In , he wrote an unconventional article titled " The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved " for Scanlan's Monthly , which further raised his profile as a countercultural figure. It also set him on the path to establishing his own subgenre of New Journalism that he called " Gonzo ", a journalistic style in which the writer becomes a central figure and participant in the events of the narrative. Thompson remains best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas , a book first serialized in Rolling Stone in which he grapples with the implications of what he considered the failure of the s counterculture movement.
Thompson ran unsuccessfully for sheriff of Pitkin County , Colorado in on the Freak Power ticket. He became known for his intense dislike of Richard Nixon , who he claimed represented "that dark, venal, and incurably violent side of the American character". Starting in the mids, Thompson's output declined, as he struggled with the consequences of fame and substance abuse, and failed to complete several high-profile assignments for Rolling Stone. For much of the late s and early s, he worked as a columnist for the San Francisco Examiner.
Most of his work from to was collected in The Gonzo Papers. Thompson was known for his lifelong use of alcohol and illegal drugs, his love of firearms , and his iconoclastic contempt for authority. He often remarked: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. Hari Kunzru wrote, "The true voice of Thompson is revealed to be that of American moralist In December , when Thompson was six years old, the family settled in the affluent Cherokee Triangle neighborhood of The Highlands.
Hunter and his brothers were raised by their mother. Virginia worked as a librarian to support her children and was described as a "heavy drinker" following her husband's death. Interested in sports and athletically inclined from a young age, Thompson co-founded the Hawks Athletic Club while attending I.
Bloom Elementary School , [ 12 ] which led to an invitation to join Louisville's Castlewood Athletic Club [ 12 ] for adolescents that prepared them for high-school sports. Ultimately, he never joined a sports team in high school. Thompson attended I. Its members at the time came from Louisville's upper-class families, and included Porter Bibb , who later became the first publisher of Rolling Stone at Thompson's behest.
