Hunter S. Thompson: An Insider's View of Deranged, Depraved, Drugged Out Brilliance - Softcover

Cowan, Jay

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1599219697 ISBN 13: 9781599219691

Publisher: The Lyons Press, 2010

Synopsis

From military sportswriter to roving correspondent for the National Observer, from quasi Hell’s Angel to counterculture author and gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson led a life of legend. Hunter S. Thompson: The Glory Years tells the remarkable insider’s story. Jay Cowan, who was caretaker on Thompson’s ranch and a trusted friend, paints a sensitive portrait of a man who redefined participatory journalism, who captured the decadence of the era, and generally consumed more drugs and alcohol than any other living creature on the planet. A self-professed “lazy hillbilly,” Hunter Thompson would immerse himself researching a story, then write it all in a multi-day frenzy of drugs and sleeplessness. In his role as America’s “rock star author,” he was invited to the White House (where he claimed to have snorted coke with presidential aides) and rubbed elbows with celebrities. Featuring previously unpublished color photos, this book provides the most compelling and readable portrait to date of one of America’s most extraordinary personalities.

About this title

About the Author

Jay Cowan, who was caretaker on Hunter S. Thompson's ranch and a trusted friend, has published more than 500 articles in magazines and newspapers from Outside to Sports Illustrated to Newsday. Editor in chief at Aspen Sojourner magazine, he is the recipient of several writing awards.

From the Back Cover

The true believer. The hopeful romantic. The King of Fun. The last honest man. The guy who always bets his heart and knows it's wrong but can't stop himself.-- Hunter S. Thompson This book tells the remarkable insider'view of deranged, depraved, drugged out brilliance.

From the Inside Flap

From quasi Hell's Angel to counterculture author and gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson led a life of legend. This remarkable book focuses on his most productive (and profligate) period. By a highly regarded author who knew him intimately, it takes us from Thompson's earliest, improbable success to his gradual, heartbreaking decline.
Jay Cowan, who was caretaker on Thompson's ranch, paints a sensitive portrait of a man who redefined participatory journalism, who captured the decadence and depravity of an era, and who generally consumed more drugs and alcohol than any other living creature on the planet. In his role as America's "rock star author," Thompson was invited to the White House (where he claimed to have snorted coke with presidential aides) and was friends with some of America's biggest celebrities. A self-professed "lazy hillbilly," he came to believe that immersing himself totally in a story and even becoming the story himself, and then writing it all in a multiday, deadline-cheating frenzy of drugs and sleeplessness, was the only way to proceed. It had worked for Kerouac, it had worked for Thompson himself with Hell's Angels, and it meshed perfectly with his desired lifestyle.
Providing extraordinary new insights into the legendary writer's creative and destructive impulses, Cowan also recounts how his intimacy with Thompson led him into numerous knife-edge situations--whether standing uncomfortable witness to the turmoil of the writer's various relationships or hoping Thompson was thinking clearly when handling guns.
Featuring previously unpublished color photos, this book provides the most compelling and readable portrait to date of one of America's most extraordinary personalities.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Lyons Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1599219697
• ISBN 13: 9781599219691
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256