Hunter S Thompson, 1937-2005

“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold” and so begins “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” a landmark book written by Hunter S. Thompson in 1972. Thompson, who died this past Sunday, was the father of “Gonzo journalism,” a literary technique that blends fact and fiction and makes the author not a passive, anonymous bystander but a main character in the story. It is a technique clearly evident in today’s blogging phenomenon. Thompson was also the model for the “Uncle Duke” character in the popular “Doonesbury” cartoon strip. While the fictional accounts of Thompson’s experiences were undoubtedly extreme exaggerations, even his true lifestyle was certainly not one to be emulated. Still, Thompson succeeded in highlighting failures of leadership and hypocrisy in society in an amusing, entertaining manner while never taking himself too seriously. There are worse legacies. Sorry to delve into the world of literary criticism; that’s usually Tony’s domain. If you need some registry-related info to make it through the day, check out the “What’s New” section of the main page of our website, www.lowelldeeds.com.