Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

Outstanding!!! Once again, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson proves that his peculiar way of meeting deadlines and covering the story with nothing but dangerous substances in his head isn't a wacked job but instead pure stealth journalism. From riding with the Hell's Angels to talking football with Richard Nixon, Thompson has been part of those moments that stand out in American culture. He's written books like "The Proud Highway", "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Fear & Loathing in America", which have become icon classics of an era in American history that we will never see again. In "Fear & Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72", Dr. Thompson covers the 1972 Presidential Campaign for Rolling Stone, writing the story in highway motels, midnight coffee shops and dim airport bars throughout America for over a year. Only a journalist with Thompsons' character and high-speed lifestyle could cover a story like this with the gut-renching details that allow the reader to grasp the political reality behind a presidential election. After reading this book, it's impossible to ignore the concept of the political junkie because he lives in all of us. Or at least those of us who have some kind of understanding that we are not in all control of our own destiny, but elected public servants in their fifties who think they have a close idea of what we want. But what do we want? Who knows? But maybe this book will give some insight on how the political machinery works. Find out that votes aren't the crucial factor that elect a president, they are just another variable in a very complex equation. Just a rockin' good book. Dr. Thompson writes it as he sees it, which actually makes it even better for us. Maybe his rollercoster lifestyle might be a shock for most people, but when he gets his hands on a typewriter, the guy writes like an orgasm.

I read this book as an appetizer for the current US presidential election campaign. And what an appetizer it is - akin to a halopenio shrimp cocktail with mescalin! It would have been an even better starter for the 2004 election, with which the 1972 election (featured here) shared many features: An incumbent hated by all the progressives at home and everybody in the rest of the world, an opponent who stands for nothing but not being that incumbent (defeated in the primaries in 72) and a murderous, immoral and expensive war on the other side of the world, which nevertheless didn't cost the US president his job. When the great HST covers the 1972 campaign, the verb "cover" takes on a whole new meaning. He immerses himself in the broadcast of a pro football game in order to adopt the same mindset as pro football fanatic Richard Nixon. He almost drowns in the Atlantic ocean in Miami in sight of his friends at a democratic primary-night party. At the republican convention, he joins the young republicans and talks to them about acid (they think he is referring to proton donors, like hydrochloric acid). Not despite, but rather because of this famous "gonzo" style of journalism, HST's book is rich in insight about US politics and politics in general. He goes so much further than the horse-race type coverage commonly fed to the public. Thompson provides an intelligent assessment of the moods and trends in the US population and a really smart analysis of why people vote for whom. He has excellent insight into the dynamics of the individual campaigns and how they are molded by the characters and agendas of the candidates, the interactions with their campaign workers and their relations to the party apparatus. HST doesn't think of elections as some kind of stunt happening every couple of years, but he explains them as deeply interwoven with the social and demographic workings of the USA. Some of my most favorite political quotes are from this book. Thompson really loves his country, he says "it could have been a testament to some of man's best instincts", but he is in despair over the crocks (Nixon and cronies) who have taken it hostage. This emotional state of his and the worry about the direction the US will take in '72 got him to write an intense and fiery book. Do yourself a favor - stop following the electoral coverage on the corporate media for a week, use your time to read this book, and then go back to the current campaign and you will view it in a new light.

I had never read any Hunter S Thompson books before "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72"; the only experience I had with the gonzo guru was Terry Gilliam's adaptation of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." The book begins by outlining Thompson's attitude towards politics and, more pertinently, his perspective of political journalism. Writing for the Rolling Stone, Thompson immediately gets over the feeling of being on the razor's edge, just one step from total car crash insanity. The "edgy" feeling Thompson swings like a cudgel serves him well as he delves into various misadventures, asides and other nonsense that that could only happen in the crazy, sick world the Republicans and Democrats. Hunter does a fantastic job getting the various personalities over during the book and keeps things interesting during the monotonous run of the campaigns (which is something most political books fail to do). While not his best work, this is another effort that will subtly beckon for a re-read down the line, and the fact that I'm considering keeping it around speaks volumes about the book's entertainment value and historical significance.

I read this long ago in college and decided I need to reread it. Still enjoy Thompson's insights and writing style all these years later. No one else has ever peered into the heart of political darkness with such conviction and written about it in such a raw and funny manner. His takes on McGovern and Nixon are without equal. Highly recommended.

Amazing insight into politics of another era and how little has changed.

Lot of detail about the craziness of the American election is in 72 but perseverance because of the charisma that comes across in the words.

Even as a 24 year old non-American who knows basically nothing of the US politics of the 70s, this book was a gripping, fast paced gem that kept me engaged all they way throughout and remains shockingly relevant to this day. Definitely pick this up if you enjoyed Hells Angel‘s.

This is surely one of the great works of political writing in the last fifty years. Courageous, scathing, uncompromising and uproariously, scabrously funny, it placed the matchless intelligence and wit of the late Hunter Thompson on the pantheon of political observation during the turbulent pre-Watergate years. Thompson knew something was rotten, and he had the balls to go after it. Don't let the Dr. Gonzo stuff fool you; HST is the real thing.

purchased as a gift for a HS Thompson fan. He enjoyed the books very much.