Owl Farm Blog

Yes, it’s been a slight annoyance for the last 15 years to be a vegetarian. And not eve a pure vegetarian (I buy meat for my animals) avoiding leather, having to go to special shoe stores etc, having to explain to servers that fish is meat, and chicken stock counts too.  And I tend to get aggressive emails when I talk about animal rights on my blog (which is NOT the reason I don’t harp on it every day).  But maybe it’s good to check in with the outside world once in a while and SEE what our fellow creatures are going through.

Despite the dramatic title and adjectives PETA uses, I recommend you take a look at this video clip. It might make you angry, it certainly had that effect on me, and more.

But as Hunter said:" Don’t confuse anger with pessimism…"

More on this later.

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 01:16 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Hi.

Baney Frank Introduced with three co-sponsors (Ron Paul) and two other democrats a federal marijuana decriminalization Bill.  Allen St. Pierre and Keith Stroup of NORML held a press conference. The last time something like this was introduced was in 1978.

Thanks guys! (even from us non-smokers!) 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/30/frank.marijuana/ 

I’m off to the library to study for midterm…

Also, I just got an email confirming that my talkleft bag has been shipped! Jerri Merritt (my friend criminal defense lawyer who does a lot of work for NORML) has just put together her talk left and DNC Convention shwag store with words emblazoned to remind us to SPEAK UP.  (Or else).

your friend,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 12:10 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Hi. it’s been a busy day. Sorry it took me so long to post the link to the Huffington Post Blog on The Dalai Lama‘s keynote address. I’ll be blogging there as often as possible. You can post comments there since I don’t have a comments section on this site. Arianna’s team suggests to us bloggers to respond to comments whenever possible. Very civil, i thought…

I just got back from the Aspen Institute where they were showing, for the first time to locals, a screening of Alex Gibney’s film Gonzo: The Life And Work of Hunter S. Thompson, where I received earfulls of local gossip. (That’s what happens when you don’t go out much).

 Jesus. Let me clarify. Yes,  Johnny Depp did recently purchase Hunter’s archive (of aprox 800 boxes). There has been some internal hissing going on about it not going to a University.  Listen, it has been made clear to me that eventually the archive will be placed in a University after Johnny’s team has organized the overwhelming amount of archival material. But let me remind you that Johnny is a very dear friend to the family and cares about Hunter’s legacy as much as anyone. So yes, Johnny is now the custodian and owner of the majority of Hunter S. Thompson’s papers. 

I won’t get into all the details now, because some are private, and it’s also very late. But suffice it to say that I think Hunter would be pleased that his papers are in the able hands of his dear friend who is in the position to hire experts to organize the archive. Yes, it is important for scholars to have access — and that will happen when the time is right.

Goodnight! Your friend,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 11:20 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Hi. It’s a much better day here at Owl Farm. It’s hot and the juices are flowing. Spent yesterday watching the Dalai Lama, and the rest of the afternoon writing about it for huffingtonpost — link will be up in a few hours.  I started the with paragraph below: But first check out the photo that I snapped of Hunter a few years ago.

ASPEN — My late husband, Hunter S. Thompson, said that he was a teenage girl trapped in the body of an elderly dope fiend. I realized something as I watched the highest ranking monk of Tibetan Buddhism: His Holiness is a teenage girl trapped in the body of a Dalai Lama!  It was all very familiar, indeed spectacular, as I observed his demeanor during the keynote address he gave at the Aspen Institute Saturday. I have studied the Dalai Lama’s teachings, practiced another form of Buddhism, and am even more curious now because Hunter was so often compared to him.

They were one of the pairs in the Separated at Birth books, while the only color cover of the Paris Review featured a portrait of Hunter as the Dalai Lama (by Ralph Steadman).

Before His Holiness talked about the 21st as the “Century of Dialogue” (an end to what President Eisenhower so presciently warned us about in 1961), and his views of China’s original Marxist Socialism being taken over by capitalist corruption and totalitarianism, he giggled to the audience, took off his shoes, and made himself comfy in the sofa while he admired his own new scarf.  Yep, it’s true, I thought, he’s indeed a child at heart, this wise, fun-loving, worshipped spiritual leader.
 
He has said on many occasions that he would like to retire. But he is still in the body of a Dalai Lama with a job to do. And he did it well.

But first he had to ask his interpreter what the topic was going to be today:

“Values Based on Leadership and Universal Responsibility.”  He sighed: “As usual, I don’t have a prepared text. I’m lazy. Not making sort of homework.”  He giggled and we laughed.  He said he apologized if anyone was disappointed by the relaxed style of his keynote speech. He smiled and looked over at an assemblage of Chinese scholars, whom he described as always “very, very prepared.” In India in 1956, however, the Parliament had no discipline, he said — and it was wonderful.

His Holiness did say Americans seem to fit with his style of casual discourse. In England he finds people much more formal, though after a while he can get them “to relax.”  More laughter from the audience. Then he looked at the Chinese scholars again and said he hoped that one day he could find such a relaxed atmosphere in Beijing….Huge applause and a sense of Hope filled the room.

Anyway, I didn’t write about the Q&A after the speech, as my post was getting too long so maybe I’ll do it here. If I have time (before opening the Gonzo film at Paepke Auditorium tonight).  You’ll notice, that his teachings are so very similar to the Gonzo Way.

Your friend,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 11:31 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
-The Dalai Lama

That is my thought for today. It’s been a long and very sad day here. Hence, another relevant quote from Hunter’s long lost brother:

Sleep is the best meditation.
– The Dalai Lama 

Your friend, on her way to meditate,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 09:25 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Quick update from the GonzoStore front:  Gonzostore.com is finally back online!    If you’re looking for official apparel with Dr. Thompson’s famous Gonzo logo, signed copies of Anita’s Gonzo Way, or a couple of decals to brand your car’s rear windshield or bumper, point your browser to gonzostore.com.   We’ve streamlined the shopping experience to make it easier to browse our items. 

-Pete B
GonzoStore & OwlFarmBlog Webmaster

Posted by Peter B, Gonzo Web Guy at 03:09 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

HI. I’m back at Owl Farm.  I’ve been trying to catch up on emails and file papers and send out bills, and invoices and forms and well, there’s a word for it… but I forgot. Oh yes, administrative stuff. I don’t really know anything about it, except to move piles of paper around to other piles.  If anybody has any SIMPLE and serious advice about filing papers, or administrative skills, PLEASE email me.

Anyway, here is the link to the lecture I gave last Thursday (i moved the link to the bottom) at the Lab at Belmar.   I am so lucky to have the best brother & sister in law in the world who took my word document with all the points I wanted to make, and he put them into a Powerpoint slideshow with graphics and everything! (Peter is a graphic artist).  I was also lucky to lecture with the wonderful Professor Art Jones and be in a room with people who love Hunter.  Huge crowd: 280 laughed at my jokes (very sweet) but also took the future of journalism, and gonzo very seriously too. Successful night..

More good news! Ralph sent the cover of the the Convention Issue of the Woody Creeker! It’s fantastic. He is also writing for it… will knock you politically correct socks off! Lucky again! This issue, along with Interview with George McGovern, Gary Hart, etc will be in the hands of thousands of protesters, delegates, bartenders et al.  Should be interesting. Much of this will be made possible by Hunter’s long time friend Tim Mooney (an my dear friend too!) who has decided to print the few thousand extra copies with me, and get them to THE PEOPLE.

It’s late, and I’m sleepy. It was fun to be in Denver, where singles are as common as cars. And being single in Woody Creek is nice too, especially when I can sit around and look at what some people call my "baggage"… my two siamese cats, Peacocks, German Shepherd, and a spirit that travels with me everyhwere on the most beautiful and spacious land in the world: Owl Farm.  I am indeed lucky. Lucky to be single again? Sure, why not. (I did have a wounderful brief romance this spring!) But we agreed it’s better to be single when ya need the space. And to have space, or romance for that matter, you must be willing to be lucky.

Here is what Hunter had to say, however, one night writing here w all this space at Owl Farm, about Luck, re his letters:

These letters are not the work of a wise man, but only a player and a scribe with a dangerous gambling habbit….That is a risky mix that will sooner or later lead you to cross the wrong wries and get shocked, or even burned to a cinder.  On some days you will be lucky and only break your fingers and make a fool of yourself. But luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their ballance on it.

I have never believed much in luck, and my sense of humor has tended to walk on the dark side. Muhammad Ali, one of my very few heroes, once took the time to explain to me that "there are no jokes, The truth is the funniest joke of all."

Hunter S. Thompson, August 20, 2000 (intro to Letters II)

 I’m sleepy and it’s time to go to bed. I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow – busy busy (Arianna, I promise to have my post up by afternoon!) Another lucky person to have in my life… So anyway, let’s all sleep like babies and have cheeky dreams,

Until next time, Your lucky friend,

Anita Thompson

p.s. I was also lucky to get a really sweet set of wheels this week. A great deal with great gpms. I first met with my mom’s favorite dealer. If you’re in the area, and want a great deal on a Volvo, go to Zach

Also

Also was waiting for me was the intro for the Ancient Gonzo Wisdom book of Interviews that I have edited from Christopher Hitchens. He is indeed a brilliant writer. I’l be adding several more unpublihsed interviews this week from the early 6os and from me and Hutner talking here in the kitchen. It’s looking good! I think we’re releasing an affordable paperback here, and hard cover in the UK and Australia. More details TK.

update: sorry I put the wrong uplink on. THe video of my lecture is coming I guess, but this is from last year at an interview… to the lecture I gave last Thursday 

Posted by Anita Thompson at 11:26 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Hola.  We had a lovely evening back in Denver. After class (I stayed in Fort Collins with my mom last night), I drove to pick up my dearest roomate Jerri Merritt, (as you know, she’s been hosting me in her gorgeous home while I finish summer classes at DU) to meet friends Jackie and Bill McGreevy (happen to have the same name as my Thursday night host, Kevin — yes, I get around!)  to see the long-awaited show by our sweetheart Lynn Goldsmith. (Hunter started to write the intro to her Rock and Roll book FYI).

It’s been a long weekend with many exciting ups and downs.  Hunter said "WE is the most important word in politics…" well, I think that maybe WE is the most important word in the english language. You agree?  My family and friends that I’ve spent the weekend around made Hunter’s birthday that much easier and more beautiful. Indeed, what would we do without friends?

Owl Farm interns Liz Yount and Laura Doty, pals Jeff Kass, Michelle Baldwin, Andrew Travers, Michael Goldberg, Nicole Miere, and new friends Professor Art Jones, Adam Lerner, Sarah Kate Baie et al mean the world to me this weekend.  Not to mention Peter and Sarah, Shelby, Ann, Patti and George, Peg, Natalia miss jax, Brandon Wenerd, Don Fleming, Ralph Steadman, Doug… even grumpy darlings like David Frank and Edward Hyde. k.  I’m a lucky girl. And, yes, I had a cosmopolitan at dinner (mmm, in a "trendy restaurant"), and now am sipping biffs at Jerri’s house. She’s the blogging guru — and explains tonight in better detail than yours truly.

 lots of love to ya’ll.

your friend, tipsy in Cherry Creek,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 09:13 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Dear Hunter,
It’s 1 am. I’m spending the night in Denver with friends after a wonderful tag team speech with Professor Art Jones. As you know, he spoke on Motown, I spoke on AP vs Gonzo and you. Do you know? Were you there? I find myself fearing your absense again and questioning everything again.

People in the audience love you dearly and was good to be with that kind of crowd — even if it was a LARGE crowd! Lots of interesting discussion and laughter. Oh Hunter. It’s been 3 1/2 years without you. And now, with the election, it’s so hard to make sense of it. I wonder if I’m moving on, or sliding back in my own life, let alone political and media analysis. Jesus. Your voice is so important now. We will deal with your absence as the campaign and life in general come at us.

But now I’m curled up with my laptop under the covers thinking of you and writing to you.

Sweet dreams, I love you and miss you more than ever.

Will check in with readers later,
Love, Anita

Posted by Anita Thompson at 12:09 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Anita’s on her way to Denver for tonight’s sold out lecture at the Lab At Belmar on Gonzo versus AP style journalism.  For an example of AP style journalism, check out the front page of the Aspen Daily News, Anita has an AP style article about Woody Creek.

For everyone that was unable to get tickets to the sold out lecture, Anita will attending Lynn Goldsmith’s gallery opening later on tonight after the lecture.

-Pete B

Posted by Peter B, Gonzo Web Guy at 01:13 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Good morning. I’m spending most of my day at the library learning powerpoint to give a lecture in Denver, tomorrow, at the Lab At Belmar on Gonzo versus AP style (pyramid lead and the 5 Ws vs Gonzo and the 5 Cs)…. If you want tickets, you should get them today. The auditorium only holds 250, and apparently they’ve sold 200+ already. It should be interesting as I’m lecturing after Arthur Jones, a terrific
professor from the University of Colorado at Denver who is talking about MOTOWN, then, we do a Q&A; tag-team after. Links? Coming in the next hour…

Okay. Anita Thompson

3pm update: here are the links as promised: http://belmarlab.org/mixedtaste2008details.php#motown_gonzo“>The lab at Belmar — starts at 6:30 pm tomorrow.

Posted by Anita Thompson at 10:21 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Who knows if that oft quoted line by Hunter will do the Ramsey’s any good today. But after seeing John Ramsey stoically comment on his family’s name being cleared by the Boulder DA today, I must say, it looks like he has done some serious spiritual work and is in recovery, to say the least. The readership of this blog has changed a bit since I took a Hillary stance, but most are pretty young. But you MUST remember the mass media attempt to crucify that family for the death of their daughter, JonBenet Ramsey. Dec. 26, 1996, six-year-old JonBenet was found dead in the basement of her Boulder, Colo., home. The media at that time was DESPERATE to find another O.J. Simpson, and the Ramsey’s seemed like it. It was awful to watch.

But today, what is really strange is that Oct. 27, 1994: Colorado Gov. Bill Owens decided against appointing a special prosecutor and urged the Ramseys to “quit hiding behind their attorneys” and help find their daughter’s killers.
Already in June of 2004, the Ramseys’ attorney said DNA found in JonBenet’s underwear did not match any samples in an FBI database of convicted violent offenders.

Two years later, in August, a suspect, John Mark Karr, was arrested in Thailand. He yelled at reporters that he was “with JonBenet when she died,” but that “her death was an accident.”

But prosecutors abruptly dropped their case against Karr, saying DNA tests failed to put him at the crime scene despite his insistence he sexually assaulted and strangled JonBenet.

I’ll ask Jeralyn (Jerri) or Hal why the hell it took four (4) YEARS to use that same DNA to clear the rest of the family that their attorney’s were showing the DA as proof of innocence? What the hell is wrong with these prosecutors?? Different type of DNA? Or Is it the same disease the media suffers from? I don’t know.

My next Huffingtonpost post will be on Jim Lehrer’s speech at a symposium for the Reform of Media in the USA. He gave a fantastic speech about the Cherokee Cheiftain explaining to his grandson the good and bad wolf within his heart. Did anyone else hear the speech? If you have a link to it, could you PLEASE email it to me? I just heard it while driving and can’t remember exactly when or where it took place. But I’ll find it eventually.

Speaking of Cheiftains, Hunter never believed the Ramsey parents did it (partly because one of his best friends was Hal Haddon, the Ramsey’s attorney). But also, he simply read between the lines, and paid attention. Jerri Merritt also covered the story and posts about it on here. Just like he knew Lisl Auman was innocent — just by reading the news, and trusting his gut. To hear more about the beautiful and FREE Lisl Auman, go to http://www.lisl.com.

Anyway, I’m actually chained to the library (in Aspen) for the next few days studying for my first International Law exam, but thought I’d take a break to say congratulations to the Ramsey family and to their supporters. I’m sorry Patsy isn’t here to see the letter and apology from the DA. What an awful thing to go through indeed.

I’ll check in later.
Your friend, diving back into international waters,
Anita Thompson

p.s. Thursday Morning update: Hey, thanks Gabriel, and others who were paying attention while I was asleep at the wheel. It wasn’t Jim Lehrer that made the speech, but Bill Moyers, moderated by Amy Gododman. Thanks guys! And Gabriel, thanks for the kind email.

p.p.s. Here’s a nice link send this morning too by an astute Hunter reader:

p.p.p.s Peter, thanks for getting the links up. Can tell me how to link on my mac? XXXXXA.

Posted by Anita Thompson at 06:32 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Hey! Happy Independence Day. And I mean it. It’s been a long hard winter here in the Rockies, floods all over the Midwest diminishing our food supply, record gas prices, ruin and disaster in Zimbabwe, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, China, North Korea… need I go on? Oh yes, and a bitter political campaign ahead.

Besides the swarms of people flocking the streets in Aspen today sipping bloody marys with one hand and waving little flags with the other, is the Aspen Institute’s series of events with speakers ranging from Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Madeline Albright and even The Dalai Lama. One interesting panel discussion two days ago was on the 2008 election strategy of both candidates with Arianna Huffington, David Brooks, Stuart Rothenberg, Jim Wallis, Jonathan Capehart, Amy Goodman, and Jonathan Alter moderating.

Some very interesting things were said of Obama’s bizarre and unfortunate B-line to the Center. After, I spoke to Amy Goodman, and we arranged that I’ll visit the studio in New York when I get back, as she is indeed one of my heroes. I spoke to Arianna Huffington, (Hunter always had a crush on her.) asked me to write for her Huffington post, which of course I am happy to do. So, I’ll give you a link when it’s up. I just sent her my first post 5 minutes ago.

I’m no political master, but I did watch my political master husband at work every day. His definition was “politics is the art of controlling your environment.” So I thought about this with my ever-present notebook in hand as I watched the panel discussion two days ago. One question posed in the panel, and often in my blog emails, is how do you control your environment? Let’s be specific and ask ourselves how Obama is going to control it.

As Hunter always said “WE is the most important word in politics.”

So, my post is about who is the WE in Obama’s environment now? The swing voters or the unlikely voters? The FISA fiasco was a bad as seeing him in that black 10 gallon cowboy hat yesterday — really gave me the creeps. Why is he doing this? Oh Democrats.

Amy Goodman had to interrupt Jonathan Alter when he said Obama has promised to pull out of Iraq. No. He’s being wishy washy on that already, and now saying he’ll consult the “experts” when he’s in office. Oh Democrats.

Walter Isaacson has created an interesting atmosphere in Aspen over the last few years since he took over the Institute. It balances the scary scene of 200,000 tourists on our streets with nothing on their minds but Gucci and Margaritas. Oh, I’m sorry. That’s not fair. Some have cocaine on their minds too.

Anyway, I’ll be going to see David Schoen talk about polling and the upcoming election at 5pm. Having drinks with my dear friend John Walsh from ESPN, and my hang-gliding buddy, Lisa Verzella after.
So, on the WE note, on her blog, Arrianna did mention to Obama that he should listen to some of his own speeches as inspiration. In one of which he said:

“This campaign can’t only be about me. It must be about us – it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice – to push us forward when we’re doing right, and to let us know when we’re not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change…. That’s why I’m in this race. Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.”

The question is, who is WE? If that doesn’t get him going, maybe this portion of that ‘ol document that caused all this celebration today, signed 232 years ago might help…

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States,..
…— And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Yes Indeed. WE is the most important word in politics.
Until next time, your friend,
Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 03:08 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Opening dates for Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson.

Posted by Peter B, Gonzo Web Guy at 09:12 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Okay, I have to leave for a few hours for an appointment, but I’ve decided to react a bit to some of the reviews coming out about Alex Gibney’s film (Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson). I’ve said it’s a good film because it focuses on just a short period of Hunter’s writing career (1965-1975) and has some fantastic archival footage etc. But why was I so dumb to think that reviewers would not see through the opinions expressed in the film by people who hadn’t seen or talked to Hunter in decades as truth? Hunter’s bitter ex wife goes on and on about Hunter becoming a loser after their divorce, etc. By my lights, of course “journalists” and reviewers would have looked at the source. But no, so far, most reviews have taken her word as gospel.

Hunter’s ex wife is wrong, wrong, wrong, on this. John Nichols from the Nation (who wasn’t too lazy to research Hunter’s later work) has already said that some of Hunter’s most astute political writing is tucked away in his sports writing after 2000. Most of you already know, if you had paid attention, that Hunter wrote more in the last 5 years of his life than he had in the previous 15 combined.

The conflation of my own quotes, exaggeration of my words in these reviews by a hyena/sheep breed of “journalists” is getting boring AND irritating. So, I thought I’d set the record straight before I head out the door to the Aspen Institute.

Some journalists will never accept the fact that Hunter GOT AWAY WITH IT. He wrote what he wanted and when he wanted for his entire career and never sold out an ounce of his soul. He had fun, he moved mountains, and surrounded himself with those that loved him. He was sexy (even for the short time he was in a wheelchair!), smart and productive all the way to the end. Those of you reviewers and “friends”, ex girlfriends, and jealous ex editors who can’t accept the beauty that was Hunter, it’s time you step aside.

Yes. I’ll check in later on the brilliance of Amy Goodman, Arianna Huffington, Jerri Merritt, Terry McDonell, Ralph Steadman, Jonathan Alter, Walter Isaacson and others when I get back.

Your friend,
Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 01:28 PM | Permalink Post a Comment: