The Electric Typewriter

Great articles and essays by the world's best journalists and writers.

20 Great Articles
by Hunter S. Thompson

20 amazing articles and essays by the late great Dr. Gonzo

Articles and Essays

The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved

"I got off the plane around midnight and no one spoke as I crossed the dark runway to the terminal. The air was thick and hot, like wandering into a steam bath..."

Freak Power in the Rockies

"On the Weird Mechanics of Running a Takeover Bid on a Small Town. . . and a Vulgar Argument for Seizing Political Power and Using It like a Gun Ripped Away from a Cop. . . with Jangled Comments on the Uncertain Role of the Head and the Awful Stupor Factor"

Doomed Love at the Taco Stand

"Going to Hollywood is a dangerous high-pressure gig for most people, under any circumstances. It is like pumping hot steam into thousands of different-size boilers..."

The Hippies

"The best year to be a hippie was 1965, but then there was not much to write about, because not much was happening in public and most of what was happening in private was illegal..." (Scroll to the bottom for the HST text).

The Curse of Lono

"We were about 40 minutes out of San Francisco when the crew finally decided to take action on the problem in lavatory 1B..."

The Motorcycle Gangs

"Ever since World War II, California has been strangely plagued by wild men on motorcycles. They usually travel in groups of ten to thirty, booming along the highways and stopping here are there to get drunk and raise hell..."

Strange Rumblings in Aztlan

"Aztlan - the “conquered territories” that came under the yoke of Gringo occupation troops more than 100 years ago, when “vendito politicians in Mexico City sold out to the US” in order to call off the invasion that Gringo history books refer to as the Mexican American War."

The Professional Voice of Law Enforcement

"Weapons are my business. You name it and I know it: guns, bombs, gas, fire, knives and everything else. Damn few people in the world know more about weaponry than I do..."

Prisoner of Denver

"The case of Lisl Auman, who first wrote me from prison three years ago, is so rotten and wrong and shameful that I feel dirty just for knowing about it, and so should you..."