Songs of the Doomed: More Notes on the Death of the American Dream

The third volume of the legendary “Gonzo Papers” recalls high and hideous moments in Hunter S. Thompson’s life and career—featuring a new introduction from comedian Tim Heidecker.

With Thompson’s trademark insight and passion about the state of American politics and culture, Songs of the Doomed charts the long, strange trip from Kennedy to Quayle in Thompson’s freewheeling, inimitable style. Spanning four decades—1950 to 1990—Thompson is at the top of his form while fleeing New York for Puerto Rico, riding with the Hell’s Angels, investigating Las Vegas sleaze, grappling with the “Dukakis problem,” and finally, detailing his infamous lifestyle bust, trial documents, and Fourth Amendment battle with the Law. These tales—often sleazy, brutal, and crude—are only the tip of what Jack Nicholson called “the most baffling human iceberg of our time.”

Songs of the Doomed is vintage Thompson—a brilliant, brazen, bawdy compilation of the greatest sound bites of Gonzo journalism from the past thirty years.

Hunter S. Thompson was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. His books include Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72, Screwjack, Kingdom of Fear, The Great Shark Hunt, Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone, Hell’s Angels, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He died in February 2005.