Smokestack El Ropo’s Bedside Reader. A heavy-duty compendium of fables, lore and hot dope tales, from America’s only rolling newspaper.
Smokestack is my favorite anthology. It was put together by Charles “Smokestack El Ropo” Perry in 1971. Charles started working for Rolling Stone in 1968 as a proof reader. He then moved on to be a copy editor and by the end of his career with Rolling Stone in the mid 70s he was associate editor. After he left Rolling Stone he became food writer / critic for the Los Angeles Times. Before that though he wrote The Haight-Ashbury: A History. Covering the 60s psychedelic and rock scene in San Francisco.
(From the back cover of Smokestack)
From the hottentots of 5000 years ago right up to our modern civilization to today, mankind has spent aons sitting around the hearth fire telling tales, passing lore, making up rumours…. crashing. For many in our contemporary world, Rolling Stone has been the hearth at which they’ve warmed their hands and relit their pipes. The results are here – a garden of olden golden dealing and smoking stories, tales of Morocco and South Africa, of Muskogee and Piccadilly, by such famed writers as Raoul Duke, Charles “Chuck” Alverson, Dr. Elmo Rooney, Ms. Sheila Weller, Tom Clark the poet, Rev. Patrick North, Professor Scot Morris, Mervyn Rees, Wild Bill Rushton “Deadline” Dave Felton, The Black Shadow and Smokestack el Ropo himself.
There are 6 chapters / parts in the book. And each part begins with a fable written by Smokestack El Ropo himself. A really enjoyable, funny read and at the end of the book there are some fun things to try, such as how to play the 12 button telephone, light box, ghost television and much more. Hunter S. Thompson’s (Raoul Duke) contribution is from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
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