What is Gonzo Journalism? I had surely never heard of it before. When I heard the word Gonzo all I could think about was the little blue muppet (but I did find out that the term “gonzo journalism” predated the muppet).
Traditional journalism values objectivity. Writers and reporters that stay true to traditional journalism write based on fact and present their findings in a clear, unbiased fashion. Gonzo journalism is the complete opposite of that. Journalists who practice this form of writing use first-person accounts without any attempt to keep their personal views, observations, or experiences off the page.
As part of the new journalism movement of the 1970s, gonzo journalism uses sarcasm, dark humor, exaggeration, and even profanity. It was a part of the counterculture movement, going against everything deemed “traditional.” Pure gonzo journalism is quite rare today, but attributes of it can still be seen in a wide range of publications like Rolling Stone and VICE.
This type of writing even has its own symbol: the gonzo fist. A hand with two thumbs and four fingers holding a peyote button, which is a type of small cactus. The symbol was originally part of Hunter S. Thompson’s 1970 campaign for sheriff of Pitkin County.
Now, who is Hunter S. Thompson, one might ask? He is seen as the father of gonzo journalism. The term was first ever used by the editor of The Boston Globe, Bill Cardoso. He used it to describe Thompson's article of June 1970 entitled “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.”
Cardoso claimed that the word gonzo comes from South Boston Irish slang for the last man standing after an all-night drinking marathon. Although it is also assumed that the term was inspired by the 1960 song “Gonzo” by a Rhythm and Blues pianist by the name of James Booker. Thompson himself claimed that the name was influenced by the song in an oral biography released in 2007. So, the origin of the name is very up in the air, and may never be known.
Hunter S. Thompson is best known for his book which started as a piece written for Rolling Stone Magazine. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a detailed recounting of his personal trip to Las Vegas for the Mint 400 motorcycle race. It is a somewhat fictionalized account that included dark humor, drug use, hallucinations, and sarcasm that grew popular enough to be published as a hardcover book by Random House. It was later adapted into a movie starring Johnny Depp as the Thompson character.
It is rumored that Johnny Depp grew so close to Thompson that upon his death in 2005, Depp spent $3 million to build a cannon in the shape of the gonzo fist to shoot Thompson’s ashes out of it.
Some popular modern examples that display attributes of gonzo journalism include the VICE story “My Wedding Feast Gave All my Loved Ones Salmonella” by Katinka Oppeck and “Up All Night with Amy Winehouse” by Claire Hoffman.
Thompson’s legacy is honored and kept alive by the online publication called GonzoToday. They provide a mission statement that reads: “GonzoToday is a collective of writers and artists dedicated to promoting self-expression and freedom of speech and provides a platform for truth and artistic creation… We condemn censorship of speech or ideas; the exploitation of the planet’s resources or inhabitants; and bigotry, discrimination, or oppression against any person, group, or worldview.”
Publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine regard Thompson as a legend and a journalism hero. In a 2010 article for the Michigan Online News, writer Jennifer Marinelli argues “Hunter S. Thompson didn’t just create a new form of journalism. He created a new way of thinking that is still important in today’s society…It is doubtful that many members of the Digital Age partake in the hard gonzo lifestyle of drugs and alcohol that Thompson symbolizes. However, it is hard to ignore the similarities between Thompson’s gonzo journalism and today’s growing popularity of citizen journalism through new media like blogs and Twitter.”
On the other hand, any writers and publications do not even consider Thompson a journalist, but a disgrace. He is a somewhat controversial individual in the journalism field as there are so many mixed emotions that are brought about by his name and the type of journalism he created.
No comments:
Post a Comment