The Gonzo Tapes:The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson [Box set]

Hunter S. Thompson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 28, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B001F9FHEY
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,605 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Miscellaneous > Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews > Interviews

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Bass Lake Run: Shit, It's Only 11 O'Clock Here.

2. Bass Lake Run: We're Up at Bass Lake.

3. Bass Lake Run: All the Empty Cans and Beer Cartons Are Up on Top of the

4. Bass Lake Run: No Notes After Two Days of This Hell's Angels Thing.

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. We Have Seized the High Ground: It's Monday Afternoon, We Have a White

2. We Have Seized the High Ground: Did You See the Way That Guy Looked at

3. We Have Seized the High Ground: Well, She Was Crazy. It Was Clear When

4. One Toke Over the Line: Abbe Lane at the Desert Inn. Louis Prima, Stard

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Goddamn! This Monster's Licking My Arm!: As Usual, You're Afraid of Mex

2. Goddamn! This Monster's Licking My Arm!: We're Approaching the Fog Cutt

3. Goddamn! This Monster's Licking My Arm!: We're Going to the Pussycat No

4. Goddamn! This Monster's Licking My Arm!: Chances Are Very Good That I'l

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Guts Ball: This Microphone Wound Up Beneath Something Down There.

2. Guts Ball: There's Signs of Group Hysteria in the Passengers.

3. Guts Ball: Some Are Just Weeping Now.

4. Guts Ball: Well, The Beauty of the Whole Thing...

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Disc: 5

1. I'm the One That's Supposed to Be Crazy: Hello, Hunter.

2. I'm the One That's Supposed to Be Crazy: Why Don't You Talk to Gloria.

3. I'm the One That's Supposed to Be Crazy: Hello. Long-Distance Calling f

4. I'm the One That's Supposed to Be Crazy: When Were You Last There?

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Recorded by Hunter S. Thompson between 1965 and 1975, these tapes capture his thoughts and descriptions both as they're happening and in reflection, as he would often go back to rerecord commentary while writing. Filmmaker Alex Gibney, producer Eva Orner and Gonzo archivist Don Fleming were given permission by Thompson's widow to explore the boxes of tapes stored in the basement of his Owl Farm home in Woody Creek, Colorado, left behind after Thompson's suicide in 2005. Fleming transferred the audiocassettes and reel-to-reel tapes to digital files, and they made their way to the cutting room for the film Gonzo: The Life And Work Of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Now for the first time these previously unreleased recordings are available in a 5-CD set. The Gonzo Tapes features original cover artwork by Gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, an amazing 44-page booklet full of never-before-seen images from Hunter S. Thompson's estate, along with memorable photos and an introduction by film director Alex Gibney, an essay by journalist and Thompson's fellow foreign correspondent Loren Jenkins, and notes by The Gonzo Tapes producer Don Fleming, former front man of the Velvet Monkeys and Gumball who has produced Sonic Youth, Alice Cooper, Hole, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For a specific audience only!, November 9, 2008

By 

Wintertiger - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gonzo Tapes:The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Audio CD)

This item is very difficult to rate, as some will love it and most will not care for it. Do not buy this item unless you are a serious Gonzophile who is interested in Hunter's actual process in creating stories, as well as getting some insight into the realities of his life.

Do not buy it if you expect lots of gonzo bad craziness on the tapes: The Vegas portions are pretty pedestrian. Even when he is stoned, you are not experiencing the powerful internal experience; you are listening to it from the outside, and it can sound somewhat tired. You do get a couple interesting hints about how much was real and what really happened, but you have to listen carefully. This is Hunter Thompson the person, not Raoul Duke the personna.

As this is raw material, the sound quality can be really bad sometimes. Music and other conversations can occasionally make it really hard to hear.

You will hear a drug-wrecked Thompson totally incapacitated and useless in Kinsasha, and what he says in Cozumel in 1973 will definitely surprise you. The Politics book period is strangely absent, a shame because for me that was the period where his writing went from brilliant to chaotic.

I found the great hell of being a famous writer shown too often: everyone tries to tell you what your story is. Acosta does it in Vegas and Acapulco (it was eventually the reason for their falling-out), Wenner does it on the Vegas book, and Gloria Emerson goes to great length to put her Fear and Loathing in Saigon concept into him before he goes (the problem is that you cannot elogize the history of a place where you have never been).

The "Guts Ball" section will show pretty clearly why brainstorming a novel on mushrooms is a bad idea, and the Freud Cocaine self-test did not sound like any fun at all.

You will not find out how Hunter got that terrific prose style and those sharp insights onto the page. Both are basically absent from the tapes. The best part of Hunter came when it was just him and his Selectric, and the tape player wasn't running then.

So buy this if you are an aficionado seeking insight into the reality of Hunter Thompson, the kind of aficionado who read his letters collections and liked the Gonzo book of photos. Honestly, the joy of Hunter Thompson is in his writing, and most people would probably be happiest with his major works.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gonzo Going Gonzo, November 5, 2008

By 

Ryan Gallagher (Gurnee, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gonzo Tapes:The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Audio CD)

This is Hunter in the middle of his verbal notes. Sometimes he's in a car taking notes on the day as Hell's Angels are drunk and yelling in the background, and sometimes he's out of it with Oscar in Las Vegas. Some people complain that there is too much static or interference. Well, you try and do this kind of crazed in depth journalism Known as Gonzo, and get crisp clean recordings. It's part of the charm, and part of the story. Well worth the price. We will always miss you Hunter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic for serious fans!, December 16, 2008

By 

A. Mccune (Manchester, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gonzo Tapes:The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Audio CD)

Meticulous. These tapes serve as a fantastic companion to the books covered in this series. It gives the listener a window into the mind of one of the 20th centuries most brilliant writers. Thompson was meticulous in his audio notebooks. This is a sampling of some of the hours upon hours of those tapes. Producer Don Fleming does a great job of making 40 year old tapes audible. There are still imperfections, but if your a completist, this is what your looking for.

Best part of the entire series: The actual audio from the "Taco Stand" scene from the book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" which is transcribed nearly verbatim in the book.

The only missing part of this series would be Hunter's political work. As this was a companion to the Gonzo documentary, the scope of the work started with that and did not include his political work. Hopefully, they make a "Gonzo Tapes 2" for those...If they do, I'll buy it.

I would have given it one more star if they would have included the political era stuff...