On November 11, 1971, Rolling Stone magazine publishes journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s most famous work: a two-part, semi-fictional account of his time covering an off-road desert race in Las Vegas—while tripping on LSD and contemplating the death of the American Dream.
“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream” follows Thompson’s character (Raoul Duke) and lawyer/civil rights activist Oscar Acosta (Dr. Gonzo) on a massive drug bender through the desert, evading police, paranoia and a ridiculously expensive room service bill.
Thompson pieced the story together from excerpts and interviews during his time covering the Mint 400 and the National District Attorneys Association's Conference on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, as well as his personal experience and conversations with locals. Using the writer’s uniquely high-octane, decidedly non-objective writing style dubbed “Gonzo journalism,” Thompson takes aim at 1960s counterculture, the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon and the identity crisis facing a disillusioned American populace at the time.
The articles, later adapted into both a book and a film, are considered by many to be Thompson’s magnum opus and a shining achievement for participatory reporting, or “new journalism.”
