Thursday, February 25, 1999

The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time

by Hunter S. Thompson

The Gonzo Papers, Volume One, apparently.  Cazart!  Six hundred and eighty pages of articles by the man himself on a variety of subjects is enough to make anyone believe that bad craziness is our only inheritance.  A lot about Nixon.  Some sports writing: hilarious observations on the Super Bowl, practically reverent analysis of Ali.  A defense of Carter.  The hippie movement in Haight-Ashbury at its inception.  The McGovern "juggernaut."  The horror that was Hubert Humphrey.  Rough stuff in South America, and rougher stuff with the Hell’s Angels.  The sheer bulk of the weirdness attests to Thompson’s skill as a writer: of course he’s hilarious, painting a surreal picture of Vegas or the inanity of a fishing competition in Mexico, but he is also a consummate reporter who goes for truth, the story, the facts, and does whatever he can to get a feel for the thing.  He only makes it look easy. 

four stars

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