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Rating: 
Summary: I "I said it was a rumor to that effect.I made up the rumor.
Review:
Just finished this great unauthorized biography of HST.After having read several of HST's books,I was curious as to what he was really like and what made him tick.I am also a long time fan of Trudeau's Doonesbury and see the obvious similarities between the Duke and HST.Though a very enjoyable read, HST still remains as mysterious as ever.Maybe Perry has told us everything possible,and we might just as well accept him at face value. We're not ever likely to find out from the Dr. himself,wether he even knows or much less cares.The book gives us a lot of insight into his women folk and some of his cohorts.I use the word cohort because from this book I got the feeling that the idea of a friend is very different in the mind of HST.The most curious character that comes out in the book is Ralph Steadman.,the artist who seems to be cut from the same log as Hunter.It is definately a shame that about 20 or so of his drawings were not included.The cover certainly whets one's appetite for more.Anyone who has read a HST book should really like Perry,s book.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent. Shows the method behind the doctor's madness.
Review: Anyone who has ever written or tried to write knows that it is a profession that requires study, practice and long periods of concentration. Hunter S. Thompson has the public image of being a "wild man," who has done none of those things. This excellent biography shows that the true side of the good doctor, that he has truly worked had to cultivate the image of being the craziest "respectable" writer in America. This book has severa l peaks, including a wonderful description of Hunter's childhood as a kid who was raised on the wrong side of the tracks and constantly tried to cross them. Another peak is the hilarious descriptions of working with Hunter Thompson, as the author did, on a long story about the - of all things - Honolulu Marathon. I found this book to be very readable and revealing.
Rating:
Summary: Gonzo exposed
Review: I became a Hunter S Thompson fan early on. It was high school when I was in my more radical, experimental phase. Reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was a whirlwind event. I had never encountered anything like it before. It was a bit more than my teenage mind could handle. HST immediately shot up the ranks of my favorite authors. He was explosive and also more accessible than the beats. There was always a sense of awe whenever the name of Hunter Thompson was invoked. The blend of journalism with fiction was a unique blend. It also seemed at times to hit on the truth more accurately than a lot of serious journalism. But before I go off about HST, let me get back to the bio at hand. This is not an authorized biography but I feel that it does shed some light on Thompson. It would seem that perhaps Thompson is receiving a bit of his own medicine here. Perry does give us some information on Thompson's childhood. He also gets into the early years of Thompson's career before the legend of Gonzo was born. This does help explain the development of this hick from Kentucky into a world renown icon of gonzo journalism. I would grant that a more definitive bio of HST could be written. There are others that I have yet to read. I was happy to get the info this book offers. I should tide me over until I read those books. HST is a fascinating figure in 20th Century America. This book is one piece to help solve the puzzle.
Rating:
Summary: Gonzo exposed
Review: I became a Hunter S Thompson fan early on. It was high school when I was in my more radical, experimental phase. Reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was a whirlwind event. I had never encountered anything like it before. It was a bit more than my teenage mind could handle. HST immediately shot up the ranks of my favorite authors. He was explosive and also more accessible than the beats. There was always a sense of awe whenever the name of Hunter Thompson was invoked. The blend of journalism with fiction was a unique blend. It also seemed at times to hit on the truth more accurately than a lot of serious journalism. But before I go off about HST, let me get back to the bio at hand. This is not an authorized biography but I feel that it does shed some light on Thompson. It would seem that perhaps Thompson is receiving a bit of his own medicine here. Perry does give us some information on Thompson's childhood. He also gets into the early years of Thompson's career before the legend of Gonzo was born. This does help explain the development of this hick from Kentucky into a world renown icon of gonzo journalism. I would grant that a more definitive bio of HST could be written. There are others that I have yet to read. I was happy to get the info this book offers. I should tide me over until I read those books. HST is a fascinating figure in 20th Century America. This book is one piece to help solve the puzzle.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for a fan of Thompson!
Review: If you're expecting the blazing intensity of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," it is definitely not here. Perry is not Thompson. His writing is just barely adequate. I would recommend this book only to those who, like myself, are fascinated by Hunter S. Thompson and want to know more about the man. This book is overly long and drags at points. Some of the funniest and most exciting stories are marred by a writing style that borders on the drab. But we do get insights into the real Hunter S. Thompson, even if these insights do mar the illusion of perfect madness that is presented in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Perspective
Review: This is an excellent book, one that I am glad is not written in the gonzo style.Hunter's life is dissected and examined by Perry, who did a thoughtful and insightful work. If you want gonzo, read Hunter, he is the only one who can write that way. If you want to read about gonzo and the mind behind it, this is your read.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy history of Gonzo and the good Doctor
Review: This unauthorized biography artfully captures the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson, the father of Gonzo journalism. It covers his early years in Kentucky, his early life as a foreign correspondant and his later collaboration with the artist Ralph Steadman. The book generally presents Thompson is a positive light, but it doesn't pull punches in how Hunter treated his wives, or the fictional aspects of Gonzo journalism. Indeed, he cites examples of "If it's not true, it should be" and where Hunter writes the most truthful political articles, even if they are not the most accurate. Indeed, much of the biography is about how Hunter inserts himself into the story, in essence creating it. This act of "the observer impacting the observed" is both a key problem with science, and a key pillar of Gonzo journalism. After reading the book, you will in turn read his other works with more insight. Where does the author come from? How much is fact versus fiction? What is his spiritual link with Hemmingway? I hope you enjoy the answers as much as I have. The one weak point is that the book has aged. Hunter S. Thompson has re-emerged in the past several years with more brushes with the law (shooting his assistant) and a job writing for ESPN magazine. It would have been interesting to get Mr. Perry's viewpoints on this.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy history of Gonzo and the good Doctor
Review: This unauthorized biography artfully captures the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson, the father of Gonzo journalism. It covers his early years in Kentucky, his early life as a foreign correspondant and his later collaboration with the artist Ralph Steadman. The book generally presents Thompson is a positive light, but it doesn't pull punches in how Hunter treated his wives, or the fictional aspects of Gonzo journalism. Indeed, he cites examples of "If it's not true, it should be" and where Hunter writes the most truthful political articles, even if they are not the most accurate. Indeed, much of the biography is about how Hunter inserts himself into the story, in essence creating it. This act of "the observer impacting the observed" is both a key problem with science, and a key pillar of Gonzo journalism. After reading the book, you will in turn read his other works with more insight. Where does the author come from? How much is fact versus fiction? What is his spiritual link with Hemmingway? I hope you enjoy the answers as much as I have. The one weak point is that the book has aged. Hunter S. Thompson has re-emerged in the past several years with more brushes with the law (shooting his assistant) and a job writing for ESPN magazine. It would have been interesting to get Mr. Perry's viewpoints on this.
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