Salsich and I headed over to the Kendall Square Cinemas last night to check out Alex Gibney's "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson". I can't recommend it enough. As a young fan of Thompson's books, the film gave me exactly what I had been itching for. I love his style of writing, and I think that a lot of his commentary on America and human nature to be dark and undeniable. But, what this film gave me was more of a frame of reference for Thompson's work. What were the events that really fueled him? What was the American Dream that he spoke about so often? I've always known that there was substance to Thompson's work, but I wanted to know more about it. This film helped me understand so much more about where he was coming from, and helped me gain a greater understanding of the works that I have read.
A few things that really stood out to me from the film:
- Thompson was a huge fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and he would type out verbatim copies of "The Great Gatsby" at a young age in order to gain a greater understanding of the rhythms of writing.
- There are several recordings played from the Hell's Angels tapes. Pretty intense stuff.
- It became clear to me during the movie that Thompson's vision of the American Dream stemmed from living in the Bay Area in the 1960's. It was a time of free spirits and political activism. When you think about the positive changes that came out of this period, it's easy to understand why a man who was so politically charged and passionate about America would view this period as epitomizing "the American Dream." As the movie progressed chronologically, Thompson would often reference the political change and the passion of the people during this time.
- He began to realize that his idea of the American Dream was dying while covering the Democratic National Convention in 1968. In the streets, he said that he saw at least ten people receive beatings by police that were ten times worse than anything he ever saw the Hell's Angels give out.
- Easily my favorite part of the movie was the video footage and the interviews regarding Thompson's 1970 campaign for sheriff of Piktin County, CO (which included Aspen, where he lived). He only narrowly lost, and mobilized a large population of the area that had never previously voted. This campaign really epitomized Thompson's longing for politician that was honest and forward-thinking. He couldn't find that candidate anywhere, so he became that candidate. This copy of his tentative platform , from which Johnny Depp reads excerpts in the film, includes this quote (which kills me): "Change the name 'Aspen', by public referendum, to 'Fat City'. This would prevent greedheads, land-rapers, and other human jackals from capitalizing on the name 'Aspen'.............These swine should be fucked, broken, and driven across the land." His campaign also called for the legalization of drugs for personal use, but not for trafficing.
- The Fear and Loathing stuff wasn't surprising, as it is probably the work about which most details have become common knowledge. However, it was interesting to learn more about Oscar Acosta. And, they have the audio tape from the part of the book that has to be transcribed after from the tapes. When the two drive "the white whale" to the place on the highway that has 5 tacos for a dollar and ask for the American Dream. Great stuff.
- There was a lot from the Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72, that I found fascinating. This part of the film re-affirmed Thompson's hatred for Nixon and his search for a truly honest politician (to which he thought George McGovern was the closest thing). It's amazing how different political coverage is when the reporter isn't concerned with, as Thomson put it, "establishing long-term ties on Capitol Hill." To see it in this light makes the entire political spectacle that we see today seem like some sort of theater production.
- Thompson was a football fanatic. I already knew this, but it came up once in the film. Once, he asked if he could ride with Nixon, of whom he had been openly critical (which is putting it lightly), in the back of a limo on the way to the next campaign stop. They discussed football for the entire ride.
- A lot of great bits from Ralph Steadman (who did a lot of the illustrations for Thompson). I love the Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved , which was the first collaboration between the two. Apparently meeting Thompson while they worked on this project was a real turning point in Steadman's life.
- The film shows a great deal of positive and negative aspects of Thompson's life. In particular, we see him as somewhat of a tragic figure in his later years, as he lived almost as a prisoner of the character that he had created for himself. I was thinking to myself that a lot of the late years seemed to be a similar path to the rockstars in VH1's Behind the Music series.
The movie has something for everyone. As I've said, if you're searching for an enhancement of the appreciation that you have for Thompson's work, this film is for you. I have always enjoyed his work because I like the writing. However, I now have a greater understanding of what a groundbreaking and significant figure he was. There were also a lot of old people in the audience, who were clearly there to reminisce. There are lots of hilarious stories and clips included that will provide entertainment for those who lived through the times that the film recaps. In the end, we see Thompson as a man who was passionate about his beliefs (to a fault at times), and who we need now more than ever. As Jimmy Buffett said towards the end, "He could have wielded a pretty effective sword against what's going on right now."
Perhaps the funniest clip to me in the film came when George McGovern (keep in mind, a pretty high profile politician) talks about going with his wife to meet Thompson for dinner. He says that the waitress looks at Thompson first, who says "I need you to bring me three margaritas and six beers." The waitress looked confused and asked if more people were coming. Thompson said he didn't know, but that she should take McGovern and his wife's order. But, he was having three margaritas and six beers.
We also saw a preview for this new Bill Maher movie, which looks awesome.:
