The spirit of Gonzo lives within the hallowed grounds of Florida State University. Acclaimed authors, journalists, poets and artists from all disciplines have spent time learning from FSU’s faculty and staff. Whether they graduated or not doesn’t matter — none are more unique and infamous than writer Hunter S. Thompson.
The notorious journalist took night classes at FSU while stationed at Eglin Air Force Base. Thompson was always on the move, so his time in Tallahassee was brief. The indelible mark Thompson has left on the world of literature and journalism still resonates with students, faculty and staff at Florida State to this day.
The College of Motion Picture Arts (COMPA) is screening the films every other week throughout the semester. The first film of the series is Tom Thurman’s 2006 documentary “Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film.” Students and faculty from departments across campus traveled over to Doak Campbell Stadium on a rainy Wednesday night to attend the screening.
The documentary shows the audience a behind-the-scenes, intimate look at the life and work of Hunter S. Thompson. He was a crucial sub-culture figure and infamous drug connoisseur in the 1970s. The most controversial aspects of his work involved his hatred for former President Richard Nixon and his ability to consume copious amounts of drugs and alcohol while writing.
Interviews with actors and friends describe interactions with Hunter in an awe-inspiring way. Actors Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro and Bill Murray are some of the notable actors who were interviewed for the documentary. All have appeared in films inspired by Hunter’s work, with Depp and Murray portraying Hunter himself in films “Where the Buffalo Roam” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
Assistant Dean of the undergraduate program for the COMPA Jonathan Stone was the host for the evening, and director Tom Thurman had a Q & A session after the film’s conclusion.
“This is one of Tom’s [Thurman] significant pieces and I think the literary component with Hunter S. Thompson speaks a lot to our culture and how he wants to portray this to kick off his series,” Stone said. “It’s a road down the psychedelic trip and it does speak to Hunter S. Thompson as a person and that Gonzo mentality.”
Thurman directed 36 documentaries on music, sports and literary figures. He is visiting the film school for the fall and spring semesters. The COMPA has been very hospitable to Thurman during his brief time so far on campus, something Thurman has heaped praise upon the university.
“The faculty is really open and engaging with the students,” Thurman said. “The facilities are terrific and I just couldn’t be more impressed. I’m not going to leave until they push me out the door, I like it here that much.”
The Gonzo spirit lives within everyone lucky enough to read one of Thompson’s pieces. Thompson was an artist of a generation– anyone who aspires to be a writer should read his work. He shows what’s possible to portray in journalism, and his words will live on for eternity.
First-year English master Iansle Echavarria attended the screening and had never seen the film before but had read Thompson’s work. Particularly, his piece about the Kentucky Derby.
“I wrote my undergraduate thesis on Hunter S. Thompson,” Echavarria said. “We see influences of that in ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ as well. It’s just one continuous life narrative that we find little snapshots of, but even still, these snapshots are incomplete and are always in a state of alteration and surrealism.”
Thurman has many favorites when it comes to Thompson’s work, but one truly sticks out.
“‘Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972,’” Thurman said. “Everybody goes to ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ or ‘Hell’s Angels,’ but embedding himself in that campaign the way he did, and then being able to talk to Senator McGovern about that still remains my favorite work of his.”
If Hunter were alive to see the state of politics in the United States, he would have something to say. He is sorely missed to this day, and we need his voice now more than ever.
Hunter grappled with balancing the version of himself in his work, to who he was as a person. People know him through his work as a drug-induced writer with a flare of the dramatic. People expected the wild and crazy Hunter when they met him, but he struggled to uphold that image as time passed.
As the film screening series hosted by COMPA progresses, there are more opportunities for students to engage with Thurman’s work. Thurman is an extremely talented documentarian who hits on significant figures, but none more important than Thompson.
He will be studied and puzzled over for decades, but Thompson’s style and flare were one of a kind. He truly was too weird to live and too rare to die.
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