Gonzo journalism introduced a brand new, never-before-seen method of writing and reporting. Hunter S. Thompson was labeled as the father of this new type of journalism, and his impact still shines through today in modern publications.
The symbol above is what's known as the "gonzo fist". The gonzo fist illustrates two thumbs and four fingers holding a peyote button. The peyote button is a nickname for the top of a peyote cactus. The gonzo fist was first used by Hunter S. Thompson in a 1970 article about the Kentucky Derby. Gonzo journalism is best described as journalism from a first-person point of view. It allows the writer or reporter to express their personal opinion on a story and insert themselves into the narrative in a way. With gonzo journalism, journalists are free to speak on their own observations and experiences, rather than just the typical facts and learned information.
One of many popular news outlets that still use gonzo journalism today is Rolling Stone, as well as Vice Magazine and Buzzfeed. Traditional journalism was objective, while gonzo journalism appeared to be more subjective. The term "gonzo" itself stemmed from Thompson hearing Bill Cardoso, the editor at Boston Globe, use it as regional slang meaning weird or bizarre. The word is also said to have originated from one of two languages: Italian, where "gonzo" means rude, or Spanish, where "ganso" means foolish.
Circling back to Hunter S. Thompson's Kentucky Derby article from 1970, the tale behind it is pretty unique. Thompson had a deadline to meet and was empty-handed with no story. Instead of giving absolutely nothing to his editors, Thompson opted to send them pages from his notebook to replace a traditional story covering the events of the race. The article of notebook pages posed a peek into Thompson's perspective while attending a series of parties before and after the Kentucky Derby. The contents included themes of drinking, partying, and drug use by those around Thompson. The article was not publicly widespread, but a lot of other journalists at the time were drawn to it and Thompson's unfamiliar style of writing. Thompson's new approach influenced other journalists to participate actively in their stories and reject objectivity. As opposed to detaching themselves from their subjects and remaining strictly professional, the journalists would begin to spend quality time with them. This is not unheard of today, as writers at Rolling Stone often publish stories about the long periods of time they've spent with artists. It has also been said that writers at Vice Magazine have consumed illegal substances or taken part in illegal activities with the intention of better explaining the experience to readers.
Another well-known publication by Hunter S. Thompson is his novel, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". The novel is written in the style of gonzo journalism and tells the true story of Thompson's field trip to Las Vegas to create a story from a motorcycle race gone wrong. The only fictional portion of the novel is the names used. They're all made up. As for the plot, Raoul Duke, a journalist, and his attorney, Doctor Gonzo, travel to Las Vegas to report on a motorcycle race but completely change gears after getting distracted by a slew of drugs. Funnily, Raoul Duke was the pseudonym that Thompson used on certain pieces throughout his career. The autobiographical novel was later adapted into a film starring Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke. It is clear that Hunter S. Thompson has truly left his mark on gonzo journalism, and thanks to his quick-witted thinking and expressive opinions, this new era of journalism was born.
Sources
https://becomeawritertoday.com/what-is-gonzo-journalism/
RICHARDSON, PETER. “Between Journalism and Fiction: Hunter S. Thompson and the Birth of Gonzo.” Boom: A Journal of California 6, no. 4 (2016): 52–61. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26413213.
Tamony, Peter. “Gonzo.” American Speech 58, no. 1 (1983): 73–75. https://doi.org/10.2307/454762.
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