FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS - Hunter S. Thompson (1998)

 By the time you read what I'm writing, I'll have been in Las Vegas for a day and a half trying my best to outdo "Fear and Loathing," and "The Hangover!" From this point on, it's just another game of craps! Read the back cover above from my own personal copy of "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas," Hunter S. Thompson was one krazy cat!

 To some people, "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" is unwatchable, to others, it's a living testimony to drugs, depravity and a gonzo lifestyle! The story happens over a couple of days time, it's hard to imagine what a whole life around Hunter S. Thompson would have been!

This is a quote from the actual first page of the book!

It's gonna be one Helluva trip!

I just read a Rolling Stone interview from 1998 with Johnny Depp, and it was quite insightful!
I suggest you read it yourself right here to get a true understanding of the melding of these two guy's minds!

Driving to Las Vegas, Dr. Thompson and Dr. Gonzo pick up this poor unsuspecting hippie hitchhiker! Although most of what I'm writing here is about Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson, Benicio Del Toro as Dr. Gonzo is actually the wilder one of the two! You never know what this guy is going to do, and Benicio plays it to the hilt!! This is one character I have no problem describing as a mad man!!

Did you read the back cover and the list of drugs they were packing? This table full of drinks couldn't even make a dent in that buzz!

Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame directed this film which even adds to the psychedelic/cartoon effect times 33 1/3!

My, My, how times and attitudes have changed! Should be interesting over the next 10 or 20 years to see how it all pans out! I'm pretty sure that it's the next gold rush!

As to be in good form, I re-read the book on the way over!

I'm hoping to also find the prefect Bloody Mary!

Maybe we'll meet some hot chicks!

As a journalist, Hunter S. Thompson was supposed to go to Vegas to cover this big dirt bike race!

What fun!

The last time, and I do me the last time, I stayed at Circus, Circus, it was literally a circus! There was some kid mixed martial arts event going on, and there were children everywhere ready to give you a chop at a moment's notice!

They called it Gonzo journalism! When he could no longer party like a crazy person because of age and health, Hunter S. Thompson chose to end his life at 67 in 2005. Appropriately enough, Johnny Depp paid to have Hunter's ashes shot off in a canon!

Here's a real picture I pilfered from Wikipedia of Hunter and his lawyer just so you can see the look etc. were not that far off!

In the elevator with Cameron Diaz and Dr. Gonzo wigging out bigtime!

This is more of a hallucination than a story!

Of course, the ultimate stoners are also there to cover the huge law enforcement anti-narcotics convention!

Monkey see, monkey do!

I'm not sure if there are witnesses to testify how much of this story is truth and how much is fiction, but if only 25% is true, and I'm sure the percentage is much higher than that, Hunter S. Thompson raised the bar on partying to a new level, because you can't get much crazier than this and still live to talk about it!

I'm in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Boxing Hall Of Fame dinner and induction ceremony! I think it's going to be very interesting what with the Mayweather - McGregor match coming up in the next couple of weeks, but I'll be back home by the time that circus gets going into full gear!

But for now, it's time to get out of Dodge!