Fear and Loathing is overrated

well when you put it like that, why would anyone want to read anything at all? i mean...their just other peoples words and thoughts...

these authors wrote about far more than simply getting wasted.

 

it's pretty weird that this thread started heating back up again and then, bam, hunter killed himself. crazy bastard...

"Fiction is based on reality unless you're a fairy-tale artist," Thompson told The Associated Press in 2003. "You have to get your knowledge of life from somewhere. You have to know the material you're writing about before you alter it."

 

Big sack of bull shit.....its called real journalism...not this follow the rules shit today

 

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I never read the book but i recently saw the movie. I saw the South Park movie too. south Park was better and less discusting. I don't think it's funny, I don't think its artistic, I don't think it's interesting. I think it's stupid and gross.

 

It was ok it was better than some of the books Irvine Welsh has written I thought it was better than Ecstasy. My favorite book was Acid House particullarly when the guy takes acid and trades souls with the baby just being born. Acid house the movie was ok to but the book was best. Allthough the movie did a good portrayl of the whole acid trip part. But on the whole there was just alot of stuff in the book they could never put in a movie not even in Europe.

 

I guess any other HST fans here will understand when I say that I am sorry that the depth and purpose of his writing escapes some of you.

Before condemning his style as shallow entertainment I encourage you to delve a bit deeper into his work. I'm looking at my collection of his books right now, and I cannot fathom overlooking some of these works. How could anyone think he was merely "high off his ass in a hotel room", HST is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant and effective political analysts of the 20th century. Read Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, or the volumes of gonzo papers.

A truly amazing and interesting person, both blessed and cursed with a gift. I am inexplicably fascinated by his personality and his outlooks on life... and for a strange reason is saddens me to see his reputation tarnished here. If you picked up FAL looking for a book about drugs that is exactly what you will find.

My .02

Mike

 

I think it's over-rated. I've not read all his stuff, but it's the weakest of anything I've read by him (except for that book of his correspondence, which is mostly dull but hilarious in a few places). That said, he was brilliant, truly an American great.

 

HST is all over your heads. You need to be truley Gonzo to understand that.

 

HST's early work--"Angels " , the two "Fear and Loathing" books and his work for "Rolling Stone"-- was his best. He could be gut-hurting funny, perceptive and irritating, sometimes in the same paragraph. After that, he was merely beating the same dead horse and trying to live up to his self-created literary persona. He reminded me of Hemingway in his last years--written out and a prisoner of his own legend. Sad.

 

haha people who thinks its just about drugs obviously haven't read or can't read the book so they should just leave this forum completly, and the people who thinks its boring can do the same. The actual story is about some crazy trip but the entire book isn't about that at all. Someone called it lazy...like fuck, do you not know how to read or something. Shit man its not lazy its just saying way more than you can understand. and ya I do like rum diary better too

 

couldn't agree more. It's really badly written; full of "statements" rather than imagery...it's all like "we did this and then he did this and then we did this and he passed out". And I'm not convinced that there are as many layers to it as some of you are saying. What are these hidden subtexts? There's the "American Dream" thing I suppose, and the book is satirising that notion; but, as themes in novels go, thats not overly complex...

 

Personaly i love HST as an aouthor and in his way of life. He did what he did unapologeticly. I think Kingdom of fear and Generation of swine were much better books. I do agree that fear and loathing is over rated but it was a work of fiction. A storey used to entertain. I think it did a good job of entertaining but i like hst's political commentary far better. I enjoy the spectical and think that human relation is far more interesting than any actucal event.

 

"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. "
Hunter S. Thompson If you dont understand this quote then youll never understand HST...

 

fear and loathing is a great book! i loved it.

 

its a good read. i don't care whether it is overrated or not.
i can't stand people who chose to dislike something thats popular. stupid.

 

I think Fear and Loathing is a great read. HST was a great author. Most genuises aren't recognized until after their death, and I feel that Hunter is no exception. I love his works.

Peace and love