MK Magazine Editorials

No more details yet. I'm waiting. That is totally out of character for him. Of course the conspiracy thing comes to mind, the government is shutting him up because he's so outspoken against the ultra conservative right. he really let it out last year on MSNBC when he did an interview with Tim Russert who was obviously uncomfortable with Hunter and didn't know quite where to go with him. For a media journalist like Russert, you'd think he would have done his homework on his subject. The book "Kingdom of Fear" had just come out, and I had already read it.

And that's also ironic, last night or or early morning around 2 AM "Meet The Press" was on and I recalled how Tim Russert was confused and nearly scared by HST.

This is more than coincidence with me. Thompson had a lot on energy within him, it was like his passing, sent out a huge power surge. I don't know how else to figure it. Eithe rthat or it's the old family curse rearing it's ugly head again.

I know that me incorporating myself into my writing is solely his doing, his influence and the world can squarely place the blame on his existence.

I do know this. I'm drinking tonight in his honor.

- Alex

I was initially introduced to the works of Hunter S. Thompson in 1988 when Lori Levy gave me a paperback copy of "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" and it became a turning point for me at a time that my life was at a huge junction. In fact she was really the very first person who really believed in me as a writer, and encouraged me to do so. A little over a year later I was a free lance journalist embarking on my on "gonzo" journey as a writer of rock n roll misadventures. Lori introduced this ol country boy to a lot of things that I never had the chance to thank her for.

As years came to pass I became a collector of HST Hardback First Editions. In 1993 I got the Action Figure Comic Strip book by Doonsberry creator Gary Trudeau that came with the Uncle Duke aka HST action figure which is still my mascot to this day. (and you all thought it was a 16 oz bottle) That same year Cathy Wrona bought for me a book which I've had to buy twice since, Hunter: by E. Jean Carroll. Every time I'd loan it out I never got it back. One of those people I loaned it to was Tom Tretter who claimed to have loaned it to Dave Blake who I never saw again. Ironically, Tom figures into the near end of this story. I got everyone hooked on the very first film based on HST's life, "Where The Buffalo Roam" starring Bill Murray. It was actually Lori who first showed me the film. I wanted to see it when I was 16 by my father, and in his reasoning I see why, would not permit me to go to the theatre to see it. I'll never comprehend why he condoned seeing Cheech and Chongs movies but Hunter Thompson was out. Maybe it was because I always wanted to be a writer, and maybe because HST was a real life personality and successful writer.

So I had tuned my brothers in Pittsburgh onto the Thompson lifestyle which was maybe not such a grand idea. We often aspired to mimic the authors inebriated manner. We dubbed the act of slurring and acting out drunkenly to being "Thompsoned". Often we would say, "Man, you were so Thompsoned last night." the same way we'd say, "Man, you were so Morrisoned last night."

I continued to work Thompson stylings into my own writing after I started MK in 1995, 10 years ago to this month. I would begin and continue to work myself into the story, which I was a part of to begin with. I think it reached it's boiling point in 1996 when we went on the road with MACE and 3 of us combined and compared tales into one which was titled "Fear and Loathing In the Midwest", by Alex Zander, Leigh Marino and Elaine Thomas. And ever since, I would make sure if I was there, I would be in it, and many times in front of home and/or TV cameras. For my career it has worked out in my favor, many times to the amusement of you the reader or viewer. Like it or not, but I have become a significant part of the nightmare.

So I continued to pick up our beloved heroes work, and those who felt close enough to me would occasionally offer me a gift of a first edition or new release, all of who would be best sellers. In 1998 just prior to moving to Chicago, Heather and I went to see "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" starring Johnny Depp at the only theatre in Indianapolis that would show it. And even after our break-up for a Christmas gift she bought me a volume of HST's work. Even in the death of relationship, his work meant that much. (Thanks HH)

In 1998 the long awaited first novel by Hunter was finally published. "The Rum Diary" continues to be my favorite book by Thompson. I read so many letters than he wrote prior to the publication of his breakthrough, "Hells Angels", about his frustrations with trying to get it published. He wrote it in San Juan in the late 50's when the author was in his early 20's. I've red it 3 times since, and the film of it has been in pre production for several years, and will star, of course, Johnny Depp.

To this day I have a shelf-full of HST books. On nearly everyone one of my plane trips I take a volume of his work with me. His collections of correspondences is something a reader can pick up at any part and start reading. many of them his rants against local TV stations for not providing programming his then young son could watch. His son Juan named for San Juan the focal point of his very first novel. A good many of the ravings of a intoxicated lunatic suffering from lack of sleep due to ever imposing deadlines. And a lot of them his unapologetic social viewpoint of our political system. From Thompson, I read the true account of the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention and riot. From HST I got an education from an unbiased point of view. What the reader chose to do with that knowledge was another thing completely. I, speaking for only myself, took it to heart.

In the summer of 2003 I wrote "Fear and Loathing in the Land Of Oz" based on me and Greg tovars roundtrip to see Ozzfest and the parties at the lodge the night before and in the parking lot the next day. And my style of itemizing everything that is induced into the human shell for consumption came from HST, though when people copy me on that, they have no idea where it came from. The same imbeciles who when they anonymously call me a "loser" in emails spell it "looser". I hope in my case that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery when it comes to me, mimicking the styles of Thompson, but when I am mimicked, it is simply, I consider, pathetic.
In response to my long an decadent tale of our adventure at Ozzfest, Tommy Victor of Prong (Danzig) wrote to me after he read it. He simply stated,"Zander you are the next Hunter S." Not even close but I appreciate the reaction.

On my expeditio to Alaska while in a sea of ice, I read Sonny Bargers book. "Hells Angel" and there were many references to HST, and though they had a very big falling out and never mended any fences, Barger does hail Hunter S Thompson as a great writer. I also read another collection of rants, "Better Than Sex" (1994), which was penned right up to the election of Bill Clinton, and the aftermath of Bush 1. I recently found another copy of Hunter the biography by E Jean Carroll. and I'm not loaning it out to anyone for any reason, except for maybe Grego. He'd get a kick out of it. A first edition by the way, of course.

The last new book I read of my favorite authors work was "Kingdom Of Fear". I'm not a sports fan so I do not read his sports reports in any form. And when the book came out HST did what I consider a hilarious publicity spree on the media. On Conan and on Letterman, they got him, on MSNBC Russert did not. Russert was visibly uncomfortable with Hunters presence and manner, almost like he didn't know what to do with his hour of time. I loved it, I enjoyed seeing a political newshaired TV boy in the midst of our hero.

Last January, Tom Tretter, through whom I lost my first copy of Hunter to, the one Cathy bought for me, insisted on meeting me in Las Vegas. He said, we HAVE to do the Hunter and his attorney. I think I was certainly Hunter while Tom played to my, well lets just say, best interests. But the combination of the two of us in Vegas was a tribute to Hunter if not for anything else. Little did we know it but we were paying our resects. Next year we shall rent a red convertible.

Last night, something didn't feel right. I couldn't sleep, I was antsy. And before I laid my head down to bed, I went to the office and pulled out the copy of Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas that I had never seen the second disc with commentaries and more hoping I would fall asleep to it. Oddly it would not play and I was too tired to fuck with it. At 2:30 AM I still could not fall asleep, something wasn't right. So I laid there tossing and turning. Frustrated. Then at 6:09 AM NBC 5 News came on and I said to myself I would be able to get about an hour of sleep. I had a guest who I needed to wake at 7 in order for him to get to the airport. At 6:11 AM I heard the news, Hunter S Thomson had taken his own life. I went out to the computer looked it up and put the story on my website www.mk-magazine.com

Details are sketchy. I am waiting to hear why etc, just like all of his other admirers. The thing that really hurts and bothers me about this is that, as much effort as I've made to meet and sometimes befriend a good many of my heroes, I didn't get to meet Hunter Thompson. You never ever know. You just never do. I won't let Sony Barger slip by that easily. I have all summer ahead of me. And I have to take my mothers ashes out to Arizona anyway.

This morning I have had a lot of emails regarding it from people who know me well enough to care that this has hit me pretty hard. I thanks them and I thank my little brother who is usually too busy for me, for his letter this morning.

Tonight Hunter, Jymbo and Grego drink to you. Where ever you are the party is just getting started. See you up around the bend.