I wrote this en route last night.
Hi again,
I’m en route from New York to Denver. In last night’s note I said that Hunter was the only person in two places on the cover of the 1000th issue. But I was wrong. The other person pictured twice is John Lennon.
Also, I didn’t realize that Ralph Steadman also wrote for that issue! I haven’t spoken with Ralph in over two weeks. He writes about the “Birth of Dr. Gonzo.” The fourth anniversary issue (Nov 11, 1971) was the first installment of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” He writes that “Hunter Thompson has been the bane and the blessing of my life. He didn’t give a shit whether I slaved all night or worried all day. But he did appreciate the drawings when they were there….Hunter didn’t want a photographer. He wanted somebody who would become part of the story. Hunter loved having somebody like me along. He could play with me and take me to the edge and watch what I did, but pull me back before I fell over.”
What he says about that cover is this:
“The idea of the cover was a motorbike flying over the journalists in a bar. There was also a landscape, a bit of sky. But the rider was completely attached to his motorbike, almost swallowed up by his gearbox. The second cover, for Part Two of “Fear and Loathing,” the magazine chose the picture of the 250 pound Texan necking with his wife in the back row. After those two issues, Rolling Stone had a blueprint of where to go next: It wasn’t only rock & roll, but something different, something social and political…”
Okay, checking in en route, Anita Thompson
