There are two people that I regard as having helped me to understand my cultural identity – to understand what it means to be an American, to be a Southern boy, to live in a country made of free people. One is Jack Kerouac and the other (and likely the most important) is Hunter S. Thompson.

His writing conveys a wild, insatiable interest and keen bead on his subjects – be they the Kentucky Derby, race relations in Louisville, the wild flipside of the American Dream, or politics. He taught me that all writing is journalism, and journalism is much more than writing. His madcap dispatches blend furious imagination with a seam of truth that runs so deep as to ground the whole escapade like a seasick man clutching a ships railing. Some of his work is a tough read, no doubt, but it’s all worth it for those moments of pristine clarity that ring out like gunshots through his work.

Gonzo, a movie about Hunter S. Thompson is soon to be released in theaters. Trailer below:

A couple of choice quotes “after the jump”…
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