Do you remember Hunter S. Thompson? He wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, "gonzo" journalism. Apparently, this is a line of beer in honor of him. I'm not sure what's more fun, photographing the bottles, or drinking the beer!
I put them in my window to photograph, so I could blow out the backgrounds. My neighbor across the yard watched me, probably wondering what I was doing. But I don't care; there's nothing that I could do that would be weirder than these neighbors. These are the same neighbors that gave my husband a bag of dog poop one day. The man-neighbor rang our front doorbell and handed my husband a paper lunchbag. Doug said, "what's this?," looking inside, probably thinking it was donuts. The guy said, "I think your dog left this in my grass."
Well, I hate to dispute his poop-identity forensic skills, but the beautiful Ms. Bonnie only frequents our thoroughly fenced-in back yard. In her younger days, she might escape out the front door and race across the street (opposite direction of poop-neighbor), to the pooch parlor to check her email, but I usually was in hot pursuit with a dog treat (or piece of styrofoam because I could fool her.)
We just don't walk our dog through other people's lawns. Doug just looked at poop-neighbor and said, "OK" with a look and that tone of voice that also says, "What are you? Some kind of crazy nut, addled fool?" and walked the poop-present to the garbage.
I'm not sharing my Hunter S. Thompson beer with the poop-neighbor even if it was an innocent case of mistaken excrement identity, and Hunter would agree with this!
13 comments:
My husband loves Hunter Thompson...to me he is kind of creepy, but his writing is definitely eye catching. I love beer.
That is so freaky about your neighbor too. Seriously...who does that! Why not just go over and talk to your neighbor...like someone friendly or something.
I was unaware of this line of beer; one more reason I love the blogging community: one never knows what one might find.
HST became famous with "Hell's Angels" and I do think that was the high point of his writing, although "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is a very close second. I don't think he ever rose to those heights again, but I'm sure many will argue with me.
I am convinced his "Rum Diary" was his attempt to out-Hemingway Hemingway. I don't think he succeeded, but in that light, it puts a different spin on that novel.
I am very, very impressed that you "know" HST.
You mentioned earlier about "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance": after a recent re-reading, I think it is a much better book than most people realize. Of course, it continues to sell very well, but I don't know how many people actually read to the end. It can be a real slog through his discussion of socratesplatoaristotle (SPA).
By the way, one can see photos of Robert Pirsig and his pre-adolescent son Chris on the web. If you are interested or need the URL, let me know.
ever think of teaching a photo class?
What a weird nieghbor. Your beer photos are making me thirsty!
I must be bad people because I don't drink any beer (yuck--I'll take a margarita instead). Really cool bottles, though! Your poop neighbor sounds like a denizen of the 2Peas NSBR board.
I'm another beer hater... yucko!! The bottle shots are great though! :)
Wow! I can't believe that your neighbor handed him a bag of poop! Oh my what a story! I like your beer shots and I AM a beer lover! yum!!
Never heard of Hunter Thompson beer - will have to check it out!! And that is so scary to have a neighbour like that!
Cool bottles! Although, I think beer takes like rotten bananas! :) The poop neighbor sounds weird, I can't even imagine bringing over a 'present' like that! It takes all kinds...
Those are really cool bottles. Is the beer any good?
Interesting beer labels; and how is it you have one of 'those neighbors' in your neighborhood? I thought for sure he lived a couple of doors down from us (no poo stories, but equally abrasive personality).
Didn't I already comment on this? ;)
Love the bottles! The neighbor, not so much.
It appears I will be forced to post another blog about Hunter S. Thompson now that you have mentioned your 23 y/o son knowing who he was.
I am very nostalgic and I can literally become teary-eyed thinking about Hunter S. Thompson's coming-of-age years (between the age of 15 and 25). After that, less interest.
He was a literary genius in high school and wanted very much to be another Hemingway, I am convinced. Upon high school graduation he ended up in jail, and then the Air Force for a year or two before he was booted out and then his rough days in Puerto Rico and South America.
He was so passionate about what he wanted to do, and so determined, ... his gonzo journalism is just the tip of the iceberg.
If souls move from person to person, this is how I see it:
Cervantes --> Joseph Conrad --> Graham Greene --> Ernest Hemingway --> Hunter S. Thompson --> ???.
The best way to know HST: read volume one of his letters, "The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955 - 1967." Read it once making lots of notes in the margin. Then read his "Hell's Angels" (all of it) and the first half of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Then go back and re-read volume one of his letters.
The years immediately following WWII, the early Cold War years, and then the 1960's ---- reading HST might help your son understand a bit what our parents, and then what we, experienced.
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