elTee Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 This is probably the last place I should post this, but what the hell.. he commited suicide yesterday. The man is (..was) a genuine genius, and I'll miss him. Reflect as you wish. Like most of the others, I was a seeker, a mover, a malcontent, and at times a stupid hell-raiser. I was never idle long enough to do much thinking, but I felt somehow that my instincts were right. I shared a vagrant optimism that some of us were making real progress, that we had taken an honest road, and that the best of us would inevitably make it over the top. At the same time, I shared a dark suspicion that the life we were leading was a lost cause, that we were all actors, kidding ourselves along on a senseless odyssey. It was the tension between these two poles - a restless idealism on one hand and a sense of impending doom on the other - that kept me going. The Rum Diary, Hunter S. Thompson
edlib Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 :( It's too bad. One of my faves. See the sig.
edlib Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 Reading his books is often a life-changing experience for people. I recommend them, but they aren't for everybody. Tread with caution... However, he is best known as the guy who wrote "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and the character that Jonny Depp played in the movie was Hunter's alter-ego. There were a couple of other movies based on his life... and a running character in Doonsbury (Uncle Duke) was based on him. He was the leading counter-culture icon for several generations.
JofaGuht Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 I was quite struck when I heard about it today. No one quite weaved together words like he did, nor has anyone ever been so honest of their view of the world as he was.
Ray Jones Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 Originally posted by Fender Can someone reccomend some of his work? Originally posted by edlib However, he is best known as the guy who wrote "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" I recommend, dude.
Fender Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 cheers, available in all good bookstores right?
edlib Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 Yes. Even available in some not-so-good, questionable, and even shady bookstores.
JofaGuht Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 I've never read a full novel of his, but I've followed his articles and read most of "Hey, Rube" and it is very good though it is just a collection of editorials. Here's a quote that he wrote the day of 9/11: "Make no mistake about it: we are At War--with somebody--and we will stay At War with that strange and mysterious Enemy for the rest of our lives." Doesn't that quote give you chills? It's scary how true it became. My friend says his favorite of his novels is Kingdom of Fear, which I will probably read now. I feel bad for not having read many of his books before Sunday.
elTee Posted February 22, 2005 Author Posted February 22, 2005 I recommend The Rum Diary - it's actually one of the best books I've ever read, and until now, the only one of Thompsons' that I've got. I'm going to buy most of his output and a bottle of rum next week... I was planning on doing this anyway (sans the rum) but I feel compelled to now. Just the other day I was saying how much I admired him on my site.. and now this.
scumm local Posted February 28, 2005 Posted February 28, 2005 oh sorry i didnt hear of this guy but urrrrr sorry
JofaGuht Posted February 28, 2005 Posted February 28, 2005 Just want to say I went to Borders yesterday, and there used to be a whole shelf of Hunster S. Thompson novels. Now it's almost empty. I'm guessing a lot of people are feeling obligated....
JofaGuht Posted March 12, 2005 Posted March 12, 2005 They're not saying for sure, but what makes the most sense is that he was getting old and his body was going out. He had gotten a lot of surgery done to his legs and he was trouble getting out at all anymore. And since he was a real hands-on guy, he probably didn't want to die slowly for the next ten years.
Fealiks Posted March 12, 2005 Posted March 12, 2005 then from the scources or whatever, he wasnt really too depressed. thats always nice to know.
Guybrush122 Posted March 12, 2005 Posted March 12, 2005 I wouldn't have regarded him as a genius, but certainly a damn good writer. And it's a shame. A waste of excellent talent, and probably a damn good man.
Guybrush122 Posted March 14, 2005 Posted March 14, 2005 And even if he wasn't, so it goes. Hemmingway was a ****ing asshole. But as a writer, I'm almost obligated to admire him, and do. In a non-obligatory way, I might add, though it's a requirement. Funny how things work like that.
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