Today's Gonzo Wisdom
If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up.For those of you unfamiliar with Bruce Robinson (shame on you) and wondering how on earth he ended up directing The Rum Diary then these three clips should ease your fears. Withnail and I is a masterpiece and if you haven’t seen it then DO SO NOW!!!
Anita just posted an interesting update over at owlfarmblog. Here is what caught my eye:
“You may have heard that the Gonzo Foundation will be indeed holding a writing contest starting in the Fall, which will end with the winner’s writing published in the Magazine, and a book Contract with People’s Press.”
Ok sounds cool, but can someone fill me in a little more here??????
Cheers,
Ron
Ready, set, go…ah well not exactly. Just to clarify some incorrect reports that are circulating the web, Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson is NOT currently being adapted for the big screen by Tony Scott and Stephan Gaghan. They are in fact working on a project about Sonny Barger based on his autobiography called Hell’s Angel. Apparently earlier reports on various websites confused the two books and thought that it was Hunter’s book that they were working from. Sorry but that is not the case, which is a pity as it deserves the big screen treatment.
I knew it sounded too good to be true. In my opinion they went with the wrong book.
Ron Mexico
UPDATE: It appears that there is more to this than meets the eye, reports now indicate that the movie might draw from Hunter’s book after all. Head on over to HSTbooks for more info.
Introduction is Paul Kantner and Grace Slick of The Jefferson Airplane
Ancient Gonzo Wisdom
Here is some nice reading material for the Gonzo Tribe this summer – Ancient Gonzo Wisdom: Interviews with Hunter S. Thompson - due to hit the shelves on July 6th. Anita Thompson has spent quite a while now gathering together this volume of interviews and first indications are that the wait has been worth it. Kicking things off is an introduction by none other than Christopher Hitchens and I have to say I am intrigued as to what he has to say regarding the Good Doctor and all things Gonzo. A quick scan of the table of contents offers up some nice surprises – not only are the interviews from print sources but there are also transcribed interviews from various radio and T.V. outlets to boot! This is a really nice touch as many of these interviews are long since forgotten and impossible to find (believe me I have tried!) It also sets this volume apart from the other collection of interviews by Kevin Simonson and Beef Torrey. Yes there are some interviews common to both collections but by and large the material in this book is to be found nowhere else (except maybe for one or two in our interview section here at Totally Gonzo – shhh tell nobody)
Ok so here is a list of some of the interviews that I have yet to find anywhere else:
ABC News – February 20, 1967
Sunday (CBC) – 1967
WBZ 1030AM (Boston) – August 8, 1972
Loose Licks (Australia) – Spring 1976
90 Minutes Live (CBC) – April 12, 1977
Commonwealth Times (Richmond, Virginia) – November 28, 1978
Washington Journalism Review – Nov/Dec 1979
This is just a small sample of what is on offer in this collection which covers Hunter’s entire career right up until 2005. It even includes a transcript of his hilarious Conan O’Brien interview. Looking forward to picking this up now, it will keep me busy until The Mutineer comes out in October. Yes…you read that correctly… 
Ok gotta run, next post coming sooner than you think (I promise)
Ron Mexico
PS: I have been glued to the protests in Iran lately, it is interesting to see young Iranian students clad in Calvin Klein asking Barack Obama and America to help them in the name of Democracy. That must sicken the clowns over at Fox News who would have you believe that all Iranians are Anti-American Evil-Doers. As Hunter once said – “There is some shit we won’t eat!” – and that spans fear mongering morons in the media to vote rigging swine in Iran.
Came across this video here
Enjoy,
Ron Mexico
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Hell's Angels
New from Penguin this summer is the Magnum Collection - in addition to Hell’s Angels the collection also includes The Fight by Norman Mailer, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Hellfire by Nick Tosches.
Ron Mexico
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Fax from Dr. Thompson
He had a way with words,
Ron Mexico
PS: Thanks to Brian for reminding me about this!
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