When you read the words “Hunter S. Thompson Dead” you’re not really surprised. Face it the guy had been living on borrowed time most of his adult life. His copious intake of drugs and alcohol coupled with a love of guns and fast convertibles was a bad combination. Mix in a blatant disregard for laws and you’ve got a fairly complete recipe for the “early checkout.” If you were unaware of what killed HST you would probably imagine Hunter completely whacked on a combination of dangerously powerful drugs, driving an overpowered convertible through the mountains of Colorado being chased by the police. You would further imagine that HST, in an effort to light a cigarette or open a fresh Ballatine Ale, couldn’t manage the tricky and necessary heel toe work required to navigate a mountain switchback. Then it is all flying cars, gorges, and TV show explosions. At least that is what you would think was the likely cause. You would be mistaken; the truth is that HST committed suicide.
Which I suppose is tragic. Hunter was a great, exceptional writer. He defined the genre that came to be known as Gonzo journalism and wrote some excellent books. (Personal fave: Curse of Lono). Speculation has already begun about the reason for Hunter’s decision to try a little Kevorkian home treatment. I have read that he was depressed because of GWB and the eroding freedoms of the nation. I have heard speculation that he was faced with a terminal illness. People have opined that it was an accident of some sort. One, particularly astute, friend of mine saw it as yet another tribute to Hemmingway (you can clearly hear the influence of EH in Hunter’s book “The Rum Diaries”). I don’t have any notion of why HST would take the early bus to the forever after except to say: It wasn’t because of the current state of politics. He was far too shrewd for that nonsense.
In the end the reason doesn’t matter. Hunter won’t be cranking out any new copy and there is no one to take his place. But rather than be saddened by the loss of such a truly unique individual I’m going to be thankful that he was a prolific writer leaving plenty of words for his fans to enjoy. So thanks for being you Hunter.
OK
CKS
Some HST for the uninitiated:
Song of the Sausage Creature
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