Random Bizarre Stories From Hunter S. Thompson's Life (14 items)

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  (#5) He Terrorized Jack Nicholson With Fireworks And The Sounds Of Pig Slaughter

  One of Hunter S. Thompson’s illustrious celebrity friends was Jack Nicholson. They had an odd, long-running joke of giving each other strange gifts. Nicholson's birthday present from Thompson took the cake by far. 

  Reaching Nicholson’s house after dark, Thompson arrived at a ridge overlooking the building and launched a 40 million candlepower parachute flare, which lit up 40 miles of darkness and looked like “the first flash of a nuclear explosion.” Not missing a beat he aimed a million-watt spotlight on the house and played the amplified sounds of dying pigs (this wouldn't be the last time he employed this trick) through a loudspeaker. Thinking that might not be enough, he began firing his automatic pistol into the air.

  Nicholson didn't respond.

  What Thompson didn’t know was that Nicholson was being stalked by a crazed fan at the time. When Thompson got no reaction from the extensive theatrics, he left a fresh elk heart on Nicholson’s doorstep.

  In a painting Nicholson would do in honor of Thompson's death, he wrote, "How'd ya like the Elk Heart?" as a nod.
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  (#4) He Ran For (And Almost Won) Sheriff Of Aspen

  Back in 1970 Hunter S. Thompson campaigned on the "Freak Power" ticket in Pitkin County, CO. Meaning, he was supported by members of the late-’60s counter-culture who felt they weren’t properly represented by the incumbent, Carol Whitmire.  

  Thompson's platform was based around the promise to legalize drugs for recreational use. He also vowed to tear up the roads and carpet the streets with grass. He also planned to ban any building high enough to obscure the view of the landscape and rename Aspen “Fat City” in order to put an end to the “land rapers” who would develop the area further.

  Naturally, Thompson quickly conflicted with the current Sheriff, who went as far as to threaten to arrest anyone who looked like they might vote for Thompson. There was also an incident where over 200 sticks of dynamite were stolen from a local ski company - they left behind a note threatening to blow up half of the county if Thompson was elected. Thompson’s reply was to shave his head so that he could refer to his conservative, crew-cut rival as “my long-haired opponent.” 

  Eventually, (and shockingly) it began to look like Thompson might actually win. To make sure that wouldn't happen, Whitmire, a Republican, made a rare deal with the Democratic candidate to consolidate their votes. Thompson lost by a mere four votes.
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  (#14) He Made Friends with His Arch-Nemesis, Richard Nixon

  Superman and Lex Luthor, Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, Batman and the Joker, Thompson and Nixon.  

  Thompson employed every tactic at his disposal to destroy President Richard Nixon in his career. He even promised to leave the US forever if Nixon was re-elected (he was, Thompson didn’t). It was public knowledge that he hated the man.  

  Somehow, while he was writing Fear and Loathing on the campaign trail, Thompson managed to get an interview with Nixon himself. It couldn't be a long interview, he just had a short car ride to the airport with the President, but it had all the makings of Frost/Nixon. 

  It turns out they just had a very short, polite, conversation about football. Whether Nixon even knew who Thompson was is unclear, but Thompson described the conversation akin to talking with an old buddy.  

  The event was not without incident. When they pulled over at a gas station to fill up, Thompson got out and promptly lit a cigarette, which terrified the Secret Service at the prospect of blowing them all up.
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  (#10) He Attempted To Light His Editor On Fire

  Jann Wenner wasn't just the editor of Rolling Stone, he was also a friend of Thompson's. One night while staying at Owl Creek he wasn't paying as much attention to a Joni Mitchell album as Thompson wanted him to be.

  Thompson decided the best way to wake him was by spraying a fire extinguisher at Wenner, who shook awake, gagging and coughing. This wasn't the first time Wenner was on the receiving end of Thompson's pranks. A now-famous Annie Leibovitz photograph shows Thompson in the midst of one of his favorite party tricks: spitting fire.
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  (#13) He Invented Shotgun Golf

  The sport's first game was played by Bill Murray and Thompson at 3:30 am on a Tuesday, then written up as Thompson's last column for ESPN. You only need three pieces of equipment: golf club, a golf ball, and a shotgun; and three players: a golfer, a shooter, and a judge. 

  If you're golfing, you need to make it onto the green. If you're firing, you need to blast your opponent's golf ball into oblivion. Two points are awarded to whoever is successful. 
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  (#2) He Stopped A Hell's Angel From Hurting His Wife And Dog

  Hunter S. Thompson’s first book, Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, took Hunter into the depths of an organization few men would dare infiltrate. In order to research the book he spent two years eating, drinking, riding, and living with the Hell's Angels.

  Things went well enough at first, he was accepted and allowed unprecedented access into their world without much trouble. He seemed able to not only separate his life from theirs, but also to distance himself from other horrors.

  That is until Thompson saw an Angel called "Junkie George" hitting his girlfriend. 

  George's dog also tried to intervene and as he did George began hitting the dog as well. This was too much for Thompson and he attempted to break up the fight telling George that "only a punk [hits] his wife and dog." The Angels wouldn't stand for that kind of disrespect and it earned Thompson a trip to the hospital.

  This was the end of the unlikely truce between Thompson and the Hell's Angels.

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