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Hello children. Or nano machines. Maybe space alien hang gliders? Whoever you are I love your wives.
I don't know what that was about but let us talk about Gonzo journalism. I have a few questions. What is Gonzo journalism? How is it accomplished? Are there any fellow Gonzo Jorunalists out there? And why is your dog eating my ferns?
Gonzo power!
The BudHAHA is a confused pro-bono Gonzo Journalists. This does not mean that he is in anyway associated with any associated press, but merely an anomalie of wierdness in a wierd world. Please do not love him or his pets. He is a savage man.
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Bud, I'm a fellow HST fan, within limits. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is a strong contender for my all time favorite novel. It's the sort of book that still surprises me and makes me laugh the tenth time I read it. Some people dismiss it as a idiotic indulgence, a celebration of drugs and decadence by a couple of bozos who blame their lack of morals on the convienient scapegoats of Nixon and Vietnam. But I'm seduced by the novel's energy. Rather than letting us drown in the cynicism of examining a world gone wrong, his character's push on with a wonderful plucky optimism, defiant even when they seem to have lost track of what, exactly, they are defying. And the language of the book is perfect, one quotable line after another. It's got just enough slanginess to give it flavor, but not so much that it has lost anything with the passage of three decades. Despite having fried his brain, Thompson can write clear, engaging sentences like no one else.
Sadly, I've never read anything else by Thompson that has the magic of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." He tries hard, but I don't think he's ever quite figured out why the novel worked. If you write something truly original, the next time you write something like it, it's no longer original. Thomson is still an interesting writer, but only in the same way that Mick Jagger is still a good rock and roll singer. Their actual moments of greatness are long since passed.
Also, for what it's worth, since this is Orson Scott Card's fan site, I'd like to make a guess that Card probably hates Thompson's work. It's difficult to think of a writer more diametetricly opposed to Card in style, substance, or world view than HST. I'm not saying that it's wrong to talk about Thompson here, it's just I don't meet many readers who have broad enough tastes to regard both Thompson and Card as favorite writers. It was a bit like voters I knew in North Carolina who could vote for both Bill Clinton and Jesse Helms.
Getting to your question of gonzo journalism, I think that the definition means that the writer has to put himself into the center of the story. If the writer goes to cover a presidential campaign, the gonzo journalist will write about his adventures covering the campaign and pay little attention to the actual candidate. It's a kind of meta-journalism, writing about writing the story. Dictionary.com mentions a "hyperkinetic, highly subjective style" in the definition of gonzo, which I think is fair, to a point. Much of P.J. O'Rourke's writing is obviously "gonzo jouralism," but while his writing is hilarious, I don't know that I would describe it as hyper-kinetic. His book on Washington, "Parliament of Whores," has a chapter explaining in detail the S&L scandal from the early 90's that is engaging and interesting, but not exactly a mad, drug induced romp. Still, P.J. very much injects himself into that book, discussing his subjective reactions to most of the things he learns and discovers, and writing from an unabashedly conservative POV.
One final note: I started reading P.J. O'Rourke years ago when he was writing for Rolling Stone and loved him. Then I started reading Hunter S. Thompson. I discovered that P.J. was stealing a lot of his style and material from HST, only P.J. was able to focus his style on single themes and develop them into interesting books and articles, while HST was likely to wander off wherever his drug-damaged mind would carry him and never actually say anything. Later, I read William S. Burrough's Naked Lunch and discovered who Hunter Thompson was stealing some. Thompson writes with the energy, poetry, and vivid energy of Burroughs, but he is actually able to maintain enough focus to remain comprehensible for several pages, while Burroughs sometimes seems to forget what it is that he's writing in the middle of the page, or even sometimes in mid-sentence.
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Ok man just put the keyboard down. Thompson and card are my faves too but my list like all my lists includes lots of many diffrent people representing many diffrent views like the indiffrent but differential Kurt Vonnegut Jr. He is cool and another sci fi writer in my top still counting list. Kafka is fun too. He makes the wierd out of the most boring stories. Keruac is also the man of mishcievious men.
Anyways I too love Fear and loathing. Great book. every time I read a page of that book I cry out like a hyena. My mother tells me she'll beat me if i dont burn it so i read it in the shallows underneath the house.
I am also a gonzo filmaker. I take actors and kind of make up a story as we go toting around camera equipment and running and driving around like eels. You should try it is fun.
As to do with gonzo journalism as I have said before All my journalism is pro bono. So if any of you are getting married or your child is having a birthday party invite me over and I'll Journalize the gonzo out of it!.
[This message has been edited by BudHAHA (edited December 14, 2003).]
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