Hunter S. Thompson Biography

Fast Facts

• Created Gonzo journalism while on assignment at the Kentucky Derby for Scanlan's Monthly in 1970, for which he wrote the story, "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved," that first made him famous
• His first published novel was 1967's "Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga," for which he infiltrated the infamous motorcycle gang, describing the experience as "being slowly absorbed by them․"
• After stealing a man's wallet during high school and choosing the military over prison, he began his career in journalism as a sports reporter at Elgin Air Force Base
• Quote: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone․․․but they've always worked for me․"
• Quote: "I've always felt like a Southerner․ And I always felt like I was born in defeat․ And I may have written everything I've written just to win back a victory․ My life may be pure revenge․"
• Quote: "[on his various alter egos] "I'm never sure which one people expect me to be․ Very often, they conflict ․․․ I'm leading a normal life and right alongside me there is this myth, and it is growing and mushrooming and getting more and more warped․""
• Quote: "[on the inclusion of "Fear and Loathing" in the Modern Library in 1996] "I've always assumed it was for dead writers․ But what I did assume at that time․․․was that I would be dead very soon․ The fact that I'm not dead is sort of puzzling to me․""
• Best known as a journalist and author who created Gonzo journalism and wrote the novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas․"
• Served as the national affairs editor for Rolling Stone magazine from 1970 to 1999 after "The Battle of Aspen," a story about his campaign for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, was featured in the publication
• Although his first published novel was "Hell's Angels," he had actually completed "The Rum Diary," about his experiences as a freelance journalist in Puerto Rico, in 1959, but it remained unpublished until 1998
• By his request, his ashes were shot from a cannon at a private ceremony in August 2005, six months after his death, to the tune of Bob Dylan's "Mr․ Tambourine Man․"