by Jann S. Wenner & Corey Seymour
Little, Brown and Company, 2007, 467 pages

“Hunter was born different—very different,” begins “Gonzo,” the new oral biography of famed author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

The comment comes from his former wife, Sandy Thompson, who provides one of the most consistent voices in the book. The text that follows her opening statement colorfully and vividly illustrates the fact that not only was Thompson born different, but he lived and died different. Throughout his bizarre and incendiary career, Thompson invented new ways of writing, reporting and behaving that have made him an icon—albeit a mad and savage icon—for generations of authors and journalists. All the glory, energy, hypocrisy and general weirdness that characterizes America was contained within Thompson’s drug-fueled ambling figure, and it was reflected to the world in his writing.

The biography is composed entirely of second- and third-hand stories compiled by Rolling Stone founder, editor and publisher Jann S. Wenner and Rolling Stone writer and editor Corey Seymour. Thompson’s weird and righteous saga is gradually unfolded by a spree of friends, colleagues, loved ones and celebrities, ranging from actors like Jack Nicholson and Johnny Depp to musicians like Jimmy Buffet and Marilyn Manson, from politicians like Jimmy Carter and George McGovern to fellow authors like Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer.

Stories from all these voices and many others are cut and pasted into the text to form a more-or-less chronological account of Thompson’s life: his mischievous early years growing up in Louisville, Kentucky; his first bouts of journalism with the U.S. Air Force; his time spent formulating book ideas in Puerto Rico; his experiential coverage of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang in San Francisco; his valiant bid to become sheriff of Aspen, Colo.; and on through his rise to mythical stardom as an author and Rolling Stone writer.

Many of the stories are already well-known to Thompson’s cultish fans and followers. There’s his groundbreaking coverage of the Kentucky Derby with British artist and collaborator Ralph Steadman, which became the first documented instance of so-called “Gonzo journalism.” Thomspon ignored the accepted rules of reporting and put himself in the middle of the action.

There is also description of an evening at author Ken Kesey’s house, when The Merry Pranksters and Hell’s Angels united for a raucous party that was documented in Thompson’s “Hell’s Angels.” And, of course, there is Thompson’s 1971 trip to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 500 motorcycle race with “300-pound Samoan attorney” Oscar Zeta Acosta, which later became the setting for his most widely read novel, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

The book has all the gun-wielding, motorcycle-crashing, acid-dropping and binge-drinking tales of depraved antics that you could ask for. But even more fascinating for those already somewhat familiar with Thompson’s life and work are the intimate stories that come from the friends and family members who were closest to him. Former wife Sandy Thompson and son Juan Thompson provide ample narrative about the wild man’s family side—which was sometimes tender but often dark and neglectful. Thompson rarely mentioned his family in his vast body of work, and “Gonzo” offers anecdotal evidence of aspects of his life that remained largely veiled before he put a bullet through his own head almost exactly three years ago, at the age of 67. 

Particularly disturbing is testimony from Judy Belushi, widow of comic actor John Belushi, who was one of Thompson’s most reliable drug buddies until he mainlined a lethal mix of heroin and cocaine in 1982. Belushi’s fate injects a startling dose of reality into the glorified legends of Thompson’s untamed behavior. Although the author was vocally opposed to needle drugs, his cohorts confirm that he was, without a doubt, an alcoholic and drug addict, which had serious ramifications for his health and work.

Thompson’s work, by the way, although often overshadowed by his drug-crazed mythos, was both revolutionary and, at times, totally serious. His scathing humor broke down American politics and society in the most undignified way, raving and ranting with an utter disregard for objectivity. The result was insightful and stingingly honest (if exaggerated) journalism.

The writer’s tactics are illustrated hilariously in a bit from Pat Buchanan, who met Thompson while serving as an advisor to President Richard Nixon—one of Thompson’s most loathed foes and fodder for many of his most poisonous scribblings. Buchanan invited Thompson to his home for an interview, which developed into a cordial and lengthy conversation and a late-night swim in the pool. When Buchanan later picked up the article Thompson had written about their meeting, he saw himself described as “a half-mad Davy Crockett storming around the ramparts of Nixon’s Alamo.” Thompson also wrote that Nixon’s special counsel Chuck Colson “should be tied by his testicles behind an Olds 88 and dragged down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Buchanan recalls.

By portraying Thompson through the eyes of people who knew him, “Gonzo” both dispels myths and introduces new versions of them. Not surprisingly, the stories often shed Thompson in a highly unfavorable light. But, like him or not, Thompson was a journalistic battering ram who bowled over norms and conventions on a near daily basis. The clever format of the book, which began as a memorial issue published in Rolling Stone on the one-year anniversary of Thompson’s death, gives readers a close look at Thompson’s life from dozens of different angles, unwinding a life story that is at times uplifting, at times hilarious and at times downright frightening, but almost always supremely righteous.

The book includes a forward by Wenner and an introduction by Depp, who portrayed Thompson in the 1998 film version of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and lived with him in Aspen while preparing for the role. (Depp will purportedly play Thompson again in “The Rum Diary,” which is based on the author’s 1959 novel and is expected to hit theaters in 2009.)