Ex-colleague recalls work with icon

When the world learned of the apparent suicide of Hunter S. Thompson, Churchill County resident and writer Tim Findley was equally surprised.

He described Thompson's death as "Hemingway-esque," a name he said deserves equal standing with that of the late Gonzo journalist.

Findley, a former associate and reporter for Rolling Stone magazine and reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, recalled an eccentric colleague whose brilliance and hard-living will never be duplicated.

"He was viewed as a cultural icon," Findley said. "I don't think he wanted that. He just liked doing it. And, really, he was a nice guy."

He and Thompson first met while the latter was working on his breakthrough book, "Hell's Angels," a first-hand account of biker culture in the 1960s. Findley was researching black revolutionaries. They later became colleagues at Rolling Stone.

One notable collaboration was their coverage of the 1972 Republican Convention in Miami. Thompson was assigned to the convention floor, while Findley covered the protesters and other non-delegates outside.

It was an unwritten rule among Rolling Stone staff that those traveling with Thompson were a safety net in case he didn't show up, passed out, or couldn't work for any reason, Findley said.

Thompson rolled into town in a red convertible, his preferred mode of transportation. He used his open expense account liberally, Findley said.

The two met up in Thompson's hotel room, where he pulled out a suitcase. Findley expected clothes.

"It was just full of pill bottles, syringes and vials," he said.

"What do you want?" Thompson asked.

Findley didn't partake, knowing the cost of trying to keep up with Thompson's voracious drug appetites.

" You didn't want to keep up with him," he said. "He could out-drink you, out-dope you. He could outdo you on anything."

Their convention coverage is in the Sept. 28, 1972 edition of Rolling Stone. Thompson's piece analyzed the political maneuvering of a Republican party in firm command of the polls, complete with sardonic illustrations of President Nixon by Ralph Steadman.

Findley's article covers the flavor of those outside looking to make political statements. He was hit with a tear gas canister while approaching a crowd of protesters.

Findley said Thompson would write after crashing from days of excess. And he wasn't much for deadlines. He holed up in a house in Silver Springs, Md., to write his stories on his own terms. Rolling Stone staffers often made the trip to Silver Springs to get Thompson's stories because the entire issue often depended on them, Findley said.

The trip was especially treacherous near deadline, when Thompson employed two Doberman pinschers to guard the property. Findley remembers charging past the dogs to grab whatever story or notes Thompson had. Often, it was only notes - but darn good notes.

"The secret about Hunter is that Hunter didn't write," he said. "He was more of a collector than a writer. He took extensive notes. It was all of his impressions."

Though he can't explain why Thompson took his own life, Findley said his literary legacy is far from waning.

"What he wrote was genius; it was diamonds," he said.

n Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com.