February 2005 has been one of the worst months of my life. The two writers I most admire, Arthur Miller and Hunter S. Thompson, died within days of one another. Meanwhile, our popular culture descends ever deeper into mediocrity.
That said, it lifted my spirits to discover how many fellow Kossacks were Thompson fans. There still is intelligent life on this planet--if you know where to look.
And speaking of intelligent life, the lead item in the website of The Independent is a column by Thompson's friend and collaborator Ralph Steadman.
Steadman's column begins:
Hunter said these words to me many years ago: "I would feel real trapped in this life if I didn't know I could commit suicide at any time." I knew he meant it. It wasn't a case of if, but when. He didn't reckon he would make it beyond 30 anyway, so he lived it all in the fast lane. There was no first, second, third and top gear in the car--just overdrive.
He describes his first assignment with Thompson, covering the 1970 Kentucky Derby; and the time he and Thompson covered the America's Cup races off Newport, Rhode Island. He said that their experience at sea "was the genesis of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".
We spent many assignments together, bucking the trend, against the cheats and liars, the bagmen and the cronies; me an alien from the old country and him raging against the coming of the light. "Fuck them, Ralph," he would say, "we are not like the others."
And Steadman also speculates on how Thompson will be remembered as a writer:
I had the good fortune to meet one of the great originals of American literature. Maybe he is the Mark Twain of the late 20th century. Time will sort the bastard out. I have always known that one day I would know this journey, but yesterday, I did not know that it would be today. I leave it to others more qualified than me to assess and appraise his monumental literary legacy.
Item number one on my to-do list for tomorrow: Find my copy of Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, the most entertaining book ever written about American politics.