[LucidElement]

in the movie "Fear and loathing in Las Vegas" is that the true story of what HST and his lawyer went through? when you read the book (ive read the first few pages) it says exactly what johnny depp says in the movie about the bats and what not... is that movie scripted from that book???? or is the book different after the first few pages then the movie???

also, why did Hunter S Thompson kill himself???

and lastly, are all his writtings focused on drug use and alcoholic stories about him.. if thats true, whats the best book that is entertaining?

[Bunny Munro]

It's semi-fictional, it's embellished for the sake of writing a good story.

The film is loosely based on the novel, the novel is a lot darker.

From what I gather he killed himself because he felt his time was up, one of his most famous quotations is to the effect of 'If I didn't know that I could kill myself at any time, I'd feel trapped'.

[DeLira73]

I had no idea he killed himself. His book on the Hell's Angels was pretty decent.

[Funky Poacher]

The Bill Murry film is better.

[LucidElement]

so the movie and book arent alike? its not like the script for the movie pretty much because the first few pages are like word for word!

[Wookietim]

LucidElement, on 02 November 2009 - 04:11 AM, said:

in the movie "Fear and loathing in Las Vegas" is that the true story of what HST and his lawyer went through? when you read the book (ive read the first few pages) it says exactly what johnny depp says in the movie about the bats and what not... is that movie scripted from that book???? or is the book different after the first few pages then the movie???

also, why did Hunter S Thompson kill himself???

and lastly, are all his writtings focused on drug use and alcoholic stories about him.. if thats true, whats the best book that is entertaining?

The movie came from the book... But there is a difference between reality and what HST wrote down. HST fictionalized many parts of that story - it wasn't straight reporting.

[LucidElement]

does he have a book that talks about the drugs he did and the trips he had??? like on a vacation or what not?

[TheStranger]

LucidElement, on 03 November 2009 - 03:40 PM, said:

does he have a book that talks about the drugs he did and the trips he had??? like on a vacation or what not?

Most of his 'gonzo' writing involves him traveling and doing drugs, and embellishing a lot of the story: The Great Shark Hunt, the Curse of Lono, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, etc.. Later on, he did a lot of his reporting from home, with all the madness but less provocation. If you want to read a GREAT bio on him, may I suggest 'Gonzo', which is compiled by the Rolling Stones staff from interviews of the people who knew him throughout his life (and some pretty famous ones too) which you can get in paperback now. The 'Gonzo' documentary is decent too, with a great soundtrack, but I preferred 'Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride,' if anything for the rambling ten minutes of Gary Busey.


"Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men's reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."
—The Great Shark Hunt, 1979

[Amnesiac]

if you want to read a great book by him check out the rum diary. it was when he was younger, so he wasn't into as many drugs, mostly alcohol. it's really entertaining and is being adapted into a film in which johnny depp is going to reprise his role as hunter, or more accurately, hunter's character.

[Bunny Munro]

Or read his Kentucky Derby article, it's hilarious.