HSTbooks Interviews

My “A Bomb In Every Issue” Review & Peter Richardson Interview

Posted by Marty on August 24, 2009
Posted in: HSTbooks Interviews, My Stuff. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 5 comments

Bomb

The magazines we get today like Time or Newsweek although have a history they are largely mainstream. They give us the usual lo-down on what is going on in the world but not much more.  Peter Richardson sheds some light on how it used be done with his book about Ramparts magazine A Bomb in Every Issue: How the Short, Unruly Life of Ramparts Magazine Changed America.

Ramparts was founded by Edward M. Keating in 1962 with a focus on catholic matters. I use the phrase “catholic matters” but maybe a description from books introduction might give you a better idea of what Ramparts was about. It described itself as a “forum for the mature American Catholic” focusing on “those positive principles of Hellenic-Christian tradition which have shaped and sustained our civilization for the past two thousand years” It Sounds pretty staunch doesn’t it? But it wasn’t long before the magazine took a sharp turn to the left; it became a radical muckraker that by all accounts turned the art of journalism on its head and gave it a good shake.

I first heard of Ramparts through Scanlans magazine and their common denominator Warren Hinckle; and because of my huge interest in Scanlans I was delighted to get a peek at A Bomb in Every Issue so soon.

So what about it? Well after reading the book I’ve realized that magazines like Ramparts and Scanlans for that matter deserve some consideration for their contribution to a new, no nonsense style of journalism and gutsy political reporting.  Publications with guile are thin on the ground these days.

Richardson gives a detailed account of the 13 year life of Ramparts and its most contentious stories. I had heard of Ramparts but never knew much about it’s history, but after reading A Bomb in Every issue I found just how important Ramparts was in the progression of journalism; and reporting issues that some folks would have preferred were buried. For example, it was the first to publish a conspiracy theory surrounding the assassination of JFK. Another point of interest was it’s publication of Che Guevara’s diaries. It also boasted a long list of contributors including Cesar Chavez, Norman Mailer, Noam Chomsky and many more.

The Hunter S. Thompson connection with Ramparts and of course Warren Hinckle is as you’d expect an entertaining one, as Richardson told me “The HST material in the book is brief but memorable: a fantastical visit to the Ramparts office, where Hinckle’s pet monkey got into his pills; the Chicago lunacy in 1968; and the Ramparts Wall Posters, an idea HST lifted for his campaign in Colorado.” The HST material in the book is small and not a huge selling point (nor was it intended to be) but it doesn’t need it, there’s plenty of other material to make this book stand on its own.

The bottom line is this. For anyone who’s interested in journalism and it’s transformation over the years; this book is a must read. It shows us the mettlesome attitude Ramparts had in its approach to spreading news, popular or not. As a fan of journalism I hope this book does well and reaches future writers of any ilk. It will bring to the fore a type of journalism that sadly is not as prominent as it should be in this day and age.

MF.. How did the writing of this book come about?

PR..I suppose it started when I was researching my previous book, a biography of Carey McWilliams. Your readers might remember him as the Nation editor who put HST onto the Hell’s Angels story. Some of McWilliams’s younger colleagues at The Nation also wrote for Ramparts. One was Gene Marine, who lives here in Berkeley. I interviewed him for the McWilliams book, and later I heard him give a talk on the history of KPFA, the first listener-supported American radio station. KPFA is also here in Berkeley, and Gene started working there in 1950, the year after it was founded. And while he was talking about his experience there, I realized I was aware of at least two books on the history of KPFA, but I had never come across a book on Ramparts magazine. After Gene’s talk, I surveyed the people in the room to see if they knew of any. They didn’t, so I decided to get to work.

Once I got into it, I discovered that I had a personal stake in the story, even though Ramparts folded for good when I was a teenager. I was born in Berkeley three years before Ramparts was founded, and as I began to consider the magazine’s influence, I realized that we born into the same social world. More important, it helped shape that world. So I started to see my research on the magazine as a kind of reconstruction of that milieu. In that sense, I had a personal interest in the story that was quite direct.

MF.. I have to say I am a big fan of the Ramparts / Scanlans style of reporting. From what I can see there is nothing like it around now. Do you think some day that the “muckraking” ilk will catch on and more importantly survive?

PR.. That’s a great question, one that many people here are asking now that U.S. newspapers are in big trouble. There are a few bright spots. One is the kind of reporting that Lowell Bergman and others are doing at Frontline, a PBS documentary series. Lowell was a Ramparts fan and contributor. He also co-founded the Center for Investigative Reporting and teaches journalism at Berkeley. He would say, I think, that Ramparts-style reporting can happen, but that it will be more collaborative. Essentially, investigative reporters at places like CIR and Pro Publica will discover stories and then push them out across media platforms: print, radio, television, etc.

Another bright spot, or perhaps a flicker at this point, is the prospect that bloggers will step into the breach. I just returned from Netroots Nation, the annual conference of political bloggers. Esther Kaplan of the Nation Institute ran a session on muckraking–how to obtain court documents, corporate disclosures, tax filings, etc. The room was packed with people eager to learn those skills.

Will those bloggers replace the political reporters at the Washington Post? I’m not sure, but don’t forget, when Ramparts came along, the staff was mostly a bunch of people in their 20s, far from the centers of power, who didn’t have much experience in journalism. But like these bloggers, they were smart and spirited and willing to note that the emperor had no clothes when the corporate media couldn’t quite bring themselves to say that out loud. When I asked Warren Hinckle why Ramparts was so successful, he said, “Probably because the rest of the press was so shitty.” So you never know where that muckraking energy and talent will come from.

MF.. You probably did lots of interesting interviews during your research for this project, who was the most interesting person you interviewed? I’m guessing Hinckle even though it only lasted an hour.

PR.. Yes, my conversation with Warren was fun. A lot of these folks are fascinating and have led extraordinary lives, so it’s hard to pick out one person. But I conclude the book with descriptions of my interviews with David Horowitz, Robert Scheer, and Warren, partly because they were three of the most important figures in the magazine’s history, and partly because those interviews illustrated the stark contrasts in their personal styles. David was serious, punctual, confessional. He frequently checked his BlackBerry for messages from his wife while we chatted over lunch near Malibu. Bob was harder to catch but open-handed, voluble, and generous with his time once I planted myself in his Berkeley living room.

My journalist friends laughed when I told them I couldn’t run down Warren. One friend finally told me that he could have a half dozen bartenders call him when Warren entered their establishments. Then he would call me, and I could rush over there. I finally caught up with Warren at a book show in Los Angeles: or rather, at the convention center bar. Of the three guys, he seemed the least interested in posterity, but he was willing to chat and enjoy an adult beverage or two before we toddled back to the exhibit hall.

By the way, I had similar difficulty lining up an interview with HST while I was working on the McWilliams book. His son Juan finally emailed me some advice, which included hourly calls starting at midnight. But I never did get through.

MF.. The book seems to be pretty well balanced. Is there much that didn’t make it into the book that you’d have liked to have there?

PR.. Yes, I tried to sort through the evidence and offer an evenhanded account of what was a very tumultuous experience. For that, I was praised (privately) by some folks who probably can’t agree on very much at this point. That was gratifying. I didn’t withhold much aside from a few uncorroborated stories. In some cases, I included tall tales but clearly labeled them as such. I did that because in some ways, the legends are “truer than true.” That is, they say something true about the magazine and the people even if the facts are wrong. HST fans will know what I mean, I think, and I wanted to give readers a taste of that.

MF..I’d like to know your opinion on how politics is reported today compared to the Ramparts era. Is the media too soft on the subject?

PR..I think the corporate media is, yes. I’m concerned about the future of journalism but agree with many critics that the mainstream media has brought many of its problems on itself. For example, Big Media missed what are arguably the two biggest stories of the last decade–the deceptively packaged invasion of Iraq and the housing bubble–by a mile. When the mainstream media missed the Vietnam story in the 1960s, Ramparts stepped in and forced them to pick up their game.

What’s needed for vibrant investigative journalism, I think, is a media ecology that includes savvy fringe outfits and larger news organizations that those smaller outlets can play off each other. That’s what Ramparts did with the New York Times, to each organization’s benefit. But the larger outlets don’t have to be newspapers.

MF.. You have got some high praise from Douglas Brinkley amongst others, that must feel good.

PR..Yes, that was a pleasant surprise. I ingested all the HST letters, which Doug edited, so I thought he might be interested in this book. Adam Hochschild and Richard Parker, who co-founded Mother Jones along with Paul Jacobs, also contributed blurbs. Ditto for Lowell Bergman, who rarely blurbs books, I gather. Eve Pell and Todd Gitlin, both of whom wrote for and about Ramparts, also helped out. So I was very lucky in that department.

Adam and Jann Wenner, by the way, were very generous with their time. Both worked at Ramparts, and both founded magazines that extended its work. Jann became aware of HST while he was working at Ramparts, and of course Hinckle first paired HST with Ralph Steadman at Scanlan’s, the magazine he published after he left Ramparts. So I think it’s fair to say that without Ramparts, we might not have gotten Gonzo journalism.

MF.. I’d like you to share some thoughts on Hunter Thompson’s work. Whats your favorite HST book? And some thoughts on Gonzo Journalism if you don’t mind.

PR..I teach Hell’s Angels in my class at San Francisco State University. The students really like it, and it offers a unique take on the theme of that course, which focuses on utopian and dystopian representations of California culture. I got a huge kick out of HST’s edited letters, which I relished as much as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail. Weirdly, the letters might be my favorite body of HST work, though of course they would be negligible without his other achievements.

It took enormous discipline to restrict my discussions of HST in this book and the previous one on McWilliams. Once you let HST into the story, it’s hard to prevent him from dominating it. Time and again, I found myself scouring his books and letters when I probably should have been reading something else.

I’m also a big fan of the books and films about HST. I guess I would pick out Outlaw Journalist and Gonzo, both the Alex Gibney film and the oral biography by Jann Wenner and Corey Seymour. If there weren’t so many excellent works about HST already out there, I might be tempted to add to that literature. Not that there won’t be more contributions in the future, I’m sure.

****************************************************************************************************

Peter’s site is at http://peterrichardson.blogspot.com/ there is a lot of interesting reading there. Also you can buy the book at amazon.com. Many thanks to Peter for taking the time to answer my questions.

–© Martin Flynn hstbooks 2009.

Hunter S. Thompson And Ramparts Magazine

Posted by Marty on August 21, 2009
Posted in: Book Stuff, HSTbooks Interviews. Tagged: , , , . 1 comment

ramparts-1Peter Richardson teaches California Culture at San Francisco State University. He is editorial director at polipointpress, which publishes trade books on politics and current affairs. He wrote the book American Prophet: The Life and Works of Carey McWilliams, who was (for those who don’t know) the man responsible for getting Hunter to write a Hell’s Angels piece for The Nation, the piece later ended up as Hunter’s first published book. Now Richardson has written a book called A Bomb in Every Issue about Ramparts magazine which was edited by Warren Hinckle who later on was behind Scanlans Magazine as Peter explains below. Peter also told me “The HST material in the book is brief but memorable: a fantastical visit to the Ramparts office, where Hinckle’s pet monkey got into his pills; the Chicago lunacy in 1968; and the Ramparts Wall Posters, an idea HST lifted for his campaign in Colorado.”

I’ll be reading the book over the weekend and doing a review of the book and an interview with Peter. I have the feeling this book will be a must read for any staunch HST fan. Peter sent me a few words about the book and the Ramparts connection (below.) So until the review and interview (hopefully Tuesday at the latest) enjoy. Peter’s site is at http://peterrichardson.blogspot.com/

Although HST never published any signed pieces in Ramparts magazine, he later called it “the crossroads of my world in San Francisco.”  It’s easy to see why. Ramparts’ editor, Warren Hinckle, eventually paired HST with illustrator Ralph Steadman at Scanlan’s and thereby helped launch Gonzo journalism.  And another Ramparts staffer, Jann Wenner, published HST in Rolling Stone after Scanlan’s went down in flames after eight issues.

Bomb

HST’s first contact with Ramparts proved to be memorable.  After staffer Peter Collier reviewed Hell’s Angels in 1967, he invited HST to stop by the office at 301 Broadway, not far from City Lights bookstore in North Beach.  HST left his rucksack in Hinckle’s office, and the two men left for lunch.  When they returned, they discovered that Hinckle’s pet monkey, Henry Luce, had opened HST’s bag, ingested his pills, and begun racing maniacally around the office.  The deranged Luce was evacuated to the veterinarian’s office to have its stomach pumped.  Thompson was unsympathetic.  “That fucking monkey should be killed—or at least arrested—on general principles,” he wrote Hinckle later.

After HST decamped to Woody Creek, he appeared on Ramparts’ masthead as a contributing editor.  He also joined the magazine’s movable feast in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.  There he encountered the Ramparts Wall Poster, a single full-folio sheet with street news on the front and convention news on the back.  He borrowed that idea wholesale while running for Pitkin County sheriff in 1970.  “And if the Wallposter name rings a bell,” he wrote Hinckle, “…well, I’ll never deny it.”

Later, HST reflected on his links to Hinckle and Ramparts.

“I met [Hinckle] through his magazine, Ramparts.  I met him before Rolling Stone ever existed. Ramparts was a crossroads of my world in San Francisco, a slicker version of The Nation—with glossy covers and such.  Warren had a genius for getting stories that could get placed on the front page of the New York Times.  He had a beautiful eye for what story had a high, weird look to it.  You know, busting the Defense Department—Ramparts was real left, radical.  I paid a lot of attention to them and ending up being a columnist. Ramparts was the scene until some geek withdrew the funding and it collapsed.  Jann Wenner, who founded Rolling Stone, actually worked there in the library—he was a copy boy or something.”

Errors of fact notwithstanding, HST’s remarks are the best proof of Ramparts’ appeal and influence during its heyday.

My Interview With Simone Corday “The Spirit of O’Farrell”

Posted by Marty on August 12, 2009
Posted in: HSTbooks Interviews. Tagged: , , , , . 16 comments

greendoorbookI’m not going to call this a review; it’s taken the shape of some thoughts on a book. So let’s call it that. Some thoughts on Simone Corday’s 9 ½ Years Behind the Green Door. Many thanks to Simone for taking the time to do this. The lady on the cover of Simone’s book (left) is not Simone. She told me she wanted “an image of a confident, sensual dancer who might work at the Mitchell Brothers or at other strip clubs.” The photos. Black and white is HST with Simone on the left. The color one at the bottom has Art on the left, Simone on the right with some of Art’s and Jim’s kids. The portrait is of Simone herself. If you want to buy the book you can get it here Enjoy.

Simone Corday, MA in English, author and former dancer at the famed Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theatre in San Francisco. Jim and Artie Mitchell opened O’Farrell Theatre on July 4 1969. It quickly became the place to be in San Francisco for lovers of all things sex. Hunter Thompson called it “The Carnegie Hall of public sex in America.” 5-1

I have been looking at old reviews of Simone’s book 9 ½ Years Behind the Green Door. I want to steer clear of the trite first line like “Corday was a stripper, dancer “etc. Why? Because there’s more to ladies of this ilk than meets the eye, at least the ones that I have met over the years. During my time in London in 1986 sleeping rough, I was never short of a coffee or burger – complements of the dancers at a local spit on the floor strip joint. They worked hard, letting the fat, greasy, drunken horde maul them for a few extra quid. Looking back on it, these girls could play the slobs like BB King could play guitar. The girls went home with some cash, and the slobs went home with nothing but lint and a feeble, cholesterol fueled hard-on in their pockets.

On their way home the girls would stop-by my bench /bed with a coffee or something to eat. We’d chat for a while, they’d give me the low-down on their night and I on mine. It killed an hour, I got fed and they got to unwind. They were a special sort of person, strong-willed, compassionate and no nonsense. They made my time in London that bit easier.

RAS_SIMONE_PRINT_7111In 1981 Simone walked into a world of sex, drugs, debauchery and whatever else that went with the Mitchell Brother territory – in particular Artie Mitchell. She became his long time, long suffering lover – putting up with more than anyone should, but in a misshapen way they became locked in a bond many would envy. Until that is when Artie was brutally murdered by his brother Jim in 1991. And for all intents and purposes got away with it, serving only 3 years in prison.

The point of the book for the most part concentrates on her relationship with Artie and his death; although sex is prevalent it doesn’t take away from the purpose. They were wild in their own different ways, and that mix makes it hard to stop reading. He strikes me as being a cruel man without realising it or meaning to be. With a constant haze of sex and drugs clouding his brain, he comes across as sometimes needy and insecure with sudden flashes of brilliance and confidence. He was a handful to cope with but Simone was prepared to deal with it, and did so for nearly 10 years.

Hunter S. Thompson a friend of the Mitchell brothers drifts in and out of this story. Reading it I can imagine him bounding around with his usual bow-legged gait, doing what he did best – plamasing everyone in sight, looking like he owned the place. He was at O’Farrell to do research for a Playboy article (which was never published.) He was dubbed “Night Manager” A title I‘m sure he relished. He loved being around people, he loved to enjoy himself with the help of whatever substance happened to be around, and where better than O’Farrell Theatre. The Mitchell brothers were responsible for the making of the documentary “The Crazy Never Die.” You can see it here .

Simone told me.. “Hunter hadn’t been satisfied with the Mitchell project, (The Crazy Never Die) and although there areSimoneC a few copies around, it was never properly released. There had been a lot of problems with the sound. They had filmed it themselves with a skeleton crew, and everyone involved had been drunk or high. Hunter was filmed speaking to large crowds at college campuses, but there was almost no recorded sound. It had been impossible to recapture the dialogue and the questions and reactions of people. The night I was at the filming at Tosca Hunter delivered a hilarious monologue, but it was never recorded.”

For me it’s a nice change to read a book that includes Hunter but is not about him, you get to see another side of him. It’s hard to put a fine point on it, I guess read the book and make up your own mind. Even though Hunter’s presence in the story is a selling point, that doesn’t mean the book can’t stand alone without him. It’s a fascinating and sometimes disturbing account of a unique partnership ending in devastating circumstances, with little justice.

Last month the O’Farrell Theater was in the news again for the wrong reasons.  Jim Mitchell’s son, James Raphael Mitchell, was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend on the second anniversary of his father’s death on July 12, and is now in Marin County Jail.

MF.. Why did you wait so long to publish the book?

SC.. Right after Artie Mitchell was shot to death by his brother Jim in 1991, several journalists tried to get book deals on the Mitchell brothers and two succeeded. As a first-time author, I had trouble finding a publisher, but I also delayed publishing my book because I was afraid of Jim Mitchell. During his prosecution for murder, Jim had considerable financial resources that funded his $1.3 million defense, and he had a lot of support from local politicians and journalists. There was a lot of publicity about the shooting being accidental, about it being an intervention to force Art into rehab that had gone awry. Since I followed the case closely and believed Jim was guilty of pre-meditated murder, I was outspoken against him on TV and in interviews, gave depositions in the insurance case that followed, and I got the message that Jim was not pleased. I was shocked when Jim was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and received only a 6-year sentence, and he was allowed to remain out of jail pending his appeal for 3 ½ years. In 1994 he lost his appeal and was sent to prison. He served 3 years, and was out by 1997. When he unexpectedly died of a heart attack in 2007, I knew it was time to publish.

Because I worked on my book for so long, I made it more concise, and was able to include events that unfolded in more recent years. It went through several revisions, but I always had faith in the book, and felt it was important to tell my story. I wanted to present an authentic, backstage, behind-the-scenes picture of the O’Farrell Theater; what it was like to have a long-term relationship with Artie Mitchell, a legendary outlaw pornographer, player, and family-man with Okie roots; and relate the events that led up to his murder, and the repercussions of his death.

MF.. I know you said you were afraid of Jim but I just want to ask if you lived in fear of him after he was released?

SC.. Until Jim died in 2007, I was never comfortable publishing my book.  When Art’s killing was new until Jim was sent to prison in 1994 I was more worried about Jim, but after he served three years in prison and was older I became less fearful, but still wary.

MF.. The reader gets a great feel of what goes on in a place like O’Farrell and it gives a good insiders view of the sex industry. Is there much about the O’Farrell that didn’t make it to print that perhaps in hindsight you’d have liked to add?

SC.. The O’Farrell had a shadowy, seductive mystique. It really deserves to be a character in its own right. I started out with a draft that was more than 800 pages, and it was tricky to know what to include and what to omit. So many sexy, funny, poignant things happened there every day. My picture of the sex industry comes from my experience at Mitchell Brothers, since I didn’t make films for other adult filmmakers and didn’t dance much at other clubs. I am happy with the end result for this book, although I am tempted to use some of the remaining material in another book.

MF.. Did you find it upsetting or maybe even therapeutic rehashing the past when putting the book together?

SC.. During the first couple of years after Artie was killed and all the dreadful court proceedings took place, working on my book helped save my sanity. I didn’t find the process of writing my own story upsetting—at the time a lot of inaccurate news stories and Jim’s murder trial played out in the press and on T.V., and these were very upsetting. I had kept a journal, with some written portions and about 50 audio journal tapes, so I had the details of the events of the years I was writing about. I did have to insert my reflections on the events, and organize and shape the material. As time went on, I could look at the ingredients of the book less as painful and more as material to tell my story.

MF.. Do you think there would have been hope for Art and his addiction if he was still around?

SC.. Art was a notorious hard-drinker and consumer of substances. But I believe that he could have detoxed had he not been murdered. He had a great deal to live for, including six children he loved dearly—his youngest was only 8 when Art was killed. His doing PR for the O’Farrell for 20 years, in that atmosphere of constant partying, contributed to his substance problems. He hadn’t bottomed out, in part because he had a good income and wasn’t in danger of losing a job. In the last year of his life, Art was getting sicker from alcoholism, but he hadn’t had a serious health scare yet where he was afraid of dying–nothing that would make him willing to be hospitalized and get treatment. Had he lived, I think that was coming within the following months.

MF.. What do you think Art would have said about you publishing the book?

SC.. I think Art would have liked the authenticity of the book, and would have enjoyed his voice coming through. And although I wrote about some of his very bad behavior, he would have been proud that the book showed that he had a positive side and was loved.

MF.. You became friends with Hunter, and you knew his work before you met him. Was he what you expected? Did you have any preconceived ideas about him?

SC.. I was astonished to meet Hunter in November 1984. No one at the O’Farrell had told me that he was arriving. Hunter and his beautiful, petite girlfriend Maria were watching the show from the tech booth high above the stage when I ran into them. I had read his books, and knew he had a phenomenal talent for satire and getting to the truth while entering into his stories, but I never thought about what Hunter the person would be like. He was unpretentious, incisive, very curious about the phenomenon of the O’Farrell and the performer-audience interaction that was taking place, and the efforts then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein was making to close down the place.

One of my shows was an imitation of the mayor, and Hunter got a kick out of that. He was at least 6’3”, handsome, balding, with a gangly gait, often with a cigarette in a holder, jutting at a rakish angle from his mouth. He was respectful of the dancers, and kind to me. I was very flattered that he enjoyed my theme shows and told me he thought of my gorilla show as “the rape of innocence by pornography.”

The next summer a photographer was sent by Vanity Fair—they were planning to do a series of photos of people smoking, and Hunter was on their list. Hunter asked me and another dancer to pose for the photo in the O’Farrell dressing room. This picture is included in the book Gonzo, by Hunter Thompson, the collection of Hunter’s photos and memorabilia (Ammo Books). I was lucky to get permission from the photographer Michael Nichols’s representatives, to print it in my book.

When I was fired for 3 months prior to the filming of Behind the Green Door, the Sequel, Hunter wrote a memo praising my shows and calling me the “spirit of the O’Farrell.” I was touched. Although Hunter hung out with Art and Jim and partied with them, Hunter held himself apart, and preserved his journalistic integrity. For about 2 1/2 years, Hunter alternated making extended visits to the San Francisco area with leaving for a few months at a time. Beginning in 1986, he was writing weekly columns for the San Francisco Examiner (that later were collected in his book Generation of Swine), and it seemed a struggle to meet his deadlines. I spent a day with Hunter and Maria when he was working on a column on the Meese Commission report on porn, and he included part of my interview.

After Hunter got an advance to write a novel on the O’Farrell, Art and Jim began referring to him affectionately as the “Night Manager,” but Hunter thought of himself as more of a consultant, and provided them with that great line Mitchell Brothers still displays on their marquee, calling the theater “the Carnegie Hall of public sex in America.”

It would have been challenging for Hunter to write a book on the Mitchells and on the O’Farrell. Since his forte was satire, he must have found ample material around the place. But I don’t think Art or Jim would have been happy with a gonzo depiction of themselves, even though they understood it would have brought them fabulous, lasting publicity. They did begin filming their only non-sex movie, The Crazy Never Die, with Hunter in 1987—but there were problems with it and Hunter didn’t approve of the end result. There are a few copies around, and some footage from that movie have turned up in the documentary Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride, and a short scene shows up in Alex Gibney’s film Gonzo.

MF.. Did Hunter have a favorite between Art and Jim?

SC..  Art was so accustomed to being the wildest, most macho presence at the O’Farrell, that he seemed a bit jealous of Hunter–since Hunter had a legendary reputation for partying, and a respected journalistic career that eclipsed porn. Hunter was critical of Art’s bad behavior towards me, and he seemed to prefer Jim’s more sedate persona. When Jim and Art took a caravan of people to Aspen to show support during Hunter’s trial in 1990, Hunter was very appreciative. But I think Hunter was suspicious of the way each of the Mitchells treated people—for good reason. After Jim shot Art to death, their acquaintances rallied to Jim’s support—but Hunter never made any public statements about the killing. Unlike one hundred of Jim’s acquaintances who wrote letters pleading for leniency at Jim’s sentencing, Hunter never did.

MF.. I’m curious as to what Hunter would have thought about this book, what do you think he’d have said?

SC.. Hunter had a great curiosity about the milieu of the O’Farrell and knew it was a worthy subject—but Jim killing Art had to have complicated the problems of writing about it for him. There are a few pages about his time at the O’Farrell in his book Kingdom of Fear. I hope Hunter would have been pleased because my story is genuine, and I tried to tell it well and truthfully.

MF.. Did you have much (if any) contact with Hunter after the O’Farrell days?

SC..  By the time my relationship with Artie was intensifying, Hunter was only visiting the O’Farrell occasionally. Since Artie was jealous of the admiration I felt for Hunter, he didn’t invite me when Hunter was around, and it would have been risky for me to continue the connection. Then after Artie died, everyone was in shock. I took it hard and felt that Jim was guilty, but I never heard how Hunter felt about the killing.

MF.. Will you write another book? A novel maybe?

SC.. Yes, I am planning to write another book, and I would love to write a novel.  The sex business provided me so much drama and material it would be a pity to waste it.

© Martin Flynn hstbooks 2009.

Simone Corday Interview Coming Soon.

Posted by Marty on August 9, 2009
Posted in: HSTbooks Interviews. Tagged: , , , , , . 3 comments

greendoorbookgreendoorbookgreendoorbook

I’m sure all HST fans will have heard of Simone Corday. Simone was a dancer at The Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theater during the time Hunter was “Night Manager” there. In 2007 Simone published a memoir of her time at O’Farrell Theater, and her time as girlfriend of Artie Mitchell.

Simone kindly agreed to an interview with me about her book 9 1/2 Years Behind the Green Door, her times at O’Farrell and getting to know  Hunter S. Thompson.

As soon as it’s ready I’ll be posting it here. Many thanks to Simone for taking the time to do this.

My William McKeen Interview And Outlaw Journalist Review

Posted by Marty on July 28, 2009
Posted in: HSTbooks Interviews. Tagged: , , , , , . 9 comments

MCKEEN COMMUNIGATOR PORTRAIT

Here’s the interview I did with William McKeen a few months ago for Beat Scene Magazine. Many thanks to William for taking the time to answer my questions. The Photo credits are as follows.. The first two black and white photos by Don Bruce. The color photo William McKeen. The last black and white photo by Lewis Gardner. Notice McKeen loitering in the background in the first black and white photo. Enjoy.

“McKeen, you shit-eating freak. I warned you not to write that vicious trash about me. Now you better get fitted for a black eye patch in case one of yours gets gouged out by a bushy haired-stranger in a dimly-lit parking lot. How fast can you learn Braille? You are scum. HST.”


High praise for William McKeen from The Good Doctor using his own unique mode of expression. Thompson was referring to the William McKeen’s book called “Hunter S. Thompson” written in 1991. This was the first book aboutBruce, Don hsthompson3Thompson and by far the most popular, perhaps until now with the release of McKeen’s new book about Thompson called “Outlaw Journalist.”

William McKeen first met Hunter in the late 70s when he interviewed him on stage at Western Kentucky University. No doubt this meet must have been an important one for McKeen who had been a fan of Thompson, and still is. “When I met him, I was struck by his manners and his genuine interest in me and everyone else he met that night.” McKeen told me. Though they didn’t become what you’d call “close friends” McKeen did have an impact on Thompson later on. As Anita Thompson (Hunters’ widow) said “William was a good friend to Hunter” and as Hunter said himself of McKeen “He understands me.” To write about a writer like Thompson must have been a daunting task but McKeen came up trumps with his 1991 account of Thompson’s life, and considering HST liked it, that in it’s self is no mean feat.


When I heard “Outlaw Journalist” was in the works my first thought was; oh no, not another biography about the good Doctor. I was of the opinion that the Thompson‘s life story had been squeezed dry, it didn’t occur to me that this one could be different. I read it in two sittings and was surprised by how sharp and savvy it was. I am a fan of Hunter Thompson, I’m also a proponent of keeping his memory alive, and I enjoyed this bio as a fan, but it’s also very readable for someone new to the sometimes complex journalistic style, and life of HST.

Bruce, Don HST portrait 1978

This is the second trip McKeen takes into the world of HST. He leads us down a fine line between the crazy behaviour, and the exceptional writing talent of the Gonzo commentator. It’s done with a skill that has eluded Hunters’ other biographers. McKeen explores the undesirable side of Thompson whilst his focus is on the writing skills, and aptitude for perfection that Thompson put into most of his work. We are also shown some of the more disappointing times in his life as a journalist, like his failure (and utter lack of interest) to write about the Ali vs. Foreman fight in Zaire where he chose to float in a swimming pool full of sodden marijuana (which he had dumped in himself.) George Plimpton is quoted in the book as saying “Thompson’s readers were not interested in the event at all-whether it was the Super Bowl or politics or a championship fight in Zaire but only how the event affected their author.” From a fans point of view Hunters’ lack of interest was a huge disappointment and regrettably not the only one in his writing career.


The people interviewed for the book were the ones closest to Thompson, the ones who knew him and spent most time with him, not the hangers-on. Folks like some of his high school friends, Deborah Fuller his long time assistant, Anita Thompson, Bob Braudis, Ralph Steadman, Jann Wenner, and many more, all of which serves to tighten the purpose of the otherwise well researched book.


From birth to death to blasted from a cannon. We get an ordered and honest account of his life with many details that will be new to most Hunter Thompson fans. An attention-grabbing look at how Thompson operated, disrupted, succeeded and failed. His health gradually went downhill before his own eyes and he was helpless to stop it. He conceded. Finishing off, McKeen gives a moving account of the blast-off service held at Hunter’s “Fortified compound” where his long time wish of his ashes being shot from a huge cannon was honoured by his friends and family, with the bill footed by Johnny Depp, and attended by 150 guests including Senators and stars. A fitting send off for Hunter. And if this is to be the last biography about HST I could live with that.


MF. Did you have any doubts or concerns about writing another book about HST?HUNTER THOMPSON PORTRAIT BY LEWIS GARDNER


WM. I really didn’t want to do another book on him. But after his death, I kept getting calls from reporters. I spoke to them about the American writer, but the stories printed had to do with this drug-addled clown. I kept bitching about this to my wife, who said, “Well, there’s your next book, honey.” I had to admit she was right.

I had always wished I had another chance to go back and work on my 1991 book. Lots of things about it dissatisfied me. I was never pleased with my account of his life. And he had done a lot since 1991.

So I look at the new book as a chance to do what I did with the first book — focus on his achievements as a writer — but on a larger scale.


MF. Being a fan of HST, did you have any difficulty writing about the less savory side of the man?


WM. No. He was all about truth, wasn’t he? So I had to write a truthful account. There were a lot of things about him that I disliked. I learned many things that I didn’t use in the book. These would fall into the category of “reckless appetite for women” or “rotten temper.” Just as I did not want to focus on his drug and alcohol use, I did not want to offer a parade of former girlfriends or pals giving us a list of shortcomings. I wanted to err on the side of subtlety.

In the end, though, I came away caring about him a great deal, despite his prolific faults.


MF. In the author’s note of your new book “Outlaw Journalist” you say “no doubt my book also has its faults.” I realize you mean these faults might be in the eyes of the reader, but in hindsight is there anything you would like to add or remove?


WM. When I got the finished book from the publisher, I gave it a good, hard read. There are the usual small typos and errors of fact (the size of a motorcycle engine, whether his Key West assistant had been a bank teller or a real-estate broker, that sort of thing). Thankfully, most of those things were corrected in the UK edition and a few more changes — and one addition — will appear in the paperback editions.

But after reading it, my one regret had to do with the parts of the book about Jann Wenner. I began subscribing to Rolling Stone when I was 13. That magazine filled my life with great pleasure. I would be diminished in some way without those many hours with Rolling Stone. So my hat’s off to him as a genius editor. Unfortunately, when he appears in my book he appears mostly as an editor in conflict with his star writer. I wish I had written more about what a tremendous magazine he founded.

By the way, he was a gracious and forthright interview, even though he was writing his own book on Hunter.


MF. Its always good to get favorable reviews from critics. Some writers might say they don’t care what the critics think. How about you? Is it a worry for you what the critics think? Also, considering the sensitive nature in some parts of the book, how did it go down with Hunter’s family and friends?


WM. I was very nervous that the American publisher booked me into Aspen for publication day. I got an ominous note from one of Hunter’s friends — a man who had been very kind to me during my research in Aspen. He said, “Set one foot in Aspen and we will have you arrested.” He had been upset by some last-minute questions I asked about Hunter … e-mailed fact-checking sort of questions … and was under the impression that despite what I had told him, I was now writing some scandalous book about his buddy.

But then that friend ended up hosting a luncheon for us the day of the signing. He also gave me the best endorsement I could hope for from him: “Well, it doesn’t suck.”

Sheriff Bob Braudis, Hunter’s closest friend the last 30 years, came to that luncheon, slung his massive arm around me and said, “Ya wrote a great book.”

So the fact that Hunter’s friends gave me their sign of approval was very important.

Anita Thompson had also been a wonderful interview. She later posted something about the book — an endorsement, really — on her Web site. I know she thought the book had a few shortcomings, but still thought enough to post that.

I’ve been very pleased with the reviews, for the most part. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t read the reviews or care what critics think. Christopher Hitchens wrote a fine review of it in the Sunday Times. If I was single, I could have shown that review around and perhaps gotten some nice dates. Instead, I showed it to my wife, who said, “That’s nice, dear.”

I should also point out that one of the most decent and generous souls on this earth is Douglas Brinkley. Not only did he give me a great interview, he opened a lot of doors for me. He spent six hours on the phone with me one Sunday afternoon and evening, going through the galleys line-by-line. His endorsement of the book meant an awful lot to me.


MF. Outlaw Journalist is very comprehensive and would be a fitting end to the HST biography list. Some people would say there are enough books about HST from the “outside looking in” perspective; pretty much everything has been covered. Would you agree?


WM. There are a lot of books out about Hunter and more are on the way. We have a lot of his writing coming too. I think people are fascinated by the guy.

I wish I could have finished my book earlier. I think if I had made it into print before Jann Wenner’s Gonzo book, I might have gotten more attention. But I had an accident in the middle of writing the book (fell off a roof) and was wheel-chair bound. Plus, I am a department chairman in addition to being a professor and those obligations make me a rather slow writer.


MF. I’d like to go back in time to 1991 when you wrote the book “Hunter S. Thompson . ” Does it mean anything to you on a personal level that you wrote the first, and probably the most popular book about Hunter? Also do you think there is a possibility of a reprint? It’s so hard to get now and if you do get one it costs $150 and up.


WM. Something I learned after I finished Outlaw Journalist: Deborah Fuller, his long-time assistant, and Wayne Ewing, the cinematic Boswell who documented 30 years of Hunter’s life, told me that Hunter really liked the book. He had sent me a note when it came out offering to gouge out my eyes for writing it. I knew that was his seal of approval. But both Deborah and Wayne said it was at his right hand for the last decade of his life, that it was on the shelf with his books, next to his typewriter. Wayne told me that when Hunter was moody or depressed, he’d pull out the book and ask Wayne to read it aloud. Afterward, he would say, “He understands me.”

I was at the rare loss for words when I learned this.

I enjoyed doing that earlier book, but it was a “semi-scholarly” book and not aimed at the popular audience. I always wished it had found a larger audience and since Outlaw Journalist is flesh on its bones, maybe it finally has. I always figured that little book was oft-plagiarized by college and high school students doing papers on Hunter. For years, people wrote to me, asking if I had copies to sell. Actually, I have only four copies. Jann Wenner asked to borrow one and I had to turn him down. I did lend one to Brinkley for the third volume of HST letters he was editing. (That book, The Mutineer, will be published some day. Not sure why he needed a copy, but I never refuse a historian.) Alas, that was before Katrina hit, so who knows if that book survived the storm.


MF. You first met Hunter in the late 70s. What were your first impressions? Was he what you expected?


WM. I suppose that like a lot of impressionable young people — young writers particularly — I expected the man to be like the image. When I met him, I was struck by his manners and his genuine interest in me and everyone else he met that night. I thought he was a kind and decent man. I began to realize that “Duke” or the “Hunter Figure” (Brinkley’s term) was a literary creation. There was no doubt that Duke shared Hunter’s DNA, but — as Bob Braudis said to me — “No one could live up to the image of Hunter Thompson, not even Hunter Thompson.” (That quote may not be quite right; it’s right in the book, but that’s not handy).


MF. What’s next for you? Another book maybe?


WM. I ‘ve got a couple of things going on — an anthology about childhoods lived in Florida. I’m also editing a series of books called American Reports that will collect the best new journalism.

But my new long-range project is about a group of writers, artists, musicians and actors … in a certain place and time. Don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to jinx it, but one of the characters is Hunter S. Thompson. He’s a hard guy to let go.

© Martin Flynn hstbooks 2009.