"A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance." - Hunter S. Thompson

... starts snorting cocaine *SERIOUSLY* Greatest line of all time

Some high powered mutant. Gods own prototype. Too weird to live, too rare to die

“When the going gets weird- the weird turn pro.” - Hunter S. Thompson

"We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked the tendency is to go as far as you can take it". - Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

He was one of a kind. I caught a lecture of his in Boston and after that ended he joined us at a bar consuming one Heineken after another. Hisspeechpatternmadesentencesintoaword. He had standards, but admitted that he “reveledinf*****withthem.He warned us not to go full gonzo unless we were ready to live the life of your imagination with all the consequences of it. He sensed I had a reluctant yearning for danger. He liked my piece on his lecture, though and I had the letter framed. I dropped him off at Logan a wiser soul. Thank you, Gonzo!

“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.” There are so many great quotes from Fear and Loathing that it really is hard to pick a favorite. I think this might be the one I like best!

Ugghhh one of my bigest pet peeves surrounding the telling of Hunter S. Thompson's life, is when his real morning routine is mixed up with the one fabricated by someone else. This video uses the one falsely made up by a journalist. He pretty much guessed at what he thought Hunter would do and published it. Here's the much more entertaining quote from the man himself describing his daily morning breakfast routine (it's still ridiculous ofc): "I like to eat breakfast alone, and almost never before noon; anybody with a terminally jangled lifestyle needs at least one psychic anchor every twenty four hours, and mine is breakfast. In Hong Kong, Dallas, or at home-and regardless of whether or not I have been to bed-breakfast is a personal ritual that can only be properly observed alone, and in a spirit of genuine excess. The food factor should always be massive: Four bloody Marys, two grapefruits, a pot of coffee, Rangoon crêpes, a half-pound of either sausage, bacon, or corned beef-hash with diced chilies, a Spanish omelette or eggs Benedict, a quart of milk, a chopped lemon for random seasoning, and something like a slice of Key lime pie, two margaritas, and six lines of the best cocaine for dessert... Right, and there should also be two or three newspapers, all mail and messages, a telephone, a notebook for planning the next twenty four hours, and at least one source of good music... All of which should be dealt with outside, in the warmth of the hot sun, and preferably stone naked."

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark-that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

Hearing Hunter recite ‘The Wave’ always sends chills down my spine. That sense of communal lose. Seeing it was all for nothing and that the old guard still ruled the land. Business as usual.

HST was one of the very few celebrities I actually cried upon hearing of their death. Read all his books multiple times years before and admired the man greatly despite the fact he could be a degenerate louse. It was an enormous shock but in a way I'm glad he didn't live to see the state our country is in today...you know he'd be driven apoplectic with rage and grief with every passing day by the slow poisoning of democracy.

don't forget that hunters son, immediately after discovering good father's death, took his shotgun, went outside and fired 4 shots in the air in his father's honor

"Too weird to live, too rare to die"

I think a few of us have been waiting for this.

“Only a punk beats his wife and dog” and proceeds to get the crap kicked out of him by the hells angels… Me: gotta give Hunter Thompson respect for that if nothing else

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"

"Even able to get alchohol despite being underage" THOSE CRAZY KIDS!

"Jesus! Did I say that? Or just think it? Was I talking? Did they hear me?" I've been waiting for this one for quite awhile Simon, amazing...

Ever since I read Fear & Loathing in highschool, I've wanted to live more like Hunter. He always seemed fearless and ready to try anything at least once. "Do it now: Pure Gonzo Journalism"

Hunter S. Thompson was a rock star that never once wrote a song.

We can't stop here, this is bat country!

Never clicked a video so fast. My favourite history channel covering my all time favourite author and universes gift to journalism? Absolute perfection.

Thanks a million Simon, much much appreciation for this brother, keep up the amazing work that you and your crew has done

Since you’ve done Thompson are you going to do Charles Bukowski?

Fucking LOVED this man. FALILV is one of the greatest books i've ever read in my life. Honestly changed my life for the better. You have done him justice in this biography episode. I also had no idea the Rum Diary was an actual book, or that there had been a movie of him BEFORE Johnny Depp's amazing portrayal in the 1998 movie, which I also felt was mostly faithful to the book. (but I really wished the vomiting all over the hotel housekeeping woman and enlisting her into the CIA had of been filmed/made the final cut. It would have been awesome) Well done.

I'd love to see a video on one of Thompson's closest friends, Warren Zevon. One of the best and most underrated songwriters in American History. Could have been huge but made music he wanted to make rather than being popular mainstream.

Nicely done. One of my favorite writers, changed my life. 81.

This channel just gets better and better. When I saw this just a bit ago I instantly made time for it. Many thanks

Have never clicked on a video faster. Thank you for bringing this man back onto my radar.

Hunter S. Thompson, Robert Anton Wilson, Aleister Crowley, Terrence McKenna, John C. Lilly, William S. Burroughs Jr. & Phillip K. Dick are by far of my favorite authors. Aswell as Grant Morrison’s “The Invisibles” is a work of high art & magick (the first hyper sigil created) in graphic novel form. Any of them you haven’t covered would be fantastic imho. Keep up the great content!

A nice video. I was a correspondent via mail with HST for years, even met him a few times. In my own way I was a wild person but nothing could prepare you for the real HST in character. We went to a science fiction convention over an Easter weekend, just so he could see what depravity went on. The real depravity though was on Easter Sunday when the hotel's restaurant would fill up with the families, their offspring dressed in their newest Easter clothes, all staring at the SF convention attendees who were, by this time, worn out by drugs, alcohol and general craziness. I wrote up a story about it, tried to do it Gonzo style. Sent it to him, got a positive response back. The best response possible. "It reads like I wrote it". Even though we had lost contact long before his death I still think about him and wished we had interacted more.

So freaking happy to see this video up

Next biography should be on charles bukowski That poet who was blessed with a crappy life

bill murray played him perfectly in Where the Buffalo Roam, SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD!!!! HOLY NIXON!

Thank you for making this video. This man is really a personal idol to me. I don't want to live the life he did, but his spirit and attitude is something to admire.

wanted to make weed legal in Colorado .. mission accomplished sir .. mission accomplished

one of the best lines ever written was when hunter interviewed richard nixons speech writer, pat buchanan at the watergate hotel where pat was staying at the time. This was after the watergate scandal had broke. Afterwards hunter wrote about pat, calling him "a half crazed davy crockett running around the ramparts of richard nixons alamo."

I have myasthenia gravis, and now it’s not a death sentience but back in the day the very idea scares me. And it would rob you of everything I feel for child Hunter and his mother that they had to go threw that. As always thank you!

So glad you of all people did this on here! Gonzo forever!

You missed out of my favorite part of the daily routine where at 7 am he eats fettuccine alfredo in the hot tub

"I never said that was a fact. I said there was a rumour going around. And that i know for certain because I started that rumour" When asked about the sources of the insinuations about Nixions poor health and drug use during the campain.

As your attorney I recommend you click the like button.

Thank you for doing this piece. Hunter is something special to me. I appreciate your work.

This one was really good! You guys make people I have no interest in compelling and are always entertaining and informative so when it's someone like Hunter S it's an extra treat!

This was the most wonderful person that ever lived. I mean that sincerely. He's always been my little brothers favorite and my little brother is my favorite, so there ya go.

Literally as I was about to start re reading the rum diary, good work!

I love this channel man. I learn so much & see so many different traits in people. You are by far the best wealth knowledge on YT. Thank You

I literally went “AWEEE” rest easy Hunter. No one will come close to replicating the vitality of ur work

"Wow! What a ride!" Yes Dr. Hunter you made it one helluva ride.

Big ups to Hunter S. Thompson for living his best life tho

Brilliant, Simon. Love your work.

HST was incredible soul. The world needs people like Hunter. It was so sad when i heard he had killed himself, but i wasn't really surprised. He was often heard to say he was going to kill himself. We need another HST.

Read Rolling Stone when HST wrote in the magazine. Read Rolling Stone today. Big Difference.

"Buy the ticket, take the ride." Hunter S. Thompson

I loved this! these are great. thanks so much for making it.

"Anything worth doing, is worth doing right!" I teach me kids this all the time. Thanks HST

I lived the Hunter S Thompson day every day through quarantine

No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun - for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax - This won’t hurt. Hunter S. Thompson.

Wow what a way to go! Thanks for this video.

I requested this awhile ago, thank you!

Great stuff the man was a legend who started his own style of journalism and oh boy did he love his drugs.

You're such a great host and you probably have a wonderful team. I've really known not a quite lot about Hunter aside from the Fear & Loathing book and movie. Sad to hear about his suicide. This is the perfect channel to a history freak such as myself.

I've been waiting for this one, I remember read a comment requesting it. I liked the comment of course. Thanks for the great videos guys.

Thanks for this bio on one of my favorite American creatives of the second half of the 20th Century!

Hunter Thompson was such an interesting man, like Jim Morrison or Henry David Thoreau

Keeping on with the literary theme you should definitely do one on J.D. Salinger. What a life he had! 😊

Thank you for covering my hero and not shedding hate while doing so. 🖤

Just rewatched this and seriously....Such a great script, Shannon!! ❤🏆

I still think Johnny Depp's best performance ever, is him as Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing. He does an amazing job at sounding like Thompson. He looks so similar to him too. He dis an amazing job, channeling Duke/Thompson's character.

Please do a video on Hayao Miyazaki

This was surprisingly fun as well as informative. I thought I knew all about Thompson and you managed to tell me something new. Bravo!

Ah the magical duo that influenced my youth. Awesome vid.

I have to thank you for always pronouncing Louisville KY properly. Wonderful Bio of a legend BTW.

Hunter S Thompson, the literary madlad.

Makes me want to reread HST's entire catalogue. Thank you, Simon - and fly high, Dr. Thompson.

My favorite! Thank you.

What a guy Hunter was... I sat with him in a bar in Aspen once. Most interesting 20 minutes of my life. Miss ya Thompson!

Love the videos. This one could have used a reference to Oscar Zeta Acosta, a huge influence of HST, Fear and Loathing, and his run for Sheriff.

Third time I listened to this specific story. Well done, sir...well done

Love your channel!

"not a coincidence he started collecting guns after becoming hated by one of the most violent gangs in the country." Yeah, I think there's likely a connection between those things.

Hunter S Thompson is THE MAN! His books are the best!

Well done. Great bio. I thought I knew all there was to know, but this was fresh and interesting. Thanks

Well done video. I learned a ton from it. Thanks!

i could think of the perfect companion biography for Hunter S Thompson Walter Cronkite the most trusted man in America

My parents named me Hunter after HST. 100% Legend.

Great job on his story, this is my first video on this channel, and after this, plenty more to watch, thanks and Great Job 👍

Well made with all the details in place.

Kudos for for doing a video on HST. Look past the drug image and myths and you will see a what a brilliant writer he was. Read "Proud Highway" and keep in mind how old he was over this time period. Awesome.

This was a treat :) Thompson stealing antlers from Hemingway would have been a sight. When you can Simon, would you mind doing one on Jack Johnson the heavyweight boxer ?

"As your attorney, it is my duty to inform you that it is not important that you understand what I'm doing or why you're paying me so much money. What's important is that you continue to do so." [Hunter S. Thompson, Samoan Attorney]

Now I see how HST ended up doing a talk at my collage in the 70s as my college was in Bowling Green Kentucky. Not all that far from where he grew up. I knew of him by reading his work in Rolling Stone magazine.

Kingdom of Fear, written shortly after 9/11, was damn near a prophecy. Read it, fellow heathens.

A man who spent most of his life trying to kill himself would never commit suicide

Brilliant research! Makes me truly want to read through his published works

“Buy the ticket take the ride”, words to live by.

Kind of sad that Hunter didn't stay around long enough to see Colorado become weed legal.

Yes, a loony. But what a writer! Remember the writer, not just the myth. Good video.

Blessed are the words of he who broke my brain. R.I.P.

I love Hunter S. Thompson... love this channel and all the others that Simon hosts as well.... I remember having just arrived in iraq in early 2005 when, after a card game, i opened The Army Times to see that America's greatest journalist had killed himself in his own home... what a tragic loss... i hope he finally found peace, RIP Hunter S. Thompson!