I'm one of the few people of my generation who know who Hunter S. Thompson is. While I find his life fascinating, I wish more people knew about it. He was a wildly talented guy who took a flamethrower to his own mind and burned it to a crisp. In the end, he proved himself wrong on everything he ever espoused, and I think 'attention should be paid' to the wages of his particular sins. His life is a case study of the long, downward spiral, but a brilliant one.
He's a fascinating case study. People should read that first volume of his colllected letters. It seems that what happened is that this brilliant writer created an alter ego character, then really became that character until the real man was lost. But while he held the two together--from say 1965 to 75--he was amazing.
"The Edge....there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."
-- Hunter S. Thompson
I'm one of the few people of my generation who know who Hunter S. Thompson is. While I find his life fascinating, I wish more people knew about it. He was a wildly talented guy who took a flamethrower to his own mind and burned it to a crisp. In the end, he proved himself wrong on everything he ever espoused, and I think 'attention should be paid' to the wages of his particular sins. His life is a case study of the long, downward spiral, but a brilliant one.
Great post. I agree.