Fear and Loathing in New Jersey part 1

Hunter S. Thompson was one of the few people in life who I would willingly call "my hero." He was a truly original writer, a sharp political satirist, a cynical humorist, and he had balls bigger than Canada. When I found out he died last year (February 20th, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound), it was one of the ONLY times since I was very little that someone's death who was not a personal relative actually affected me. I can't even attempt to describe why and how I felt connected to this man, but for some strange reason, I did.

As such, every week up to the anniversary of his death, I will be posting some of my favorite quotes from him, and a picture I think represents him as he was: American... free-spirited... wild... anarchic... Gonzo.

"If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up."
-interview

"In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity"
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear— fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, fear of getting down-sized or fired because of the plunging economy, fear of getting evicted for bad debts, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer."
- Kingdom of Fear

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."
- attributed.