Inspiration comes in many forms. But a countless inspiration for many influential artists in writing, music or film is the city and culture of New Orleans.
It’s a mystery why Hunter S. Thompson’s writing wasn’t more influenced by the historical defiance’s and the pushing of pleasure values that is New Orleans.. Granted, in the 1970’s New Orleans wasn’t a very politically progressive city, which Hunters true interests laid at the time. But maybe New Orleans was a more Raul Duke* scene, akin to the classic film, easy rider. Acid tripping with hippies in the rain at St. Louis cemetery, then hitting a cathouse and Bourbon St. on a surreal Mardi Gras night. Possibly fear and loathing in New Orleans? Maybe an unwritten gonzo masterpiece? With short questioning sentences? Which force the reader to listen to their on internal dialogue? I digress. I fell into this city at the freedom bearing age of 18 where my appetite for life and exploration was beginning to peak. It was an exciting mid altering time where the rich past of the city was manifested through crazy hoodie hiding adventures. Whether the sound and flow of the Mississippi river (no way tom sawyer made a raft and floated down it), the time warping architecture of the French quarter or the 300 year old Spanish moss covered oaks, New Orleans is a constant muse to artists, residents and visitors alike. So why didn’t Hunter, high on ether and cocaine wander through Congo Square and find himself at a voodoo ritual next in line to ward off hoodoo with a heavy swig of newly sacrificed chicken blood? A past love of mine does have picture which places Hunter at Nicks bar around 2002. But where’s the essence of my city depicted in a few stream of conscious sentences which poetically captures the cultural consensus of the moment? About a city built by Europe and sustained on hundreds of years of pleasure providing ideals and freedoms. A city built on voodoo and corruption. It’s a shame that the most boundary pushing American writer didn’t portray the most boundary pushing (northern most Caribbean )city. C’mon. We invented it. A city built on bordellos and swampland. I guess there are no other options except for you to write it. Eat some hallucinogens, say yes to anything anyone asks you and make sure you have a unstable strung out advisor leading the way. And maybe, just maybe your gonzo grip will be firm enough to capture the real surreal essence and spirit world that is New Orleans. Like Hunter said, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”


*Raul Duke is the main character in fear and loathing based on Hunter himself.