Search - Hunter S. Thompson :: Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1996 Spoken Word Adaptation)

Well, how would YOU have interpreted it?

Brent | Ohio | 06/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"All of my other fellow "reviewers" above/below, whatever, seem to be going out of their way to show the world how "hip," how...dare I say this, "gonzo" they are in describing this CD. You're missing the whole point, folks: YOU weren't "there," it's wasn't YOUR "trip," so how dare you have the temerity to say THIS "interpretation" is "incorrect?" I think Duke himself left the verbiage in "Fear And Loathing" purposefully vague, so as to let the reader use his OWN imagination regarding, say, "senzaman wazzyneeds," or "dead grandmother crawling up his leg with a knife in her teeth," or "with the right kind of eyes, you can almost see where the wave crested and broke." Indeed, it's kind of like that old Charles M. Young album review of 'Woodstock' in 'Rolling Stone,' where a female protagonist is saying to someone who is being OH-so-hip, "that's why there will never BE a 'Woodstock Nation,' you won't let anybody share your trip." But, hey, since we're all being so "subjective," and all, let me throw in MY opinion about something: be a little real, Jimmy Buffett portraying the cop that pulled Duke over in the desert? Right, SURE: that's about like Tiny Tim doing the voice of Gonzo...on a more positive closing note though, Harry Dean Stanton's narration is absolutely perfect, and the music is fantastic, PARICULARLY Waddy Wachtel's note-for-note rendition of "Sympathy For The Devil." Buy the ticket and take your OWN ride, people."

.....Umm

buddhitsava | Edina, MN | 02/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Strange memories, evil reviews, looking for a ray of light amid bogs of terrifying minds. What does it all mean? What has it all come down to? The American Dream must surely have perished here and now with single-parented infants shaping the minds of a generation of a generation raised on television. The worms are closing from all sides...The reality of the situation is obvious, the recording is an impressive recreation of an American classic. Besides doing a fine job edititing in creative sound effects (consistant match heads being struck...cigarettes or spoooons) interwoven with beautifully read lines. It comes off sounding like a hipster radio story from the 30's, with excellent sound quiality and ingenuity. Those looking for a Johnny Depp-esque Thompson impression should look to the movie and no further. To the fools and ingrates out there who need their entertainment not only spoon fed to them but placed nicely in front of them on a large screen television with plenty of easily digested visual imagery with the expectation only to use the lowest levels of the intellect, just because Thompson talks in his unique manor in reality, his mind's ear hears his written voice as this. Calm and clear regardless of the chaos inflicted on it. After all, he is a doctor, and he has stated words which affirm this truism.Also, Thompson fears that when people laugh upon his entrance into a room, it's because of Where The Buffalo Roam, please discontinue recommending."

Catches the tone well

Chas | UK | 08/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoyed this adaptation of one of my favourite books. It is funny and having become very familiar with the prose I think it is a faithful attempt by the creators to make something that reflects the material well. It makes me laugh and the main advantage of the format is that I can enjoy the book whilst driving. How cool is that?"