Gonzo - Softcover

Seymour, Corey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316005282 ISBN 13: 9780316005289

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2008

Synopsis

Hailed everywhere as a brilliant biography, GONZO is a startling portrait of Hunter S. Thompson, the genius who spent a lifetime channeling his energy and insight into such landmark works as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas--and revolutionized the art of writing. In their own words, an incredible array of stars--Sonny Barger, Jack Nicholson, Ralph Steadman, Jimmy Buffett, Anjelica Huston, Marilyn Manson, Jimmy Carter, and many more--bring into vivid focus Thompson's creative frenzies, love affairs, drug use, and, ultimately, his tragic suicide. As Thompson was fond of saying, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."

"Gonzo...is no hagiography, and it is in its unflinching look at this singular character in American letters as fearless-if not more so-as anything Thompson ever dared write....The most comprehensive picture of Thompson so far, and...likely the best we'll ever get." --Patrick Beach, Austin American-Statesman

"A fond and exhilarating look back at the wild man of American journalism, put together by a couple of guys who were pretty close to him." --Billy Heller, New York Post

About this title

About the Author

Jann S. Wenner is the founder, owner and editor of Rolling Stone magazine. He is also the head of Wenner Media, which includes such magazines as US Weekly and Men's Journal. He lives in Manhattan.

Corey Seymour is a writer and editor who came to know Hunter Thompson while working as his New York-based assistant during his tenure at Rolling Stone in the early nineties. He lives in Brooklyn.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Uproarious and unpredictable, this oral biography is a fitting look at the turbulent life of Gonzo journalism pioneer Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005), a life surrounded by many but understood by few: "always pushing," Thompson "created a kind of inner circle of people who stood the test." That circle is well represented among the volume's many "voices," including ex-wife Sandy Thompson and their son, Juan, longtime collaborator Ralph Steadman, actors Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson, and old friends Porter Bibb and Ed Bastian. The story-tellers provide a great number of angles, bringing forth insight that goes well beyond Thompson's famous love for alcohol and drugs-though they don't neglect the intoxicants, nor the eccentric writer's most obvious quirks (such as his indiscriminate verbal outbursts: "he was always yelling at himself, like 'AAHHH!!! CAZART!!!'"). A rich, rollicking vision of Thompson that highlights his outlandish personality and his passion for language ("He started typing out Fitzgerald and Hemingway books word for word... he said, 'I just like to get the feel of how it is to write those words.'"), Wenner and Seymour's work also encompasses the unlikely transition of Gonzo from radical, reactionary style-du-jour to culture-defining literature: "Only a handful of writers in a generation can pull that off, and Hunter transcended his competition." This fine, fond biography amuses, inspires, outrages and haunts at all the right moments-and sometimes all at once.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0316005282
• ISBN 13: 9780316005289
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512