Goodbye, Great Gonzo

I admit to being someone who was quite impressed with Hunter S. Thompson's writing. I found his work to be refreshing, and his depth of journalism was far beyond what most other people who use that moniker do in reporting eveents. Instead of just reporting the actions of a principal person, he often reported the actions of everyone in the room, with an eye for detail that both took the reader into the room and also clearly conveyed the secondary influences and other elements of a given situation.

I loved "Hells Angels". The work was truly a clear, insightful description of the situation in that legendary motorcycle gang. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was one of the funniest reads I've ever taken the time to peruse. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 went into depth that is rarely seen, and really made me feel like a member of the press corps when Nixon was chasing the presedency. And his shorter articles always gave me a laugh, whether he was discussing politics, counterculture, or even blowing things up, which he loved to do.

It doesn't surprise me that he shot himself. It somehow seems right for him to go that way, much like if Harlan Ellison screamed himself to death or William Gibson chose to pull a server tower over on himself. I know every writer has their time when the page goes blank, but I do find it sad that the pen of "Raoul Duke" is now ever silent.