Hunter S. Tacky

[One Eyed Cat]

I'll still love his writing, but I find it incredibly tacky to blow your brains out with your children and grandchildren present .... and on the phone to your wife. - OEC



ASPEN, Colo. - The widow of journalist Hunter S. Thompson said her husband killed himself while the two were talking on the phone.

"I was on the phone with him, he set the receiver down and he did it. I heard the clicking of the gun," Anita Thompson told the Aspen Daily News in Friday's editions.



She said her husband had asked her to come home from a health club so they could work on his weekly ESPN column — but instead of saying goodbye, he set the telephone down and shot himself.



Thompson said she heard a loud, muffled noise, but didn't know what had happened. "I was waiting for him to get back on the phone," she said.



Hunter Thompson, famous for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and other works of New Journalism, shot himself in the head Sunday in the kitchen of his Aspen-area home. He was 67.



His son, daughter-in-law and 6-year-old grandson were in the house when the shooting occurred.



Anita Thompson, 32, said her husband had discussed killing himself in recent months and had been issuing verbal and written directives about what he wanted done with his body, his unpublished works and his assets.



His suicidal talk put a strain on their relationship, she said.



"He wanted to leave on top of his game. I wish I could have been more supportive of his decision," she said. "It was a problem for us."

[killerkat]

tacky......maybe............but hey it's still Hunter s. Thompson..........and he's still cool...........it is a bit odd though.........

[One Eyed Cat]

tacky......maybe............but hey it's still Hunter s. Thompson..........and he's still cool...........it is a bit odd though.........

I'll still read him, I don't think that's the way to go out tho.
btw I have some more links to sea organizations on my one eyed cat blog
http://oneeyedcat.us ... some might interest you, dunno.

OEC

[killerkat]

I'll still read him, I don't think that's the way to go out tho.
btw I have some more links to sea organizations on my one eyed cat blog
http://oneeyedcat.us ... some might interest you, dunno.

OEC

oo ooo ooo thank you, thank you,i've filled out an app. for sea sheapard,haven't done anyting with it yet.....

[Tequila Zaire]

How is this tacky? He died in a better way than most...you want tacky...actors and rock stars who O.D. in their 20's...THAT"S Tacky.

[killerkat]

How is this tacky? He died in a better way than most...you want tacky...actors and rock stars who O.D. in their 20's...THAT"S Tacky.

that is pretty damn tacky,sorry kurt lovers but damn that was the definition of tacky ,cliche`d, deaths.(the whole herion/ coke o.d thing that is)


it just seems real odd with Hunter, i don't really know hat to make of it.huh..........haha....well....damn.........

[One Eyed Cat]

How is this tacky? He died in a better way than most...you want tacky...actors and rock stars who O.D. in their 20's...THAT"S Tacky.

That is tackier. If you're gonna snuff it, at least do it alone. Just my opinion. There has only been one exception to that rule in my life.

OEC

[adorn_shadow]

Meh, good writer, But not a cool way to kick the can!

[TheDeathKnight]

Well, what do you think is a "good" way to kick the can?

Especially if you are contemplating suicide.

He was getting pretty old, and I think he did not want to get old and feeble.
He did not want to have pain, etc.
He had a taste of pain and discomfort, and he did not like it at all.
He figured he had already done all he wanted to do with his life,
and decided he was done. I'm fine with that decision.

Now as far as shooting yourself, I agree that is not the nicest thing
to leave your family to deal with. It's hard enough that you are
dead, but to have your head splattered all over the wall,
and your brains on the floor, is not a nice thing for your
family to come across. What if his grand-daughter had
found him? That would be pretty traumatic.

I think it was his own self-absorbed ego that made him
want to go out with a "bang". To do it like a man,
to do it himself, and to use a gun, was the macho
thing to do. Taking pills, or some other method,
would not be his style. But I still would hope
that he would maybe tell someone what he
was going to do, and have someone else there
to deal with the mess. Not your family.

Hell, I feel sorry for anyone who has to discover
someone who has blown their brains out.

That is not a pretty sight...

He should have jumped off the golden gate or something...

[One Eyed Cat]

I'd go with the bridge. It is just wrong to do that with your kids and grandkids present, that's just how I see it. To me, suicide is chickenshit unless you are about to be captured by enemy forces and/or tortured. It's just how I see it. Hunter will go down as a great writer. I just find it it a pitiful way to end it.

OEC

[TheDeathKnight]

So, Hunter Thompson aside, what would you personally do, if you were told that you had a really painful disease, and for the next 20 years, you were going to be unable to do the things you love to do, and you would be uncomfortable, in pain, and eventually die, etc?

Obviously, some people would say that they would be tough, and just stick it out.

But then some people are realistic.

I think the difference is that Hunter already lived his life to the fullest, and already did all he wanted to do in life. So he just chose the easy way out, instead of the hard and painful way.

Sure, it's chicken.

But why not?

I agree about not doing it in front of your family.
But why not avoid the pain and suffering, if you are ready to die?

My grandma has that same attitude.
She has been around a lot of years, and she does not enjoy life
anymore, and she is ready to die. She does not really want to
be here anymore. So if I was her, and I found out I was going
to have to suffer for 10 years of some miserable illness,
and I already wanted to die, then I would not want to go
through that, just to prove I am tough...

It's different when you are young, rather than old.
When you are young, and things seem shitty, they may still improve someday.
Even if you are young, and sick with something for 10 years, they may come
up with a cure in that time, and maybe you will have a new chance.
But Hunter was not young. That is the main difference.

[One Eyed Cat]

I've been thru enough to know I'd stick it out to the bitter end. My grandpa did, so will I. Hunter made his own choice, so be it.

OEC

[TheCosmicCube]

The man whom the army of Hell's Angels could not destroy, the collector of more drugs than the FBI, inventor of Rifle Golf, killed himself when nothing else could.

[Morning Glory]

seems like everyone talking about him now that he's dead, while no one gave a shit about him for years and years and never mentioned him on this board while he was alive is what's kinda tacky to me.

[Tequila Zaire]

seems like everyone talking about him now that he's dead, while no one gave a shit about him for years and years and never mentioned him on this board while he was alive is what's kinda tacky to me.

We did. You joined in September...long before then their was a HST thread and numerous mention about him. Also keep in mind many of us have assorted blogs, journals, etc. and his name and persona have been brought up their as well. Various people before you joined had been talking for quite a long time via said journals...so unless newer members bring up such a topic it may not come up again. HST is a good example of this...so are guys like Coop, Clive Barker, Jim Thompson, and other assorted people who are quite respected among memebers...no need to have a topic about them every few weeks though.

It's not uncommon for a board to pay no mind about those it admires while they are still alive. The unexpected death of such a person does make one want to talk about such a person a bit more all of a sudden. That happens here quite regularly...hell we had an Arthur Miller thread and his name never came up before he died too.

Numerous things don't come up for discussion here...hell numerous things directly related to BlueBlood itself don't come up here. Does not mean their is no interest in them...just no will at the time to bring them up or no interest too.

Blind assumptions are really tacky.

Also...MANY gave a shit about HST in recent years. He was never for need of people who wanted to talk and spend time with the guy. From friends to fans...their were people who cared. Just cause his name didn't make the media scene on a daily basis or assorted subculture mags and sites made no mentions does not mean he was uncared about...He was a living legend for fucks sake...what were you expecting?

[Amelia G]

I have more admiration for the man in some respects than the writer actually.

Is it braver or more tasteful to live until you become a hideous burden on your family? Is it braver or more tasteful to live until you need a healthcare professional to help you eat and go to the bathroom?

Is it braver or more tasteful to die from a health problem in the kitchen with your family in the house? They find the body either way. An awful fact of aging is that odds are someone you love will find your dead body some day. Whether or not there is a bullet wound in it is pretty irrelevant I think. Seeing the body of someone you love without life in it is going to be traumatic in a fashion.

If we own anything, we own our own lives and we have the right to decide we do not want to continue living them.

The man's wife admits she was not supportive of his decision to end his life, so I kind of doubt she would have driven him to a bridge so he could jump off.

[One Eyed Cat]

I have more admiration for the man in some respects than the writer actually.

Is it braver or more tasteful to live until you become a hideous burden on your family? Is it braver or more tasteful to live until you need a healthcare professional to help you eat and go to the bathroom?

Is it braver or more tasteful to die from a health problem in the kitchen with your family in the house? They find the body either way. An awful fact of aging is that odds are someone you love will find your dead body some day. Whether or not there is a bullet wound in it is pretty irrelevant I think. Seeing the body of someone you love without life in it is going to be traumatic in a fashion.

If we own anything, we own our own lives and we have the right to decide we do not want to continue living them.

The man's wife admits she was not supportive of his decision to end his life, so I kind of doubt she would have driven him to a bridge so he could jump off.

We've lost respect for the elderly in this country. To me, it will be my responsibility to take care of my aged relatives until their natural deaths. I believe there is a difference between dying in a hospital and letting your grandkids scrape your brains off the wall. Like I said, Hunter made his choice. I have my own opinions as to the value of life. So be it.

OEC

[Amelia G]

You might be willing to take care of your loved ones, but, as you said, there is a lack of respect for the elderly in our society. Partly due to extremely fast technological innovation which renders some wisdom obsolete, there is a general lack of respect for age and experience period. Certainly most people a person can come across online are hostile to learning anything. I hope Blue Blood is a little oasis of people who are willing to discuss ideas and learn from each other, but I know it is not the norm. So however loving and supportive HST's family might have been, he was still aging in a society that does not value or often even acknowledge wisdom or experience.

[One Eyed Cat]

I'm not going to read Thompson any differently due to this. I don't think it takes away from what he accomplished in life. I wish he had seen another way. It is not something to glorify imo. Why let society destroy you? People in a hell of a lot worse conditions have triumphed.

OEC

[Amelia G]

I don't know whether or not HST took vitamins and I wouldn't judge him based on whether or not he did. I kind of feel pretty similar about suicide. To state what should be obvious but probably isn't to everyone, killing yourself does not make you cool. But I don't think there is any shame in it either. I always think it is really weird when young people commit suicide and people give sympathy to the survivors. Young people don't commit suicide if their loved ones are doing a good enough job of loving them. I kind of feel people who survive a young loved one's suicide should feel guilty because on some level they have failed. But with an older person, I think suicide is the same tragedy as dying on the operating table. It is sad that we are mortal and we age and die, but I understand wanting to die with some dignity and a clear mind and not confused and hooked up to a machine or waited on by a nurse.

Simply living longer is not a triumph. HST already had his triumphs.

[One Eyed Cat]

I don't see blowing your brains out with your grandkids present as dying with dignity. I can understand why he did it. I don't think it shames him, I simply do not believe there is any problem in life that cannot be overcome. I've never had any sympathy for young suicides or their survivors (including myself) I know of no instance where I could have done anything personally, tho. You have to have the inner strength to carry on regardless of your circumstances.

OEC

[Amelia G]

I know there have been times in my life when I would absolutely have offed myself if not for having good friends and family to see me through. I think I am now well past being at risk until I am very old. My grandmother was forced to stay alive for a number of years longer than she wanted to be here. I miss her terribly, but her heart had left this earth long before she breathed her last. I truly believe it was wrong and selfish of the family members who made the decision to override her requests to avoid certain medical treatments and to be given something for the pain. If someone is in such anguish, either physical or emotional, that they want to stop existing, I feel sympathy for that.

[One Eyed Cat]

It sounds like they prolonged her life beyond what was natural. I'm sorry it turned out that way.

OEC

[Morning Glory]

We did. You joined in September...long before then their was a HST thread and numerous mention about him. Also keep in mind many of us have assorted blogs, journals, etc. and his name and persona have been brought up their as well. Various people before you joined had been talking for quite a long time via said journals...so unless newer members bring up such a topic it may not come up again. HST is a good example of this...so are guys like Coop, Clive Barker, Jim Thompson, and other assorted people who are quite respected among memebers...no need to have a topic about them every few weeks though.

It's not uncommon for a board to pay no mind about those it admires while they are still alive. The unexpected death of such a person does make one want to talk about such a person a bit more all of a sudden. That happens here quite regularly...hell we had an Arthur Miller thread and his name never came up before he died too.

Numerous things don't come up for discussion here...hell numerous things directly related to BlueBlood itself don't come up here. Does not mean their is no interest in them...just no will at the time to bring them up or no interest too.

Blind assumptions are really tacky.

Also...MANY gave a shit about HST in recent years. He was never for need of people who wanted to talk and spend time with the guy. From friends to fans...their were people who cared. Just cause his name didn't make the media scene on a daily basis or assorted subculture mags and sites made no mentions does not mean he was uncared about...He was a living legend for fucks sake...what were you expecting?

it's not just on this board, and it's not just HST either. It seems that's how it is with most people. I never heard about anyone talk about johnny cash before he died, and afterwards everyone loves him and he's always on the radio.. it was the same with ray charles. it just seems a shame to me to honour and realise the potential of great people only after they are gone.

[killerkat]

it's not just on this board, and it's not just HST either. It seems that's how it is with most people. I never heard about anyone talk about johnny cash before he died, and afterwards everyone loves him and he's always on the radio.. it was the same with ray charles. it just seems a shame to me to honour and realise the potential of great people only after they are gone.

this is just my dumb answer,but that's just the way shit is,think famous artists, it is kind of stuipid, but that's just the way shit is......it'll always be like that..........


now cont. with the good debates, not my obvious crap..........

[One Eyed Cat]

it's not just on this board, and it's not just HST either. It seems that's how it is with most people. I never heard about anyone talk about johnny cash before he died, and afterwards everyone loves him and he's always on the radio.. it was the same with ray charles. it just seems a shame to me to honour and realise the potential of great people only after they are gone.

I saw Johnny Cash play in 1992. My first album was a Johnny Cash compilation when I was 6. I started reading Thompson in Junior High. Their deaths are irrelevant to my enjoyment of their work. It would be impossible for me to "talk about" every artist I've ever found inspiration from. Most of us here are playing our own tune, I don't think the generalization applies (tho it probably is true of popular culture)

OEC

[tinstar]

it's not just on this board, and it's not just HST either. It seems that's how it is with most people. I never heard about anyone talk about johnny cash before he died, and afterwards everyone loves him and he's always on the radio.. it was the same with ray charles. it just seems a shame to me to honour and realise the potential of great people only after they are gone.

Ray Charles was a consultant on the film about his life, which was already being made. The "Genius Loves Company" record was also recorded in the last year he was alive. Johnny Cash made FOUR huge albums between 1993 and 2004. Any proof of how awesome he was in his late years can certainly be found in the video for "Hurt."

Not knocking your point Maybe you just need better examples.

Just to praise The Man In Black for a moment, isn't it amazing how differently people face their imminent demise? Cash goes out long and slow, yet constantly (and with consistently powerful results) exploring new music and making his art until the last. HST cranks out every bit of material he can, then decapitates himself in the face of whatever illness he may have had. From a literary point of view, both are fitting endings to men who attacked life (and sometimes other people) with 10x more ferocity than the average yutz.

[23*]

two things....theres really nothing wrong with people just discovering the joys of a certain author or musician on their death. In fact, if it prompts us to look at things we hadnt looked at before then it is a good thing. Unless they are lying and then they are just liars.

It goes back to the thread about 'When Mainstream invades', so what, if popular culture is improving I'm all for it.

Secondly, its natural that true fans will want to discuss his work now that he has died, it doesn't mean that they weren't interested before, it just presents an opportune (and tragic) reason to remember what that person stood for.

[Amelia G]

I'm not going to read Thompson any differently due to this. I don't think it takes away from what he accomplished in life. I wish he had seen another way. It is not something to glorify imo. Why let society destroy you? People in a hell of a lot worse conditions have triumphed.

OEC

Having gotten some sleep, let me revise what I said here. It seems like people either glorify or vilify suicide. I do think those who survive the death of a loved one deserve sympathy. That was an insensitive statement on my part and not really what I think at all. I just think more sympathy is appropriate for someone was in so much pain that they felt they had to end it. I don't think someone should get a medal for offing themselves, but I'm also puzzled by the anger with which people respond to, in particular, celeb suicides. It sort of makes me think of the parent who is like, "I'll give you something to cry about." I don't wholly understand being angry at someone for experiencing pain.

[Tequila Zaire]

it's not just on this board, and it's not just HST either. It seems that's how it is with most people. I never heard about anyone talk about johnny cash before he died, and afterwards everyone loves him and he's always on the radio.. it was the same with ray charles. it just seems a shame to me to honour and realise the potential of great people only after they are gone.

That makes zero sense....both men were living legends...they had their prime time and their quiet times. Both were praised and sold millions of albums...before and after their death. What MORE do you want man?

You never heard anyone talk about Johnny Cash or Ray Charles before they died? Well maybe you need to talk to more people...cause neither were forgotten or unknown in the years before their deaths...Ray Charles died as they were making a Film about him and Johnny passed away during another high point as his last works were critically praised by many and sold quite well.

I just don't get what kind of attention you want on these people...

[Amelia G]

That makes zero sense....both men were living legends...they had their prime time and their quiet times. Both were praised and sold millions of albums...before and after their death. What MORE do you want man?

You never heard anyone talk about Johnny Cash or Ray Charles before they died? Well maybe you need to talk to more people...cause neither were forgotten or unknown in the years before their deaths...Ray Charles died as they were making a Film about him and Johnny passed away during another high point as his last works were critically praised by many and sold quite well.

I just don't get what kind of attention you want on these people...

They were living legends, but there are a lot of morbid bandwagon-jumpers who decide they are soooooooooooooo into someone because the person is dead and being into them would be tragic.

[Morning Glory]

ray charles last album won a grammy this year...you don't find it coincidential that he happend to also die in that same year before the grammy awards took place? as with johnny cash. perhaps you might want to look back on all thier previous releases up till that point. I don't know any other cash or charles albums that won grammies because none of them did in my life time. and I'm not denying the fact that many people were fans of thiers as well as HST, but like I said, other than a few individuals who were specific fans I've never know anyone to discuss them generally nor have I ever heard any mention of them on TV or in the news for any of the things they've done, before they died. I'm not saying that they were any less great because of that, or that they should be getting more exposure, i'm just commenting on the way i've seen it. maybe in other places among other groups of people it's different. I don't know.

[One Eyed Cat]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I'm just saying it isn't *always* the case with folks who say anything. I'm not even sure what awards Cash won, just loved the tunes. His death had been imminent so, I guess it was less of a splash.

OEC

[Tequila Zaire]

ray charles last album won a grammy this year...you don't find it coincidential that he happend to also die in that same year before the grammy awards took place? as with johnny cash. perhaps you might want to look back on all thier previous releases up till that point. I don't know any other cash or charles albums that won grammies because none of them did in my life time. and I'm not denying the fact that many people were fans of thiers as well as HST, but like I said, other than a few individuals who were specific fans I've never know anyone to discuss them generally nor have I ever heard any mention of them on TV or in the news for any of the things they've done, before they died. I'm not saying that they were any less great because of that, or that they should be getting more exposure, i'm just commenting on the way i've seen it. maybe in other places among other groups of people it's different. I don't know.

One can debate the importance of a Grammy outside of the industry itself...but what I'm saying is that both men won many awards in their prime. Both men were influential and idolized by generations. So while the last 10 years they may not have been at the top o f the charts or earning grammy's by the handful...you have to look at their careers...look at them in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's....not many artists can be relevant and important for decades...let alone produce good work.

I guess we live in diffrent areas in terms of exposure to these men...or simply watch diffrent things. You couldn't escape Ray Charles when we was Pepsi's spokeman doe their Diet soda. You couldn't escape a Johnny Cash tune in various movies...or country radio really. I can sorta understand what you're trying to say but I think you're trying to put these men into a very narrow frame of view. Both were pop culture icons like Elvis, Hendrix, Sinatra, etc.

If you can honestly say you don't know anyone who has talked about them before their deaths....you need to meet new people...or maybe ask the ones you know if they like em. People always assume I'm into punk bands when they meet me only to discover that if they ask...I have next to no interest in it...I'm more into rhythm & blues and motown by and large. You gotta ask people at times cause they tend not to bring it up if you don't. That's usually the case with artists like Cash and Charles who've been around for generations...you gotta remember these guys have been around longer than some of our parents.

[Tequila Zaire]

They were living legends, but there are a lot of morbid bandwagon-jumpers who decide they are soooooooooooooo into someone because the person is dead and being into them would be tragic.

Their idiots though and really who takes them seriously outside their own little circles?

[Amelia G]

Their idiots though and really who takes them seriously outside their own little circles?

This particular celeb death induced me to put more people I am acquainted with on the idiots-I-can't-take-seriously list than had previously been on it.

[Tequila Zaire]

This particular celeb death induced me to put more people I am acquainted with on the idiots-I-can't-take-seriously list than had previously been on it.

Yeah that happened to me when Kurt Cobain died. I remember so many were worried that their would be copy cat suicides...oddly enough their should have been cause dear god did the idiot nation come out in force after that death. Though with a band as popular as Nirvana was at the time one has to expect that...more so when one clock's out at the prime of ones career.

[Amelia G]

Dead at 27 if you wanna be a star. Will Judy wrote an article for BLT when Kurt Cobain died. On the West Coast, there was much more of a split between the deathrock thang and the grunge thang than there was in the DC punk scene.

http://www.blackleathertimes.com/v4_4/4.html

Kurt Cobain,1967-1994
by Will Judy

So a multi-millionaire junky wakes up one morning, picks up his 12-gauge and says, Kiss me, you Fool. Who gives a fuck?

Your Kindly Uncle William gives a fuck. I just can't hide it. Nirvana wasn't the band of the century, and Kurt was a mumbling shitwit and a record company stooge, but the point is, he was one of us.

Seriously. Nirvana wasn't supposed to make it. They were a talented garage band from a cow-town. They made some solid, tuneful records. This happens all the time and no one pays much attention. There was some glitch and all of a sudden every dirty, miserable fuck in Seattle had a camera in his face. All of a sudden, Kurt Cobain is supposed to be the voice of a generation. All of a sudden all of his friends who don't do anything notable enough to warrant media attention hate him. Nieman-Marcus starts selling pre-fucked up flannel shirts. This is not Kurt Cobain's fault. This is the result of a hideously bored nation of teenagers being force fed the same 2500 Classic Rock Tunes of the 60's and 70's from every direction and finally snapping under the strain. Grunge was new and it wasn't Michael Bolton. Everyone smelled something fresh and charged, now we have a nation of bored, dirty teenagers who look like the Brady Bunch meets Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids under the refrigerator. I'm appalled, you're appalled, but let's maintain our dignity here.

The worst-case scenario here is that the marketing dogfuckers who sold us Mr. Cobain in the first place are going to try to deify him now that he's never going to get old and bloated. There will be books, Box Sets, Kurt-sightings, and worse. We must close ranks and refuse. Listen to the his lyrics. We have enough problems without the world thinking this man was our poet laureate. He was a pop musician. He was not the best and brightest we had to offer. He was a junkie and a blithering idiot. He left behind a baby daughter. He was a fuck up.

My point here is that we are going to have to read the headlines every time we go into the 7-11, and they are going to say, the John Lennon of Generation X. The James Dean. The Bob Dylan, even though he's not dead yet. And this is bullshit. We do not need to be resold a dead man; we do not need him explained patiently to us as our second-rate version of some Boomer archetype. The man was not our Hendrix, our Morrison, our Janis fucking Joplin.

He was our fucking Kurt Cobain. He was one of us. When Keith Richards finally keels over, he can be yours.

[One Eyed Cat]

Cobain was a fuck up who wrote those lyrics on buses before shows. I hated him for years after that every time I had to hear his name. Generation X doesn't need or deserve any icons.

OEC

[One Eyed Cat]

Fuck. I'm pissed now! Whos neck do we break? The media's? Society's? Fuck I'm gonna go bash Russia some more.

OEC