Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

Outstanding!!! Once again, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson proves that his peculiar way of meeting deadlines and covering the story with nothing but dangerous substances in his head isn't a wacked job but instead pure stealth journalism. From riding with the Hell's Angels to talking football with Richard Nixon, Thompson has been part of those moments that stand out in American culture. He's written books like "The Proud Highway", "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Fear & Loathing in America", which have become icon classics of an era in American history that we will never see again. In "Fear & Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72", Dr. Thompson covers the 1972 Presidential Campaign for Rolling Stone, writing the story in highway motels, midnight coffee shops and dim airport bars throughout America for over a year. Only a journalist with Thompsons' character and high-speed lifestyle could cover a story like this with the gut-renching details that allow the reader to grasp the political reality behind a presidential election. After reading this book, it's impossible to ignore the concept of the political junkie because he lives in all of us. Or at least those of us who have some kind of understanding that we are not in all control of our own destiny, but elected public servants in their fifties who think they have a close idea of what we want. But what do we want? Who knows? But maybe this book will give some insight on how the political machinery works. Find out that votes aren't the crucial factor that elect a president, they are just another variable in a very complex equation. Just a rockin' good book. Dr. Thompson writes it as he sees it, which actually makes it even better for us. Maybe his rollercoster lifestyle might be a shock for most people, but when he gets his hands on a typewriter, the guy writes like an orgasm.

I read this book as an appetizer for the current US presidential election campaign. And what an appetizer it is - akin to a halopenio shrimp cocktail with mescalin! It would have been an even better starter for the 2004 election, with which the 1972 election (featured here) shared many features: An incumbent hated by all the progressives at home and everybody in the rest of the world, an opponent who stands for nothing but not being that incumbent (defeated in the primaries in 72) and a murderous, immoral and expensive war on the other side of the world, which nevertheless didn't cost the US president his job. When the great HST covers the 1972 campaign, the verb "cover" takes on a whole new meaning. He immerses himself in the broadcast of a pro football game in order to adopt the same mindset as pro football fanatic Richard Nixon. He almost drowns in the Atlantic ocean in Miami in sight of his friends at a democratic primary-night party. At the republican convention, he joins the young republicans and talks to them about acid (they think he is referring to proton donors, like hydrochloric acid). Not despite, but rather because of this famous "gonzo" style of journalism, HST's book is rich in insight about US politics and politics in general. He goes so much further than the horse-race type coverage commonly fed to the public. Thompson provides an intelligent assessment of the moods and trends in the US population and a really smart analysis of why people vote for whom. He has excellent insight into the dynamics of the individual campaigns and how they are molded by the characters and agendas of the candidates, the interactions with their campaign workers and their relations to the party apparatus. HST doesn't think of elections as some kind of stunt happening every couple of years, but he explains them as deeply interwoven with the social and demographic workings of the USA. Some of my most favorite political quotes are from this book. Thompson really loves his country, he says "it could have been a testament to some of man's best instincts", but he is in despair over the crocks (Nixon and cronies) who have taken it hostage. This emotional state of his and the worry about the direction the US will take in '72 got him to write an intense and fiery book. Do yourself a favor - stop following the electoral coverage on the corporate media for a week, use your time to read this book, and then go back to the current campaign and you will view it in a new light.

I had never read any Hunter S Thompson books before "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72"; the only experience I had with the gonzo guru was Terry Gilliam's adaptation of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." The book begins by outlining Thompson's attitude towards politics and, more pertinently, his perspective of political journalism. Writing for the Rolling Stone, Thompson immediately gets over the feeling of being on the razor's edge, just one step from total car crash insanity. The "edgy" feeling Thompson swings like a cudgel serves him well as he delves into various misadventures, asides and other nonsense that that could only happen in the crazy, sick world the Republicans and Democrats. Hunter does a fantastic job getting the various personalities over during the book and keeps things interesting during the monotonous run of the campaigns (which is something most political books fail to do). While not his best work, this is another effort that will subtly beckon for a re-read down the line, and the fact that I'm considering keeping it around speaks volumes about the book's entertainment value and historical significance.

I read this long ago in college and decided I need to reread it. Still enjoy Thompson's insights and writing style all these years later. No one else has ever peered into the heart of political darkness with such conviction and written about it in such a raw and funny manner. His takes on McGovern and Nixon are without equal. Highly recommended.

Anyone wishing to truly understand the Age of Nixon should have three books in their collection: The Final Days by Woodward 7 Bernstein; The Arrogance of Power: The Secret World of Richard Nixon by Anthony Summers; and Fear & Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72. True, in this book Thompson focuses most of his attention and energy on the Democratic primary -- but that primary season was irrevocably shaped by Nixonian politics, and, in any event, Thompson did, surprisingly, manage to spend some time with the Nixon campaign. F&L:OTCPT'72 provides a jaggedly sharp view of the inner workings of four Democratic campaigns: the primary efforts of Ed Muskie and George Wallas as well as McGovern's equally ill-starred primary and general campaigns. Thompson's writing is remarkably unclouded; he writes as he saw things, holding back no details and pulling no punches. Would that political reporting were always so uncritical and focused! Of course, as with any Thompson book, this one is not without its moments of gut-busting laughter. The Doktor's savage daydream about convention delegate vote-brokering as well as a episode involving the "Boo-Hoo" -- a drunken maniac who harrassed Senator Ed Muskie during a whistlestop campaign tour of Florida -- are priceless moments of humor. Thompson was never quite as crazed as he was in this book. Even in "Hell's Angels", Thompson was more of a reporter than a participant in the action. For this reason, F&L:OTCPT'72 is truly Gonzo Journalism at its peak.

A truly remarkable work that presciently foreshadows what we are experiencing today. It’s sad to think how our politics have only worsened in the last fifty years. We face the same corruption, the same threat of totalitarianism, the same media fecklessness, and the same corruption in spades! I wonder what Thompson would say about Trump. I shudder to think.

I am a very big fan of Hunter S. Thompson, and have read both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell's Angels. I really enjoy the way he writes. His style is nowadays so often imitated- but NEVER equaled. --Now, first a Warning-- If your only other experience with the late Dr Thompson is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and you got into all of the mindless drug fueled debauchery in that, well I have bad news: F&L on the Campaign Trail is NOT that at all, so if that's what you are expecting then you might be disappointed. Instead, read Hell's Angels first. It still has the sex and violence, but it reads more like real journalism than someone narrating an orgy. That will at least prepare you for what to expect in Campaign Trail '72. If you are into politics at all, this is a MUST read. HST really goes into all of the intricacies of the electoral process, but does so with such flair and style that it never becomes dry. My personal favorite Thompson book is Hells Angels, but I'd have to say this one comes in a close second.

I’ve heard of this book of Hunter’s for years. Though I’ve enjoyed a couple of articles he had written this is the first time reading a book by him. Just keep in mind what year this was written and enjoy his style of writing.