Nine months later the
pair returned to New
York. Thompson began
working on a novel
(
which became a 2011
film) called “The Rum
Diary,” which detailed
his time in the Carib-
bean. A few months
later, Thompson and
high school buddy Paul
Semonin hitchhiked to
the West Coast searching
for work as writers.
Thompson settled for a time in Big Sur while
Semonin moved to Denver. While in Big Sur,
Thompson wrote an article on the well-known
creative haven for Rogue magazine and earned
his largest paycheck to date: $350. It also earned
him an eviction from his Big Sur home: his land-
lady read the story and did not approve of his
characterization of the local inhabitants.
Ever the restless writer, in mid-1962 Thomp-
son set off abroad, this time to South America as
a writer for The National Observer. It was at this
time he first gained the attention of the national
media. His pieces on South America received
high praise throughout the journalistic com-
munity. He also gained a new drinking buddy,
Charles Kuralt of CBS News.
A year later he was back in the States to make
his common law wife his official wife. Later in
1963,
the Thompsons moved to Aspen, Colo.,
staying with Semonin before settling in the
small mountain hamlet of Woody Creek.
GONZO JOURNALISM, BIKERS AND POLS
One of the biggest impacts on Thompson’s
life occurred on Nov. 22, 1963 when John F.
Kennedy was shot. He felt it signaled a turn in
society. In a letter to Semonin, he wrote: “This
savage unbelievable killing, this monstrous
stupidity, has guaranteed that my children and
yours will be born in a shitrain.”
In another letter to William Kennedy, who
was back in New York, he used the phrase “fear
and loathing” to describe the way he felt after
the murder.
What became Gonzo
journalism started in
1964
as “impression-
istic journalism,” in
Thompson’s words. It
was the opposite of the
time-honored tradition
of objective journal-
ism. Thompson felt that
sometimes the most
interesting aspect of a
story was not just the
facts and information
but what was going on
from the writer’s perspective. The writer became
part of the story.
Thompson continued to write for The Na-
tional Observer, and the publication loved his
fresh approach. He also had his first foray into
“
politics”: he began soliciting President Johnson
to appoint him Governor of Samoa. For awhile,
amazingly enough, the Johnson administration
remained in contact with Thompson. Thompson
eventually withdrew his offer in outrage over
the President’s handling of Vietnam.
The Thompsons moved back to San Francisco,
where Thompson tried to get writing work from
The Nation. The magazine gave him the idea
to write about the Hell’s Angels. After convinc-
ing the decidedly suspicious Angels, he spent a
year with the motorcycle club, not as a journalist
but almost as a member. The Angels distrusted
journalists because of their consistent malign-
ing, so they went to great lengths to ensure that
Thompson was “one of them.” His ability as a
con man came through for him once again. His
articles received much praise and led to his first
publishing contract with Ballantine Books.
Thompson became ingrained in the Hell’s An-
gels’ culture and presented them in a fair light,
something that had not been done until this
time, even though he once got a severe beating
at the hands of the Angels. There are numerous
accounts of what happened, but one thing is for
sure: the old Angel law of “when you fight one
Angel, you fight them all” was definitely true.
Thompson even included the beating as the
postscript to the book.
LITERAREA
46
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