Around this time
Thompson learned of
the disappearance of
Oscar Acosta in the
spring of 1974. To this
day, it’s not known
what happened to the
“
Brown Buffalo” who
“
stomped on the terra”
as Thompson described
him. Some believe he
went underground, but
most others feel he was
murdered by drug traf-
fickers. To this day the
case has not been solved.
As Nixon fell apart and, along with him, the
Republican Party, Thompson became more
involved in national politics. He became a
friend, proponent and unofficial advisor to
Jimmy Carter before and during his run for the
presidency in 1976. Thompson even stayed at
Carter’s home in Plains, Ga., for a couple of days
in 1975. When there were rumors about Thomp-
son possibly running for president, Carter sent
Thompson a note saying he’d drop out in sup-
port of Thompson.
Thompson didn’t run, but a prediction he
made two years previously, when Carter was
known as “Jimmy-who?” in the press, proved
to be true as Carter trounced Ford to become
President. During the ‘80s, Thompson continued
to be eerily accurate in his political predictions,
especially during the Iran-Contra affair. How-
ever, one prediction he made that didn’t come
true was in regards to a certain vice president
going to jail for a long, long time. Just the op-
posite came true – George H.W. Bush became
president. Thompson once again had a new
target, although he wrote a letter to the newly
elected president asking for a job.
The ‘90s opened on a high note for Thomp-
son. While supporting and actively campaigning
for Bill Clinton, he sensed a similarity between
the new president and Nixon: they both were
feral political animals. Thompson’s resulting
novel was “Better than Sex: Confessions of a
Political Junkie.”
COUNTER-CULTURE GODFATHER
As the ‘90s progressed, Thompson stature as
a counter-culture godfather grew. After all, he
was one of the only voices from the time who
was still pertinent and coherent. He continued
to appear occasionally in print, but largely
remained in his “heavily fortified compound” in
Woody Creek.
What was arguably Thompson’s most suc-
cessful venture came in 1998 when “Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas” was finally made into
a major motion picture. Thompson had been
pitching the idea for 30 years. The film was
directed by Terry Gilliam, with Johnny Depp
playing Thompson’s character and Benicio Del
Toro playing Dr. Gonzo. It has been said that
Depp had a hard time shaking off the character
after production finished.
Thompson’s career came full circle in 2001
when he became a sportswriter and weekly
columnist for ESPN.com’s “Page 2” section.
His column, called “Hey Rube!”, showed the
old doctor still had his gonzo, writing scathing
indictments of everything from the second Bush
administration to the NBA as a whole.
To summarize Thompson’s career is difficult
–
which is why this story is so long. He wrote
about everything from the Hell’s Angels and the
dope scene of San Francisco to Super Bowls and
Presidential elections. His list of friends includ-
ed the likes of Pat Buchanan, George McGovern
and Jimmy Carter, as well as Ken Keseyw, Wil-
liam Burroughs and Warren Zevon.
LITERAREA
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THEPEORIAN.COM
