Totally Gonzo - Rory Feehan [7] - Gonzo Philosophy

TGL: Can you summarise how you see "gonzo" as a present-day philosophy?

RF: There are people who claim that Gonzo died with Hunter S. Thompson but I would have to disagree wholeheartedly with that assertion. In fact the term Gonzo has become something of an obstacle to understanding both the man and what exactly it is that he achieved as a writer. It is just a catchword to describe his work, give it that extra flavour of distinction from the New Journalism movement. Hunter knew this of course and in terms of the New Journalism movement Hunter actually preferred the term Impressionistic Journalism. He understood that there was actually nothing new about the New Journalism; it has a long history that goes back to the likes of Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce. 

So in that sense you could say that Gonzo, or at least a form of it, was alive before Hunter and certainly survives his passing. It all really boils down to a certain distinction and perception of what it is he actually achieved as a writer. Most people will say that his greatest achievement is the creation of Gonzo Journalism. I would say that to make that assertion is to miss the point entirely. I would be more of the opinion put forward by historian Douglas Brinkley, who is of course also the literary executor of Hunter’s estate, that Hunter’s great art isn’t a single book; it is the collective work and the fact that he created the Hunter Figure as a literary persona. That is where the genius lies and of course Gonzo Journalism is merely a vehicle to allow that persona take shape and develop. Hunter himself knew the power of this creation, he recognized that the persona had become a myth in his own lifetime, as he acknowledged in the foreword to The Great Shark Hunt. It was all very deliberate of course, Hunter worked tirelessly to develop that mythology surrounding his name, the seeds go right back to his childhood when he was obsessed with the heroes of the Wild West, larger than life figures like Billy the Kid and Jesse James. Even back then he saw himself as Billy the Kid of Louisville. His identification with the Outlaw Myth carried straight through to his writing and given his ingrained narcissism it was inevitable that he would use his creative powers to fashion and promote his own self-image, as that of a radically self-reliant individual, standing alone outside of any system of control, always ready to thwart the powers that threaten freedom and liberty. Which really goes back to the West and the birth of America itself, Hunter wrapped himself with the very tenets of what it means to be American, Jeffersonian concepts really but not to be confused with what Hunter would call the “flag suckers”. He was a patriot but he was also very aware of the dangers of blind faith in anything, institutional or otherwise. The scourge of unruly power of any kind was a danger that he always warned of, in particular when it involved being brought “within the system”. Hunter was all too aware that politicians and figures of authority could, and would, abuse their position given half the chance. To Hunter this was a grave threat to freedom and the principles upon which America was founded. To that end he always used his writing to highlight such abuses and to challenge the status quo, so often used as a means to legitimise wrongdoing.