Believe it or not, I have never read Fear and Loathing before, nor have I seen the movie. I know it is super popular but I have never seen it. I have never heard of Gonzo journalism before this, and I like how free and honest it is. He really didn't hold back, said what he thought, told the REAL story with no filters or editing. There were times I couldn't stop laughing, picturing how freaked out the kid in the backseat in the beginning of the story must be. "Thanks for the ride," he yelled.
"Thanks a lot. I like you guys. Don't worry about me." He was probably never more scared or at least uncomfortable in his life. The drug filled bender they were on was chaotic to say the least.
As for effectiveness and fairness of America's war on drugs, the sign saying 20 years in prison for having possession of pot in Nevada is remarkable. I would imagine it was true then, but that's amazing. Probably not the fairest of laws at any point in time.
What is American? The line in close reading from page 9 talks about the possibilities of life in America, and like it or not, their trip was American. They got to do what they wanted, being drug filled on a long trip through the desert to get to Vegas and make an ass of themselves, while having a hell of a time and meanwhile getting freaked out from the drug hallucinations.
I have to think his drug use definitely broadened his creativity, you can't make this stuff up.
I agree with you about the honesty in the style of writing. Thompson doesn't seem to care whether or not anyone will like it he just writes it and tells his personal experiences
ReplyDeleteLandon,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting question in your post in regard to journalism. You state that Thompson told the "REAL story." What did you mean the "real story"? He was hired to cover the motorcycle race and didn't really end up covering that at all. What was the story he ended up covering? How does this change what we think of as journalism?