Not Guided by Policy: Hunter S. Thompson and the Birth of Gonzo Journalism

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In this video:
“We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold.” This is the opening line from the highly acclaimed roman à clef Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream written by Hunter S. Thompson, one of America’s most countercultural and anti-authoritarian writers. The untamed master of his own self-titled genre, “gonzo journalism,” Thompson set ablaze the American standards for journalism during the 1960s and 70s with a cornucopia of drugs, alcohol, gun toting, and most notably, his exemplary writing.
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[@TodayIFoundOut]

Ready for more fun and fascinating facts? Then check out this video about That Time the U.S. Accidentally Nuked Britain’s First Satellite: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ap6wkmaZpNaXndE

[@devodavis6454]

I enjoy these, but today it was just too fast to keep up with, man.

[@brantleyhester6641]

Today I Found Out Man, the HAMC is a club, not a gang. Don't refer to them as outlaws either. When I was in 10th grade of high school I did a book report on the Hell's Angels book by Mr. Thompson

[@seef4966]

"If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up." Words to live by.

[@RajSingh-qc6lq]

If you want to be truly great at anything you have to be a little bit crazy. Besides, who wants to be normal. Fuck being average. Find a passion, make it your tool. Break the mold a little.

[@philleotardo7879]

You need to be born crazy i think if you are trying to be crazy you are just a poser....

[@lunavyz901]

Jovan Krstitelj What! That's bullshit.

[@willtheangrydudeist9120]

And if they don't lock you up, you can sure as hell bet they will spend all of their time marginalizing you...

[@cheeseballer_]

​@@RajSingh-qc6lq fuckin oath

[@paulraider2001]

My first contact was finding a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on the mess deck of my ship in 1984. I read it during my entire 8 hour watch without putting it down once. I've never had a similar experience with a book before or since.

[@RaoulDuke77]

Thanks for doing this, he was a true American icon, a rebel from cradle to grave. Buy the ticket, take the ride...

[@eiseneuter2034]

He also fucked up his son and all close around him

[@Markustempest]

@@eiseneuter2034 oh well. Nobody said he was a good person lol

[@r-urbex1611]

"There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die."

[@Nerudah]

This is about Oscar Zeta Acosta. Do you know who he is?

[@packaapunch]

@@Nerudah dr gonzo

[@austindennis2503]

My graduation quote

[@scook9999]

I got to meet Mr. Thompson when I was 18. Words don't do him justice. I love that man.

[@GatorScientist]

Shotgun golf sounds like the only kind of golf I could get into.

[@wildward93]

ゲーター 科学者 Tiger Woods is making an epic comeback, and he's pissed... Tiger Woods PGA SHOTGUN GOLF for Nintendo Switch XDDDDDD

[@Dogman36]

golf! finally worth watching!

[@vickievegas1837]

ゲーター 科学者 me too

[@Sevenigma777]

The opening lines to Fear and Loathing are some of the best opening lines ever written.

[@jonnda]

True gonzo journalism is any journalism written by Gonzo, the blue muppet with an affinity for chickens.

[@Elemiriel]

I would read that!

[@Areanyusernamesleft]

Except he's more of a purple...

[@jonnda]

Areanyusernamesleft Maybe you should go do a quick google image search of Gonzo. Most of the images are clearly some sort of blue. That said, there likely have been dozens of Gonzo puppets made over the years, and there will be variety in materials used.

[@Areanyusernamesleft]

jonnda I know what Gonzo looks like but here's a link anyway: goo.gl/images/VopXaX As you can see, while his hair/fur is bluish, the color of his "skin" is a purple.

[@jonnda]

Areanyusernamesleft So you admit that you are wrong, because the majority of his body is covered with blue fur.

[@kokigami5492]

Hunter wasn't crazy. He just had the balls to do what we all wished we could do.

[@waterfood7009]

like take 8 grams of shrooms

[@garretwoeller7669]

My hero Thompson you live on in my dreams

[@godpopov]

A high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production.

[@raventelevision5382]

godpopov Too weird to live, too rare to die.

[@Nerudah]

This was how Thompson described Oscar Zeta Acosta. The true creator of Gonzo.

[@Adeian]

This guy was great. I would love to read an account of the 2016 campaign trail written by him. Bummer it can't happen.

[@loddude5706]

Worry not, for no matter how ridiculous, if it can be imagined, it IS possible. 2016 itself kinda proved that . . .

[@annatodd7781]

Does the term snuff movies ring a bell?

[@magistrumartium]

A friend of mine, a huge fan, met him back around 1983. Said Thompson was big and abrupt and scared the hell out of him.

[@ottomattix86]

I feel like abrupt and high as fuck are the same 😂

[@SolveMarketing]

=D

[@MephLeo]

That would make golf bearable to watch.

[@BanditRants]

I'll sum up the video. Hunter S. Thompson was a bad ass.

[@cloroxdaily2782]

love your vids bandit!

[@masteryi5597]

What editing software do you use?

[@K-Anator]

Judging by the video "The Misconception of Alien Life" which is currently promoted for non-subs, I'd say a mix of After Effects and Premier Pro.

[@MajkaSrajka]

and unhinged crazie.

[@barrya3109]

The guy probably seemed like a bad ass to Epstein and Seville you know the other famous pedos.

[@Mattteus]

"peregrination", now there's a word you don't hear often!

[@ambercrombie789]

@Matteus. love listening to someone who drives me to my OED.

[@bigboyblue7181]

He ran for Sheriff.

[@alhutch1798]

on the Freak Party Ticket. He shaved his head, Because he was called a long haired hippie. SO he straight razored his head shorter than his running mate. Also wanted to turn all the roads in Aspen into Dirt road bike paths. He was the man.

[@seef4966]

Just so he could refer to the other guy as his "long haired opponent" . OG trolling.

[@alhutch1798]

see fish exactly... clowning at its fineat

[@piranha031091]

He ran for Mayor, then for Sheriff, and only narrowly lost in both cases!

[@soothsayerofthedarkandexis8525]

He came very close to actually winning in 1970 and everyone was kinda worried and excited at the same time including HST.

[@NJP695]

I never expected his last words to be so prophetic, so poetic, so tragic

[@alhutch1798]

"WHEN THE GOING GETS WEIRD, THE WEIRD TURN PRO!"

[@FrancisPatrickPerron]

Also check out "Where the Buffalo Roam" with Bill Murray playing Hunter.

[@SolveMarketing]

There is nothing wrong with conventional writing and most business or organizational writing beginning with nonegoist leads. Such bursts of gonzo nowadays.

[@desperateambrose5373]

It's enjoyable, but Thompson himself wasn't very happy with the movie.

[@minxythemerciless]

"A private funeral was arranged for all of Thompson's closest friends and family"?! Maybe in Aztec culture or Ottoman empire, so many people would be sacrificed? But Colorado?!

[@KealohaHarrison]

I love Hunter S. Thompson and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is probably my favorite book of all time (that or Catcher in the Rye or Gatsby) and Thompson’s work is the reason why I want to be a journalist. Obviously I wouldn’t go to the same extremities as he did during his career, but still, he’s my journalistic inspiration.

[@MikeJBeebe]

"There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . ." -- HST, "Fear And Loathing in Lad Vegas"

[@johnsummers9660]

I was raised by in an evangelical Christian environment and my parents wouldn't let me listen to music they didn't approve of or watch films or TV shows they didn't approve of. On the other hand, my mother being a voracious reader would let me read anything I wanted to. I guess she figured anything in a book couldn't be as 'evil' as music or film. Somehow when I was in my teens in the early '90s I discovered William S. Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson. The first Burroughs book I read was "Wild Boys" which was full of homosexual sex but my mother didn't even look to see what the book was about before purchasing it for me. I had also wanted to get a Hunter S. Thompson book as well but since my 'rents had both attended FSU I figured they would know who he was and wouldn't get it for me. The next time we went to the book store though I tried my luck and I believe since the book was about the Kentucky Derby, my father being from Kentucky, was happy to purchase it. Those two authors changed my life for the better, I believe. I know Thompson had a flash of trendiness when the film version of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was released but even at the time, I wouldn't allow myself to arbitrarily throw his books aside due to a momentary popularity. I was thrilled that I was able to introduce some of my class mates to some of the most inventive invective ever committed to paper in the 20th century. I think Burroughs and Thompson are the two most important authors of the 20th century regardless of what people say about Hemingway, Miller, Pinchon, Didion or Burgess. They changed the way people approach the craft of writing as well as expanding the purpose of writing. Modern media will be indebted to the both of them though they will never know it or choose to ignore it. I don't know why I decided to comment on this especially in such a long fashion. Oh well...

[@kenwaldron8548]

Thank you for giving his life story straight and the facts. It’s not all rumors and sensationalized. I love this guy

[@DutchDread]

Possibly my favorite person of all time.

[@chazbell754]

My dad got to talk to him for awhile,as they both waited to catch a flight. Dad said, no disrespect,but, he said, Hunter was the most disturbed smart person,he'd met.

[@curiousworld7912]

"...this airman...will not be guided by policy". Yep, that was Hunter S. Thompson. Never 'guided' by policy.

[@KekuTheLaughing]

Congrats on 1 million!!!!!!! Been here since 100k

[@brunsta234]

TedTheZombie who cares dude no one asked how long u been subbed

[@KekuTheLaughing]

dwd ded obviously you do, took the time to comment right?

[@bird10498]

I saw Hunter Thompson in 1982 where he was making an appearance in the Assembly Hall on the U of I campus in Champaign, IL. He was very late and by the time he walked out on the stage the crowd was going crazy. It was similar to the scene in "Where the Buffalo Roam". I went to journalism school there, we all wanted to write like him but none of us could, not even Hunter, himself. If you read "Hell's Angels," and "F&L on the Campaign Trail" you'll see some solid journalism in the middle of all the madness. After he gained fame and lost his anonymity he couldn't pull it off anymore--wherever he went people knew who he was--he could no longer function as a candid observer.

[@OpEditorial]

A bald guy with glasses who liked to spin a good yarn, oh and something about Hunter Thompson too lol

[@RolasRook]

I love hearing aboit the dude. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas aside the man is a total legend in writing.

[@Jade-dx2jv]

Holy cow 1.this guy was nuts 2.i'm born and raised on Eglin afb :)

[@fireincarnation2]

Best golf game ive ever heard

[@branon6565]

NO, that's not why he got his face stomped on. He witnessed an Angel slap his lady after she said somethin disrespectful to the him. Right after he smacked his lady, his dog bit the shit out of him, which prompted the biker to start kickin the shit outta the dog. Hunter S. Thompson, upon seein this go down, commented somethin to the effect of "only a pussy would hit a woman, then kick the hell out of his own dog". I've got a couple friends who are active HA, and they said the club told Thompson that he could come back and hang out, but he was beaten so bad, that he never talked to another HA member again. In fact, my buddy said he really should've went to the hospital, that there's no way in hell he didn't have a concussion, cuz he got beat the fuck up BAD....

[@firstcynic92]

Simone... 12:13 Anjelica Huston's last name is pronounced just like the city and also famed actor/director/writer John Houston (her father). hyoo-stuh-n It's *not* huh-stone.

[@GuildMasterTN]

He can't say the city name either, says it like Hoostun.

[@Em-sf6sr]

who cares

[@Shockedbywater]

Clearly Simone cares about pronunciation even if you and I do not.

[@-HustleUnion-]

the first time i watched fear and loathing i was hooked. i bought the ticket and took the ride. its my favorite movie sitting at #1 and quite possibly the best movie ever made.

[@420greatestqueen]

One of my favourite authors

[@nBasedAce]

My favorite book of his is "Generation of Swine".

[@bikee4]

Seriously, why isn't this on your biography channel in full?

[@Flipindabird23]

This guys has been my idol since I was 15

[@LUKE-lo7sh]

so glad thompson is getting more recognition

[@fieldingcarpenter]

Buy the ticket... take the ride

[@alfelker]

You’re either on the bus or off. Sorry wrong ticket & bus “ Futhur” ... 🚎

[@waltera3213]

Hey the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas symbol used at the 8:45 mark is for a band from Japan

[@samwizeganji5222]

Hunter Thompson!!!! Yay. Thank you for making this

[@somethingsinlife5600]

Gonzo? Yes please!

[@trashman5710]

Hunter s Thompson. Dude, what a fucking legend

[@camgood2437]

A true American hero.

[@inerlogic]

Wow.... i thought I'd invented "skeet golfing" as the only way my father-in-law could get me on a golf course.... well done dr. Thompson, well done.....

[@timmmahhhh]

I learned about Thompson from Lou Brutus the afternoon DJ on Rock 103.5 Chicago 1995-1997 who would always close his segment with a bizarre Hunter S. Thompson quote.

[@urielchamberlain4047]

Hunter S. Thompson was awesome, he lives!!

[@DoReMi123acb]

So he is the inspiration for Spider Jerusalem, huh? Awesome dude!

[@Valaraukar8187]

Nice one. Pretty damn accurate and on point. You seem like an actual fan, eh? Definitely some honest and sincere respect for Hunter and his talents. Thanks for the video

[@matttucker3]

One of the best authors and journalists ever

[@kirkwhite8600]

Shotgun Golf needs to be a thing. I would play the shit out of that.

[@corkyvanderhaven3391]

Read his letters. Good book read. Shows an evolution, ya might dig it

[@imemyself2820]

A fine piece. Regards to Nate.

[@richardpointer]

One of the best one ever.

[@baileymcmillan4822]

Hunter S Thompson remains my favourite author/journalist of all time. Love his highly subjective style. Sad he's no longer with us. Edit: ok guys, I get it - he was awful and I'm sad and angry that he was awful. It's horrible to hear that one of your favourite authors was actually a total sicko. Ediit 2: I still love him and I've seen little actual evidence that he did the snuff film and pedo stuff. I know he did some shit things but he's still great. Thank you to those commenters who are cooperating in reasonable discussion.

[@brunsta234]

Bailey McMillan he died under his own terms . why be sad

[@baileymcmillan4822]

dwd ded I know he took his own life but he was still a human and it would have been great to see him cover the 2016 US elections. That woulda been neat. So yes, it's sad that he's dead. But I see your point - he died under his own terms

[@MAXLAWLESSIBIZA]

not for him

[@baileymcmillan4822]

MAXimus LAWLESSnessTM true, but it's never sad to the one who is dead. It's only sad for us selfish peeps who are left behind

[@MAXLAWLESSIBIZA]

Those who knew and loved him agreed - it was time for him to go. He was a pain in the ass to himself and all around him. No more ball games. x

[@Misserbi]

"Last man standing" and "binge drinking" makes me think you can never come back after once stepping into this role. I believe the use of a substance to define a state of mind makes it seem like you have to follow when you are securely leading. Why darken or taint a light that shines to tell you where you are, where you were, and where you are going. Clearly this is about fuel and one's amount of intake. Some people simply cannot afford it?

[@codyswisher5184]

What an awesome person!!!

[@ThrottleKitty]

That suicide note is the most brutally honest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.

[@ImSpun13]

4:11 I'm from Middletown Ny. I report for "The Times Herald-Record" (the successor of "The Middletown Daily Record") Small world

[@willtheangrydudeist9120]

He lived in a stone hut with no water in Cuddebackville while working for the paper. If you're familiar with the area, you should be able to find it, it's not far off the highway on the back way to Middletown. Of course, it may not still be standing, as i haven't been there in 25 years.

[@namepending155]

Thanks, I should have listened to this before "Hells Angels" and "Fear and Loathing".

[@niriop]

Fear and Loathing is by far the funniest book-or at least ‘non-fiction’ book-I’ve ever read. I recommend reading it on the toilet or in the bath.

[@TheAnubis57]

Or throw it in the toilet and flush it.

[@TheLobstersoup]

Thompson was completely unlearned as a journalist, yet he was less conformist and less subservant to his employer than modern journalists. No fear in that regard. Or let's just say: he wasn't mainstream. And that is a thing almost no journalist I know of can claim nowadays. Also proves you don't need a college education to be a one-of-a-kind journalist.

[@sampeters3126]

What a great man!!!!

[@rosangelaoliveira5235]

I love you canal

[@ta2ddevil442]

Hunter Thomson was a fascinating guy and I have a deeper respect for jonny depp for what he did for hunters Funeral

[@Dogman36]

i had zero idea that an Off-road race had anything to do with that movie. fascinating

[@Knight_Astolfo]

Someone call Digibro; Everday Vsauce made a video about his god.

[@231luffy]

now he is otaku gonzo journalism

[@StrawberryBatman]

Shoutout to 502!

[@tallmikbcroft6937]

Dig it! That cat was crazy! .... Shotgun golf sounds fun!

[@fredred8371]

Good video. And shotgun golf sounds really fun! (And difficult to hit a small golf ball going that fast)

[@peewee6831]

I got confused for a moment.. I thought I was watching your Biographics channel for the first 5 minutes! Haha.. you have too many good channels!

[@kentonmiles]

For every moment of triumph for every instance of beauty many souls must be trampled HST

[@highangles7210]

A true legend

[@no1uofkfan90]

Whoo shout out from the 502

[@dark666105]

I would totally watch shotgun golf.

[@jonahfalcon1970]

No mention of Doonesbury and Uncle Duke?

[@theblakex]

Louisville, Kentucky on the map

[@K3NnY_G]

I saw the upload notification and thought from the title it was a Biographics video. Don't hurt yourself Simon..

[@pauldelguidice8063]

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.

[@mechasentai]

This guy is awesome!

[@TheAnubis57]

How was he awesome by giving a 9 year such a horrible "gift" for Christmas.

[@WilliamThee4th]

Shotgun Golf? I'm sold... That sounds fun AF #Genius

[@thatsnodildo1974]

He's like a modern day Diogenes lmao

[@falldown7xstandup8x]

I'm from middletown NY

[@Griso12008V]

We can't stop here this is Bat country!

[@maurijnvanas8765]

Wow good jezus. Slow down my friend I couldn't get a word you said

[@AaronSpielman]

Best TIFO yet!

[@annettefournier9655]

Can't decide .

[@The-Underbaker]

Sadly there'll never be another Hunter S. Thompson. Even if someone had the balls, the same mindset, the same "Fuck you" attitude, they'd likely be arrested at the first incident and so we'd never hear the rest of their story.

[@isaacc7]

The character Duke in the comic Doonsberry was modeled after Hunter Thompson.

[@dylanvickers7953]

Gonzo, ya know? Sky high, long gone, on cloud 9, trashed, thrashed, ripped or pissed. We all got names for it but it all means "fucked up"

[@gabrielmadrid6487]

So if I was too film my self high it would it would be Gonzo script? Lol

[@jacobprince5137]

Do a biographies on Hunter S. Thompson!!!!

[@judyjetson686]

I love you so much thank you for this one. Let's cuddle while you tell me history.

[@AholeAtheist]

We're in bat country.. There's bats everywhere.

[@janellwilliams2394]

Suggestion: a video on the process of changing currency in a country, like after a war or when changing currency because of overinflation? Like how there was at one point a million [currency] note in post WWII Germany due to inflation, but they have since switched currency. Or even the process countries used when switching to the euro.