Published on: November 29, 2024, 08:04h.
Last updated on: November 27, 2024, 12:03h.
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” releases new entries every Monday, along with a bonus Flashback Friday edition. Today’s post in our continuing series was originally published on March 3, 2023.
Hunter S. Thompson, known for his gonzo journalism style and who passed away 18 years ago last Monday, is often associated with his book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
However, despite being categorized as general nonfiction by Random House, Thompson never claimed that the events in the book were factual.
The lack of real-life figures as main characters in the book, narrated by Raoul Duke and featuring Dr. Gonzo as his companion, should have indicated that the story was fictional.
In reality, Thompson was assigned by Rolling Stone magazine to write about civil rights activist Ruben Salazar, who was killed during a Vietnam War protest in 1970. Feeling threatened after asking tough questions in L.A., he took attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta to Las Vegas for interviews. Thompson was also covering the Mint 400 off-road race for Sports Illustrated during their visit.
Thompson later returned to Las Vegas with Acosta for a conference on narcotics and dangerous drugs, turning his Rolling Stone assignment into a book with Ralph Steadman’s illustrations, forever linking him to Las Vegas.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream features about 25% of actual events based on witness and participant accounts.
The 75% That Didn’t Happen
Contrary to the book’s portrayal, there was no drug use, as admitted by Thompson in a letter to his editor. The actions in Room 1850 of The Mint’s tower were also exaggerated, with no record of the events as described by Duke in the book.
Details like the Debbie Reynolds show at the Desert Inn were also fabricated, adding to the fictional elements of the story.
Ultimately, much of the book’s content was dramatized and fictionalized for narrative effect.
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