Monday, February 21, 2005

HUNTER S. THOMPSON KILLS SELF

Many people might not recognize this name, but you should. He was the inspiration for the Johnny Depp character in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Hunter S. Thompson was a unique journalist who plunged himself into the story and wrote in first person. He often drank large amounts of alcohol or did drugs while covering various topics.

Recently in one of my classes I had to read one of his articles about the Kentucky Derby. I stayed in Thursday night and re-read the article. It really is an amazing piece of journalism that shows what the Derby is really like. It's not about the race (as every story about the Derby focuses on), it's about the large number of people who go there, get insanely drunk and lose money.

A news article about Thompson's death is available here.

If interested in his work, I recommend The Great Shark Hunt.

• posted by Dave at 1:14 PM
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