Hunter-Gatherers Podcast

GonzoFest Gathered: Ellie Rand, Part II, Another Hospital Visit How many times have you awakened in hospital with no clear idea of how you got there? More than once? Well, if not then maybe you never had the pleasure of working for Hunter S. Thompson. Ever fire a handgun in a hot tub? Dine with Michael Douglas wearing a bikini and without shoes in the middle of an Aspen winter? Again, some on-the-job training is just more intense than others... and BTW for insiders, here's the story about the famous Woody Creek Tavern smoke bomb as Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore – from GonzoFest New Orleans – interview HST's one-time secretary, Ellie Rand.

As GonzoFest approaches, Christopher Tidmore and Curtis Robinson reflect on the event, the immediate history of how a Louisville event moved down the river and into the Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans. Insiders will note their voices seem so... rested. They will not stay that way.

Christopher Tidmore and Curtis Robinson interview Hunter's onetime assistant and longtime friend Ellie Rand at GonzoFest in New Orleans and recalls hospital-bound adventures at Owl Farm... but also what it was really like during that last weekend in New Orleans only weeks before the good Doctor checked out. Spoiler alert, Hunter did not feel well and he did buy a new suit.

GonzoFest Gathered: Music Legend David Amram, Hunter S. Thompson and those UFOs Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore podcast from GonzoFest in New Orleans with special guest David Amram, who performs at the event and talks about his time with Hunter. That's right. Hunter, David Amram and their real-life link to UFO in Upstate New York. If that's not teaser enough for you, wait until you hear what he has to say about New Orleans being called a "Caribbean city," -- spoiler alert: Mr. Amram, at 94 years young, has a lot of personal history to back his arguments.

Curtis and Christopher are joined by one of the organizers of the 11th GonzoFest, Kent Fielding, calling in from Alaska. Kent will be in New Orleans on May 15-18 with Christopher and Curtis at GonzoFest's headquarters, the Garden District Book Shop's Bar Epilogue located at 2727 Prytania St. in the historic Rink, plus there will be tons of other "after hour" locations. Gonzo acolytes will gather to celebrate Hunter's life and legacy with panel discussions, music, poetry, and even two walking tours of HST's favorite French Quarter haunts. It's free - you just need to get yourself there. More at gonzofest.net.

Music icon David Amram will headline and the countdown to GonzoFest begins. The resurrected festival is drawing a lot of attention to New Orleans. Four days and nights, May 15-18, based out of the Garden District Bookshop and various nightime venues, Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore break down all the events and explain how it came together to honor Hunter S. Thompson and gonzo journalism. Buy the ticket to NOLA – take the ride! Check it out - events are free but you need to buy your own airfare and drinks: https://gonzofest.net/

In honor of Super Bowl LIX, Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore broadcast from New Orleans, reading from the scribe himself, and realizing just how prescient Hunter S. Thompson was about NFL and politics. What would Hunter have made of Donald Trump becoming the first sitting President to go to the Super Bowl...and what bets would he have made, particularly on the commercials? And how is Steve Jobs ultimately responsible!

Did Hunter S. Thompson help create Jimmy Carter's Presidency? Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore explore President Carter's legacy and Hunter's opinions on him, including whether Carter was a lot meaner than his reputation suggests. And it might have led to some of of Carter's greatest successes, including the Camp David Accords.

Christopher and Curtis deep-dive into the the sweeping Trump victory through the lens of Fear & Loathing, Campaign Trail '72. This includes many trends in common (history repeating?) and a few dangers unique to our age. Is that a reassuring sign that we've "been here before," or does it offer depressing evidence that we've actually learned virtually nothing in all those decades?

How the monkey getting high on Hunter's drugs led to the famed Kentucky Derby column! Ron Turner, famed Bay Area publisher, tells all, including how he used to discuss Ayn Rand with Hunter, how San Francisco created gonzo, and how the city still remains a font of creativity today. Curtis and Christopher listen at the feet of one of the fathers of gonzo, and so can you.

Curtis and Christopher take on the malaise of the 2024 election which brings "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail" to a new level. But worry not. Suicide is not the result. We explore some craziness along the way, and compliment "Colonel" Johnny Depp on his new art exhibit in NYC which features quite a lot of Hunter Thompson. We talk about drinking with Christopher Hitchens and the upcoming Gonzofest in New Orleans in May 2025.

The (oft considered) first time Hunter S. Thompson used the title “Fear and Loathing” came as a result of his attendance at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago—when a cop pushed a billy club into him like a “spear”. Will the police act the same amidst the legions of Gaza protesters descending on the Windy City for this week's Democratic convention? Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore analyze the parallels and differences to Hunter's experience in 1968.

After two years of citing how close the 2024 race resembled Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, Curtis and Christopher finally conclude that "we have regressed" to 1968. What would Hunter have thought of these "nine days in July" from attempted assignation to effective candidate resignation? And we discuss how Kentucky is Vance, whether Hunter was a Hillbilly, and if Harris is less Chisholm than Humphrey? And most importantly, will the Chicago convention protests resemble 1968?

Colorado is weird in a particularly gonzo kind of way. It is both free thinking and libertarian practical, the kind of place that one politician described, "Where a gay married couple defends their weed farm with automatic weapons." It is Hunter's kind of place, and he was proud to call it home. But why is Colorado the perfect gonzoland? Curtis and Christopher explore the history and development of the state – and why it is NOT called Idaho.

Curtis and Christopher examine the Trump Trial and the comparisons of this election to "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72". We come to a sudden realization. It is actually 1968, all over again.

From Shirley Chisholm to Cornel West, Curtis and Christopher return to the "sacred text" of Fear and Loathing '72 and see that the 2024 election seems to be having a similar impact on the Black Vote – in reverse. Could West challenging Biden as an Independent have the opposite impact of Chisholm running as Democrat for President? George McGovern's great gift to the Democratic Party was solidifying the Black vote in future elections. Could a similar set of circumstances as '72 be unraveling that partisan achievement?

Curtis and Christopher Surrender to temptation and launch our latest 'Linkage Fest' between this presidential election and Hunter's 1972 campaign trail classic. The ticket is punched, the ride begins.

From the over-under on Super Bowl cut-aways to a certain singer and the chances that RFK Jr. gets onto enough ballots to make a difference, Christopher & Curtis cite Hunter's writing and note that the distance from sports to politics grows shorter by the day. That is, if it ever existed at all. Trigger alert: Somebody sees a crowded presidential debate stage.

The Trump victory in Iowa's presidential caucus is tipoff for the 2024 election cycle, and of course that sends us back to Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, '72. In particular, Curtis and Christoper note that, to see the parallels, you begin by realizing that objective vs. subjective did not end with Richard Nixon.

Kent Fielding, yes the one from GonzoFest, visits H-G to discuss that San Diego bio-musical. We offer perfectly legal fair-use snippets from the show that you can find on YouTube and ponder the chances that the musical, which is now closed, might make its way to Broadway. And just wait for the part about that big Jann Wenner controversy.

Jimmy Buffet: An HST Friend and Too Much Fun Club Charter Member Has Left the Boat From those stories about wild long-distance bills in Key West to playing backup for Hunter during an Aspen High School book event (there's video and audio... wait until you hear what he did after he blows out the flip-flop in 1977!), we bid farewell to a truly Gonzo original.

Looking back on hours of Hunter S. Thompson stories, our hosts find that Gonzoland is clearly in good hands, next-generation wise. Also, the wealth of diversity remains strong – and, of course, the credibility of this being The Last G'Fest is always in question.

Ron Whitehead declared GonzoFest 10 "the last and final," but will his protégés carry on the Louisville tradition? Listen how Hunter S. Thompson influences Gen Z to this day, and how the Gonzo spirit shall live on in his hometown – and across the nation – with Kent Fielding and the heirs to GonzoFest, Ella Rennekamp and Elizabeth Colon-Nelson.

She was Hunter S. Thompson's first book editor, helping craft the Hells Angels book. She was also a friend and, as readers of her book "Keep This Quiet" know, "special friend." Some even say she was a muse at the most critical time of his career... she certainly pulls no punches during a live interview from Louisville.

Matt Hahn speaks on Hunter's writing style, his fear of failure as a literary motivator, those who knew him (and those who did not), and how the 1996 tribute and the 2010 GonzoFest are bookends of literary legend. Also, Curtis reflects on the hat Hunter gave him...and how it is a symbol of how Hunter brought friends together.

If terms like "The Hashbury is the Capital of the Hippies" or "Non-Student Left" are triggering for you, then of course you already know (and likely love) Peter Richardson. His book "Savage Journey" looks at Hunter's formative literary years in San Francisco and helps make the case for "gonzo" stemming from those Bay Area nights. If that floats your boat, then AFTER listening here you might enjoy this 2022 C-Span video from a City Lights Bookstore virtual event: San Francisco: Cradle of Gonzo? If terms like "The Hashbury is the Capital of the Hippies" or "Non-Student Left" are triggering for you, then of course you already know (and likely love) Peter Richardson. His book "Savage Journey" looks at Hunter's formative literary years in San Francisco and helps make the case for "gonzo" stemming from those Bay Area nights. If that floats your boat, then AFTER listening here you might enjoy this 2022 C-Span video from a City Lights Bookstore virtual event. https://www.c-span.org/video/?517101-1/savage-journey

LIVE AT GONZOFEST: WHAT'S IT WORTH TO YA? Since GonzoFest is at least part swap-meet, the legendary Hunter-stuff collector and market guru "Jackalope," from the Instagram of the same name, joins C&C to discuss what's hot... and to address a few totally hypothetical items that may include a UK baseball cap Hunter brought back from the 1996 Louisville homecoming.

You think you might be a bit OCD on HST? Well, Dr. John Brick is not just one of the nation's leading experts on Hunter S. Thompson, but his dissertation actually tracks the changes and rewrites to Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. You can start with the changes from the Rolling Stone publication to the book. Spoiler alert: Lawyers get involved! And he also explores who the characters were in real life, and how/why HST edited his most famous work. Also: Dr. Brick explains how he teaches Hunter to the next generation.

Ron Whitehead, the legendary beat poet and GonzoFest founder, joins Curtis and Christopher to explain the event's origins, serve up some gonzo history and make his case that this is really, truly, no kidding the 10th and last GonzoFest... most likely.

In our first posting from GonzoFest 2023, Curtis and Christopher welcome a scholarly “guru” of modern American literature. Tulane University professor and HST expert T.R. Johnson explains how Hunter may stand as the modern American Mark Twain, and how river cities like Louisville and New Orleans help form such a character. And Dr. T.R. believes Dr. Gonzo may have recreated himself into one of the truest embolizations of American literature. Trigger warning: The term "Slave Jim" is used.

In their first post-pandemic studio gabfest, the H-G crew talks with a GonzoFest organizer about what to expect in Louisville on July 14. Plus: Why does it take Louisville so long to embrace its famous residents like Hunter and Mohammad Ali? We also wonder if this will actually be the10th and last GonzoFest – well, one of those things is clearly true but the other meets skeptics. Tickets for GF10 are on sale and going fast! FIND TICKETS AT GONZOFESTLOUISVILLE.COM.

Those many Hunter S. Thompson campus visits are always the stuff of stories, but not always with the impact you might expect. For one Appalachian American FOC (Friend of Curtis), Jeff Weddle, it seems Charles Bukowski was a much bigger deal -- but he comes around as he becomes FOC.) Also: Ignore that politically incorrect book inscription.)

It's that time of year, when the timeless Fear & Loathing at the Super Bowl gets discovered again and again. It remains a reminder that Hunter S. Thompson began, and ended, his career as a sports writer, and that he considered politics both blood sport and the way to control your environment. But don't just stop at the 1974 version!

Matthew Hahn, a 26-year-old writing 25 years ago for The Atlantic, got Hunter S. Thompson to open up about the John F. Kennedy murder, why the Internet feeds TV lust and that Nixon obit — and, oh yes, the Modern Library honoring 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.'

The Hunter S. Thompson classic "Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail, '72" book was published in 1973, just one of many follow-on impacts of that year on the next. For example one 1973 story involves HST, Franco Harris, ESPN Legend John A. Walsh, George Plimpton and Jann Wenner, Trigger warning: It was a different era in gambling on race.

The votes are finally mostly counted, so how did 2022 reflect the wisdom of Hunter S. Thompson's 1972 classic Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail, 72? Fifty years later, the trends are oddly similar including that President Nixon had only slight influence on down-ballot Republicans. So, when a seated president has little influence on other elections... well, Curtis and Christopher break it down and offer announcement at post-election-ish plans for Fear and Podcasting efforts, 2024.

Election news during October 50 years ago was such that Hunter S. Thompson more or less took a pass at writing about Nixon v. McGovern, instead musing about a certain werewolf visiting the Watergate. With a look at how the looming midterm votes are likely (or not) to mirror those of a half-century ago, Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore dive into a short chapter. Also: Some predictions about Trump candidates.

Fifty years ago, as September rolled into October, Hunter S. Thompson was returning to the National Affairs Desk from an extended Aspen respite. Then, as now, the November elections really went into high gear after Labor Day, and the accelerating countdown finds Hunter ignoring his famous gambling objectivity. Instead, his is widely speculating that the Democrats might yet avoid an historic defeat come November. Our hosts revisit all that plus the weird parallels to this election season; they even quote that most wise of political consultants, Sitting Bull.

The famous "Tales of the Cocktail" mixologist & drinks gathering returned to New Orleans, and about half of Louisville showed up for the bourbon tastings. It offered a chance to explore the complicated history between HST and his home town, even with some appreciation of Knob Creek offered in the bargain. Curtis and Christopher record live from NOLA for the first time in years – yes, that's a streetcar in the background noise.

Happy birthday Hunter! Curtis and Christopher discuss the milestone along with that birthday story about a certain A-list celebrity's daughter getting to rub HST's bald spot for luck. Could there be any better foreshadowing for 50 Shades of Gray?

A half-century after Hunter A. Thompson covered the milestone Nixon re-election and later published Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail, '72, our C2 (Curtis and Christopher) address the HST affinity for the firebrand activist and organizer Saul Alinsky and also what Christopher learned from his several interviews with Sen. McGovern. It's the best story about blowing up a barn you're likely to hear today... or ever.

The lawman of more than 30 years proved that Hunter & Co. may not have won the 'Battle of Aspen,' but they won the cultural war.

It was May 28, 1972, and Hunter Thompson was having drinks at the bar at the Watergate Hotel. Unbeknownst to him, nearby, the offices of the Democratic National Committee were being infiltrated by the “plumbers.” It had already been a landmark month in politics, as we remember reading the May chapter of “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72.” From the shooting of George Wallace to the anticipation of the national conventions, this is when American politics would be a irreparably changed—50 years ago this month.

Our frequent guest Matt Moseley, author of the book Dear Dr. Thompson about Hunter's successful effort to free a Colorado woman from prison after her strange felony murder conviction, helps kick off our parallel podcast we're calling "District-to-District." Based in the District of Columbia and linked with the Garden District of New Orleans (where the HG studio is STILL under construction!), the podcast will look at how the Capital district connects with others. In this installment, Matt joins Curtis and Christopher finally recording live at poolside, and it's all about water. Matt has recently returned from swimming the Sea of Galilee (yes, that one) and is visiting Washington to educate lawmakers about water issues. His efforts were part of an American Rivers lobbing day and he also offers insight into the gonzo world of distance swimming, not to be confused with his other passion: endurance lunching.

The first Saturday in May is galloping toward us, which means the Kentucky Derby looms. Hunter S. Thompson's created gonzo journalism with is 1970 coverage of the race. In this episode Christopher and Curtis offer insight into how that happened and just what it cost to send a page of your notes across the early fax machines, aka "mojo wire."

Looking back a half-century into the Hunter S. Thompson masterwork "Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" offers odd perspectives. In this episode of our ongoing series, looking at March of 1972, we find the famous violence and disruption on front-runner Ed Muskie's campaign train that landed our hero in hot water. (Spoiler alert: the "Man From Maine" does not fare well in these pages.) Also, Curtis offers some later-day updates on the "wild man" who actually caused all the Muskie train trouble. We also take note that Hunter sees the rise of George McGovern's campaign. Perhaps surprisingly, HST is not that much of an early fan.

It's been 50 years since Hunter S. Thompson went on the road for the articles that became "Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail, '72." Attentive readers may recall that the book is organized by months, and Curtis and Christopher begin a new occasional series that compares this election year to those days a half-century ago. The results are both frustrating and oddly comforting.

The Bobby Kennedy III directed "Fear & Loathing in Aspen," which is about Hunter's run for sheriff of Pitkin County, is apparently tearing it up on STARZ and recently hit Amazon Prime. We have one of the producers, Trey Terpeluk of Yo Productions, who joins Christopher and Curtis to discuss the film, his political childhood, discovering HST through a twisted vision of Washington D.C. and, oh yes (because we have no filters), his membership in the Dead Daddy Club.

Hosts Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore answer listener questions about Hunter S. Thompson. Which book to read first? Curtis makes the case for The Great Shark Hunt, but the movies are also a great start. What's the truth about Hunter's advice column? Listen to find out.

That Time Paul Budnitz Won Tickets to The Hunter & Oscar Show! Can we credit (or blame) a mid-80s HST Q&A in San Fransisco for our current rise in animated celebs? Oh yes, that's a thing and our guest Paul Budnitz of Superplastic studio is perhaps the world's top culprit. In an interview with hosts Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore, Paul also admits to having once used autodial to win radio-station tickets. Plus, he sets Curtis straight on that whole kind-bud bicycle naming situation. (Photo credit: By Paul Budnitz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18227727)

Our hosts Curtis Robinson and Christopher Tidmore discuss Tucker Carlson, the famed Fox News host and wannabe Maine fishing guide, who includes his own Hunter S. Thompson story in "The Long Slide," his book about decades in media. It's a touching story of HST's influence, and a reminder of how truly polarized we are these days. Also, there's a hug that left an impression.