Gonzo Is More Than A Muppet By Steven, Guest Writer |Email|
Most of you may think that Gonzo is nothing more than a character on the Muppet Show.
Now, I hate to be Statler and Waldorf (the old guys that heckled from the balcony in that beloved show and for you youngsters that have no clue what the hell a Muppet is: its a mix between a mop and a puppet) but you are a fool, misinformed and need to pick up a book!
Gonzo was a term coined to describe the writing tactics of a very insane and paranoid journalist: Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. The name might not ring a bell for you right off hand, but if you have seen "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" starring Depp or "Where the Buffalo Roam" with Bill Murray then you have felt his touch.
Since his passing the name is more well known, so this introduction should be nothing new to you, for you are a well informed, healthily fed Son or Daughter of Liberty and nothing escapes your vast grasp on reality!
Now, the definition of Gonzo will vary from one fire-breathing, back pack journalist to the next. All will agree though that the main essence of it is to make yourself integral to your story. If your story isn't important to you, why would you want to write it? Hunter was sent by Rolling Stone to cover a motorcycle race in Vegas. He came back with a hundred some pages of drug induced, compound addicted insanity! My definition of Gonzo is to "be real". That is getting increasingly hard in a world where people are continuously gluing their eyes to the television and stitching their minds shut to logic. No one wants to hear what Gonzo is, but they may be experiencing it without knowing it. Look at blogging for example. Most blogs make their author the integral part of the story, allowing them to show their feelings, expertise and thoughts on a certain experience or subject. That is Gonzo, to an extent.
"Cocaine is a helluva drug" Rick James, Bitch!
Artists, writers, musicians and all intellectuals have been prone to substance abuse. Thompson loved LSD and Wild Turkey, Hemingway liked his Absinthe and Kurt Cobain liked his heroin. Shit, I'm smoking a bowl as i write this! Altered states of perception have been said to jump start that creative spark in some people. That is another thing that Gonzo is about: being able to experience what life has for you and record it in whatever fashion necessary. That would allow for you to re-experience anything you may have drowned in the purple haze that surrounds your memory. Drugs do strange things to people. Ever watch someone tripping on LSD and not have any yourself?
A drug powerful enough to possess you into turning an Oatmeal Cream Pie box into a puppet named Tommy, or make you sharpen a butter knife on a wet stone for hours until you cut a finger off is something extreme! PCP addicts roam their streets naked and beat up groups of people!
"You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug. Especially if its waving a razor sharp hunting knife in your eye"- Hunter S Thompson
We shouldn't all go out and try to be Gonzo. It is a failed experiment in writing and dangerous ground to tred if you go without caution. You could have every flaming, trolling inter-nerd on your ass for claiming to even know what Gonzo is. Hunter has influenced many writers and many of his own contemporaries: Thomas Wolfe, Ralph Steadman and Ken Kesey. All of which are/were just as drug addled and compound fucked as the Good Doctor. He apparently has influenced me. What we should take away from Thompson, Gonzo and all of this is simple: Be Real. There is no point in contributing to the plastic core of our reality. Be real to yourself. Fight for what you believe in! And for fuck sake, have fun while doing it!
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