Gonzo Journalism

First shot of Paul Kemp & Chenault in The Rum Diary

/ Rory / 4 Comments

Hey folks,

 

Entertainment Weekly has revealed the first shot of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in a scene from The Rum Diary.

 

Click here to see the image 

 

I am also looking for your feedback regarding posting these updates from The Rum Diary. Should I post pictures directly or link to them so as not to spoil anything? Let me know in the comment section and also what you think of the shot.

I expect that there will be a poster, trailer and more stills hitting the net in the weeks ahead. As always I will post them here asap.

Cheers,

R

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas W. Benton: Artist/Activist – Signing tonight in Tattered Cover Denver

/ Rory / Leave a comment

Heads up to those of you in Denver! Full review of this wonderful book to come tomorrow (I promise)

 

Colorado artist and journalist Daniel Joseph Watkins will offer a slide show and sign his new book Thomas W. Benton: Artist/Activist ($39.95 People’s Press), a collection of 150 images of artwork by silkscreen artist Thomas W. Benton. Benton’s posters cataloged political movements and elections from 1968 to 2006 and are a powerful visual account of the issues and campaigns that shaped history. Watkins’s book includes never-before-published images of the Aspen Wallposters, a collaboration of Benton’s art and Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s writing that promoted their Freak Power movement. The book also includes Benton’s commercial work in Aspen as a signmaker/printmaker, his architectural projects in Colorado, and ten poems by close friend and lyricist Joe Henry.Request a signed copy: books@tatteredcover.com
Location:
1628 16th St.
Denver

, Colorado80202United States

Happy Birthday Hunter

/ Rory / 4 Comments

Today would have been Hunter’s 74th birthday. No matter what way you are marking the day, don’t forget the words, have a toast and most importantly – Have fun! If the celebrations get a little out of hand, here is some advice from the Good Doctor which might prove useful:

“When you push a car off a cliff and blow it up, be sure to roll the windows down to avoid shrapnel. Also, strip the license plate so you’re not billed for the cleanup.”  

Wise words indeed 😉

R

Rory

UPDATE: Check this out, courtesy of the guys at Flying Dog.

 

Thomas W. Benton: Artist / Activist

/ Rory / Leave a comment

Thomas W. Benton: Artist / Activist

By Daniel Joseph Watkins

Hi guys – delighted to bring you details of this fantastic new book by Daniel Joseph Watkins. Below is the press release and I will have a review up tomorrow.

Ok for now,

Rory

Launch event and signing are this week

 

Nationally recognized poster artist Tom Benton visually documented the issues and conflicts of Aspen and America for four decades beginning in the turbulent late 1960s. Two years after Benton’s death in 2007, Daniel J. Watkins embarked on a journey “into the barns and basements and attics of old Aspen,” according to the Aspen Daily News, to unearth and catalog more than five hundred of his works, many of them previously unknown.

The result is Thomas W. Benton: Artist/Activist, a coffee-table book that chronicles the life and political activism of the artist with 150 images of his work. Artist / Activist follows Benton from his early days in Aspen, which he considered a kind of Shangri-la threatened by money and development, through his disillusionment with politics and experimentation with different art forms.

In conjunction with the Aspen Art Museum, there will be a book release party on Wednesday, July 13 at the Sky Hotel from 5-7 p.m. Featuring original Benton works, food, drinks and a discussion with associate curator Matthew Thompson, this event is open to the public.

On Saturday, July 16, join Watkins at Explore Booksellers at 7 p.m. for a book reading, and question and answer session.

Cataloging political movements and elections from 1968 to 2006, Benton’s silkscreen posters are a powerful visual account of the issues and campaigns that shaped history. In addition to numerous candidates and issues in Aspen, Benton created political posters for presidential candidates George McGovern and Gary Hart, and against President Nixon.

The book includes never-before-published images of the Aspen Wallposters, a collaboration of Benton’s art and Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s writing that promoted their Freak Power movement. Benton’s later works, including abstract silkscreens, monotypes and paintings, are also explored in relation to the artist’s life and philosophies. Artist / Activist also documents Benton’s commercial work in Aspen as a signmaker/printmaker and architect.

The first major collection of Benton’s artwork to be published, Artist / Activist also includes ten poems by close friend and lyricist Joe Henry, a foreword by George S. Stranahan, and an introduction by art history professor Hal Elliott Wert. Watkins’ catalog of Benton’s work plus a blog can be found online at www.bentonbook.com.

“Tom Benton integrated strong and powerful graphic symbolism into the political fray of our times. His simple yet monumental approach to what needed to be said gave a voice to those who wished to be seen and heard. He remains a powerful example of commitment in a world gone wrong.”

—Ralph Steadman, Gonzo artist

“Tom Benton’s avant-garde anti-war, cause, and political posters place him in the center of a small number of great propaganda artists of the last century. Even those quite knowledgeable of poster art will be treated to dozens of posters rarely seen, if at all. This well-designed book is a major contribution to the history of political art.”

— Hal Elliott Wert, Kansas City Art Institute history professor, author of Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints

“As an artist, Benton used ink and paint and paper and passion and strong alliances to speak what had to be spoken. This very fine publication is a sentinel to Benton’s immortality.”

—Bob Braudis, former Pitkin County sheriff

 

“Watkins’ sparse and workmanlike prose, alongside the visual assault of Benton’s staggering work, amount to … a testament to the little known span of the artist’s triumphs.”

—Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News

Thomas W. Benton: Artist / Activist

Daniel Joseph Watkins

People’s Press

ISBN-13: 978-1-936905-90-4

August 2011 / $39.95

Hardcover, 195 pages

 

Scholarships to Gonzo Journalism Workshop with Douglas Brinkley

/ Rory / 8 Comments

Hi Everybody,

 

I have exciting news here regarding the opportunity this coming June to participate in a Gonzo Journalism workshop with Douglas Brinkley at The Norman Mailer Center and Writers Colony based in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The workshop takes place from June 12, 2011 – Sunday, June 19, 2011. Full details below:

 

The Hunter S. Thompson workshop will engage with the essence of Gonzo journalism. Assigned texts include Fear & Loathing, The Proud Highway, The Great Shark Hunt, and Generation of Swine. Further information on the workshop and our application form can be found at: http://nmwcolony.org/workshops/course_details/2/31/22. The application asks for a sample of your own journalistic writing.

 

The instructor Dr. Douglas Brinkley is the literary executor of the Hunter S. Thompson estate. Dr. Brinkley is a Professor of History at Rice University.  Since 1989 he has taught at the U.S. Naval Academy, Princeton University and Tulane University.  Six of his biographies have been chosen as New York Times books of the year. Brinkley is also a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and American Heritage, as well as a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and The Atlantic Monthly.

 

The Norman Mailer Center and Writers Colony is an educational nonprofit dedicated to supporting and celebrating literary voices which challenge the norm and surprise their audiences. We promote a vision of the writer as an actor in public debate.

We hope to bring together a community of Thompson enthusiasts and great writers for this week in June!

Best,

Jessica Zlotnicki

Program Manager

Norman Mailer Center &

Writers Colony


Well what can I say guys, that is quite the opportunity – please let me know if you intend on applying and of course should you be one of the lucky few who gets a scholarship!

All the best,

 

Rory

The Rum Diary gets Oct. 28 release date

/ Rory / 5 Comments

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

It was announced today at CinemaCon, by Bob Berney, President, Theatrical Distribution that FilmDistrict will release “The Rum Diary,” based on the early Hunter S. Thompson novel that was ultimately published in 1998. It stars Johnny Depp and will be released on October 28, 2011. The film is directed by Bruce Robinson (“Withnail and I”) from his own screenplay and also stars Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins and Giovanni Ribisi. “The Rum Diary” is produced by Infinitum Nihil, the production company headed by Depp and Christi Dembrowski, along with Graham King and Tim Headington. Anthony Rhulen and Robert Kravis also produce.

“The Rum Diary” tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp). Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman (Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ‘50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenault (Heard) and her fiancée Sanderson (Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.

“Hunter S. Thompson became close with Johnny Depp during the filming of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and showed Depp the unpublished manuscript for The Rum Diary,” says producer and FilmDistrict co-founder Graham King. “I am extremely proud to bring this novel to film and to honor Hunter’s legacy.”

Peter Schlessel, CEO of FilmDistrict and President of GK Films, says, “The Rum Diary” is a special project for all of us here, as it is a true collaboration between both of our entities. Depp gives an extraordinary performance in this remarkable adaptation.”

“Robinson directed one of my favorite films, “Withnail and I” – combine that with Hunter S. Thompson and it’s a match made in celluloid heaven,” says Bob Berney, President of Distribution, FilmDistrict.

“The Rum Diary” is a GK Films, Infinitum Nihil and Film Engine production produced by Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski, Anthony Rhulen, Robert Kravis, Tim Headington and Graham King.

6 Years – Unpublished Hunter S. Thompson Interview Surfaces

/ Rory / 3 Comments

 

The folks over at The Quietus really gifted the Gonzo world a rare treat this week by unearthing this great interview with Hunter from 1998. It is fairly lengthy and covers some very interesting topics – from Bill Clinton to The Rum Diary. I’m not going to jabber on about this too much, it is just great to read new words (old words?)  from the man, particularly in relation to his thoughts on Paul Kemp and Yeamon – check it out here.

In keeping with the whole Rum Diary focus, long time Gonzo devotee Robert Chalmers checks in over at The Independent with a great interview with Bruce Robinson – in which the director of The Rum Diary discussing everything from how he thought he was going to die in a plane crash with Johnny Depp to why writing The Rum Diary screenplay dredged up some old demons. Read the entire piece here.

Also Ralph Steadman is now a contributor over at Kotori Magazine. Check out his thoughts on smoking and not to mention his poetry!  Thanks to Jake McGee for the heads up!

Ok for now – time to raise a toast to The Good Doctor,

 

Rory

 

 

Outlaw Poet: A documentary on Ron Whitehead

/ Rory / 1 Comment

“I have long admired Ron Whitehead. He is crazy as nine loons, and his poetry is a dazzling mix of folk wisdom and pure mathematics” – Hunter S. Thompson

 

Hey guys,

 

Delighted to bring this excellent project to your attention. Storm Generation Films are currently working on making a feature length documentary on Kentucky Beat Poet Ron Whitehead.  Below is a detailed description of the project from  producer/director Nick Storm:

“The cinema verite story of Outlaw Poet and king of the underground Ron Whitehead. This feature length documentary film will be a journey through Ron’s life; from driving 60-miles an hour at 3 a.m. through the streets of Louisville, in reverse, with Hunter S. Thompson, to his relationships with Beat Generation juggernauts, complete with an introspective look at his childhood growing up on a farm in rural Ohio County western Kentucky where Bill Monroe birthed Bluegrass Music, Ron & Johnny Depp both birthed in Owensboro Kentucky.

Through images, interviews, and Ron’s own words, the story of Ron Whitehead will be documented as he travels to Iceland to share his latest book The Storm Generation Manifesto and on parting, the wilderness poems (produced by Gill Scott Holland’s Holland Brown Books(www.hollandbrownbooks.com). He’ll read “The Viking Mountain” and “The Storm Generation Manifesto” atop The Viking Mountain plus readings from San Francisco crossing the USA to New York City to Ireland and Scotland and England and The Netherlands and Belgium and Italy and Germany and India and Nicaragua and Argentina and Beyond.

The film will include interviews & appearances from: Anita Thompson, Douglas Brinkley, Frank Messina, Birgitta Jonsdottir, Michael Dean Odin Pollock, Olafur Gunnarson (Iceland’s leading novelist), David Amram, Black Pig Liberation Front and many more. Plus music from the Nappy Roots and other (big surprises abound) major bands/musicians.

Whitehead scorches the earth with his own brand of poetry, prose, and ancient wisdom. The visionary icon has lived life on his own terms. Leaving his family farm at the vulnerable age of 17, Ron struck out to discover the world – his world, his way. Through his inventive gifted hard-earned use of poemed verse, prose, and fire-breathing talks/readings performances and his unique raw indigenous force of nature lightninged spirit, Ron Whitehead’s journey through life has become a road map for the rest of us. As Ron enters his sixth decade of the journey, he seeks to continually perpetually eternally relentlessly uplift and inspire all he comes in contact with to comfort and heal all who suffer to awaken all and everything to the awareness that ultimately essentially forgiveness is amazing grace that peace love and understanding and fearlessly being our dream whatever our dreams might be and that regardless of the odds of the circumstances that ultimately life is a terribly beautifully gifted adventure an opportunity to grow our souls. Via his spectrum of creative works which include the spectrum all genres of the arts in his world travels he encourages everyone to come out of whatever closet(s) they’re fearfully hiding in and to find and be their dreams.”

At the moment Storm Generation Films are in the process of raising funds to get this thing going – this is where it gets really interesting, particularly if you want to get involved in all of this. They have set up a kickstarter page to organise funding and are offering some great rewards for anyone kind enough to donate money – from signed posters, DVD’s and your name in the credits of the film to becoming an associate producer, getting an invite to the wrap party or even joining the crew in the field and being part of the filmmaking process.

Anyway I could keep writing all night as to why this project kicks ass and why you would want to be insane not to be a part of it. For now check out the official websites below. I’ll be updating the blog with further developments as they happen.

Official Site: Storm Generation Films

Ron Whitehead: Official Site

Kickstarter Fundraising Page

 

Ok for now,

Rory

 

 

X-mas in Woody Creek – Hunter S. Thompson

/ Rory / 2 Comments

I set a trap in the chimney for

Santa Claus last night, but

all I caught was a huge skunk

with rabies.

 

It taught me a harsh lesson

about God & the way he works:

Never use hooks on dry land.

 

They don’t call those dumb

bastards “fish” for nothing, &

skunks can’t live under water.

 

It also taught me, once again,

that Santa Claus is a liar. He

skips many houses & he cheats

a lot of children. He never said

he didn’t have a few cruel Jokes

in his bag – but putting a skunk

down my chimney was over the

line. That was crazy.

 

Hunter S. Thompson – December 25, 2000

 

Merry Christmas Everybody & All The Best For 2011,

 

Rory

The Launch of Hunter S. Thompson’s ESPN Column

/ Rory / Leave a comment

Just came across an article by Kevin Jackson over at ESPN, in which he remembers the pressure of waiting for Hunter to meet his deadline and submit his first Hey Rube column piece. Here is a quick excerpt:

” I will never forget the staredown with that evil, lifeless FAX machine.

For more than seven hours, I locked eyes with it from across the room, hoping to see a light come on, hear a magical beep or two, or — please, dear God — start to see some paper spit out of that stingy bastard.

It was the night of Sunday, Nov. 5, 2000, the hours before the dawn of a new ESPN.com section called Page 2 — an initiative that I was becoming more and more convinced was going to be a failure.

“He will definitely file by 6. We’ll just FAX it over,” Hunter S. Thompson’s assistant had assured me around noon that day, calling in just a few minutes before the NFL action kicked off. “We’re just putting the finishing touches on the final draft.”

Read the full article here.