You might need a tumbler of Wild Turkey with plenty of ice for this: Hunter S. Thompson, Hotel Rooms and One and a Half Suitcases...

I was listening to the iPod this morning while strolling the London footpaths. The Shuffle was working its magic, offering up a wicked three-in-a-row of My Morning Jacket > Chuck Berry > Waylon Jennings.  With The Shuffle it is a serendipitous sound surfing, never know what is coming next. 

What I got next was from The Gonzo Tapes. The Gonzo Tapes is a five CD set of audio recording of and by Hunter S. Thompson. The recordings of Hunter's mumbles, slurs and twisted Kentucky drawl cover the years of 1965-1975 and it over 100 tracks long.

If you are devout Hunter fan (like I am) you will find this utterly fascinating if not overwhelming.  It is both exhilarating and exhausting to listen to 9I mean this in a good way). When I indulge in repeat listens (of which there are many) I like to be alone in the house, turn it up very loud and double up on that tumbler of Wild Turkey. The extreme volume squelches out any other sounds in the house and disrupts any clear thoughts you may have; hang on and listen.

The Gonzo Tapes track that came up is from the Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas era. It is Hunter surveying the carnage in the hotel room after a week's stay with "Dr.Gonzo".  He is riffing on the scene for a matter of record. If you are familiar with the book, you can see the germs of the vibrant imagery and dark happenings expertly transcribed in the pages of the book. 

It is a fun tour of an apparently debauched and ravaged hotel room.  His blasé attitude is cavalier in light of the looming deadline, the heavy room tab and the severe state of his being ("I should be put in a rest home...if not a jail."). My favourite part is at 3:57 when he says, "I have no guilt". He means it, too (The Gonzo Way, Lesson #7: "Never apologise, never explain").

Here, listen and enjoy:
(download)

Hunter was a massive fan of music. It was most often a central character in his best works. Here is a quote on music from the Good Doctor:

"Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio." 

Dammit. I miss Hunter.

In 1999, Hunter was asked by a UK label to string together a playlist of his favourite Fuel to be packaged up for sale. It was called, "Where Were You When the Fun Stopped".  Back when I lived in the States, I ordered a copy from the UK by mail. It is classic Hunter.  The quote above is from the liner notes.

There are the obvious choices (obvious if you know Hunter) from Zevon, Dylan, The Airplane, Buffet and Lovett. There are also a few savvy selection of which you may never heard. Here is the coolest one of the collection:

"The Ballad of Thunder Road": Who knew Robert Mitchum sang, let alone sang bad-assed shit?! Hunter chose the Mitchum's reading of the song from the name of the same movie Mitchum Starred in.  

You willing to bet Hunter stepped hard on the gas when he heard these lyrics? I would.

Roarin’ out of Harlan, revvin’ up his mill
He shot the gap at Cumberland, and screamed by Maynordsville
With G-men on his taillights, roadblocks up ahead
The mountain boy took roads that even Angels feared to tred.

Tune Tags

Fuel for your fire:

The Goods

Prior posts on Hunter from The 6149:
Lookee Here! (links):
Track listing for "Where Were You When the Fun Stopped":
  1. Ballad of Thunder Road - Robert Mitchum
  2. I Smell A Rat - Howlin' Wolf
  3. Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum
  4. The Hula-Hula Boys - Warren Zevon
  5. Maggie May - Rod Stewart
  6. The Wild Side of Life / It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels - Hank Thompson feat. Kitty Wells & Tanya Tucker
  7. Will The Circle Be Unbroken - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
  8. Mr Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan
  9. Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed
  10. If I Had A Boat - Lyle Lovett
  11. Stars On The Water - Rodney Crowell
  12. Carmelita - Flaco Jiminez feat. Dwight Yoakam
  13. Why Don't We Get Drunk - Jimmy Buffett
  14. American Pie - Don McClean
  15. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
  16. The Weight- The Band
  17. Melissa - The Allman Brothers Band
  18. Battle Hymn of the Republic - Herbie Mann
Tagged Bow-Down Post Fun Gonzo Hunter S. Thompson Playlist Riffs Robert Mitchum TheGoods TuneTags

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