Stories Done: Writings on the 1960s and Its Discontents by Mikal Gilmore

Stories Done is a collection of music journalist Mikal Gilmore’s work from Rolling Stone about people and events that had a great cultural impact during the 1960s and into the 1970s. While all decades are filled with moments of notoriety, infamy, and significance — illuminated by the passage of time and the work of historians — the 1960s (especially in the United States) stands out as a decade of great change and upheaval. It was an era of seemingly limitless human potential bound by imagination and consciousness, both expanded by external sources.

Gilmore states in his introduction the subjects of his articles, which include eulogies for recently departed icons and commemorations of anniversaries, “were part of a major historical shift that not only challenged the cultural and social values of that age, but also, for an astonishing term, almost preempted the real power of the era.”

The accomplishments of the Beats were a great influence on the 1960s so it’s fitting the book opens with a feature on Allan Ginsberg, who had the most direct involvement with those who followed in their footsteps off the beaten path. What Ginsberg did with his art to affect the status quo, Timothy Leary did with science in his promotion of LSD, a drug taken by many of the people included herein.

Some articles make the case for artists who had an impact on the decade though they don’t come to mind immediately when referring to the ‘60s. Johnny Cash usually evokes the 1950s, but he certainly made his stamp on the decade with “Ring of Fire” coming out in ‘63, At Folsom Prison in ’68, At San Quentin in '69, his recording with Dylan, and his own television variety show. Comparatively, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin dominated the 1970s, but each got their start in the ‘60s. Led by Syd Barrett, the psychedelically inclined Floyd released their first album in 1967. Zepp, dubbed “the last band of the 1960s and the first of the 1970s” by RS’s Steve Pond, got their start in 1969 with the release of two albums that altered the rock landscape.

Gilmore reveals himself throughout to be a brilliant, enlightening, and engaging writer. Even in stories I have memorized from countless times of exposure, from those on Jim Morrison and The Doors to his fellow RS writer Hunter S. Thompson, Gilmore’s prose captivates because of the high quality of his writing. He also reveals himself at opportune moments, sharing his experiences of an LSD trip he took one night shortly before Leary’s death as well as an intimate phone call thanking Cash for calling his notorious brother, Gary Gilmore, the night before his execution.

The book is not always best when read in the order presented or in a short time frame. Understandably, the chapters are comprised of articles sharing a theme, but in some instances there’s too much repetition because of the crisscrossing of people and places and the focus Gilmore gives key events. The lives of Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon, and even their creation Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, obviously couldn’t be told without crossover. However, there is a little too much redundancy in the stories about author Ken Kesey, Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia who played at Kesey’s Acid Tests, and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood where Garcia lived as well as other residents who took part in the Acid Tests. To be fair, the latter articles were printed over the course of 12 years so the overlap is warranted since they were intended as individual pieces.

Another critique is something Gilmore mentions in the book’s introduction as “obvious shortcomings.” While acknowledging there are no women or R&B and jazz musicians featured, it’s still a surprise the only person of color featured is Bob Marley, whose impact occurred in the ‘70s. Although an argument could be made about his cultural influence outside of music, Jimi Hendrix’s omission from a book that mainly focuses on musicians from the ‘60s is rather stunning regardless of his skin color.

Those minor points aside, Stories Done serves equally as a great introduction to the era and the individuals and as wonderful remembrances to counterculture heroes. The stories provide great insight and occasional revelations to a bygone time, offering inspiration and lessons learned, though too late for some. Mikal Gilmore proves to be an inspiration also and is well worth reading no matter the subject.

Ancient Gonzo Wisdom: Interviews with Hunter S. Thompson edited by Anita Thompson

Since shortly after his suicide on February 20, 2005, there has been a steady stream of books, and even a documentary, reflecting upon the man and the myth that was writer Hunter S. Thompson. But as he believed and documented with his writing style, dubbed Gonzo journalism, the best way to cover a story, to get to the truth of it, is to be right at the center, making Hunter himself the best person to cover his own story, which he details through a series of interviews from 1967 to 2005.

While sharing at least five interviews with the previously released Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson, Ancient Gonzo Wisdom is a marvelous read for fans, almost similar to his series, The Fear and Loathing Letters. Hunter, by way of his editor and widow Anita Thompson, presents an autobiography of sorts through his responses to questions in print, in a lecture hall, on television, and online. Anita does a great job providing footnotes to make clear what is being discussed in the conversations.

The questioners are an odd mix, mostly of fellow journalists, nowhere near as successful, who come at Hunter from different perspectives. There are fawning fans like the women of Albuquerque’s NuCity Press (1995) that bring up his “secret reputation as a pretty sexy guy” which he wasn’t aware of. Others act confrontational, figuring an interview with Hunter gives them license to act the outlaw. Judd Rose of ABC’s Primetime Live (1992), in a piece about the city of Aspen, startles Hunter, at the request of friend David Rosenthal, by opening with “who do you like better: Negroes or Jews?” Then there are the downright foolish, such as Peter Olszewski of Australia’s Loose Licks (1976). He asks Hunter to imagine taking some ultra-powerful acid that would cause him to reincarnate and then queries, “Who would you come back as?” I was stunned someone bothered to ask him if drugs should be legalized, as if there was any doubt?

Ancient Gonzo Wisdom is best taken in small doses because apparently interviewers didn’t do much research of Hunter or his previous interviews as a lot of the same ground gets covered. Multiple times, with slight variances to the story, we get his responses to subjects like why he got stomped by some Hell’s Angels, the creation of his Kentucky Derby story, the meaning of “gonzo,” working with illustrator Ralph Steadman, and his run for Sheriff of Aspen. Also, there were many questions about how much of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is true, as if that would matter. Besides, a magician never reveals his tricks.

Part of the reason repetition occurs is when the interview is not tied to Hunter flogging new material, which was unfortunately the case more and more as the years passed. In these instances, it is instead a commemoration, such as the 25th Anniversary of Rolling Stone in 1987 or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in 1996, both conducted by fellow RS writer P. J. O’Rourke, or the promotion of Terry Gilliam’s film adaptation of FLLV.

The book covers lows as well as the highs. There are long years between the first mentions of some projects before their publication, and unfortunately others never even came out. Hunter frequently mentions part of his troubles stemmed from the notoriety he received from Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72. He couldn’t cover the 1976 campaign because he was a bigger star than the candidates, so he couldn’t blend in and get the same access.

Hunter talks about his portrayal in the media, complaining about becoming a caricature of the drug-addled outlaw journalist in part due to Doonesbury’s Uncle Duke character, (a very sore spot with him). But he certainly doesn’t help himself with some of his responses, especially the 1977 High Times piece, which I knew from Jay Cowan’s memoir An Insider's View where Cowan writes about Thompson fighting with the editors to squash parts that surely would cause serious trouble for himself and Carter Administration members if printed. It’s amazing to read what got kept because it still sounds scandalous when he refers to all the coke freaks and drug users that worked the 1976 campaigns.

However, it’s apparent Hunter is purposely playing a role at times, knowing the persona will help sell books and garner speaking engagements, which are both much easier ways of making money than competing with his previous great triumphs. When challenged by an attendee of his 1977 University of Colorado (Boulder) Lecture about a response he gave to an earlier magazine interview, Hunter cut him off with, “Why do you believe everything you read in magazines, you must be crazy.”

So while you shouldn’t believe all of Ancient Gonzo Wisdom, it does provide a very good portrait of the man and his work. To paraphrase Hunter, “Buy the book. Enjoy the read.”