h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Gonzo Journalism - A860087
Author: Lateral Blinking - U199353

My homage to a great man...

I think this is very good as a book review on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but an entry on Gonzo Journalism should probably include more on the dominant features of the genre, HST himself, and books where he takes his Gonzo approach to serious subjects (eg Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail or hell's angels).

As it is, all this entry really is is an evaluation of that one book. So if I were you, I'd probably either re-title it "'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' by Hunter S Thompson" or flesh it out with more detail.

Agreed.

I was beginning to wonder if I was the only person who'd read this...

Perfectly reasonable point, I guess. It's so hard to maintain objectivity when you're touching history. Title to be amended.

I must say i quite like this entry, but then being a big Thompson fan I would. However, do you think it'd be possible to go into more depth? perhaps a brief summary of the plotline (such as it is), for example? I should point out that, not being a scout or anything, I'm not exactly best qualified to tell you whether this is for the edited guide or not, but it seems to me to be a pretty accurate summing up of the mood of the book.

You may also want to link to this entry on HST himself: A246386

No idea how to link to the other entries, unfortunately.

I only had time to get my top-line thoughts about FAL down, but as this seems to have had a reasonably positive reception I'll take some more time and try to do something more in-depth. Not sure about a plot-line, Egon - is there one to speak of? - but can certainly do a brief treatment of key moments: Lucy, the adrenochrome episode, the Mint 500, the Satanism story at the bar (for some reason, my favourite part) etc. Give me a few days

Well, that's why i said "such as it is". well, you could explain about the racing in the desert, the drug conference, etc. What did you think of the film version?

Do you know how to use GuideML?

Not the faintest. I never get the chance to spend much time on here: usually I compose my entries in Notepad and only come on the site to post and have a quick look through Peer Review.

Extended Thompson listing incoming, watch this space.

Hi Lateral,

i agree with the others here that a)this is a good review of F&L, and b) that the title needs to reflect the content better.

maybe you already changed it... i didn't notice.

Anyway, i like it, . I'm not quite sure it's 'finished' yet, but great as it stands.

if you add Hunter S Thompson Instead of the first time you name the author, i think that should make your link come out ok. Preview to make sure it has worked,

if not, don't worry, the sub-ed will *probably* do that for you.

cya
spiff

Maybe adding some GuideML would help it look more finished and attract the eye of a scout.

I've had a look at this, and I find myself somewhat lost. Is it just me?

Zarquon... it helps if you'd read the book.

Well, maybe, but the point of Edited Guide entries is to explain things to people who haven't read all the books.

Actually, the book is pretty incomprehensible. I loved it. It's a bit like Finnegan's wake some ways.

It's impossible to describe but very possible to summarize, or convey the feeling of it.

I like this entry.

I even like that it's short.

Lateral, are you still working on this? Are there other opinions about improvements?

Friar

To be honest I haven't had time to come back to H2G2 for ages as i've been trying to get other web presences up and running... for those that are interested in Chelsea Football CLub, check out some lateral-related nonsense at http://chelsea.openfootball.co.uk/index.asp under my alter ego, Rob Hobson.

If ppl still have strong feelings about tweaking this, sitck 'em on here and I'll give it another once-over in a couple weeks.

An article on 'New Journalism' might be easier than concentrating solely on 'Gonzo Journalism'. The two terms are almost synonymous, although GJ seems to be a little more liberal regarding the inclusion of downright fiction....

Well, as a matter of fact it was pointed out to me that the piece I'd written was more a brief look at FALILV than a snapshot of Gonzo Journalism itself. After all, Thompson was the first but by no means the last of those hacks who got (and still get) out there to "cover the story".

As regards GJ itself, I'm not sure one could come up with something succinct enough for H2G2. It's a hell of a legacy to get into and I wouldn't want to do a cock-eyed job. Fancy a go, Dr G?

Hmmmm.... This one will be FM eligible come Saturday....