History Main / GonzoJournalism

Gonzo journalism developed during the 1960s, spearheaded by outlaw journalist HunterSThompson. Thompson wrote very stylized news stories told from the first person perspective (most news stories are written in third person) that were often sarcastic, vulgar and extremely negative of his opposition, including his personal [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]], U.S. President UsefulNotes/RichardNixon. The UrExample, TropeCodifier, and {{Genre Launch}}er is Thompson's "[[UsefulNotes/HorseRacing The Kentucky Derby]] is Decadent and Depraved", published in the short-lived literary magazine ''Scanlan's Monthly'' in June 1970, documenting his trip to Louisville--his hometown--and the bizarre festival that is the Derby.

* ''Literature/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas'': Pretty much the TropeCodifier. A stream-of-conscious novel written by HunterSThompson in the early 1970s chronicling his experiences covering news stories in Las Vegas. Although ostensibly about his coverage of a motorcycle race and a police convention, Thompson used the setting to criticize what he saw as vile in American culture as well as lament the death of the ideals he and the hippies aspired to, but failed to see realized, in the previous decade.

* ''{{Transmetropolitan}}'': Main character Spider Jerusalem is a very obvious Hunter S. Thompson expy, based in some ill-defined future setting. Jerusalem violently accosts his enemies, uses his position to topple government officials and rally the masses out of their mindless funk. He clearly believes journalism is a weapon against evil and corrupt power. One point early on, he even has one of Thompson's books on his coffee table.

Gonzo journalism developed during the 1960s, spearheaded by outlaw journalist HunterSThompson. Thompson wrote very stylized news stories told from the first person perspective (most news stories are written in third person) that were often sarcastic, vulgar and extremely negative of his opposition, including his personal [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]], U.S. President UsefulNotes/RichardNixon. The UrExample, TropeCodifier, and {{Genre Launch}}er is Thompson's "[[UsefulNotes/HorseRacing The Kentucky Derby]] is Decadent and Depraved", published in the shortlived literary magazine ''Scanlan's Monthly'' in June 1970, documenting his trip to Louisville--his hometown--and the bizarre festival that is the Derby.

Gonzo journalism developed during the 1960s, spearheaded by outlaw journalist HunterSThompson. Thompson wrote very stylized news stories told from the first person perspective (most news stories are written in third person) that were often sarcastic, vulgar and extremely negative of his opposition, including his personal [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]], U.S. President UsefulNotes/RichardNixon. The UrExample, TropeCodifier, and {{Genre Launch}}er is Thompson's "[[HorseRacing The Kentucky Derby]] is Decadent and Depraved", published in the shortlived literary magazine ''Scanlan's Monthly'' in June 1970, documenting his trip to Louisville--his hometown--and the bizarre festival that is the Derby.

* Duke in the early years of ''{{Doonesbury}}'', so much that he's named after Hunter S. Thompson's alter ego Raoul Duke. Later in the strip's run he becomes a free-range influence peddler.
* In the early years of ''BloomCounty'', the character Limekiller was added to the cast. Gary Trudeau complained the character was too similar to Duke in ''Doonesbury'', which Berkeley Breathed admitted in his "Complete Bloom County" collection. Written out of the strip not long after Opus the Penguin became the comic's BreakoutCharacter.

Gonzo journalism developed during the 1960s, spearheaded by outlaw journalist HunterSThompson. Thompson wrote very stylized news stories told from the first person perspective (most news stories are written in third person) that were often sarcastic, vulgar and extremely negative of his opposition, including his personal [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]], U.S. President RichardNixon. The UrExample, TropeCodifier, and {{Genre Launch}}er is Thompson's "[[HorseRacing The Kentucky Derby]] is Decadent and Depraved", published in the shortlived literary magazine ''Scanlan's Monthly'' in June 1970, documenting his trip to Louisville--his hometown--and the bizarre festival that is the Derby.

* ''FearAndLoathingInLasVegas'': Pretty much the TropeCodifier. A stream-of-conscious novel written by HunterSThompson in the early 1970s chronicling his experiences covering news stories in Las Vegas. Although ostensibly about his coverage of a motorcycle race and a police convention, Thompson used the setting to criticize what he saw as vile in American culture as well as lament the death of the ideals he and the hippies aspired to, but failed to see realized, in the previous decade.

* ''Holidays In Hell'': A collection of essays and news articles by P.J. O'Rourke criticizing international corruption and populist guerrilla movements, which he saw as misguided and ultimately futile. O'Rourke came by his Gonzo cred honestly: he was (and is) the best-known of Thompson's successors at the ''Rolling Stone'' National Affairs Desk. (And frankly, anyone who can come up with an article title like "How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink" has at least a touch of HST in him.)

* Matt Taibbi has taken up Thompson's mantle of manic and iconoclastic political reporting for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, noted for such gonzo polemics as calling Goldman Sachs "[[MorallyBankruptBanker a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money]]".

* ''Holidays In Hell'': A collection of essays and news articles by P.J. O'Rourke criticizing international corruption and populist guerrilla movements, which he saw as misguided and ultimately futile. O'Rourke came by his Gonzo cred honestly: he was (and is) the best-known of Thompson's successors at the ''Rolling Stone'' National Affairs Desk.

* Michael Liberty, the IntrepidReporter protagonist of the ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' novel ''Liberty's Crusade'', dips into this as his ''ad hoc'' relationship with the [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized Sons of Korhal]] grows tighter and his anti-[[TheEmpire Confederacy]] beliefs become more and more apparent. The crowning achievement is a long-form holo-transmission (harder to fake than a normal 2D video) called "the Liberty Manifesto" that lays out the entire true story of the fall of the Confederacy [[FullCircleRevolution and the rise of the Dominion]], as told by Liberty, who was there for the whole thing. He takes a particular interest in both savaging Arcturus Mengsk, leader of the Sons and Emperor of the Dominion, for being a CompleteMonster and also blaming himself and everyone else for going along with the "madman" for so long.

* ''{{Transmetropolitan}}'': Main character Spider Jerusalem is a very obvious Hunter S. Thompson expy, based in some ill-defined future setting. Jerusalem violently accosts his enemies, uses his position to topple government officials and rally the masses out of their mindless funk. He clearly believes journalism is a weapon against evil and corrupt power.

* Of course, HunterSThompson.
* P.J. O'Rourke is often viewed as a conservative counterpart to Thompson. He claims Thompson and H.L. Menken as influences, and [[http://www.stopsmilingonline.com/story_detail.php?id=365 looks favorably on Thompson]].

* Sports broadcasts in North America can have their own version in their announcers. Most announcers will at least try to present themselves as neutral, but some will embrace their biased coverage and make it part of their image - a prime example is Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, the play-by-play announcer for the {{UsefulNotes/Chicago}} [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams White Sox]].
** This is more likely to occur with local broadcasts. While the professional leagues and major media networks have agreements to broadcast big games across the US on a regular basis (e.g., {{ESPN}} has ''Sunday Night Baseball'' and ''Monday Night Football''), most professional teams have agreements with local or regional networks to broadcast the vast majority of games that don't get on national TV[[note]]UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is the major exception due to its ''massive'' popularity and relatively fewer games (once a week for 16 weeks - compare that with baseketball, ice hockey (82 games, 3-4 games a week), and baseball (162 games, a game nearly every day)).[[/note]] Consequently, while nationwide telecasts have announcers who will be calling games for different teams week after week (and an announcer with such an obvious bias to one team will alienate a huge chunk of the audience, whether its fans of the other team or just casual fans), games on local broadcasts will see pretty much the same announcers for the same team being covered and will generally have fans of that particular team as their main audience (if you're going through the effort to find that team on a cable channel or radio, you're more likely to be a loyal fan of that team in general).

** This is more likely to occur with local broadcasts. While the professional leagues and major media networks have agreements to broadcast big games across the US on a regular basis (e.g., {{ESPN}} has ''Sunday Night Baseball'' and ''Monday Night Football''), most professional teams have agreements with local or regional networks to broadcast the vast majority of games that don't get on national TV[[note: UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball is the major exception due to its ''massive'' popularity and relatively fewer games (once a week for 16 weeks - compare that with baseketball, ice hockey (82 games, 3-4 games a week), and baseball (162 games, a game nearly every day)).]] Consequently, while nationwide telecasts have announcers who will be calling games for different teams week after week, games on local broadcasts will see pretty much the same announcers for the same team being covered and will generally have fans of that particular team as their main audience.

* The protagonist of Bryan Young's ''Lost at the Con'' is a self-declared gonzo journalist, usually on the political beats, who gets sent to cover [[FanConvention Griffin*Con]][[hottip:*:A thinly-veiled {{Expy}} of DragonCon]]. At first he's very disparaging of the con and the kind of people who go there (both fans and guests) [[spoiler:but eventually winds up defending them against the kind of {{JerkJock}}s who pick on people that just want to have fun and be themselves]].

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* ''Holidays In Hell'': A collection of essays and news articles by P.J. O'Rourke criticizing international corruption and populist guerrilla movements, which he saw as misguided and ultimately futile.

* Tom Wolfe is also seen as a major influence on gonzo journalism.

*

What is gonzo journalism? Well, take everything you know about traditional news coverage, then take a side, argue fervently in favor of your views, dismiss those who disagree as insane or evil (bonus points for both) and demonize the opposition to the point that every story becomes the ultimate battle of good vs. evil.

Oh, and feel free to drop as many four-letter words as you like. [[WatchItStoned Mind-altering chemicals]] and a sense of superiority are highly encouraged. Expect those being demonized to write off such obviously biased attacks as being created by a PropagandaMachine. But that's just what fascists would say, right?

Gonzo journalism developed during the 1960s, spearheaded by outlaw journalist HunterSThompson. Thompson wrote very stylized news stories told from the first person perspective (most news stories are written in third person) that were often sarcastic, vulgar and extremely negative of his opposition, including his personal [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]], U.S. President RichardNixon.

* All the press of Argentina financed by the government. In it, the Kirchners are national heroes and even saints, the opposition work for either foreign sources or the dictatorship of 40 years ago (or both), and news that may not fit the government desires (such as an inflation over 30% or the vicepresident accused of criminal activities) are simply ommited.

Gonzo news articles are normally told similar to a fictional story format, with the writer acting as narrator of the story with a focus not only on people and events but also [[WriterOnBoard personal commentary on the history and morality of said subjects]]. The purpose of the story is to sway the reader to the writer's side by championing a person, group or outlook on life and ridiculing those opposed to such things. Usually the side being championed is portrayed as the underdog fighting against the status quo, because TrueArtSticksItToTheMan. Even stories that aren't attack pieces ''per se'' still treat mundane news events with irreverence and contempt because TrueArtIsOffensive.

* Duke in ''{{Doonesbury}}'', so much that he's named after Hunter S. Thompson's alter ego Raoul Duke.

Oh, and feel free to drop as many four-letter words as you like. [[EverythingsBetterOnDrugs Mind-altering chemicals]] and a sense of superiority are highly encouraged. Expect those being demonized to write off such obviously biased attacks as being created by a PropagandaMachine. But that's just what fascists would say, right?

* McDougal from ''The Paper'' qualifies. Of course, the enemy he demonizes is the parking commissioner.