Srysly? Is it because he was the first kewl? I finally got around to reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas tonight and the only reason I didn't subconsciously replace every personal pronoun with SWIM or a derivation thereof was that the text is clearly dated. It's not timeless.

If anything it's a relic of a rather savage excuse for civilization. A reminder so we don't lapse back.
But most of all the novel could have been pieced together from random posts found on totse on a day to day basis - did he inspire these people to their squalor? No.

So what then is your basis for holding him in high regard? Simply because he was the first kewl and there were no totseans at the time to flash their registration date at him and some stale, witty meme-esque remark.

Or is it because you fancy the image he paints as romantic? Personally I'd call it graphic and lewd.

I am not a fanboy.
This is also my first post in here since Jesus was crucified.

arx_

A lot of people are scared to try drugs, do anything wild, take risks or break the law. These people need fiction in books and movies to provide them a little release. People like Thompson provided these people with stories about how wild he was, and all sorts of fans got wet over it. Never mind that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is fiction, that Thompson admitted it, or that the portrayals of drugs in the book are sometimes inaccurate (Thompson was a speed freak, but not very experienced in anything else. Note the absense of amphetamines from the book).

I have a point, but I've forgotten it.

So what you're saying is: Totseans who post this shit are more authentic than Hunter S WannabeKewl?

Honestly sometimes I question just how far people will go to be pretentious. This novel shouldn't have been published, let alone achieve the cult following it's gathered.

its not a novel about drugs.
its a novel about the excess and greed of western culture, and also touches heavily on the basic human instincts that can lead to releasing the suppressed depravity within all humans. in this sense, it is timeless.

the writing is fluid, vivid, and beat. yes, there are way too many dumb kids who appreciate it solely for all of the drug references, but the drugs are just a plot device for reaching what the authour was really trying to say about modern culture.

Next, try The Curse of Lono.

Read it with the idea that it's entertainment. Stop and notice the art that goes hand in hand with the writing.

It's the definitive voice and style that brought HST fame. He experienced a lot of things, met a lot of interesting people and lived through a set time.

Of course his works are dated. He insisted on dating them. Modern relevence isn't necessary within fiction. Like the beat authors before him, he wrote of the times. HST drew from the things and people with which he surrounded himself.

Does your voice speak as loudly? Can you convey things with the strength that he managed from a few lines and a work of art?

Fuck this thread.

It's not some trip report, it's a book, and a rather well written and entertaining one at that.

Curse of Lono is definitely much better though.

-F☺rd

If you think Thompson's books are just about him doing drugs breaking the law and going wild than you don't know what you're talking about.

He provides a look into the special era where cultures were clashing and a new American ideal was being born. Out of the tightly wound conservatism of the 50's came a radical shift - sex drugs and rock and roll...and Thompson was there to witness it all. His writing touches on everything from the political realities of America during the 60's and 70's to the disappearance or death of the 'American Dream' ideal. He uses the drugs and wild carousing as a plot device to help give the reader the theme of the times - Thompson was running wild at the time as were the rest of America's children. It was people like Thompson who allow places like totse to exist in today's world and not be shut down by the 'fascist right wing nazi pigs' who hate your freedoms.

Why don't you read some of his other works instead of watching Fear and Loathing w/ Johnny Depp and then pontificating down to the rest of us folks who actually know how to read.

Pretentious fag is pretentious.

I read Fear and Loathing actually, if you could read you'd know that.

What you're talking about, what everyone in this thread seems to be talking about, is their ability to read deeper meaning into a stone, or in this case, a turd. A steaming pile of turd. Fear and Loathing is a trip report, fictional or otherwise, written by someone just like you.

You called Fear and Loathing iconic of its era and how it encapsulated a massive change in American culture. Sure, that's true. It's also true of Harry Potter - a series that existed before the terror climate, and responded to it, furthermore it responded to it from a foreign point of view. Pretentious fag could argue that Harry Potter is a unique portrayal of the British public's response to America's War on Terror.

It's all a load of bullshit, right? But it's the same bullshit you're spewing about Fear and Loathing, only Fear and Loathing is kewl. I can understand that in the past geeks were drawn to Hunter S Thompson, but you're not geeks - you're totseans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliog...er_S._Thompson

When you're halfway through reading Thompson's complete works, feel free to prepare educated comments. Try reading some of his works that are based around Nixon. It's almost spectacular.

I'm not going to go into your love for Harry Potter, they're not in the same league and I can't see any reason why they would ever be compared.

Never explain, never say sorry!

Read his story about "The Judge"

that story, in and of itself, is quintessential HST which really highlights his true quality: fast paced energy and a manic craziness that paints itself over the world leaving one in the grips of terror and wild escapades.