FEAR AND LOATHING AT THE POST OFFICE: The Gonzo Letters, Volume II

By Mark Leffler

'Art is long and life is short,
and success is very far off."
- J. Conrad

Thompson, an Air Force veteran who started out as a freelancer writer for
The National Observer,  Scanlan's, Ramparts, and other left of center
publications of the era, was a writing machine - the journalistic
equivalent of his beloved sharks ...always moving, never sleeping, and with a blood
lust that is both hilarious and deadly serious about Right and Wrong and
The American Dream.

This second book in the series, Fear and Loathing In America: The Brutal
Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist (Simon & Schuster, $30), the follow-up to
1997's The Proud Highway is bookended by two long essays by Thompson. The
first is a look at the hippie culture, written in early 1968, following the
Summer of Love. The last was written at the end of 1976 as a draft
introduction to the first collection of his writings The Great Shark Hunt,
which finally emerged in the early 80's.

Thompson had just had his first book on the Hells Angels published and the
letters reflects his growing fame. Part of the joy of reading his letters,
aside from the wild and savage wit and ruthless brilliance with
language, is seeing the development of his relationship with Rolling Stone
editor and publisher Jann Wenner.  Thompson's most celebrated work was done
for the magazine in the Seventies, including Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas,
his masterpiece.

Oscar Acosta, Thompson's friend and the real life model for the "300 pound
Samoan attorney" in F&L  in Las Vegas appears in dozens of back letters.
Until Acosta's sudden brutal slaying in the mid-Seventies, he feuded with
HST over his portrayal in the book and the profits of the story. Much venom
is generated by claims to percentages of the film rights to a movie which
wouldn't be made until the brink of the Millenium by Terry Gilliam.

Also documented is HST's growing interest in politics, both national and
local. Letters to presidential candidates like Sen. George McGovern, Sen.
Gary Hart and then Gov. Jimmy Carter and others to friends are further
evidence of Thompson's astute political instincts, as finely tuned as his
observations on sports (and HST's fans will be thrilled to know that the
latter is on display in his new gig writing a column for ESPN.com).

 Less well known is his close friendship with right-wing pit bull Pat
Buchanan, a relationship formed during Buchanan's tenure as a Nixon
speechwriter during The Final Days.

Here's a brief taste of what's in store for those that dare to taste his
brilliance:

 TO VIRGINIA THOMPSON (HST's mother):
1/5/68
Dear Mom,
   	In all I have a hell of a busy year ahead of me - three & possibly
four books. The big one is being referred to as "The Death of the American
Dream"  - which makes me nervous because it's so vast and weighty. Hell's
Angels is
past the 500,000 mark in printing, not sales -but if they all sell that's a
lot of nickels for your black-sheep son. I keep borrowing against earnings
- to the point where I stay about even -- but after April I should be able
to send Jim (Thompson's youngest brother ) a few dollars if he gets in
trouble.

BEST-SELLING MYSTERY NOVELIST SUE GRAFTON
1/31/68
Dear Sue,
Your very elegant mash note arrived today, and although I'm not sure how to
answer it, I thought I'd at least say "thanks." I don't get many letters
like that, and probably it's a good thing...I wouldn't get much work
done....Ok for now. Is this what you expected from the wicked wizard of
Longest? I'm getting meaner and my hair is falling out, exposing numerous
scars. I doubt that you'll ever find out who I am but I'm flattered that
you're curious and your letter was the best thing I've read in months.
Thanks
again.

TO DOROTHY DAVIDSON, A.C.L.U.
2/1/68
Dear Mrs. Davidson...
I don't think I'd be the right person to represent the ACLU locally...My
reputation as the author of a book on the Hell's Angels, a Woody Creek
recluse, gun freak and friend of known criminals is not the image the ACLU
needs to be most effective. I'm listed as a columnist for Ramparts, I've
signed the Editors and Writers Vietnam tax protest, and I've admitted in
print - The New York Times no less - that I smoke marijuana. This is not
the man to deal with local judges and juries.

TO DAVIDSON THOMPSON (HST's brother, three years younger)
5/20/68
Dear David;
I doubt if I'm really the right person to tell Jim that he has some sort of
huge obligation to himself and his future and his past, for that matter, to
"make his grades" and to "get off probation at UK" and not to "screw up"
and all the rest of that B.S.

As far as I'm concerned the only reason for staying in school is to keep
him from being drafted, but the situation has changed a bit since we talked
at Christmas, and  (General Lewis) Hershey's blind stupidity has caught up
with him in the form of his decision to draft
college grads and first year grad students instead of high-school grads. This
will introduce chaos in all ranks for the army and ... return military
service to it's rightful status as a bad joke. (HST was an Air Force
veteran) . The only problem is that, in the next few months, a lot of
draftees are going to be killed and crippled for no reason at all, and
that's where Jim has to be careful.

TO NICK RUWE, NIXON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN:
6/10/68
Dear Nick;
If I didn't make it clear in the article, let me say again and now that I
went to N.H. with the idea that Richard Nixon was a monster...and although
I left N.H. with a strange affection for the man, as a man...I still
tremble at the prospect of "President Nixon." He is the unlucky
personification of all the root problems that I'm beginning to suspect are
going to croak us very shortly. He doesn't realize this, and I think if he
did he would want to be something else, but he's not and he can't be.

TO RALPH STEADMAN
(after RS illustrated "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved)
6/2/70
Dear Ralph;
I just saw the June Scanlan's. The article is useless, except for the
flashes of style and time it captures -- but I suspect you & I are the only
ones who can really appreciate it. The drawings were fine, although I think
they
****ed up the layout -- as usual -- quite badly. They also cut about
one-third of the article...in all a bad show & I'm sorry it's wasn't
better.
Maybe next time. I'd like nothing more than to work with you on one of
those strange binges again...

TO TOM VANDERSCHMIDT, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
(After the SI assignment that eventually became F&L in Las Vegas)
4/22/71
Tom;
The Lord works in mysterious ways. Your call was the key to a massive
freak-out. The result is still up in the air, and still climbing. When you
see the final fireball, remember that it was all your fault.

FROM PATRICK J. BUCHANAN, THE WHITE HOUSE
3/2/74
 Hunter;
As the Old Man said in the final days of that wonderful year, 1968, it
isn't getting down to the nut-cutting." Tell your liberal friends we expect
to be treated with all the deference and respect as outlined in the Geneva
Conventions on the handling of prisoners of war.

TO GEORGE BLUESTONE
6/10/75
Dear George;
I know nothing about you, George. Mr. Wenner neglected to introduce us when
he sicced (siked? sicked? how is that goddamned word spelled?) you on
me...and  for all I know you're a fine ambitious & idealistic young man,
fresh out of law school and just trying to make a decent living by leaning
on anybody stupid enough to think they have to protect their Personal
Credit by paying off every geek and shyster who writes them a money-demand
letter.

TO the DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS:
Thompson crafted a thoughtful anti-Vietnam War response to a fund raising
solicitation from the Disabled American Veterans Association.

5/19/69
Gentlemen;
	I am returning your stamped envelopes. My son ran off with the
small green license tags you sent, but I doubt if they would be much use to
you anyway. The stamped envelopes are legal tender, however, and maybe you
can use them for something else.

My first impulse was to send you a check, but I caught myself on some
vagrant memory of having read somewhere that the DAV fully supports the War
in Vietnam which, if true, strikes me as a stupid, ignorant and half-mad
stance that no American citizen in his right mind could possibly endorse,
even tacitly, by sending a contribution. The senseless butchery in Vietnam
is too awful for any words - from me or anyone else. And the only thing
more awful and senseless than the butchery is the twisted reality of an
organization like the DAV supporting the war.

If I'm wrong on this point, please inform me at once - with a copy of some
pertinent DAV statement or position paper - and Ill send you a check for
$50Šalong with a very sincere apology. But if I'm right, I suggest you
abandon this vicious, demented hypocrisy and look for honest work.

Letter from TOM WOLFE:
2/25/71
Le Grande Hotel
Rome, Italy

Dear Hunter;
	I've been in Italy on a LECTURE TOUR, which has been pretty funny
stuff. My audiences look at me as if I were a new Oldsmobile, nothing more
& nothing less.

My NEW JOURNALISM book I expect to finally wrap up in March. I have a
section of the ANGLS slated, but I am tempted to use one of your superb
Scanlan's pieces (too uproarious for words, man).

Followed your SHERIFF fight with great relish. (Editor's note: Thompson ran
for Sheriff of Woody Creek, Colorado and lost by a handful of votes).  You
accomplished more by NOT winning, just coming close, I think.
	Keep em flying!

Letter from HST to TOM  WOLFE:
3/3/71
Dear Tom;
	You worthless scumsucking bastard. I just got your letter from Le
Grande Hotel in Roma, you swine! Here you are running around Italy in that
filthy white suit at a thousand bucks a day laying all kinds of stone
gibberish & honky B.S. on those poor wops who can't tell the
difference while I'm out here in the middle of these goddamn frozen
mountains in a death-battle with the taxman & nursing cheap wine while my
dogs go hungry & my cars explode and a legion of nazi lawyers makes my life
a goddamn Wobbly nightmare

You decadent pig. Where the f@#$ do you get the nerve to go around telling
those wops that I'm crazy? My Italian tour is already arranged for next
spring I'm going to do the whole goddamn trip wearing a bright red field
marshall's uniform & accompanied by six speed-freak bodyguards bristling
with Mace bombs & when I start talking about American writers & the name
Tom Wolfe comes up, by god, you're going to wish you were born a f#@*ing
iguana!

You scurvy wop! I'll have you goddamn femurs ground into bone splinters if
you ever mention my name again in connexion with that horrible 'new
journalism' shuck you're promoting.

Ah, this greed, this malignancy! Where will it end? What filthy weight in
your soul has made you sink so low? Doctor Bloor was right! Hyenas are
taking over the world!!  Oh Jesus!! What else can I say? Except to warn
you, once again, that the hammer of justice looms, and that your filthy
while suit will become a flaming shroud!

Sincerely,
Hunter

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