Fear And Loathing
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''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream'' is a 1971 novel in the
gonzo journalism Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to have been first used in 1970 to descri ...
style by
Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prom ...
. The book is a ''
roman à clef A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...
'', rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follows its protagonist, Raoul Duke, and his attorney, Doctor Gonzo, as they descend on
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
to chase the
American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...
through a drug-induced haze, all the while ruminating on the failure of the 1960s countercultural movement. The work is Thompson's most famous book and is noted for its lurid descriptions of illicit drug use and its early retrospective on the culture of the 1960s. Thompson's highly subjective blend of fact and fiction, which it popularised, became known as gonzo journalism. Illustrated by
Ralph Steadman Ralph Idris Steadman (born 15 May 1936) is a British illustrator and collaborator with the American writer Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman draws satirical political cartoons, social caricatures, and picture books. Early life Steadman was born in ...
, the novel first appeared as a two-part
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...
in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine in 1971 before being published in book form in 1972. It was later adapted into a film of the same title in 1998 by director
Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...
, starring
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
and
Benicio del Toro Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (; born February 19, 1967) is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican actor. List of awards and nominations received by Benicio del Toro, His accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy ...
, who portrayed Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, respectively.


Origins

The novel ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' is based on two trips to Las Vegas, Nevada, that Hunter S. Thompson took with attorney and
Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...
activist
Oscar Zeta Acosta Oscar "Zeta" Acosta Fierro (; April 8, 1935 – disappeared May 1974) was a Mexican Americans, Mexican American Lawyer, attorney, author and activist in the Chicano Movement. He wrote the semi-autobiographical novels ''Autobiography of a Brown ...
in March and April 1971. The first trip resulted from an exposé Thompson was writing for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine about the
Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...
television journalist Rubén Salazar, whom officers of the
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States a ...
had shot and killed with a
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...
grenade fired at close range during the
National Chicano Moratorium March The Chicano Moratorium, formally known as the National Chicano Moratorium Committee Against The Vietnam War, was a movement of Chicano anti-war activists that built a broad-based coalition of Mexican-American groups to organize opposition to the Vi ...
against the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
in 1970. Thompson was using Acosta—a prominent Mexican American political activist and attorney—as a central source for the story, and the two found it difficult for a brown-skinned Mexican to talk openly with a white reporter in the racially tense atmosphere of
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Needing a more comfortable place to discuss the story, they decided to take advantage of an offer from ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' to write photograph captions for the annual
Mint 400 The Mint 400 is an annual American desert off-road race which takes place near Las Vegas, Nevada. It was resumed in 2008 after a 20-year hiatus. The race was for both motorcycles, until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles ( buggies, cars and trucks ...
desert race being held in Las Vegas from March 21–23, 1971. Thompson wrote that he concluded their March trip by spending some 36 hours alone in a hotel room "feverishly writing in my notebook" about his experiences. These writings became the genesis of ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.'' What originally was a 250-word photo caption assignment for ''Sports Illustrated'' grew to a novel-length feature story for ''Rolling Stone''; Thompson said publisher
Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American businessman who co-founded the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'' with Ralph J. Gleason and is the former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free S ...
had "liked the first 20 or so jangled pages enough to take it seriously on its own terms and tentatively scheduled it for publication—which gave me the push I needed to keep working on it." He had first submitted a 2,500-word manuscript to ''Sports Illustrated'' that was "aggressively rejected." Weeks later Thompson and Acosta returned to Las Vegas to report for ''Rolling Stone'' on the National District Attorneys Association's Conference on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs being held from April 25–29, 1971, and to add material to the larger ''Fear and Loathing'' narrative. Besides attending the attorneys' conference, Thompson and Acosta looked for ways in Vegas to explore the theme of the American Dream, which was the basis for the novel's second half, to which Thompson referred at the time as "Vegas II". On April 29, 1971, Thompson began writing the full manuscript in a hotel room in Arcadia, California, in his spare time while completing "
Strange Rumblings in Aztlan "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan" is an article published in ''Rolling Stone'' #81, dated April 29, 1971, and written by Hunter S. Thompson. It was included in the first volume of Thompson's ''The Gonzo Papers , Gonzo Papers'', ''The Great Shark Hun ...
," the article chronicling the death of Salazar.Thompson, Hunter S
Jacket Copy For ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream''
/ref> Thompson joined the array of Vegas experiences within what he called "an essentially fictional framework" that described a singular free-wheeling trip to Vegas peppered with creative licenses. In November 1971, ''Rolling Stone'' published the combined texts of the trips as ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream'' as a two-part story, illustrated by
Ralph Steadman Ralph Idris Steadman (born 15 May 1936) is a British illustrator and collaborator with the American writer Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman draws satirical political cartoons, social caricatures, and picture books. Early life Steadman was born in ...
, who two years before had worked with Thompson on an article titled "
The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" is a sports article written by journalist Hunter S. Thompson on the 1970 Kentucky Derby, which first appeared in '' Scanlan's Monthly'' in June of that year. The article marked the birth of what woul ...
".Gilmore, Mikal. (March 24, 2005). "The Last Outlaw." ''Rolling Stone'', 970, 44–47
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
published the hardcover edition in July 1972, with additional illustrations by Steadman; ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said it is "by far the best book yet on the decade of dope," with
Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...
describing it as a "scorching epochal sensation."


Plot

In 1971, journalist Raoul Duke and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo, are driving from LA to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 Motorcycle race. Along the way, they pick up a hitchhiker, and Duke explains the preparation for the trip, including gathering several drugs and renting the " Great Red Shark". Shortly after explaining, the two scare off the hitchhiker, and then take a large dose of
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
and finish the drive to Vegas. The two arrive in the lobby of the Mint Hotel, while still under the influence of LSD. Duke has bizarre hallucinations and acts strangely, culminating in him perceiving everyone in the bar to be giant lizards. Gonzo, who is able to keep a level head throughout all of this, signs the two in with press credentials, and brings Duke up to their hotel room. They later leave to get an early look at the Mint Gun Club, where the race will be held. While there, Duke meets Lacerda, a photographer assigned to work with them. The next day, Duke and Gonzo go to the bar at the gun club and wait for the race to start. Once it starts, Duke is unable to tell what is going on, and goes on a side-by-side ride with Lacerda, to capture photos. Eventually, Duke gives up and leaves. Later that night, Duke and Gonzo are driving around Vegas intoxicated. After struggling to find parking, they go to the
Desert Inn The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
to see a
Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...
performance. The pair get kicked out of the show for smoking marijuana. They then huff some ether and wander around the Circus Circus, in a drunken stupor. While in the Circus Circus, Gonzo starts to feel the effects of the
mescaline Mescaline, also known as mescalin or mezcalin, and in chemical terms 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine, is a natural product, naturally occurring psychedelic drug, psychedelic alkaloid, protoalkaloid of the substituted phenethylamine class, found ...
pills that he took earlier, and the two leave. Back in the hotel room, Gonzo keeps getting worse. When Duke eventually calms him down, he reminisces about the 1960s, and goes to sleep. He wakes up the next morning and finds that Gonzo is gone and there is a pile of room service receipts. Unable to pay, he flees, hoping to make a quick drive back to Los Angeles. While driving along in an extremely paranoid state, Duke eventually calls Gonzo, and finds that he was supposed to check into the
Flamingo Hotel Flamingo Las Vegas (formerly the Flamingo Hilton) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The Flamingo includes a casino and a 28-story hotel with 3,460 rooms. The res ...
and cover a national police meeting on drug use. After Duke finishes checking into the hotel, he is attacked by a teenage girl named Lucy who has traveled from
Kalispell, Montana Kalispell (, Salish-Spokane-Kalispel language, Montana Salish: Ql̓ispé, Kutenai language: Kqayaqawakⱡuʔnam) is a city in Montana and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2020 census put Kalispell's population at ...
to Las Vegas to gift
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
portraits she made of the singer. He then learns that Gonzo gave her LSD to "help her out" only to find that she is a devout Christian and has never even used alcohol. The two give her more LSD, and then drop her off at a different hotel, hoping she will not remember them. However, when they get back to the hotel room, they find that Lucy has left them a message, and is asking Gonzo for help. Gonzo manages to trick her into thinking that Duke drugged both of them, and that Gonzo is now being arrested, advising her to hide. Afterwards, Gonzo advises Duke to take
adrenochrome Adrenochrome is a chemical compound produced by the oxidation of adrenaline (epinephrine). It was the subject of limited research from the 1950s through to the 1970s as a potential cause of schizophrenia. While it has no current medical applic ...
. When Duke takes it, he experiences nightmarish hallucinations, before eventually falling asleep. The next day, they attend the drug convention, where they observe a comically out of touch presentation by a police "drug expert". Later, the two drive in Las Vegas, and encounter a family from Oklahoma, to whom Gonzo aggressively tries to sell heroin. Afterwards, they stop at a diner in North Las Vegas, where Gonzo makes a provocative and offensive gesture to the waitress, leading to a confrontation. Next morning, the two rush to the airport and upon realizing they are about to miss a flight to L.A., Duke drives onto the runway area of the airport, drops Gonzo off and escapes through a break in a fence. After the departure of his lawyer, Duke spends the remaining days in his hotel suite recounting memories from Aspen, and attempting to purchase an ape. Duke returns to Circus Circus to acquire the ape, but discovers it's been taken by animal control after attacking another patron. After a while, Duke himself boards a plane to Denver. The book ends with Duke purchasing
Amyl Nitrite Amyl nitrite is a chemical compound with the formula C5H11ONO. A variety of isomers are known, but they all feature an amyl group attached to the nitrite functional group. The alkyl group (the amyl in this case) is unreactive and the chemical ...
from the airport pharmacy, and consuming them in front of the petrified pharmacist.


The "wave speech"

The "wave speech" is an important passage at the end of the eighth chapter that captures the hippie zeitgeist and its end. Thompson often cited this passage during interviews, choosing it when asked to read aloud from the novel: In ''High White Notes: The Rise and Fall of Gonzo Journalism'', David S. Wills explains how the "wave speech" was influenced by Thompson's use of ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
'' as a literary template. He argues that the entire wave passage replicated the rhythm, not to mention the theme, of the final page and a half of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. Thompson himself frequently compared his book to ''The Great Gatsby''.


Title

''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' is Thompson's most famous work and is known as ''Fear and Loathing'' for short; however, he later used the phrase "Fear and Loathing" in the titles of other books, essays, and magazine articles. In a ''Rolling Stone'' magazine interview, Thompson said of the phrase: "It came out of my own sense of fear, and sa perfect description of that situation to me, however, I have been accused of stealing it from
Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...
or
Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of real ...
or something. It seemed like a natural thing." He first used the phrase in a letter to a friend written after the
Kennedy assassination John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline, Texas gove ...
, describing how he felt about whoever had shot President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
. In "
The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" is a sports article written by journalist Hunter S. Thompson on the 1970 Kentucky Derby, which first appeared in '' Scanlan's Monthly'' in June of that year. The article marked the birth of what woul ...
", he used the phrase to describe how people regarded
Ralph Steadman Ralph Idris Steadman (born 15 May 1936) is a British illustrator and collaborator with the American writer Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman draws satirical political cartoons, social caricatures, and picture books. Early life Steadman was born in ...
upon seeing his caricatures of them.
Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American businessman who co-founded the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'' with Ralph J. Gleason and is the former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free S ...
claims that the title came from
Thomas Wolfe Thomas Clayton Wolfe (October 3, 1900 – September 15, 1938) was an American novelist and short story writer. He is known largely for his first novel, '' Look Homeward, Angel'' (1929), and for the short fiction that appeared during the last ye ...
's ''
The Web and the Rock ''The Web and the Rock'' is an American bildungsroman novel by Thomas Wolfe, published wikt:posthumously, posthumously in 1939. Like its sequel, ''You Can't Go Home Again'' (and also ''The Hills Beyond'') it was extracted by Edward Aswell from a ...
''. Another possible influence is '' Fear and Trembling'', a philosophical work by existentialist
Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , ; ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danes, Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical tex ...
published in 1843. The title is a reference to a line from a
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
verse, Philippians 2:12.


Reactions to the novel

When it was published in fall of 1971 many critics did not like the novel's loose plot and the scenes of drug use; however, some reviewers predicted that ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' would become an important piece of American literature. In ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Christopher Lehmann-Haupt told readers to not "even bother" trying to understand the novel, and that "what goes on in these pages make
Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of come ...
seem angelic"; instead, he acknowledged that the novel's true importance is in Thompson's literary method: "The whole book boils down to a kind of mad, corrosive prose poetry that picks up where
Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...
's '' An American Dream'' left off and explores what Tom Wolfe left out". As the novel became popular the reviews became positive; Crawford Woods, also in ''The New York Times'', wrote a positive review countering Lehmann-Haupt's negative review: the novel is "a custom-crafted study of paranoia, a spew from the 1960s and—in all its hysteria, insolence, insult and rot—a desperate and important book, a wired nightmare, the funniest piece of American prose"; and "this book is such a mind storm that we may need a little time to know that it is also literature... it unfolds a parable of the nineteen-sixties to those of us who lived in them in a mood—perhaps more melodramatic than astute—of social strife, surreal politics and the chemical feast." About Thompson, Woods said he "trusts the authority of his senses, and the clarity of a brain poised between brilliance and burnout". In any event, ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' became a benchmark in American literature about U.S. society in the early 1970s. In ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine, Chris Morris said, "Through Duke and Gonzo's drug-addled shenanigans amid the seediness of the desert pleasure palaces, it perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the post–'60s era". In ''Rolling Stone'' magazine,
Mikal Gilmore Mikal Gilmore (born February 9, 1951) is an American writer and music journalist. Early life and writing career Gilmore was born to Frank and Bessie Gilmore, and was also known for being the younger brother of convicted criminal Gary Gilmore. In ...
wrote that the novel "peers into the best and worst mysteries of the American heart" and that Thompson "sought to understand how the American dream had turned a gun on itself". Gilmore believes that "the fear and loathing Thompson was writing about—a dread of both interior demons and the psychic landscape of the nation around him—wasn't merely his own; he was also giving voice to the mind-set of a generation that had held high ideals and was now crashing hard against the walls of American reality".Gilmore, Mikal. (March 24, 2005). The Last Outlaw. ''Rolling Stone'', 970, 44-47
Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...
has called the book "a classic of our time" and one of the few great modern novels.


As a work of gonzo journalism

In the book '' The Great Shark Hunt'', Thompson refers to ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' as "a failed experiment in the
gonzo journalism Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to have been first used in 1970 to descri ...
" he practiced, which was based on
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...
's idea that "the best fiction is far more ''true'' than any kind of journalism—and the best journalists have always known this". Thompson's style blended the techniques of fictional story-telling and journalism. He called it a failed experiment because he originally intended to record every detail of the Las Vegas trip as it happened, and then publish the raw, unedited notes; however, he revised it during the spring and summer of 1971. For example, the novel describes Duke attending the motorcycle race and the narcotics convention in a few days' time; the actual events occurred a month apart. Later, he wrote, "I found myself imposing an essentially fictional framework on what began as a piece of straight/crazy journalism". Nevertheless, critics call ''Fear and Loathing'' Thompson's crowning achievement in gonzo journalism. For example, journalist and author
Mikal Gilmore Mikal Gilmore (born February 9, 1951) is an American writer and music journalist. Early life and writing career Gilmore was born to Frank and Bessie Gilmore, and was also known for being the younger brother of convicted criminal Gary Gilmore. In ...
said the novel "feels free wheeling when you read it utit doesn't feel accidental. The writing is right there, on the page—startling, unprecedented and brilliantly crafted".


Changes in the book version

The novel was first published serially in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, under the byline "Raoul Duke". The book version was published with Thompson's name as the author. In chapter 8 of part I, Thompson tells a story about his neighbor, "a former acid guru who later claimed to have made that long jump from chemical frenzy to preternatural consciousness". In the ''Rolling Stone'' article, the neighbor was identified as "Dr. Robert De Ropp on Sonoma Mountain Road". In the book version, the name and the street were redacted, as a footnote says, "at insistence of publisher's lawyer". In chapter 12 of part II, Thompson tells of a belligerent drunk confronting Bruce Innes, of Canadian folk band The Original Caste, at a club in
Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...
. The heckler was identified in the ''Rolling Stone'' version as "
Wally Schirra Walter Marty Schirra Jr. ( ; March 12, 1923 – May 3, 2007) was an American naval aviator (United States), naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the Mercury Seven, original seven astronauts chosen for Pro ...
, the Astronaut". In the book version he is only identified as "a former Astronaut" and his name is, again, redacted "at insistence of publisher's lawyer".


Illustrations

British artist Ralph Steadman added his unique and grotesque illustrations to the ''Rolling Stone'' issues and to the novel. Steadman had first met Thompson when ''
Scanlan's Monthly ''Scanlan's Monthly'' was a New York, New York and St. Jean, Quebec monthly publication that ran from March 1970 to January 1971. The publisher was Scanlan's Literary House. Edited by Warren Hinckle and Sidney Zion, it featured politically con ...
'' hired Steadman to do the illustrations for Thompson's first venture into gonzo journalism called "
The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" is a sports article written by journalist Hunter S. Thompson on the 1970 Kentucky Derby, which first appeared in '' Scanlan's Monthly'' in June of that year. The article marked the birth of what woul ...
." Many critics have hailed Steadman's illustrations as another main character of the novel and companion to Thompson's disjointed narrative. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' noted that "Steadman's drawings were stark and crazed and captured Thompson's sensibility, his notion that below the plastic American surface lurked something chaotic and violent. The drawings are the plastic torn away and the people seen as monsters." Steadman has expressed regret at selling the illustrations, at the advice of his agent, to ''Rolling Stone'' founder Jann Wenner for the sum of $75, which remained in Wenner's possession until he sold them in 2016. As a result of that transaction Steadman has largely refused to sell any of his original artwork and has been quoted as saying "If anyone owns a Steadman original, it's stolen." While there are original pieces held outside his archive, they are exceedingly rare. The artist has kept possession of the vast bulk of his artwork.


Adaptations


Audiobook

An
audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
version was released by Margaritaville Records and
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
in 1996, on the 25th anniversary of the book's original publication. It features the voice talents of
Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), '' Kelly's Heroes'' (1970), '' Dilling ...
as the narrator/an older
Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prom ...
,
Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...
as Raoul Duke, and
Maury Chaykin Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the televi ...
as Dr. Gonzo, with
Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
,
Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack ( ; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In ...
,
Buck Henry Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he re ...
and
Harry Shearer Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, musician, radio host, writer, and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of The ...
in minor roles. Sound effects, period-appropriate music and album-like sound mixing are used extensively to give it the surreal feeling characteristic of the book. Quotes from Thompson himself bookend the album. The album is believed to be out-of-print due to its relative rarity, but is sought after by fans for its high production values and faithfulness to the book's tone. Excerpts of it were included in the
Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of arthouse film distributo ...
release of the movie.


Film adaptation

The novel's popularity gave rise to attempted cinematic adaptations; directors
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
and
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...
each unsuccessfully attempted to film a version of the novel. In the course of these attempts,
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
and
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
were considered for the roles of Duke and Dr. Gonzo but the production stalled, and the actors aged beyond the characters. Afterwards,
Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...
and
John Belushi John Adam Belushi ( ; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, singer and musician. He was one of seven ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members of the first season. He was arguably the most popular member of the ''Satur ...
were considered, but Belushi's death ended that plan.
Art Linson Art Linson is an American producer, screenwriter, and author. Life and career Art Linson has produced movies in every decade since the seventies including ''Fight Club'', ''Heat (1995 film), Heat'', ''The Untouchables (film), The Untouchable ...
's 1980 film ''
Where the Buffalo Roam ''Where the Buffalo Roam'' is a 1980 American semi-biographical comedy film which loosely depicts author Hunter S. Thompson's rise to fame in the 1970s and his relationship with Chicano attorney and activist Oscar "Zeta" Acosta. The film was ...
'' starring
Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murra ...
and
Peter Boyle Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. He is known for his character actor roles in film and television and received several awards including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. ...
is based on a number of Thompson's stories, including ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas''. In 1989, ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' was almost made by director
Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...
when he was given a script by illustrator Ralph Steadman. Gilliam, however, felt that the script "didn't capture the story properly". In 1995, Gilliam received a different script he felt worth realising; his 1998 film features
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
and
Benicio del Toro Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (; born February 19, 1967) is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican actor. List of awards and nominations received by Benicio del Toro, His accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy ...
as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo respectively. However, criticism was mixed, and the film was a box office failure.


Graphic novel

A graphic novel adaptation of ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'', adapted by Canadian artist
Troy Little Troy Little (born 7 March 1973) is a Canadian cartoonist working in comic books and animation. He began self publishing with ''Chiaroscuro (graphic novel), Chiaroscuro'', a graphic novel that was developed between 2000 and 2005 under his Meanwhile ...
, was released in October 2015. In interviews, Little said "We decided right off the bat not to go the Steadman route, or be too influenced by the movie either, and draw Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. So we wanted to make it its own unique thing... For me, capturing the manic energy and spirit of the book, and staying true to the feel of ''Fear and Loathing'' was my big goal."


Other references

" Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson," an episode of the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
/
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
superhero series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', first broadcast on May 24, 2019, not only takes its title from the novel, it also incorporates plot elements from the novel and 1998 film, particularly around characters having to navigate a casino (in this case a casino on an alien planet) while under the influence of a psychedelic drug. The 2013 album '' Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!'' by
Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...
(originally from Las Vegas) was named after a line from the movie adaptation of the novel. The quote itself is attributed to Thompson's article "The Banshee Screams For Buffalo Meat" written after Acosta's presumed death. The music videos for
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
's "No Worries" and
The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...
's song "Heartless" draw heavy inspiration from the 1998 film. Later accreditations to the 1998 film can be seen in Australian rapper Kote$'s 2024 album titled "Fear n Loathing". The album's cover art depicts Kote$ as Raoul Duke and DON VINYL (the album's producer) as Dr Gonzo. The characterisation is present in the album's lead single "NUMB." released with an accompanying music video that shares similar tropes from the opening scene of the film. One week after the album dropped, the music video for the title track "Fear n Loathing." featuring milkbain was premiered on Youtube. Other songs from the album reference the title "Fear n Loathing" such as "Black Belt." and "Oh Lord." with the ending of the final song "Brand New Tn'$" possessing a tribute to the film, sampling the audio spoken by Duke "''Too weird to live, too rare to die.''" Japanese
electronicore Electronicore (also known as synthcore or trancecore) is a fusion genre of metalcore music with elements of various electronic music genres, often including trance, electronica, and dubstep. Reception Attack Attack! is often recognized as th ...
band
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas is a Japanese electronicore band from Kobe that was formed in summer 2008. The band currently consists of vocalist So, keyboardist Minami, guitarist Taiki, drummer Tomonori, and bassist Tetsuya. They are best known for their heavy use of vocod ...
is named after the book and film. " Bat Country", from the album ''
City of Evil ''City of Evil'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on June 6, 2005, through Warner Bros. and Hopeless Records. Co-produced by Andrew Murdock, ''City of Evil'' contains a more traditional heavy met ...
'' of the band
Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead gui ...
, is based on the novel, with the title coming from what Raoul Duke says to Dr. Gonzo after seeing huge bats and flying manta rays in his hallucinations, "We can't stop here. This is bat country." The song's music video exemplifies that, referencing numerous scenes from the film. An achievement in '' Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' called "Can't Stop Here, This is Brute Country" is a reference to the line "We can't stop here, this is bat country" from the book and the 1998 film. A set of cosmetic items in the class-based
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
video game ''
Team Fortress 2 ''Team Fortress 2'' (''TF2'') is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation in 2007. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' Mod (video gaming), mod for ''Quake (video g ...
'' are directly based on one of the outfits that Raoul Duke wears in the book and the 1998 film, both cosmetic items belonging to the Sniper class. The items are named the Hawaiian Hunter and Tropical Camo in-game, respectively.


References


External links


Excerpt from original ''Rolling Stone'' article
*



* ttp://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/03/the_american_dr.php#more The American Dream & Hunter Thompson's 'Fear & Loathing'Essay and Review by Lucian K. Truscott IV for the ''
Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...
'' originally published July 13, 1972 {{Authority control Novels by Hunter S. Thompson 1971 American novels American autobiographical novels Postmodern novels Psychedelic literature Roman à clef novels American novels adapted into films American picaresque novels Works originally published in Rolling Stone Novels first published in serial form Novels set in the Las Vegas Valley Novels about drugs Non-fiction novels of investigative journalism Random House books Novels set in Las Vegas