Counselor

I first heard of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson in 1998 when the film version of "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" was released. My friend Sean's older brother Pat went to see it and he returned saying that the book was better.

There was a book?

Fortunately Pat owned a copy and let me borrow it. I read it very rapidly and thought I was so cool. I fixated hard on the style/voice and so much of my shitty writing from that period tried unsuccessfully to ape it. It wasn't until much later (in college) that I started to get into the actual substance of his writing.

The only good thing to come as a result of the Bush Administration is my political activation. In middle-school/high school I wasn't really the political animal that I am today. I would check out a book like "Generation of Swine" from the local library and just couldn't get into it. Thanks to the thief in chief I was finally able to dig in and enjoy the political works of the good doctor.

Hunter's death really depressed me. Who was going to rant and rail against this tyrant in the oval office? Why had he left us in our hour of need? Why hast thou forsaken us?

On Monday Becca and I went to see "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson". It was an OK doc. It felt way long and didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know but what it did do was something magical. It brought Hunter back to life for two hours. The documentary uses Hunter's life to comment on the mess we're in. It makes you angry that we're stuck with a president who's ten times the mean bastard that Nixon was. This film is a nice little moltov cocktail. Goes down smooth.

Now how to end this bastard?

I'll say farewell with Hunter's farewell:

Football Season Is Over
No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won’t hurt.

1937-2005