“Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga” chronicles Hunter S. Thompson's recounting of spending more than a year immersing himself with the then-notorious (and widely feared) Hell’s Angels. Thompson summons his hatred for the (rape-hungry) mainstream media and misinformed bourgeois “squares” to get to the truth behind this dirty, beer-guzzling, violent, homosocial group of men “terrorizing” the nation. In a chaotic, quasi-chronological manner, Thompson takes his readers in a whirling journey of the following main events: 1) Monterey Run, Labor Day 1964, in which the Angels made headlines for allegedly gang-raping two teenage girls on the beach; 2) July 4th Run, Bass Lake 1965, a much-anticipated (by town and authorities) gathering in which the Angels are quarantined by local officials and take over part of a national park in order to party; and 3) A look at the Angel’s use of marijuana/LSD, the reality of rape in the group, and the stomping of Thompson. For each of these events, Thompson tells a version of the story from the Hell’s Angels point of view and counters it with the “official” police and government reports and “wildly inaccurate” media stories. Each time, the Hell’s Angels come across as misunderstood outsiders and the media/authorities come across as incompetent rumor-mongers. Interspersed between these main stories are many, many smaller stories about Thompson’s interactions with the Hell’s Angels (and his thoughts about the culture) and recreations of alleged occurrences of the Angels vs. the local authorities/townsmen. Also interjected throughout are well-researched facts about motorcyclists, the Hell’s Angels, the media’s portrayal of the Hell’s Angels, and other national events/statistics of the time. Thompson continuously uses introductory and interjecting quotes from policemen, government officials, Hell’s Angels, and everyone from Allen Ginsberg to John Milton (Paradise Lost). These quotes are part of Thompson’s overall attempt to have “Hell’s Angels” serve as a snapshot of the mid-60s in which major national changes were under way and the countercultural groups (and perceived anarchist lifestyles like the bikers’) were both mesmerizing and frightening to the general public.
I was drawn to this book because 1) I didn’t want to have taken a literary journalism class without having read a book in its entirety by either Thompson or Thomas Wolfe, and 2) because I grew up with my father reading all of Thompson’s work and I was curious to see what the fuss about Gonzo journalism is all about. (I also concluded that any book that chronicles the lifestyle of the Hell’s Angels had to be interesting.)
The plot line of “Hell’s Angels” is noted above, and Thompson continuously uses narrative threads in other, less directly relevant chapters, to tell (and foreshadow to) the main Angel events. Thompson will dedicate a few chapters to a specific event, such as the Lake Bass gathering, and then break up the continuous narrative with random tidbits of relevant information, such as chapter 6, which focus on the Angel’s “time honored concept of an eye for an eye” or chapter 7, which discusses the economic boom of lightweight bikes. Thompson, the father of Gonzo, incorporates nearly all elements of Gonzo journalism in “Hell’s Angels.”
He is, based on previous class discussions, of the “active” Gonzo variety in this book. Thompson is, without a doubt, a main character in this book, but, perhaps surprisingly, he is not as self-centered, emotionally charged or stream of consciousness-esque in this writing as in others since, such as “The Scum Also Rises.” Other elements of Gonzo journalism include: a questioning of authority and mainstream media; disjointedness; sex-oriented; a lack of objectivity (though he arguably attempts to tell both sides, in spite of his favoritism of the Angels); a truth-seeking quest; includes comedy, irony, and black humor; features solid research and reporting; and seeks a larger meaning.
The most prevalent anti-establishment theme throughout “Hell’s Angels” is undoubtedly his distrust and distaste for the mainstream media. For example of the Monterey rape allegations, Thompson quotes the attorney general:
“‘Last fall, two teen-age girls were taken forcibly from their dates and raped by several members of the gang.’ [Thompson speaking now:] This was flagrant libel, for in fact all charges against Terry, Marvin, Mother Miles and Crazy Cross were dropped less than a month after their arrest. In their eagerness to get at the hair and meat of the story, Time’s interpreters accidentally skipped page one of the Lynch report, which clearly stated that ‘further investigation raised questions as to whether forcible rape had been committed … ‘and besides, one girl refused to testify and the other was given a lie-detector test and was found to be wholly unreliable. This was pretty dull stuff, however, and the Time couldn’t find room for it.”
In another chapter of the book, Thompson argues that “the Hell’s Angels as they exist today are virtually created by Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times.” The myth of the Angels, therefore, (which is the entire point of the book: to demystify the Angels) is, according to Thompson, completely and utterly the product of media sensation.
A new element of literary journalism (of the Gonzo variety) might be a use of Capote’s vertical plunging into writing – the big difference being that here it is the author’s inner thoughts and not the subjects’ – in order to capitalizes on mood, emotion, and the opinions of the writer to tell the story.
Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) was a journalist and a novelist who is the father of what came to be known as “Gonzo journalism.” Thompson was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and he later began his writing career in Florida as a sports columnist and subsequently wrote for many newspapers. Other books by Thompson include: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72; The Great Shark Hunt; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; The Curse of Lono; Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the 80s Gonzo Papers, Volume II; Hell’s Angels; Better Than Sex; The Rum Diary (a novel), Screwjack and Other Stories; and Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century. Hell’s Angels was Thompson’s first nonfiction attempt, and he spent more than a year associating with the Hell’s Angels, riding, hanging out, plotting, and partying before he was eventually “stomped.”
Discussion question:
When literary journalism reporters are immersing themselves in a story, as Thompson does for “Hell’s Angels,” what do you think the rules should be to maintain an ethical baseline (if you believe there should be one)? For example, should Thompson have thrown parties for the Angels at his own apartment or should Thompson have been the one to go pick up a carload of Angel-paid-for beer for the party at Bass Lake (where officials were afraid of the outlaws getting drunk and disorderly)?
Thompson's full participation in the lifestyle of the Angels would be considered ethically questionable now, but as we've noted in class, he was one of the first Gonzo immersion journalists, so I don't think there were any set "rules." However, I see similarities between James Boswell and Thompson in their creation of situations in order to write about them. Much like Boswell invited Johnson's arch nemesis to supper to spark conversation, Thompson threw parties for the Angels in order to capture some of this activity to put into his story.
ReplyDeleteI think there should be an ethical baseline for immersion journalists. I don't think that the journalists should try to "lead" their subjects at all. Whatever is happening in the setting should then be written about in the story. No situations or alterations of situations should have to be created in order to add interest to the story. If you have to create interesting things to happen, maybe the story subject really isn't that interesting and should be abandoned.