Blogging has already come a long way in a short amount of time. The new frontier of journalism is in its infancy, but i hope to do my best to get good information out there so other people can become better at true journalistic blogging. And i think this is a good place to start.
Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson is one of the most important pieces of journalism in the last 50 years. Not only was this book a stepping-stone to Thompson’s fame, it is an important work that all journalists should read. Thompson’s innovative style that he pioneered as "gonzo journalism" is at its best in Hell’s Angels.
Thompson followed the motorcycle gang Hell’s Angels in California, putting himself in the line of fire. Following the Hell’s Angels is little less than going into a war zone as an embedded journalist, literally risking his life to get a story out.
The Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang had formed in the 1950’s, but when the attorney general of California decided it was time in 1965, he out-ed the group to the media. The media, using the movie The Wild One starring Marlon Brando as a template, picked up the story in a classic fear-campaign, scarring the hell out of the public. The media told extravagant stories of unsophisticated Huns coming from the city to attack innocent towns throughout California. A classic piece from Newsweek that Thompson shares is "the Angels-sometimes accompanied by the young children of a member or by the unmarried females who hang out with the club- often rent a dilapidated house on the edge of town, where they swap girls, drugs and motorcycles with equal abandon. In between drug-induced stupors, go on motorcycle-stealing forays. Afterward, they may ride off again to seek some new nadir in sordid behavior."
Hunter S. Thompson uses his one-of-a-kind style to help prove or disprove the media’s reports about the group, putting himself in the lion’s lair. The Angels hate journalists, so immediately Thompson is distrusted and chastised from the group. But as soon as he brings beer and a few joints, they give him a chance. The weird contradiction about the Angels was how much they were like Hollywood stars. They loathed journalists and photographers, but couldn’t get enough of the press they were getting and the prestige that came with it. Living up to the media hype actually made the Angels crazier.
Hell’s Angels is a front lines report of what actually goes on in the Hell’s Angels. Although distrustful, the Angels begin to open up to Thompson, telling their side of the story. Not surprisingly, the Angels’ version of events usually would differ greatly from media reports.
Hell’s Angels is a classic piece of new journalism or "gonzo journalism", but unlike other pieces of Thompson’s work, it is actually a piece of journalism. Thompson goes through great lengths to get both sides of events from witnesses, media reports and the Angels. Even if one side is completely embellishing the story, which both the media and the Angels do, Thompson puts it out there for the reader to judge.
Thompson’s first-person style may be looked down upon as a style for real journalism, but it has its benefits that writers can learn from. When you read Hell’s Angels your not reading a news report about some big guys in leather jackets reeking havoc, your actually there. Thompson tells you his first hand accounts and conversations with particular angels, and then you have a personalized story when that angel gets himself in some trouble.
In Hell’s Angels, Thompson is extremely talented at scene setting, letting you know what’s going on around you. That is a big advantage of first-person journalism. Since Thompson is telling you what’s going on around him, you can put yourself in his place and get a better sense of the story. The story isn’t happening in some far off place where it will never affect you. It feels like it’s actually happening to you. This is what Thompson is most talented at, but his trademark wit comes out in the book as well. The title of one chapter is "The Statutory Rape of Bass Lake," which is about a party the Angels had at a campsite.
Hell’s Angels is one of Hunter S. Thompson’s best pieces of real journalism, and it can teach a lot to a new journalist. Even if you don’t write in first person, you can still learn how to set scenes like Thompson, making the story appeal more to the reader. It is almost impossible to overstate how much Thompson has taught me about journalism. Hell’s Angels is a real piece of journalism, telling the story of the gang of drunks who get thrown into the national spotlight. Getting a good story will take more than just scratching the surface. Committing yourself to a lengthy stay and doing tons of research to get an in-depth story will have good results. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone thinking about being a journalist, because there is so much you can learn from him.