Juan F. Thompson--Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson

Last night I met Hunter S. Thompson’s son, Juan F. Thompson, while on a book tour of his new memoir, Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson. There was a fairly large crowd at Carmichael’s waiting to welcome him to his father’s hometown. One special audience member was Ron Whitehead, Kentucky outlaw poet and founder of GonzoFest. 

GonzoFest is the literary and music festival honoring and celebrating the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson. The event features live panels, literary readings, book signings, and live bands. It will take place this Saturday, April 16, 2016 at the Great Lawn starting at 1pm. Juan Thompson, his wife, Jennifer and their son, Will, will be in attendance. Juan Thompson is going to deliver the keynote speech. Unfortunately for me, I will not be able to attend due to a prior commitment, but maybe next year.

Juan Thompson began his presentation by reading the Preface of his book which explains that it is not a biography but a collection of memories and memories can be deceptive. It is Juan’s story of the relationship between the two men over the course of their 41 years together. Juan talked about his yearning for a close and deep relationship with his father and said he tried to achieve that for a large part of his life. It wasn’t until at some point in his early adulthood when he accepted that their relationship would not be one of shared confidences and deep talks, that Juan found peace and concluded that they loved and respected each other despite their differences.   

Juan reported that it took him almost 10 years to complete this book. He started out feeling very protective of his father and only wanting to show Hunter’s good side. As he went along considering which memories to include and which to leave out, he thought about what Hunter would want him to do. His answer was that Hunter would want him to be honest and tell the truth. After that revelation, Juan felt more comfortable including the less flattering memories of his father.

When asked which of Hunter’s works was his favorite, Juan responded with two: Hell’s Angels and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72. In Hell’s Angels, Hunter balances his own experiences living in the gang with the gangs’ own view of themselves. It also shows the sheer bravery of Hunter to embed himself into the infamous motorcycle gang. In Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, Hunter’s idealism, passion for justice, and hatred of Richard Nixon come through. Juan called it, “pure righteous anger.”

Another audience member asked Juan why Hunter committed suicide. Juan clarified that while no one knows for sure, he has come up with three reasons why he thinks Hunter took his own life. First, the alcohol and cocaine had taken a toll on his mind and he was unable to concentrate enough to write anything and knew it wasn’t going to get any better. Second, Hunter had some physical ailments which made it difficult for him to walk. And third, he had recently gotten married and the relationship was rocky.

I must come clean and admit that although I had heard about GonzoFest, I knew next to nothing about Hunter S. Thompson until very recently. My husband, a native Louisvillian, read many of his books. I even found his copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on our basement bookshelf today. Now that I have met Juan and started reading his memoir, I am more than eager to read some of Hunter’s works. I will finish the memoir and write and post a review. And then I will get on to reading Hunter!