This is a much belated thank you note cum obituary to a great writer

Many of you have probably never heard of Dr. Hunter S Thompson. He was a writer, newspaper columnist, and according to many people a crazy, out of control motherfucker of a guy.

When a book starts out with "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold." you just KNOW it's going to be good. And so it was. Which was the start of my love affair with HST's writings. You can't get them here in the .lk, but this Internet thing is a big help.

So why write one now? Because, I am in the mood to write about him. His ideas, philosophies, his writing style, they all had a big impact on me. In the same way as a well-aimed fist in the face has an impact on you.

I can only dream of approaching his writing style, and just stand here in awe.

HST killed himself on 20th February 2005. He was in pain from various injuries, including a broken hip, and after spending the weekend with his family, he put a gun to his head and ended it all. As per his wishes he was cremated, and his ashes were loaded into a massive firework and exploded into the night sky

It was an appropriate end to a remarkable man.