The Laughing Wolf

Into The Light: Hunter S. Thompson

Fear and Loathing In The Afterlife

You know, a part of me wishes he could write it and send it back, for it would be one heck of a read. Tim Blair has a good roundup here and more is sure to come (link courtesy Instapundit). Thompson was probably more of an influence on some of my early writing and journalism than I care to admit. He was nuts, pure and simple, but he was also a damned good writer. His early works are incredible, and shaped and re-shaped the writing landscape. While I ended up less than impressed with his later work, the comparisons of later to his earlier works are not necessarily fair in some respects. His writing, and his urging writers -- be they journalists or other -- to go out and learn about what they were covering, to get into the middle of it and get their hands dirty, are quite a legacy, and I thank him for both. Forget that movie, go buy some of his early works and read them if you have not done so.

LW