Happy Deathday, Mr. Thompson!

On this day in 2005, Hunter S. Thompson died from a single, self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head. He was 67 years old.

What can we really say about this eccentric writer and “totally gonzo” journalist? Well, perhaps it is best to let him speak for himself…

“Find that one thing you can do better than everybody else, doesn’t matter what it is, but find it, and do it.”

He couldn’t have been more right on. Thompson did “gonzo” better than anyone… hell, he was the man behind the term! Thompson, was among the many beaten by police outside Chicago’s 1968 Democratic Convention, an event which fueled him both creatively and politically. 

In the 1960s, Thompson spent several months riding, drinking, and on a perpetual drug-induced high with motorcycle gang, Hell’s Angels. He wrote about the experience in an article for National Observer. And so, the first novel was born; Hell’s Angels, which was published in 1966. Then, in 1972, came one of his most recognized works, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which was first serialized in Rolling Stone. In 1998, the novel was depicted on the silver screen, with Thompson portrayed by Johnny Depp. Most recently, The Rum Diary, written in 1957 but not published until 1998, was adapted for film, with Johnny Depp at the helm again. If you are fan, you will not want to miss it.

Today, we dare you to release your inner “gonzo”! Pick a topic or political issue that is relevant today and live in it for a day… immerse yourself in it and then write the most honest piece you can about it. We find, a bottle of Rum helps get us in the right mind set… (of course, we also encourage that you drink responsibly ;)

Write on in peace, Mr. Thompson!