With effectively ending any of the controversy surrounding 2008’s Glitter and Doom tour, it was possible to finally sit down and enjoy the show. For his second trick, Waits pulled out crowd favourite ‘Raindogs’, relinquishing its hazy jazz atmosphere of the original song for a sound not too distant from a Russian travelling band. In fact, there were not many songs that resembled the master copies, however, unlike Bob Dylan, it did not take me two minutes to recognise any of the songs.

Throughout his tour so far, it has been reported that Waits played 63 different songs with only five of these managing an appearance in every show. Knowing this, it surprised me that two of the songs played on Edinburgh’s second night, “Take It With Me” and “The Briar And The Rose” had their first airings on Glitter and Doom turf. It seemed appropriate then that these were the most timid and delicate of the night. In comparison to this, ‘Singapore’ was a blunt blow to the head and ‘Hoist That Rag’ became even more violent as its twisted samba successfully reached the back of the room with the same anger towards its subject matter (being patriotism and the U.S. government)  as the front row.

The highlight, though, came roughly two-thirds into the set as Waits sat down to his piano and played anthems ‘Tom Traubert’s Blues’ and ‘Innocent When You Dream’, two tracks no audience member could say they were expecting. However, it was with the chaotic ‘Make It Rain’, which signalled the approaching finale, that gave the audience a taste which was perfectly satisfied with the closing trio of ‘Jesus Gonna Be Here’, ‘9^th And Hennepin’ and ‘Anywhere I Lay My Head’. Safe to say no one was worrying about money now.

Written for Blues Matters! 08.08.2008

As every written word about the album would tell you, Bone Machine was conceived in a concrete basement. This location makes way for the added blood soaked imagery of a slaughterhouse or a medieval dungeon. The recording studio, which is usually pictured as a medically sterile environment, has become a torture chamber where it is impossible to ignore the brain matter on the walls. In fact, it is possible to compare the nightmarish underbelly of Bone Machine with Leonard Cohen’s The Future and Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads. Where all three place alienated, used up and dried out characters in a desolate and merciless world, Bone Machine evokes a hauntingly timeless feel that is usually associated with Lightnin’ Hopkins.

By hand-picking his supporting players, Waits’ manages to encase his work in a schizophrenic personality. On the one hand, Les Claypool’s neo- Neanderthal bass playing satisfies the MTV generation with his quirkiness and modern rock sensibilities  whereas Keith Richards’ inclusion in the final track, “That Feel”, creates a spiritually traditional vibe that could only be forged by the man who brought the blues to the band who took it to England.

By far the most visceral album Waits has yet to record, Bone Machine begins with a call to impending doom. The use of the glockenspiel clanging is designed to sound skeletal, thus bringing meaning to the title of the album. It serves as an opener created to invite the listener into something extraordinary. Hyperbolic language crawls from Waits’ mouth sounding like a soothsayer’s prediction. We believe that “crows are as big as airplanes” in this place he speaks of and by the time his gospel gothic tongue gurgles the words “dreaming of you”, we realise this is the place Waits now lives. 

The album, in its entirety, moves equally through genres and moods. “Dirt in the Ground” acts as a sombre ballad with shades of dark optimism whereas “Such a Scream” breaks from this into a dance track for vampires and werewolves. The punk rumba of this song quickly diminishes into the archaic “All Stripped Down”, a distant relative of the Rolling Stones’ “I Just Want to See His Face” if there ever was one. Its metaphoric description of the song itself echoes and blends into the track-listing, leaving almost no trace by the time “Who Are You” gives us a taste of Waits’ classic song writing skills.

Oddly, the maestro takes this turn a few times throughout the piece, as most of the album focuses on the Mr. Hyde side of its personality. The presence of “Jesus Gonna Be Here”, “Goin’ Out West” and “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”, arguably the album’s three signature tracks, gives the album chart quality, but it is the adventurous turns taken by Waits to include heart-rendering ballads (“That Feel”, “Whistle Down The Wind”) along with his dark star, (“Black Wings”, “In The Coliseum”) that makes Bone Machine an accomplishment.

Written for Blues Matters 25.07.2008

The bands’ first solid output is one that is both professional and personal. Aaron Miller, who has headed the band through various line-up changes, pushes Rhymes for the Hated towards greatness, often passing through moments of deep though and self-evaluation. Sonically, the deep feedback rush which opens the LP in Absence of Trust prepares the listener for an intense mental work out, and the song is equalled in strength by the tracks that follow.

In fact, the only thing that stops Hexagram from dominating the world with this album is the labelling of the group specifically in the metal genre. This is aggression music at its best. The crooked riffs of Crowbar can be heard within Driven by Fear, a song which utilizes a foreboding bass-line and deep vocal hooks to create a realistic external embodiment of emotion and strength through weakness. The machine gun drumming that opens Run like Hell is as devastating as the screaming guitar fillers of Two Broken Legs whereas Empire harnesses gothic tinged echoes to penetrate any musical barrier between here and another dimension.

However, it is within the albums’ finale which predicts Hexagrams’ rise as a force to be reckoned with. With Insane Visions, Resistance and Rhyme for the Hated, Miller and O’Hara prove that something wicked this way comes. Insane Visons leads us to a state of emergency with its vicious riff cycle which is instantly replicated with the order to “resist!” in the following track. The urgency that is projected within Miller’s vocals builds tempo of the album as a collective whole, until the insanity of the piece folds and implodes in Rhyme for the Hated, a song that so confused by its identity it slowly becomes corrupted and becomes a different demon altogether. The cycle of anger is only completed by a reverse feedback sound of opposing strengths to that which was heard at the beginning and when the acidity of the music is relinquished to reveal The Burning Tree, which replaces a false ending with clarity and optimism.

A truly recommended album for those who wish to witness raw emotion and anger through a medium which has often spawned artists who have failed to do so.

Maturing with each album, the Demons’ significant beginnings lie with a no holds barred Hot Snakes-influenced sound, dominated with feedback and guitar-pedal virtuosity. The foundations built with this red hot mix of subterranean drum and bass squelches and desperate almost Television-like vocals. In all their recent endeavours, the Demons’ have channelled into a rare observational gaze which can be seen in their oblique song-writing.  Instrumentally, a raw sounding search and destroy technique is detrimental when it comes to picking out faults and ironic nuances in what could be explained as erratic human nature.

The band, who have enjoyed exposure on the late John Peel’s radio show and supporting slots for the MC5 and The Warlocks prefer to identify themselves as an “armchair rock band” declaring “we sit back and if we’re offered something, we’ll take it”. However, this was quickly followed up by saying they would often “put on our own gigs”. This DIY ethic is now common practice for this and its “brother and sister bands” also known as Sad Shields, Epideme, Elapse-o, Big Squirrel and Lovvers.

Familiarly, The Dark Angels possess a sound that echoes David Lynch soundtracks, Johnny Cash and an unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach. The influences that Jeffries speak of include the legendary Hank Williams, pseudo new wave-cum-rock poet Nick Cave and country poster boy Chris Isaak, however in listening to the songwriters’ lyrical ambivalence it becomes all too clear he has his own agenda.

It is this agenda which has been moulded through over 20 years of experience. He is confident enough to say he has enjoyed some success, yet modest enough to say he has a long way to go. His decision to perform solely in Europe has given rise to a worldwide fan base and by doing so has attracted attention from all walks of life who suffer the human condition which is spoken of so clearly in his songs.

                The three-piece from Portsmouth, headed by vocalist/guitarist/programmer Aaron Miller, has survived a changing musical landscape and various line-ups, but Hexagram’s originality is only equalled by the groups perseverance. In the short time since the band’s formation took shape, Hexagram has played at Bloodstock along with Testament and Lacuna Coil, become finalists at the 2007 Wedgewood Rooms Battle of the Bands and fought off bands to win the coveted Golden Plectrum award for “Best Metal Band” in 2007.

                Since the inclusion of Marty O’Hara on bass, the band have been able to identify themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Their heavy yet melodic touch on aggressive music has left many in awe on the extreme power that three people can possess on stage. Often being confused for a four or five-piece group, the band have never ceased to impress a critics or spectators with their nocturnal, twisted foray into technological brilliance.

                The band, which now looks complete with the inclusion of drummer Adam Rockett, is preparing for a manic year beginning with a July performance at the Wedgewood rooms with many more to come.

In the past, this success has been forged through confusion caused by metaphorically pulling the wool over the spectators eyes. The twist-endings of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable bore the director, writer and producer an audience whom have been accustomed to the way his films had been structured. As it became so popular, the films of Shymalan were then sold and packaged by the mystery that surrounded what was to come. The arrival of Signs in 2002 saw a new way of thinking for the director who took a premise that could have so easily belonged to Spielberg wrapped in the technical suspense of Hitchcock. Unlike his previous films, Signs failed to provide a claustrophobic atmosphere, thus losing what had made The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable so interesting to watch. The Village, in many ways, was a return to this form and where the film managed to create an understanding between audience and character through atmosphere, critics were not convinced by its twist ending and labelled the director a one-trick pony. This was followed by the equally panned Lady In The Water in 2006 and since there has been minimal attraction to whatever Shymalan would produce next, until now with the release of The Happening.

Where the film-maker and its stars have acknowledged its flaws, they have been too quick to dismiss the film as a B movie, a label which brings connotations of grainy stock and an emphasis on “bad” production values. Where it could be argued that this has been adopted in some of the films attributes, it could also be said that they only manage to increase the effect they have on the audience. The film follows a primary group of actors (Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel) through an event which is happening with no concrete explanation. The deaths of millions of people are blamed chronologically by the media on terrorism and nuclear power plants when finally the protagonists’ reasoning is accepted. However, where it is easy to suggest the film as taking an unreal approach to a very authentic situation, the film-maker opts to providing an open ended answer that tells us that any reasoning that is given for the duration of the films’ timeline could be proved wrong just as quickly as it is proved right. With this style of story-telling, Shymalan manages to keep the suspense and only those willing to accept that the happening is not as important as the event itself, will fully enjoy what he has achieved in the film.

The year has been a disappointing one for live shows. So to say that the Bad Seeds were impressive beyond believe is a sheer understatement. Cave shifts effortlessly from preacher to comedian to showman, his talents showing far more skill than the average rock n roll front-man. But this is unfair. I am a fan, and even though the May 9^th show is clearly an exhibition of the new album, “Dig Lazarus, Dig!!!”, classic Bad Seeds songs such as “Red Right Hand” and “Tupelo” make an appearance within the first ten minutes. He then turns to the audience and storms through the majority of the new album and where they seem lifeless and limp on record, they are punchy and God-fearing on stage.

Within the fresh songs, I search aimlessly for a more familiar song to latch onto. Then he throws us “Let Love In” and I settle back in with a smile on my face. Cave treats every song as if it could end in disaster, launching himself into every note as angrily as the last. He loves what he does and by the time he says “goodnight” for the first of four times, he looks tired before changing out of his shirt and throwing himself back into the fray. By the time “Stagger Lee” chooses to end their second encore, the audience are suffering a shock to the system. The show they had just witnessed, it seems, had not been played to them, but to the heavens Cave was singing about.

Abandon all hope: Going to the place where the going gets Weird

An examination of the life and works of Hunter S. Thompson

 

Matthew Clarke

            Hunter sits in a relaxed fashion; tongue darting in and out of his mouth like a chameleon. His eyes sharp but hidden behind his large aviator sunglasses. His arms flail excitedly expressing more than his mouth could as his words stay monotonous and almost inaudible. His clay moulded face breaks into a smile every so often as he responds to the topic of his book “The Proud Highway”, one of three collections to showcase over 20,000 letters sent and received in his lifetime. The interviewer, Charlie Rose, who is usually unanimated and lifeless, becomes a caricature of his normal self in Thompson’s presence. The interview is quickly established as a reminiscence of the writer’s interesting and subversive adventures. His influences and inspiration as well as early life is discussed and later the interview becomes a story telling as each man reads one of Thompson’s letters from the book. What becomes obvious from this interaction is that although both men are respected journalists, only one of them is a pop icon. Thompson’s written accounts of the strange and obscene have placed him into realms that most writers can only dream of, however, can these words suggest he has contributed anything significant to journalism, or have they been wasted on several generations of adolescent stoners and revivalist hippies?

            Hunter Thompson did not fit comfortably into society. If you believe his words, his “blood is too thick” (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1971) and he is constantly debating the physical and psychological effects of the Fear. His autobiographical book “Kingdom of Fear” proves that he did not have a conventional childhood (“listening to the radio and sipping whiskey with my father was the high point of my day, and I soon became addicted to these moments”), therefore his journalistic style would not make sense if it was attempting any conventional techniques. Everything must be “strange” and his emotional exploits often have something to do with his “fear and loathing” on the subject. The visceral and hyperbolic nature in which he wrote have often been cited as literary journalism and he developed his technique by copying “The Great Gatsby”, amongst others, word-for-word. His beginnings were rooted within journalism and sports reporting however he had completed two novels (“Prince Jellyfish” and “The Rum Diary”) before he was to be published and known for his particular brand of journalism.

            A desire to strengthen his journalism through literary techniques was shown in the 1965 article and subsequent book investigating the Hells Angels. His physical need for immersion followed suit to the popular New Journalism that developed during this time. Writers such as himself, George Plimpton, Joan Didion and Norman Mailer were exhibited in Tom Wolfe’s collection of “The New Journalism” in 1975. Among an excerpt from “Hells Angels”, Thompson submitted his coverage of the Kentucky Derby, written in 1970 and published in Scanlan’s Monthly:

“Look.” He tapped me on the arm to make sure I was listening. “I know this Derby crowd, I come here every year, and let me tell you one thing I’ve learned–this is no town to be giving people the impression you’re some kind of faggot. Not in public, anyway. Shit, they’ll roll you in a minute, knock you in the head and take every goddam cent you have.”

Thompson’s work was a perfect example of the New Journalism. The rules, which included a focus on dialogue, the third person, acknowledgement and criticism of status and a step-by-step approach to the story, were utilized in order to exaggerate his response to what was happening. However, a connection to the New Journalism ceased due to differences between styles. Thompson suggested that “unlike Tom Wolfe or Gay Talese, I almost never try to reconstruct a story. They’re both much better reporters than I am, but then, I don’t think of myself as a reporter” (Playboy, 1974) whereas Wolfe described Thompson’s work as “…part journalism and part personal memoir admixed with powers of wild invention and wilder rhetoric.”(New York Times, April 17 2005)  This style was labelled as “pure Gonzo” (Hirst, 2004, p.5) by Boston Globe reporter Bill Cardoso. The “gonzo” journalism which Thompson became informally known as the creator of would eventually form the basis for all of his major writing.

However, the idea of “gonzo” journalism has always been provisional. The essence of his “crazy/straight”(Jacket copy for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) form of journalism coming from the William Faulkner school of thought that “the best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism — and the best journalists have always known this” (Ibid).  His report-cum-novel, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, has been praised as the ultimate example of the “gonzo” style. As one critic suggests, “it feels free-wheeling when you read it [but] it doesn’t feel accidental. The writing is right there, on the page — startling, unprecedented and brilliantly crafted.” (Rolling Stone, 24/03/2005, pp.44-47) The most critical analysis of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” has come from the author himself calling his work “a failed experiment in gonzo journalism”. The idea of “gonzo” journalism has only ever been associated with Thompson himself. Although there have countless imitators, it can be noted that Thompson is the only purveyor of genuine “gonzo” and there is uncertainty of what “gonzo” really is. This has left the question of whether this brand of journalism ever existed in its purest form wide open. 

It is through this confusion of what “gonzo” is and what it could be perceived to be where we can argue the nature of authenticity in Hunter Thompson’s work. For one, Thompson’s writing is designed to contain vernacular that goes beyond what is accepted in reporting. The facts are present and can be identified but they are separated by hyperbole and euphonious language. These words sound well when read aloud and are highly stylized. This is evidence of a writer who has established a writing style from constantly perfecting his form. This is documented in his obsessive letter-writing in “The Proud Highway” and various compilations of articles such as “The Great Shark Hunt”.  This is where Thompson’s work can be placed among that of the writers of the New Journalism. However, after his success with “Hells Angels” and his style progressed, works such as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” possessed “an essentially fictional framework” (Jacket copy from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”). The novel was written with a compressed timeline and events did not occur as they did in his writing. There is greater criticism for this fictionalization of the “true” in understanding the book’s events were compromised by copious drug and alcohol consumption. This covers a large part of the narrative and one can assume that facts are distorted because of it. If the events were not warped for this reason, it is fair to suggest that Thompson may not have been taking these drugs and the pages are filled with lies, and perhaps this is all a part of his fictionalized and euphonious style as it gives the author more ground to tread.

Then it seems this facet of authenticity is one worth exploring. Thompson’s fictionalization of events contributed to his disbandment with New Journalism and a search for the purification of “gonzo” journalism had begun. However, according to the author himself, the work was subject to numerous edits and revisions and was no longer the brand of journalism he set out to deliver, but merely a well-written and fictionalized account of the events that he may or may not have fully experienced. This could be explained with the idea of identity within the New Journalism crowd. Tom Wolfe is not only a writer but now (and during the advent of New Journalism) a media personality. As a personality, his style is as important as his work. He is known for wearing a white suit and is quoted as suggesting this suit and his mannerisms have become a trademark that creates the image of a “man from mars, the man who didn’t know anything and was eager to know” (Sydney Morning Herald, 18/12/2004). This “identity” which Wolfe had created for himself can be named as part of his success in immersing himself into his reporting. It is this importance of an “identity” in New Journalism which could suggest Thompson’s need for his own trademarks. These can be recognized as his clothes (sun visor, sunglasses, and Hawaiian shirts) and his excessive nature (drugs, alcohol, and firearms). These signifiers are shown to us, the spectator, and in turn these are added with his supposedly “gonzo” works and an “identity” is created.

However, this notion of authenticity belongs to an opposing school of thought. Thompson’s work has often been compared to that of the writers of the “Beat” generation; predominately Kerouac and Burroughs. Where those particular writers had experimented during the 50’s and 60’s, the “Beat” style was famous for divulging in free-expressionism and shaping the story with free-form narrative and fiction with auto-biographical elements. It could be argued that Raoul Duke, Thompson’s alias in the book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” was created in a similar vein to that of Sal Paradise, a character that shares many of the same experiences that Kerouac had in “On the Road”. This style of writing was also influenced and shaped by the consumption of illegal substances. It has often been documented of Kerouac’s Benzedrine addiction during the three weeks that “On the Road” was written and the warped narrative form that “Naked Lunch” was created by Burroughs’s fascination with heroin and other drugs. These writers praised the time they were living in by celebrating the coffee house hedonism, whereas Thompson’s work mourns this era and his visceral words have the power to rebel against the system (i.e. Nixon’s regime) and wish for an America similar to that of the “Beat” generation. This bereavement of a bygone era is encapsulated in a poetic narrative and can be read in a passage from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”:

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . .And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . .So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

            Further evidence of Thompson’s striving for authenticity comes from the continued association of the “Beat” artists, who were in turn, fascinated with existentialism and the works of Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre, who wrote extensively on the emergence of intelligence in the age of the “death of God” (The Gay Science, Section 108), could be seen as a major influence on Thompson’s personality and creation of his “identity”. The idea of nothingness and humanity is often debated as is the power of good and bad faith. The importance of these theories in conjunction with the influence on Thompson’s writing comes from the dramatization of these ideas. Sartre’s play, “No Exit” or “Huis-clos”, concerns itself with Hell as a physical place.  The centre-point of the play focuses on the revelation that Hell is not as one-dimensional as it is made out but personified through the emotions and actions of other people:

“So this is hell. I’d never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the “burning marl.” Old wives’ tales! There’s no need for red-hot pokers. HELL IS – OTHER PEOPLE!”

            As a play, “No Exit” examines the effects that Hell has on its inhabitants. Sartre suggests that once you end up in Hell, there is no need to hide behind a false identity and the truth does not need to be hidden. The idea of authenticity is relevant in Hell because the punishment is already taking place. This literate dramatization of Hell may be familiar to those who have read Thompson’s work. His book “Generation of Swine” states that “if there is, in fact, a Heaven and a Hell, all we know for sure is that Hell will be a viciously overcrowded version of Phoenix…” Diminishing the cynicism from this quotation, it could be derived from the hyperbole and euphonious language (that he shared with writers such as Milton and Dostoyevsky) that Thompson believed that Hell was in fact “real” and he was living in it. A further suggestion could be made that his suicide was his escape from all that he deemed was “Hell”. He includes the line “No more Games. No more Bombs. No more Walking. No more Fun. No more Swimming” in his suicide note. He also made references to the current Presidency and noted how he didn’t want to live through it twice. However, it has also been quoted by artist Ralph Steadman that Thompson felt “real trapped if he didn’t know that he could commit suicide at any moment. I don’t know if that is brave or stupid or what, but it was inevitable.” (“Hunter S. Thompson 1938-2005”, 19/03/2005) This idea adds to the “identity” of Hunter Thompson as a self-enclosed nihilist. He often spoke of paranoia and the Fear and its demands on a person. With his suicide, Thompson made any facts of himself disappear as only his “identity” would remain.

 

            Thompson’s “identity” which I am dissecting is one that draws directly (if not completely) from the idea of choice and free-will, another existentialist quality which is apparent in the role of an “Outsider” or the “Stranger”. The “Outsider” is that of a person who feels obligated to create his or hers own path and not consider that of one chosen. This role is derived from the work of Albert Camus and in turn has become a feature within the existentialist philosophy. The idea of self control and the dismissal of destiny is one that can be found within Thompson’s own writing, however, the idea of the “Outsider” is no longer as viable as it was when Camus labeled it so. With its submersion into popular culture, the “Outsider” has now become cliché. Its overuse became acknowledged in the 1960’s with novels such as “Catcher in the Rye” by JD Salinger and “Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. The “Outsider” itself is one of tradition as was popularly used in the work of Dostoyevsky and popularized by the work of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

 

            This notion of Thompson as an “Outsider” would make sense if it wasn’t for his connection with the New Journalism. Where the New Journalism derives from excess and wanting more to benefit from, the “Beat” artists such as Kerouac were more interested in distortion and finding their own limits and “kicks”. Truman Capote, who was amongst those writing New Journalism as well as fiction, said that “On the Road” was more typing than writing. However, another important point to make about the “identity” which Thompson had created for himself was that of his Darwinist behaviour. By choosing his own path and dismissing the notion of destiny, he rightfully acknowledged the idea of the survival of the fittest that Darwin examined in his book “On the Origin of Species”. The culmination of this belief within Thompson’s identity could suggest of his own elitism when it came to movements, philosophies and groupings within his professional work.

 

            Oddly, it could be deemed only possible through the 20^th and 21^st centuries that a man such as Hunter Thompson would become a pop icon. His work has been adapted into films and his legacy (as well as his death) has become well documented. However, the “identity” he created for himself is riddled with contradiction. The negative connotations this may have can be easily discarded by his own “celebrity” which, in turn, is part of his own “identity”. This can be seen through the feature documentaries on his life such as the O’Farrell Brother’s “The Crazy Never Die”(1988), Wayne Ewing’s “Breakfast With Hunter”(2003) and Alex Gibney’s “Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson”(2008).  Thompson is shown at varying points of his life in these various films. He is at his most lucid and crazy in the 1978 film “Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood” during the age of the birth of “gonzo”, yet he is seen as his most caring and humanitarian in documentaries made with Thompson in later life such as “When I Die”(2005) and “Free Lisl: Fear and Loathing in Denver”(2007). These portraits of Thompson show what his strengths were, such as his strong relationship with his audiences. He is also documented as an overwhelming supporter of free speech which could determine his status as a “voice of the people” but his strong right wing tendencies with gun control and his self empowerment with politics would suggest elitist behaviour. His political views have been greatly expressed further with an essay “The Battle of Aspen” which details Thompson’s political career as he contended as the Sherriff of Pitkin County in 1970 and the full-length “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72” which followed the candidates for President as well as his own exploits in Washington D.C.

 

            In fact, it is Thompson’s immersion in his work which has made his “identity” so popular. If you were to ask a reader of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” to give a plot summary they would suggest it was about a weekend where two men become corrupted on drugs and cause havoc. It is Thompson himself who becomes the story, and his “identity” is placed in front of whatever story he is covering. Thompson has become a cartoon character, his “identity” and professionalism has been imprinted on celebrity culture just as Che Guevara and his revolution has. This popularity has only increased due to the success and cult status that the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” has attained and the fact he has been portrayed by both Johnny Depp and Bill Murray (in “Where the Buffalo Roam”). His words are quoted in speeches and have become slogans. This has happened with the absence of any evidence suggesting a formal “gonzo” brand of journalism and any real connections Thompson may have had with any group or organisation. The term “gonzo” is now only barely affiliated with the work Thompson left behind and represents the title of a MTV talk show and specific genre within pornography. His work as a journalist is less significant than that of his exploits and celebrity status, however, this makes his work so influential and therefore he can be seen as making a lasting contribution to the contemporary world, even though the effects cannot be entirely positive.

 

Bibliography

 

(1997). The Charlie Rose Show: 44 mins.

 

Burroughs, W. S. (1959). Naked Lunch. Paris, Olympia Press.

           

Camus, A. (1942). The Stranger, Libraire Gallimard.

 

Capote, T. (1966). In Cold Blood, Vintage.

           

Cohen, R. (2005). Gonzo Nights. The New York Times.

 

Darwin, C. (1859). On the Origin of Species, John Murray.

 

Ewing, W. (2003). Breakfast with Hunter: 91 mins.

           

Ewing, W. (2005). When I Die, 90 mins.

           

Ewing, W. (2007). Free Lisl!: 80 mins

 

Freeman, J. (2004) “In Wolfe’s clothing”, The Sydney Morning Herald

 

Gibney, A. (2008). Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson: 118 mins.

           

Gilliam, T. (1998). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: 118 mins.

           

Gilmore, M. (2005). “The Last Outlaw.” Rolling Stone(970): 44-47.

           

Kerouac, J. (1957 ). On the Road, Viking Press, Inc.

 

Linson, A. (1980). Where The Buffalo Roam: 100 mins.

           

Salinger, J. D. (1958 ). The Catcher in the Rye, Penguin Books.

           

Sartre, J.-P. (1938). La Nausee, Éditions Gallimard.

           

Sartre, J.-P. (1944). Huis-clos.

           

Taylor, A. (1997). The city: In search of Thompson’s Vegas. Las Vegas Sun.

 

Thompson, H. S. (1965). “Motorcycle Gangs: Losers and Outsiders.” The Nation 200(20): 522-525.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1966). Hells Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, Random House

           

Thompson, H. S. (1970). “Freak Power in the Rockies.” Rolling Stone(67): 30-37.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1970). “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.” Scanlan’s Monthly 1(4): 1-12.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1971). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream, Random House.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1973). Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72. San Francisco, Straight Arrow Books.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1979). The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time, Summit Books.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1988). Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degredation in the ’80s, Summit Books.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1997). The Proud Highway: The Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman 1955-1967, Random House.

           

Thompson, H. S. (1998). The Rum Diary, Simon and Schuster.

           

Thompson, H. S. (2003). Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century, Simon and Schuster.

                       

Toole, J. K. (1980). A Confederacy of Dunces, Louisiana State University Press.

           

Wolfe, T. and E. Johnson, Eds. (1975). The New Journalism Picador Books.

           

           

 

           

 

The last twelve months have made Sad Shields; but not in any mind-altering sense. They have been created just like Frankenstein’s monster. All the pieces matched and they aligned to make the crazy beast that is. This has to be said because nothing has drastically changed to the members of the new-age pop-group; the only event of significance may have been their formation. The kinetic, subterranean stage performance they have crafted is something that could only be natural. They don’t need to come pre-packaged with instructions to rock-out; it is in their DNA.

                If you asked them where the roots spread out, it wouldn’t be surprising to listen to a spun-out yarn of eyes meeting across dark streets and teen compulsion. In reality, where they might be influenced by the riot grrl sound of the 90’s, they are not in the business of reviving it. However, although they are situated very much in the present, it seems the twenty-first century has been reluctant in taking notice until now. As lead singer, Laura Wolf, explains: “We all knew each other through being in other bands, playing together, and being into the same stuff so it seemed logical to play music together”

Aaron Batley, guitarist of the band elaborates; “I’ve been in bands with people who had no particular interest in doing the band or were distracted from doing it. Sad Shields are quite different. Having been friends for some time before we started, we all know what we want from this band and from each other”.

                Being a band that has formed out of such looseness, it comes as a surprise to learn that such a group comes equipped with manifesto sensibilities. Forming in 2007, Sad Shields came attached with contacts and friends such as Lovvers, Elapse-O, Corey Orbison and fellow Portsmouth based band You’re All Smiling Now But We’re All Turn Into Demons. After spending copious hours in bars watching and appreciating these bands, the Shield’s guitarist put a name to the network of artists who lit-up the pubs and small venues of our cities; known now as the Pop Underground.

                The band continues by saying that “the idea of the pop underground isn’t meant to be confined to just one place or time. I just use it to make friends with bands I like and to “summarise” the bands we play with. We’re all so different from each other that you can’t pin a label on to us. i.e. “grunge”; “punk”; “riot grrrl” etc. We all seem to be bands that like to write pop songs in our own way, shape or form”.

                The Underground is starting to sound like a fundamentally Southern showcase, which isn’t the case. Manchester band Vile Vile Creatures and Liverpool-based Puzzle share affiliations with Sad Shields and the Underground lot. However, as Laura says: “I don’t think we’re in a scene, but there are bands like Epideme and Demons and Elaspe-o that we play with a lot but we’re all very different from each other. Just united by friendship! Oh, and the general toilet circuit”. From this it is obvious that it is the deep love for music that has brought these bands together: listening to Sad Shields and company speak about their music and others is an enlightening experience. When they listen to a new band, it will be their mission to let you know about it. Just in case they aren’t shouting loud enough, expect a Pop Underground compilation within the year with tracks being donated from bands across the country.

                So you may know about Sad Shields, the probability is unlikely. You may not even know about the Pop Underground, but the chances are you would have heard of one of the bands they love and want you to know about. Then again, it is not something you can reproduce: its’ biological groove they’re talking about.