Overview

Bristling with inspired observations and wild anecdotes, this first collection offers a unique insight into the voice and mind of the inimitable Hunter S. Thompson, as recorded in the pages of Playboy, The Paris Review, Esquire, and elsewhere. Fearless and unsparing, the interviews detail some of the most storied episodes of Thompsons life: a savage beating at the hands of the Hells Angels, talking football with Nixon on the 1972 Campaign Trail (the only time in 20 years of listening to the treacherous bastard that I knew he wasnt lying), and his unlikely run for sheriff of Aspen. Elsewhere, passionate tirades about journalism, culture, guns, drugs, and the law showcase Thompsons voice at its fiercest. Arranged chronologically, and prefaced with Anita Thompsons moving account of her husbands last years, the interviews present Hunter in all his fractured brilliance and provide an exceptional portrait of his times.

Full Product Details

9780306816512

Table of Contents

Reviews

National Public Radio<br> This amusing collection pulls from 30 years of conversations and reveals the gonzo journalist to be much more of a craftsman than he is often given credit for being. It would, in fact, make a great gift to any budding journalist. <br><p> Crawdaddy! <br> What better way to explore any mind (and perhaps especially a mind, like Thompson's, as warped as it was brilliant) than to go straight to the source?...The interviews in this book capture the outlaw journalist at every glorious twist in the road...This book contains Thompson at his peak, with all the cryptic wit and irony that made him one of America's true literary greats. A must-read for any Thompson aficionado. <p>A.V. Club, 7/16/09<br> The best items in Gonzo Wisdom are among the straightest: a gratifyingly sober 1979 confab with Washington Journalism Review , and the classic Playboy interview finished right after Nixon's resignation. Wild and funny though he was, Thompson was always serious about his writing. <p> New York Times Paper Cuts book blog, 7/20/09<br> The book is fun to rummage around in. <p> Creative Loafing Daily Loaf blog, 7/14/09<br> A substantial new volume...A solid and indispensible record of Hunter S. Thompson's public life as a writer. <p> Tucson Citizen , Shelf Life blog, 8/5/09<br> Arranged in chronological order, the interviews provide remarkable insight into the thinking of this extraordinary man. <p> Library Journal , 9/1/09<br> All of [the interviews] emphasize Thompson's flamboyant and exaggerated style. His fervent base of fans will want this book. <p>PopMatters.com, 8/27/09<br> Recently, Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson , another book collecting Thompson's essential interviews was published, and with Ancient Gonzo Wisdom coming so close after that, you might think that there's a glut of the good doctor out there. Fortunately, there are only a couple of overlapping interviews between the two, and because Anita Thompson has done such an

National Public Radio<br> This amusing collection pulls from 30 years of conversations and reveals the gonzo journalist to be much more of a craftsman than he is often given credit for being. It would, in fact, make a great gift to any budding journalist. <br><p> Crawdaddy! <br> What better way to explore any mind (and perhaps especially a mind, like Thompson's, as warped as it was brilliant) than to go straight to the source?...The interviews in this book capture the outlaw journalist at every glorious twist in the road...This book contains Thompson at his peak, with all the cryptic wit and irony that made him one of America's true literary greats. A must-read for any Thompson aficionado. <p>A.V. Club, 7/16/09<br> The best items in Gonzo Wisdom are among the straightest: a gratifyingly sober 1979 confab with Washington Journalism Review, and the classic Playboy interview finished right after Nixon's resignation. Wild and funny though he was, Thompson was always serious about

Author Information

Anita Thompson was Hunter S. Thompson's wife and assistant. She is the author of The Gonzo Way, a celebration of Thompson's legacy, and lives in Woody Creek, outside of Aspen, Colorado.

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