Hell's Angels - Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson's excellent, in your face, documentary non fiction book which narrates the real persona's of the much feared Hell's Angels of America. Immortalized in the Marlon Brando movie "the Wild Ones" and countless bad publicity brought on by the unforgiving American press.
For starters Hell's Angels is comprised of long haired, filthy denim wearing, tattooed, with crazy emblems and insignia, Harley Davidson motorcycle freaks that roams the freeways, sidestreets and alleyways of America, with their big bike engine roaring, chain whips and lunatic laughter, they hang out on pool bars, provoke riots, clashes with the police, all that plus a very, very bad reputation
Question is, how much of that bad reputation are myth?
and how much was brutal truth?
Enter Hunter Stockton Thompson, the king of "gonzo journalism" and the result is a never ending, entertaining look at the life of a Hell's Angels.
From HST detailing the making of the Hell's Angel's Bad reputation.
"nobody knew of course, as they gathered that Saturday at Nick's that the angels were about to make a publicity breakthrough by the means of rape on the scale of the Beatles or Bob Dylan" ( Hell's Angels" - HST )
An alleged gang rape incident that put the Angel's on every front page of leading American newspapers, a case that was eventually dropped.
"it was sex, violence, crime, craziness and filth all in one package" - ( a quote from the book Hell's Angels )
But beyond those reputations created by the media, politician and even the attorney general, HST stood alone in trying to bring the real truth about the real Hell's Angels
"If the hell's angels saga proved any one thing, it was the awesome power of the NY press establishments, the hell's angels as they exist today were virtually created by Time, Newsweek and the NY times" - ( Hell's Angels - HST )
Hunter actually spent a year or so with them
"My dealings with the Angel's lasted about a year and never really ended, i came to know some of them well...enough to relax with them, but at first due to numerous warnings, i was nervous about even drinking ( with them ) - ( Hell's angels - HST )
HST's honest assessment of his subject makes him one of a kind, very in depth as he goes on with more of his findings about every individuals character and as a whole.
"they are deliberately hard on most strangers, but they get bad reactions even when they try to be friendly, i have seen them try to amuse an outsider by telling stories w/c they consider very funny, but which generate fear and queasiness in a listener whose sense of humor has a different filter...they get very angry when they read about how filthy they are, but instead of shoplifting a deodorant, they strive to become even filthier" ( Hell's Angels - HST )
And even crazy enough to doubt himself on what is becoming of his real purpose
"by the middle of summer i had become so involved in the outlaw scene that i was no longer sure whether i was doing research on the hell's angels or being slowly absorbed by them" - ( "hell's angel" - HST )
In the end HST substantiated facts and answered the questions regarding the real picture of the Hell's Angels, it seems that after all said and done...the answer to all of it, Hell's Angels is made up of Half Myth and Half Brutal Truth. As HST found out in the end, in a very painful way
This book is a must for every would be journalist, writers or anyone with a knack for learning, HST as usual delivers a pitch only a few can give.
A knockout, fresh, interesting, brutal yet at the same time hilarious documented account of a particular subject, filled with his own thoughts ( flooded with humor ) and a KILLER STYLE OF WRITING
For starters Hell's Angels is comprised of long haired, filthy denim wearing, tattooed, with crazy emblems and insignia, Harley Davidson motorcycle freaks that roams the freeways, sidestreets and alleyways of America, with their big bike engine roaring, chain whips and lunatic laughter, they hang out on pool bars, provoke riots, clashes with the police, all that plus a very, very bad reputation
Question is, how much of that bad reputation are myth?
and how much was brutal truth?
Enter Hunter Stockton Thompson, the king of "gonzo journalism" and the result is a never ending, entertaining look at the life of a Hell's Angels.
From HST detailing the making of the Hell's Angel's Bad reputation.
"nobody knew of course, as they gathered that Saturday at Nick's that the angels were about to make a publicity breakthrough by the means of rape on the scale of the Beatles or Bob Dylan" ( Hell's Angels" - HST )
An alleged gang rape incident that put the Angel's on every front page of leading American newspapers, a case that was eventually dropped.
"it was sex, violence, crime, craziness and filth all in one package" - ( a quote from the book Hell's Angels )
But beyond those reputations created by the media, politician and even the attorney general, HST stood alone in trying to bring the real truth about the real Hell's Angels
"If the hell's angels saga proved any one thing, it was the awesome power of the NY press establishments, the hell's angels as they exist today were virtually created by Time, Newsweek and the NY times" - ( Hell's Angels - HST )
Hunter actually spent a year or so with them
"My dealings with the Angel's lasted about a year and never really ended, i came to know some of them well...enough to relax with them, but at first due to numerous warnings, i was nervous about even drinking ( with them ) - ( Hell's angels - HST )
HST's honest assessment of his subject makes him one of a kind, very in depth as he goes on with more of his findings about every individuals character and as a whole.
"they are deliberately hard on most strangers, but they get bad reactions even when they try to be friendly, i have seen them try to amuse an outsider by telling stories w/c they consider very funny, but which generate fear and queasiness in a listener whose sense of humor has a different filter...they get very angry when they read about how filthy they are, but instead of shoplifting a deodorant, they strive to become even filthier" ( Hell's Angels - HST )
And even crazy enough to doubt himself on what is becoming of his real purpose
"by the middle of summer i had become so involved in the outlaw scene that i was no longer sure whether i was doing research on the hell's angels or being slowly absorbed by them" - ( "hell's angel" - HST )
In the end HST substantiated facts and answered the questions regarding the real picture of the Hell's Angels, it seems that after all said and done...the answer to all of it, Hell's Angels is made up of Half Myth and Half Brutal Truth. As HST found out in the end, in a very painful way
This book is a must for every would be journalist, writers or anyone with a knack for learning, HST as usual delivers a pitch only a few can give.
A knockout, fresh, interesting, brutal yet at the same time hilarious documented account of a particular subject, filled with his own thoughts ( flooded with humor ) and a KILLER STYLE OF WRITING
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