trippy and loathing it

"And that, I think, was the handle - that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of old and evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look west, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark - that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back"

(raoul duke)

last night; my friend maggie took me to intermezzo cafe for a little celebration treat. this was the second time in a week that we'd been here, and ironically for a second turn, our conversation lead to effect that illegal drugs have on a person's brain. what began this most bizarre exchange was my mention that i had recently watched the "cult classic," if you can call it that- fear and loathing in las vegas. johnny depp's portrayal of hunter s. thompson - though called raoul duke in this instance- is rather cinematic to say the least and it was one film, that well, i was glad ended. not to say that the plot, nor the narration didn't hold any ground or message, but since the entire film is one big drug trip, interrupted by scenes of intense vomiting, it's safe to say that one viewing is enough for me. the fact is: i can handle guts and gore of a war film or perhaps a solid action flick, but vomiting, my friends? well, that's just where i draw the line. stomaching that- makes me want to hack it back up in regret.

nevertheless, the film gave interesting insight to man known for being a revolutionary in his own right, and i suppose, i could cross the line and say thompson was down right crazy. but he was known for participating, madly, in his stories. this called: gonzo journalism. not only so, but his extensive drug and alcohol use was common knowledge.

ironically the film plays out a journalist sent out on a story about a motorcycle race and he drags his friend and proclaimed attorney - the two ensue in an alternate world "adventure," if i dare say, that is seduced by lsd among other insane substances. the hallucinations are awkward and uncomfortable. and my friend, maggie, says to me: "that movie is my anti-drug." good thing, her stories are fascinating and wild enough without tales of 3d scaley lizards in a bar.

johnny depp's pose of the thompson character displays serious indignity. but i admit that the draw beyond this illicit man's brain had some perspective to offer in the run down of a dwindling movement 40 years ago. then again, has history repeated itself to the point where this film remake is testifying to a modern societal downturn in a failed utopian pursuit?