'Gonzo journalist' speaks at free-for-all

The "father of gonzo journalism," Hunter S. Thompson, engaged in a rambling, chain-smoking and whiskey-gargling free-for-all discussion with 400 students in Chemistry 102 last night. Thompson is widely known for the columns he wrote as national affairs editor of Rolling Stone from 1969 to 1974 and for authoring several books that offer an outrageous and scathingly cynical look at American politics. He invented the art of "gonzo journalism," a term he coined during the early 1970s to characterize his own disjointed, demented and biting presentation of politics. With a reputation for drug abuse and hard-drinking, "Dr. Thompson" has attracted a cult following across the country. Many University students attending last night's discussion said they were fans of the 54-year-old anarchist and, in honor of the occasion, some could be observed smoking marijuana and drinking hard liquor before the discussion began. Thompson did not disappoint his fans. The audience welcomed him with a standing ovation even before Connaissance Chairperson and College junior Jesus Guerrero could complete Thompson's introduction. Thompson walked into the room, his trademark Dunhill cigarette dangling from his lip, and sat down at the table where a pitcher of water and a bottle of his favorite brand of whiskey were already set up for him. Guerrero began the discussion by asking Thompson his opinion of the state of American politics in light of the major political scandals of the last 20 years, including Watergate, the Iran-Contra affair and Whitewater. It would be the only question Guerrero was able to ask. Thompson started to answer the question, stating sarcastically that he had to be careful in answering because he did not wish to sully the audience's optimistic view of the future. But he soon digressed. "Drugs is one way to separate politics from reality," Thompson said as the audience rolled with laughter. Thompson's talk then degenerated into an unfocused question-and-answer session in which one audience member after another would cut Thompson off by shouting another question at him as soon as they believed he had concluded his often rambling answers. One member of the audience disrupted Thompson several times by screaming out the word "Satan." At another point, Thompson developed a violent, hacking cough which prevented him from continuing until he cleared his throat by gargling with whiskey. No one in the audience seemed to mind. Thompson wandered from topic to topic, touching on such diverse issues as his disillusionment with President Clinton, the candidate he endorsed in 1992, to whether he planned to see the Grateful Dead perform this summer. "I look at politics as a way to control my environment," Thompson said. "George Bush and Ronald Reagan left me with a feeling I was not controlling my environment." Former presidents Bush and Reagan were frequent targets of Thompson's wit. But Clinton was not free from attack either. Answering one question, Thompson said that when Clinton arrives at the "Great Hall where the Lords of Karma" decide how to reincarnate people, he will be sent back to earth as "a three-legged donkey on a Navajo Reservation." "I'm very bitter about Clinton now," he said, adding that the president is too preoccupied with winning votes for the 1996 election to make the proper decisions. "Clinton would initiate the gestapo if there was a well of popular support for it," Thompson said. "I had more fun losing with [1972 Presidential Candidate George] McGovern than winning with Bill Clinton." He also called U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno "that monster of a thing," criticizing Clinton's actions in Waco, Tx. and questioning his efforts to allow police to occupy housing projects in Chicago. When asked about cartoonist Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury character "Dr. Duke," supposedly modeled after the eccentric author, Thompson said he does not like the cartoon and thinks it is an unfair representation of him. After the discussion ended, several students stayed to talk and briefly smoke marijuana with Thompson, before the writer returned to his hotel.McCoullum" 'Speak your truths'