RIP: Hunter S. Thompson

Its a dark day for a lot of people. Personally, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Hell's Angles, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas each changed my life...all in very different ways. The good Doctor was an icon of a free-spirited America that died a long, long time ago. Those of us born after the dark days of Nixon only got to experience that America through Thompson's books. Even after I grew up a bit and got off the ludes and amyls, I still continued to derive a great deal of hope and faith in our country from the fact that at least there were a few mountain valleys far enough away from the dark cloud of American Squaredom that were big enough to accommodate a man like Thomspon. ....sigh, that ship has sailed. Enjoy the ride from here, friend.