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I always thought Hunter S. Thompson was the Richie Havens of Journalism. Havens had about a 15 spot at Woodstock that he rode his entire career. Thompson did the same with his early Gonzo Journalism things. Neither were particularly brilliant in their respective fileds, but they made a niche for themselves that became a sort of armor after a time. Their reputations being impregnable because they built an iron-clad suit of mystique. I watched his interview from 2003 with Charlie Rose the other night. I was amazed at how little he had to say and how long he took to say it. At least Johnny Depp portrayed him in a movie.

Some of his best stuff was written in the last 2 or 3 years. It doesn't have the commercial appeal that his early Gonzo work had, but he managed to be incredibly insightful, especially in the days after 9/11. His sentiment that Ronald Reagan's remains ought to be burned in a dumpster drew applause from me, though his writings around the recent re-election were a tad disappointing. He was a gambler, and his writing read that way.. hit or miss. Often dead on, but not without his own losing streaks.

I'd strongly disagree with the statement that he rode the wave from his early Gonzo days.. in many ways he even abandoned that style of writing. His article "Shotgun Golf with Bill Murray", possibly the last work published before his death, is one of my favourites... it's not politically motivated, it's not filled with subtle drug innuendos, it's not remotely nonsensical.. it's just a glimpse into a writer who was consistantly able to make me laugh just by being himself.

And THAT's brilliant.