You thought The Hangover situation was bad? Try this account for size.
A classic tale of drug/alcohol consumption and Gonzo journalism, Fear and Loathing is a story which every drug user and anybody interested in the effects of drugs should read.
The semi-fictitious account tells of Raoul Duke's journey to Las Vegas to find the "American Dream". What that is we don't know, but it's something which leads Duke to buying $200 worth of uppers, downers and other dangerous drugs and take a crazy weekend trip away with his 300 pound Samoan attorney.
Throughout, Duke and his attorney frequently munch on acid tabs, take a load of mescaline, drink/take heavy amounts of ether and even a drug which is made, partly, with human blood. All while attending a drugs and narcotics convention. Not forgetting trashing cars, racing up the Vegas strip and running from hotels without paying. How they survived, God only knows.
The writing in this book is sometimes slightly scrambled and tangent-y but it all adds to the nature of the story. Plus, it makes it look like it was written by a druggy. However, it was still a decent read which was another hard-to-put-down book and worth the amount of time I spent looking for it in charity book shops.
I've read and heard of a lot of drugs but some of the stuff described and listed in this book sounds impossible to exist. But, as this is an account by Thompson we're obliged to believe that they're real. Would I try them if the offer was there? I don't know fo' sho', but why not?
Fear and Loathing is a book which pays justice to the phrase "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" - the whole account is not something you'd want to casually tell your parents or friends about when you got home, jet lagged and still hungover.
A fast read and my sort of holiday which receives a rating of 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment