Thank you! And a Grand Gonzo Update
Thanks Peter and everyone for the birthday wishes. Yes, I’ve mastered the art of turning 29 again and again.
Here at Owl Farm, the leaves are changing colors, the mountaintops are dusted with snow and I just crawled, ceremoniously, into the fireplace to light the season’s first fire. Hunter’s archives are being organized, brilliants Johnny Depp and Graham King have The Rum Diary film in Post-Production and the attic & basement are calming down after some rattling restoration work. The ceiling is so fragile, that one of the workers fell through into the office. He laughed at my pale-white face and panicked eyes after he came crashing through the water-stained tile. Good god, it could have been disastrous. But thankfully, Mr. Maldonado ended up with nothing but a scratch on his hand that we cleaned and bandaged within minutes, by the sink, as he giggled at worried condition. At least SOMEBODY was laughing… So in general, life is good.
We winterized, cleaned and stocked the peacock pens & guest cabin yesterday and I’m putting the Red Shark into storage for the winter. The Gonzo Foundation is off the ground thanks to the glorious work of Ken Ransford and the generous contributions of Flying Dog Brewery and Ralph Steadman’s memorial prints signed by him and others such as good friends Doug Brinkley, Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Benecio Del Toro, Sean Penn, George Stranahan and Sheriff Bob Braudis and the late Ed Bradley. And yes, we’re organizing the Writing Contest parameters and judges now — update TK.
I’m now opening the War Room for in-house private lectures. The first is to be taught by Dr. Stranahan, and since it is the War Room, the lecture topics, attendees and the goings on are, for now, a secret. But the Woody Creeker online is set to be launched by Halloween and all gonzowear and OFB members will be notified. Sweet Bill Murray is visiting darling Ralph Steadman in Kent, and the UK hardback of Ancient Gonzo Wisdom is being published next month. So much going on after a year of quiet on the Farm…
Arianna and her editing team, Katharine Zaleski & Ethan Axelrod have launched a Denver section of the Huffintonpost. I-know-I-know, I’m late in posting but will soon make a deadline…
Carline Hartrich added a noon Bikram class in the Aspen studio — now I don’t have to set my alarm to be out by 8am. Hooray! Aren’t the sweet details of life just swell?
I’m staying a couple of nights a week at our dear friend Jerri Merritt’s house in Denver to take a much needed LSAT prep course. Otherwise, I’m home, settled in and working on the next two books. Oh, and my snowboard is being waxed… Life IS good.
Yep, life is good despite all the fear — fear of economy, "big government", Muslim terror plots and sex offenders moving in next door, (even the fear of the Chinese deciding if Obama will meet with HH the Dalai Lama despite yearly visits since 1991) But well, Hunter reminded us of it in Kingdom of Fear and in all his books before and after. So today’s wisdom comes from his intro to Kingdom of Fear:
I like this book, and I especially like the title, which pretty well sums up the foul nature of life in the U.S.A. in these first few bloody yearsof the post-American century. Only a fool or a whore would call it anything else.
It would be easy to say that we owe it to the Bush family from Texas, but that would be too simplistic. They are only errand boys fro the vengeful, bloodthirsty cartel of raving Jesus-freaks and super-rich money mongers who have ruled this country for at least the last 20 years, and arguably for the past 200. They take orders well, and they don’t ask too many questions.
The real power in America is held by a fast-emerging new Oligarchy of pimps and preachers who see no need for Democracy or fairness or even trees, except maybe the ones in their own yards, and they don’t mind admitting it. They worship money and power and death. Their ideal solution to all the nation’s problems would be another 100 Year War.
Coming of age in a fascist police state will not be a barrel of fun for anybody, much less for people like me, who are not inclined to suffer Nazis gladly and feel only contempt for the cowardly flag-suckers who would gladly give up their outdated freedom to live for the mess of pottage they have been conned into believing will be freedom from fear.
Ho ho ho. Let’s not get carried away here. Freedom was yesterday in this country. Its value has been discounted. The only freedom we truly crave today is freedom from Dumbness. Nothing else matters.
–Hunter S. Thompson, Kingdom of Fear, 2002
Yes indeed! Before I sign off, I’d like to say that life is indeed good even when we are sad. Last week, as inspirational life passed away. Our neighbor, Jessica Hobby Catto, noted conservationist, writer, magazine publisher and philanthropist, died Wednesday at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was exactly 6 months younger than Hunter. The country will miss her deeply and celebrate the work that she has done over the course of her life. The family is blessed to have been able to spend those last months and weeks and final days with her and under the divine beauty of the colors of the Rocky Mountains that day. It was extraordinarily beautiful as was Jessica, and as is Isa and Henry and the family. We send our love to the Cattos.
Okay, that’s it for now. I’m off to tend the fire.
Cheers form Woody Creek,
Anita Thompson
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