Hunter S. Thompson's legendary pit stop 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' re-released
Hunter S. Thompson would have turned 84 this week. His 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a stunning exploration of the American dream, set in one of the most unlikely cities to achieve it. Let's take a look back at his legendary road trip.
Thompson invented "gonzo journalism," the hallucinatory mix of fact, fiction, and literary brilliance that shook up popular culture. His legacy lives on.
Amazingly, two road trips were made by Thompson and his attorney Oscar Acosta, documented in the book Raoul Duque and Dr. The Original Las Vegas Part of Vegas. Renamed Gonzo - came here from Los Angeles while Thompson was gathering material.
Circus Circus 2880 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
We know that much of the novel is the product of Thompson's secret, drug-fuelled imagination. But there's no way he hadn't visited this still-existing icon of Las Vegas luxury because his description is so detailed.
"Right above the gaming table, forty of the flying Carrazito brothers, along with four muzzled wolverines and six sexy sisters from San Diego, performed a trapeze act," Thompson wrote, claiming he Ingested large amounts of ether and mescaline during the game. time. "So you're downstairs playing blackjack and the stakes are getting higher and higher, and all of a sudden you look up and right above your head there's a half-naked fourteen-year-old girl being chased through the air by a snarling wolverine."
Thompson was reportedly sitting on the second level of a two-story freestanding carousel bar called the Horse-a-Round — which was converted in 2012 into an upstairs snack bar with slot machines downstairs. —Thompson quoted Acosta's famous remark: "I hate to say it. , but this place is getting on my nerves. I guess I'm starting to get scared."
At one point in the novel, Thompson describes the circus as "a whirlwind of the American dream." Elsewhere, he described it as the "Sixth Reich" and explained that it was "what the entire celebrity world would have done on a Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war".
Understandably, Circus Circus wanted nothing to do with the 1998 Terry Gilliam film that Thompson approved, starring Johnny Depp as Thompson. As a result, both the Stardust Hotel and Riviera Hotel locations later collapsed and had to fill what was unfortunately known as the "Bazuco Circus."
Binion’s Whiskey Bar128 E. Fremont St.
Much of the novel takes place in Room 1850 of the Mint Tower. According to Thompson, he and Acosta didn't pay their $29 to $36 hourly room service fee for 48 hours, then trashed the place and stole 600 bars of Neutrogena soap.
In 1988, the Mint was merged into the adjacent Binion's Gambling Hall, then known as Binion's Horseshoe. Binion closed all 365 hotel rooms in 2009. When the Hotel Apache reopened 81 of them a decade later, none were located inside the Mint, which remained closed to the public.
The lower part of the original pink mint sign can still be seen on the stairs leading there.
Neon Museum770 Las Vegas Blvd. North
A more complete and reverent display of ancient neon signs can be seen in the so-called "Neon Graveyard."
This included signage at the Desert Inn, where Thompson claimed he and Acosta were kicked out for trying to sneak into a Debbie Reynolds concert, describing: "She came on stage in a silver afro wig, Singing the tune of "Sgt. Pepper." "Play it on the trumpet. "
(Reynolds plays himself in the film, recreating the moment whether or not it actually happened.)
Caesar Palace3570 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
There is no “Fear and Loathing” campaign being launched here. But you could try recreating the photo of Thompson and Acosta on the back — even though the bar where they drank, the Baccarat Lounge, no longer exists.
Kin Tiki3939 Spring Mountain Road
The closest thing to the Hunter S. Thompson Museum in Vegas - which, by the way, should absolutely exist - is a Bowie knife that once belonged to the author, proudly displayed behind the bar, with Richard etched on it ·Photos of Nixon.
Thompson also played a major role in Golden Tiki's famous display of fake shrunken heads, alongside Carrot Top and Pauly Shore.
Bar owner Branden Powers is a huge fan of Thompson and met his idol twice — once, in 1997, when Thompson and a balding Johnny Depp had just appeared in Lanning, Calif. at the Powers rave party at Snow Canyon Mountain Resort in Springs. Bowers, on the other hand, had just announced an appearance at the Thompson Owl Farm compound in Woody Creek, Colorado.
Here, Thompson fulfilled his request by signing and rotating Powers' first copy of Fear and Loathing. (Powers reported that he had sold the remainder of the book to a private collector, who planned to display the book at the New York Public Library.)
"To me, Hunter is one of the best writers of all time," Powers said."He lived life to the fullest every day until it wasn't any more fun."
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Source: www.casino.org
