Mindstates
GONZO
The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
An Interview with
Director Alex Gibney
“Among journalists I have but one hero, and that is Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.” Edward Abbey’s words on the back cover of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas have rung true since the moment I opened that book. Abbey continues, “His style is often mistaken for drug-crazed fanaticism, but that was to be expected. As always in this country, they only laugh at you when you tell the truth.” Abbey’s description of Hunter as a “seer” describes the ethos of the man.
Alex Gibney’s new documentary entitled, Gonzo, offers a rare glimpse into the inner turmoil that fueled Thompson’s creative flames. The film premiers, appropriately, on July 4, since the proverbial “American Dream” was at the core of Thompson’s work. He was a child of the New Deal, born to a middle class family in Kentucky, driven by a conflict both seen and unseen. His candor and satire made him a household name, but his willingness to live his subject matter made him a legend. He embodied the American Dream, but he brought its dark side into full view. Perhaps this is what makes him so uncomfortably alluring. He says the things no one dares to say. Gibney’s film provides unique insight into the people and experiences behind Thompson. Alex Gibney was kind enough to sit down with me.
Indigo Moonstar: I was curious as to how you got Sandy [Hunter’s first wife] and Juan [his son] to participate, because I had heard that they didn’t grant any interviews at all.
Alex Gibney: I went in through the front door of the estate and they gave us their cooperation. I had to explain what I was doing to Juan and to Sandy, and I guess it was persuasive enough, so they agreed. I think I was coming in with some track record and pedigree and along with Graydon Carter, who was a producer. He had published Hunter during his later years in Vanity Fair, so I think they felt we were going to do right by him.
IM: Anita [Hunter’s second wife] was there too. She seemed like she was a rock for Hunter in his later life. What effect do you think she had on his work?
AG: I know that she was deeply affected by his work, and he found her to be a rejuvenating force for him. I think that at the end of the day, the idea of muses was overdone. Hunter had a burning need to write. In his later years he was less and less able to. He was getting older, and I think that the drugs and the alcohol caught up with him, but he could still turn it on.
IM: “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.” It seemed like a common thing in his whole life’s work.
AG: Well, he let it all hang out. I think that’s what a lot of people admire about him. He didn’t hold back and he paid the price for it, but for a long time it worked for him.
IM: Do you think that’s what contributed to his iconic status?
AG: Definitely. American culture is littered with outlaws. Those are our heroes. Hunter was an outlaw, and we admired him. We lived vicariously through him. I think he took on that mantle, and felt he had to live up to that responsibility. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but he certainly did feel it.
IM: One of the things your film highlighted was the light-and-dark dichotomy that he experienced so deeply. Do you think that was the passion that fueled his writing?
AG: I think he found it in the American character, but I also think it was in Hunter’s character. Sandy talks about it, as does Anita. They talk about this kind of idealistic side of Hunter in the sense that he was a true patriot; he had this vision and deeply-felt idealism. At the same time, he could be a very cruel, angry person. Anita said he wasn’t always in control when the switch-over took place. Maybe the drugs and alcohol were a way he had of self-medicating—I don’t know, but he definitely had a light and a dark side.
IM: He obviously inspired millions of people, including both of us. What do you think his lasting legacy is?
AG: His lasting legacy is, I think: be tough-minded and be true to yourself. One of the great things about Gonzo journalism is that it’s at once a kind of clear-eyed observation of the world around you, but at the same time, it’s an expression of the individual. So that’s the legacy, and I think it’s a pretty good one.
IM: You’re pantomiming Edward Abbey.
AG: Seer is a good name [which came from Abbey]. He was a guy who was part novelist and part journalist, and sometimes fantasist. But also, he was a peculiar character—a character in his own drama. And his drama was also the real drama. What a peculiar way to live your life. I think we all do that, of course, but I think for Hunter the line became harder and harder to discern. He was both inside and outside of himself, and he kept thinking he had to pump up the fictional Hunter, because he was getting too bland. He had this image, this character that he had created and he now had to live up to it. What an odd notion.
IM: Any advice for aspiring young writers?
AG: I think the Hunter maxim would be, “be tough, be curious, and know yourself.”
IM: I’m inspired by Thompson’s passionate energy and spirit of inquiry and I seek to channel it into positive outlets. Hunter had a role to play, and he played it well. Every court needs a critic, and we are lucky to have had one as brilliant as he. I can remember my nerves rattling on my way to this interview, driving in a fast little red car with no top. I felt like a monster reincarnation of Hunter S. Thompson, “a man on the move, and just weird enough to be totally confident.”