HUNTER S THOMPSON

Inspirational and borderline psychotic Literary genius, an influence on a whole generation of Journalists and champion of Counterculture. Espoused a style of radical iconoclastic Journalism coined "Gonzo Journalism", a term coined by his friend Bill Cardoso (origin in the French Canadian word "Gonzeau"- or Shining Path)

A truly manic, driven, often bizarre but truly sensitive and deeply honest character (sometimes contradicted by his "creative" articles, probably more influenced by Drugs/Drink than base character) with a profound sense of Justice.

Famous for his Books, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hells Angels, Kingdom of Fear , The Rum Diary et al. As well as numerous articles for Rolling Stone Magazine. Famously committed suicide at his writing desk on February 20 2005.

Just thought to put together a number of his famous quotes:

Honesty - “Telling the truth is the easiest way; it saves a lot of time. I've found that the truth is weirder than any fiction I've seen.”

On later life- “I live in an extremely pastoral setting in an old log house. It's a farm really. I moved here 30 years ago. I think the only fortification might be my reputation. If people believe they're going to be shot, they might stay away.”

On his criminal record -“First, there's a huge difference between being arrested and being guilty. Second, see, the law changes and I don't. How I stand vis--vis the law at any given moment depends on the law. The law can change from state to state, from nation to nation, from city to city. I guess I have to go by a higher law. How's that? Yeah, I consider myself a road man for the lords of karma.”

On drugs- "I do not advocate the use of dangerous drugs, wild amounts of alcohol and violence and weirdness -- but they've always worked for me."

On life- "Buy the ticket, take the ride,"

On Richard Nixon- "his casket should have been launched into one of those open-sewage canals that empty into the ocean just south of Los Angeles. He was a swine of a man and a jabbering dupe of a president. He was an evil man--evil in a way that only those who believe in the physical reality of the Devil can understand it."

"Nixon was a professional politician, and I despised everything he stood for—but if he were running for president this year against the evil Bush-Cheney gang, I would happily vote for him."

On Bush/Cheney- "Who vote for these dishonest shitheads? They are the racists and hate mongers among us -- they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis."

To his first wife, when she was on the brink of a nervous breakdown, after the death of their daughter, 12 hours after birth-”Sandy, if you want to go out there for awhile — do that, just know that Juan (their son) and I really need you”. She recovered soon after this.

A Thompson Guide to Car crashes-"No. 3 - Have no small wrecks. If you are going to loop out & hit something, hit it hard. Never mind that old-school physics bullshit about Irresistible Force & the Immovable Object………...No. 5 The smoking of oili hashish is optional, and in truth Not Recommended for use before driving at speeds up to 150mph in residential districts. The smoking of powerful hashish should be saved until after yr. return from the drive, when nerve-endings are crazy & raw.

On the Hell’s Angels, who he lived with and wrote about- "Of all their habits and predilections that society finds alarming, this departure from the time-honored concept of "an eye for an eye" is the one that most frightens people. The Hell's Angels try not to do anything halfway, and anyone who deals in extremes is bound to cause trouble, whether he means to or not.”

On Jean Claude Killy a 1968 Olympic Gold Medallist who was on a promotional Campaign for Chevrolet, a Brand he endorsed- - "nothing in his narrow, high-powered experience can allow him to understand how I can watch his act and say that it looks, to me, like a very hard dollar—maybe the hardest."

Last notes written for Rolling Stone Magazine, 4 days before his suicide-"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun—for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax—This won't hurt."