Hunter S. Thompson (Part 1)

(Scott) Now, here's one of those projects I was talking about before, both Brian and myself are fans of the writings of Hunter S Thompson, and decided to do a two part post.....Brian's half will be today, and here in a couple of days I have some more to add to it, including a batch of E-Books and the definitive CD Box-Set. What do you think about this type of post.......let me know.

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I don't know if I have the words. I mean, I like to write, and I don't think I can muster text worthy enough of this man. He's one of my favorite authors, and it's daunting, but here we go....

I shouldn't have to tell anyone that frequents this corner of the Interwebs who Hunter S. Thompson was. You all got it, right? I will say though... if you haven't read enough of his stuff, you owe it to yourself to fix that. The Fear and Loathing classics, Hell's Angels, the multi-volume Gonzo Papers... Hell, even his book of sports writing for ESPN - Hey Rube - is an uproarious read! So, study the man. Like the greatest writers - Hemingway, Kafka, and especially Henry Miller - his writing was the embodiment of who he was. What we have here are some Thompson audio goodies for your hot little hands.

First up is another great Hal Willner-produced album. The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent & Depraved has long been regarded as the birthplace of HST's Gonzo Journalism. Viewing the Derby not as a sporting event but as a brutal American macrocosm seen through the cracked lense of way too much whisky, it emphasized not what it was, but how he experienced it.

This audio adaptation has Tim Robbins doing the voice of HST, while Ralph Steadman plays his younger self. It's a perfect listen, helped along by a subtle amount of music and sound effects. It's poignant and hilarious, just like HST. Thanks to Willard of the Wormholes for originally posting this.

Along the same lines - actually I think this was an inspiration for the previous album - we have this 1996 audio version of Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. It has the voices of - among many others - Harry Dean Stanton and director Jim Jarmusch splitting the role of Thompson/Duke. If you've never read the book, this is a great shorthand version, hitting all the high spots and telling you the story.

Now, the movie... I have never understood it when I hear people bitch about the Johnny Depp film. I mean, it's absolutely hilarious, it's visually striking, and Depp and Benicio Del Toro are perfect in their parts! It's one of the only movies from the 90's with any real balls, you know? Never mind that it's a perfect adaptation of the book, something which is rare in films.

And the soundtrack is killer! That's what we have here, this ultimate 2 disc edition I scored off of the always amazing download-soundtracks.com. Disc 1 is the same as the original '96 soundtrack release, with a second disc filled with all the other incidental songs you hear in the movie. If you're a fan of the movie - and you damn well better be - you need to snag this one.

This last one I found in the days leading up to posting time; I'd never even heard of it before! It's HST giving a lecture in Boulder, CO in '77. I wish it was just him talking; I loathe Q&As. But it is a great listen, and you don't stumble across this file hardly ever!

The bonus link for this post is a two album file from a comedy duo who, like Hunter, also liked to get high. I've posted them once before, but here they are one mo' time for The Comedy Minions.