Farewell to Hunter
By Mike Roselle

It would be wrong for this site not to notice the passing of Hunter S. Thompson. Reading his early works, along with those of Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac and Art Linkletter are partly responsible for the fact that I could never keep a job. Since Dr. Thompson’s death, I have sworn off glue, ether, barbiturates, amphetamines and large doses of LSD. It would be wrong to ignore the lessons he taught us. And because of his enormous impact on our popular culture, we can’t remember those lessons anymore. Anyway, a famous author, poet or musician would pretty much be the last person I would consult on the subject of checking out of this world and seeing if the Pope is right or wrong about all that sinning stuff. Let’s face it; Hunter S. Thompson is going to have a hard time getting into Heaven if there really are Pearly Gates. However, we will all see him at that Big Bar Room in the Sky, which is a major reason to believe that heaven will not have those velvet ropes and big burley doormen that some of those Downtown Bars have. We are certain that if Hunter were still alive, he still would not be writing for this web site. Unlike most other famous and important people, I never met Hunter. Had I, I am sure he would have been as unimpressed by me as all the other greats. This is one of the things great thinkers have had in common throughout the decades. We at Lowbagger will miss not having known Hunter for a long time.

Had I met Hunter S. Thompson, as with most other celebrity authors, I would be telling you about it by now. That’s because unlike what happens when you read other great works of literature, reading Hunter S. Thompson’s books get you into a lot of trouble. Imagine what it must have been for those who actually did know him. So if you want to hear a real good recent Hunter Thompson Story log-on to Joe Hickey.com. (Oh wait, there is no Joe Hickey.com.) You’ll just have to call him. I usually get his voice mail. For Lowbaggers, the real lesson of Hunter S. Thompson is to always meet celebrities before they die. The other is to remember how they lived. Me, I just try to remember.