Today would have been Hunter S. Thompson’s birthday, July 18th.

This, meanwhile, is a picture of the Gonzo Fist tattoo I’ve had above my right ankle for the last 5 years since his suicide.

Aside from the first common reaction to people thinking I have some sort of Black Power symbol tattooed, my explanation of it usually goes over 6 minutes and possibly much longer. 

Have you heard of HST? This is the double thumbed peyote button clutching fist designed for his 1970 run for Aspen sheriff that came to represent the new style of journalism, reporting, and writing he accidentally invented and performed around that time. Remember Fear and Loathing? Well it was a 1998 movie too- yeah with Johnny Depp. He’s playing Hunter again in the Rum Diary movie next year, adapted from the novel he wrote at 26 that wasn’t published for 40 more years, but well nevermind about that.  Meanwhile he changed writing; there was nothing like Fear and Loathing before and we’re better off because of his contribution to subjective reporting that’s fun to read. I wrote my thesis about him and he killed himself in the middle of my research and then I went to his funeral where he was launched out of a 153 ft cannon with this symbol on top. Yeah, his ashes. It was amazing. And then I ended up coming to New York at the same age he did, to work in publishing like he did, and this is there to remind me to throw myself into things and to learn to fly on the way down, as he said. Yeah, you know, like falling down an elevator shaft and landing in a pool of mermaids. That’s Gonzo. And that’s my tattoo. 

Oh, but yeah, I like your barb wire tat as well. Totally sweet. 

Happy Birthday Hunter.