Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson was a self-described "Gonzo" journalist whose writing was based on the notion that truth is stranger than any fiction. His work thus consciously blurred the line between the real and the imaginary in an attempt to get to the heart of the essence of what he called, in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the "Savage American Dream."

Thompson was a political animal - he once ran for sheriff of Woody Creek, Colarado on a platform that advocated the legalisation of recreational drugs, tearing up and sodding over the city streets, and putting drug dealers who overcharged for their products in stocks. Much of his writing in Rolling Stone dealt with contemporary politics, and while he was left-leaning throughout his entire career, he had an active distrust and loathing for almost all politicians across the spectrum, with the exception of George McGovern. His hatred for Richard Nixon was especially strong.

Thompson, a lifelong gun enthusiast, committed suicide by by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2005.