So, instead of going to see War Games tonight, I went over to Westwood to catch a screening of Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. All I have to say is, thank fucking God I went to see this movie instead.
Going into this movie, I only knew the following about Hunter S. Thompson:
- He wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- He was a drunk and a drug addict
- He infiltrated the Hell's Angels (although, honestly, I forgot it was him until they brought it up in the documentary.)
If I take the documentary at face value (which I will, because right now I'm ignorant and haven't read any of his writings) Hunter S. Thompson was actually a brilliant and incredibly influential writer and American. And I don't use the term American lightly here. He was a true patriot, ran an incredibly successful (albeit ultimately failing) campaign to become the Sheriff of Aspen, Colorado, and was highly influential in politics during the 70's through his writings in Rolling Stone.
He believed in change and freedom - two things which America needs desperately right now. He committed suicide shortly after George W. Bush's re-election which is terribly unfortunate, because a vibrant personality and writer like Thompson would probably help this country out a lot right now. I don't want to turn this into a political rant, so I'll slow things down and leave it there.
With all of that being said, as brilliant and influential as Hunter S. Thompson was, I left the film wanting to go out, & ride motorcycles, take drugs, and write/draw/photograph anything & everything. And maybe shoot some guns. But ask yourself, is that really a bad thing?
Comments
Post new comment