We Were Somewhere Around the Mesosphere When the Drugs Began to Take Hold

Hunter Thompson's ashes were shot off in fireworks on Saturday night, which seems fitting. Matt Welch's obit of the godfather of Gonzo is here.

Comments

independent worm | August 21, 2005, 2:16am | #

Res ipsa loquitur

Captain Awesome | August 21, 2005, 6:04am | #

That guy did it right. I don't want to sit around waiting to die, if I will own anything it will be the end of my own life. Personally I, when I see the end coming I want to go skydiving with a few pound of TNT.

I just heald my great grand mothers hand through the last few days and I felt bad. That wasn't what she wanted, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it happen without my permission somehow... uless its really awesome and unexpected, then I can't really do anytihing about it. Long live gonzo journalism!

Alan D | August 21, 2005, 9:21am | #

I keep reading that Hunter S Thompson was a 'gonzo' journalist, but do not know what 'gonzo' means, as it is not used here (in Australia).

Is it a common word in the US?

Is it ever applied to anyone except Hunter S Thompson? Or is it like 'swashbuckling', which is rarely applied to anyone except Errol Flynn?

Does it have a meaning apart from 'what Hunter S Thompson was like'?

Alan D

RandyAyn | August 21, 2005, 11:05am | #

Alan,
This Wikipedia entry might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzo

Warren | August 21, 2005, 11:08am | #

Alan D,
My definition of gonzo journalism is this; A pack of lies that exposes the truth.

The swashbuckling/Flynn analogy is a good one. Many others have tried to 'go gonzo' but none have succeeded like Hunter. It's too hard to keep it from degrading into pulp fiction. Personally I think it's the drugs. Since no one else could possibly live through the doses Hunter regularly consumed, there can never be another.

SR | August 21, 2005, 12:04pm | #

"Is it ever applied to anyone except Hunter S Thompson?"

Thompson is the only person I have ever seen expressly identified as a "gonzo journalist", but I think the term could be accurately applied to P.J. O'Rourke and Taki Theodoracopulos as well.

Akira MacKenzie | August 21, 2005, 12:24pm | #

Don't forget Tom Wolfe.

Rich Ard | August 21, 2005, 12:43pm | #

Try as I may, Akira, I haven't been able to.

Akira MacKenzie | August 21, 2005, 12:55pm | #

Rim shot!

| August 21, 2005, 1:53pm | #

What PC fuckhead decided to change Hunter's request to have his ashes "shot out of a cannon" to "let's have a fireworks display with Hunter's ashes"?

madman | August 21, 2005, 6:17pm | #

Excuse me, can anyone tell me why is this a news?

Syd | August 21, 2005, 6:48pm | #

That guy did it right. I don't want to sit around waiting to die, if I will own anything it will be the end of my own life. Personally I, when I see the end coming I want to go skydiving with a few pound of TNT.

Comment by: Captain Awesome at August 21, 2005 06:04 AM

Please do it over an unpopulated area so someone doesn't get beaned with a flying kidney.

Jesse Walker | August 21, 2005, 7:36pm | #

Is it ever applied to anyone except Hunter S Thompson?

It can also refer to this guy.

Alan D | August 21, 2005, 9:42pm | #

RandyAyn,

The Wikipedia entry is very useful. I thank you and the other people who have helped me with the meaning of 'gonzo'. I think that P J O'Rourke, who is one of my favourite writers, would qualify as gonzo.

It's good that Hunter Thompson was given a spectacular funeral - he is not the type of person who would want to be quietly buried or cremated - but why weren't his ashes fired out of a cannon? Was it because of some 'PC ****head' (post of 1:53 pm)? (I don't need any help with the meaning of those words!)

Alan D

Stevo Darkly | August 21, 2005, 11:15pm | #

RandyAyn: Thanks for the link to the definition of "gonzo." Now I know what's in the "gonzo" section of the Giant Adult Video Store. (I've been afraid to look.)

Is it ever applied to anyone except Hunter S Thompson?

RandyAyn: Thanks for the link to the definition of "gonzo." Now I know what's in that section of the Giant Adult Video Store. (I've been afraid to look.)

Is it ever applied to anyone except Hunter S Thompson?

It can also refer to this guy.

Also this guy.

Darkly | August 21, 2005, 11:16pm | #

Oops -- sorry about the stupid partial double post. But I think it was worth it, just to get another example of "gonzo" out there.

mediageek | August 22, 2005, 1:01am | #

That guy did it right. I don't want to sit around waiting to die, if I will own anything it will be the end of my own life. Personally I, when I see the end coming I want to go skydiving with a few pound of TNT.

And this just goes to show why you are indeed worthy of the name "Captain Awesome."

Rich Ard | August 22, 2005, 8:36am | #

Now that he's gone, I wonder what Ralph Steadman will do?

Mr. Nice Guy | August 22, 2005, 9:11am | #

HST is one of my heroes. RIP

I've long admired Johnny Depp, because he is an earnest man and has done a lot of good work. But I like him even more because of his respect and friendship with HST. Depp paid for the funeral out of his own pocket.

But what the fuck was JOHN KERRY doing there?!?

| August 22, 2005, 5:33pm | #

But what the fuck was JOHN KERRY doing there?!?

For some reason Hunter got a free pass from liberals when he did all the things they want everyone else banned from doing.