He Has Risen!
Every time Hunter’s grandmother was with him on Easter Sunday, she would wake him up with these words:
Goodmorning Hunter. He has risen
Hunter: He has risen indeed!
Huner loved to tell me this story, and chuckle every time. His grandmother was a strong, beautiful woman who had a sense of humor, along with a strong will. So, Happy Easter!
Anyway, I just returned from England, where they sent me to do an exclusive Interview with the Sunday Times about the Gonzo Way. Of course, hours-long interviews often end up focusing on the negative, but I can’t blame the journalist for wondering about those unanswered questions that have been lingering since those photos were sent to me of the scene of Hunter’s death. She focused a lot on the 6th lesson of the Gonzo Way. She was a very nice journalist, and we had a good long talk in an old school private club in London… over tea. But sometimes editors exagerate and add things interviewees didn’t say. It’s called "thug journalism"
Unfortunately, we didn’t talk about Ralph’s Plague And the Moonflower…
Anyway, the best part of the trip was that I was able to meet up with Ralph and Anna for Anna’s sweet 16 birthday. She looks beautiful as ever, living in one of the most colorful and comfortable castles I’ve ever seen. We spent the evening eating a lovely stew, salad with Champaign and many bottles of wine. Anna played the piano and Ralph, laughing, told me the story of when Hunter first visted in the early 80s before the house was renovated. Hunter spent a lot of time at the local pub. The friendly bartender, Marvin, gave Hunter a shot of whiskey, and Hunter, after asking if that was a sample, went on a long excersize showing Marvin how to make a proper drink, full of ice and filled to the top.
I wish Hunter could see Old Loose Court today. I slept like a baby, while the white-peddled flower tree, and daffodils and landscape handled the dramatic storm that hit about 4am. It rattled the original glass windows, that have seen generations and generations of storms! Today, it is rich with colour, textures and Ralphs sketches, ink, and oil paintings all over; gorgeous carpets, along with fire in the fireplace, with life and history in every room. Is this where Ralph’s magic happens?
Maybe, the studio is right out back, where I was first greeted with a rush of creative energy, along with a ink sketch of Hunter on a back table. I didn’t know this, but Ralph’s mentor is Pablo Picasso, who also worked every day…
This is also the place where Ralph worked on Plague and The Moonflower. Have you heard of it? I had only heard about it in parts from Ralph. But I read the story on the plane ride back. Read it, listen, and hopefully see it performed in New York soon. Every reading gives you another take on it, but the essence is human nature, and its place in a the world at the brink of the Millenium:
…The sea has mountains of its own
And caresses them with rythms of eternity
Thundering horns of white
With Brazen thrusts
Hurl insults at teh cliffs
Clawing back the past
Losing its grip
Before another jealous onslaught
A universe of moving parts
Heave mortality
Around a global cast
The sea abides, nurturing life
Allowing death to those whose time is come.
NARRATOR:
The frail dependence of its charges
Live in liquid optimism
They gather for compulsive celebration
Making mothers and faterhs of them all
Declaring space for all…..
—Ralph Steadman, Plague and The Moonflower
And on it goes. It’s fantastic!
Geneva is quiet for Easter. I decided to skip church today. Anyway, sorry I’ve been out of pocket, as I get used to my life here in Switzerland, and the few days in England. Cheers, your friend, back from Kent,
Anita Thompson
