His audacious, satirical, ranting screeds on American culture have been widely read and admired. Whether in books, essays, or collections of his correspondence, his raging and incisive voice and writing style are unmistakable.
Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson is the first compilation of selected personal interviews that traces the trajectory of his prolific and much-publicized career. These engaging exchanges reveal Thompson’s determination, self-indulgence, energy, outrageous wit, ire, and passions as he discusses his life and work.
You don’t want to miss Richard Keil’s white-knuckle account of sitting in the passenger seat with Thompson at the wheel, or the self-styled Doctor’s judicious diagnosis (from Ron Rosenbaum’s 1977 High Times interview) of Jimmy Carter’s mix of Puritanism and libertarianism: ‘He’d put me in jail in an instant if he saw me snorting coke in front of him. He would not, however, follow me into the bathroom and try to catch me snorting it.
What author would you like to have over to your house? Vonnegut, Hemingway, Angelou? Thanks to the University Press of Mississippi’s Literary Conversations Series, the question is no longer moot, and you don’t even have to make dinner.Chances are, the contributors whose articles make up these publications have already asked the same questions that you might and have provided the insights that you would relish. Fortunately, Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson (University Press of Mississippi, 2008, $22) is especially rewarding, primarily due to the flamboyant personality of Thompson himself.
Beef Torrey is editor of Conversations with Thomas McGuane and coeditor (with Liam O. Purdon) of Conversations with Tom Robbins and (with Gregg Orr) of Jim Harrison: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1964-2008. Kevin Simonson has been published in SPIN, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, and Hustler.
