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Remember to check out the HST & Friends section for more biographical information.



FAQ About HST & Gonzo Journalism

last updated July 2005

From my ever sagging mailbox, these are the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) about HST.

To old friend seekers: I cannot help you find HST's friends. I can only suggest hiring a professional people finder, Googling, and searching online people finders like Yahoo!'s.

To gonzo fans: I cannot speak for HST's estate. If you have questions or suggestions about HST's legacy, please direct them to his agent, the Wylie Agency. I cannot put you in touch with his family.

1. Is HST dead?

Oddly enough, this was a popular question for years, but I found it too morbid to post. There were a couple of Internet death hoaxes about HST back in the late 1990s, which was most likely the cause of the rumour. HST has left the terra, he died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 20, 2005 at the age of 67. You can read stories about his death on the big passing list of links.

Questions about his birth date were also popular. The articles about his birthday on the HST & Friends page will help you out.

2. Did HST ever marry? Any kids? Girlfriends?

HST was married twice. First to Sandra Conklin. Juan Fitzgerald Thompson is his only living child. Juan is married and lives with his wife near Boulder. Juan gave a speech about his father at the Louisville Homecoming in 1996. The speech was on AspenOnline, but has since gone offline. HST was also a grandfather. He remarried in 2003, to Anita Bejmuk.

From about 1967-1972 Sandy had five miscarriages, which she told E. Jean Carroll about in Hunter. The marriage fell apart in the late seventies. Sandy remarried, divorced again, and now lives near Woody Creek according to the McKeen biography/criticism. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 is dedicated to Sandy and The Great Shark Hunt is dedicated to Juan.

The lady friends page covers most of...HST's lady friends over the years. As HST got older, his girlfriends seemed to get younger.

3. Where did HST live?

On Owl Farm, Woody Creek, Colorado.

In the about the author section of The Rum Diary, it said that HST is living on an island off of Puerto Rico. Many gonzo fans suspect that this "island" is the United States. HST may have property in the Caribbean; he spent a great deal of time in Florida in the 1980s.

4. Is Oscar Acosta alive or dead?

It has been more than twenty years since he left a Mexican port in 1974, although Oscar sightings were frequent in the late seventies. The strangest had to be a hospital bill received by Rolling Stone for a broken arm; the patient was listed as Oscar Zeta Acosta, according to Paul Perry's biography. The bill couldn't be further traced, unfortunately.

If Oscar were alive today, he would be 65+ years old. Considering that he had ulcers and other health problems, it seems unlikely. But then, I could always be wrong. Perhaps he is, as his son Marco wrote, somewhere on an island planning the next revolution.

Oscar Acosta seems to be a very popular Spanish/Mexican/Chicano name. Just try doing a net search with it.

BTW, the bar named in one of Oscar's books, Trader J.J.'s seems to have existed at some point, but is probably no longer as well.

5. What happened to Paul Semonin, HST's friend from The Proud Highway?

According to Paul Perry's biography, Paul Semonin now works in a bookstore. (yes, have to re-find the reference now, damn). A friend from high school, Paul and HST were very close, living near each other in New Jersey, Puerto Rico and Aspen. Semonin's left-thinking ideals earned him HST's respect and perplexment.

There is another Paul Semonin out there who is a realtor. I don't think the two people are the same.

6. How do you spell Bill Cardoso's name?

It's a real case of Kermit the Gorf. I have Bill's book The Maltese Sangweech and it's spelled Cardoso on the cover. It's also spelt that way in Hunter by E. Jean Carroll. In Ron Rosenbaum's 1977 High Times interview, it's spelled Cardozo. Peter Whitmer, in When the Going Gets Weird spells it Cardoza. I'm sure only the real Bill knows for sure :-). If you want the official word, the Library of Congress only has an entry for Bill Cardoso and no other spelling. I do not know how to contact Bill Cardoso.

7. Where can I get an HST for Sheriff poster?

The posters are made by Tom and Marci Benton. Occasionally they do pop up on ABE and eBay, but you can also check out the page on Tom Benton for more information.

Where can I get gonzo t-shirts?

Doodah Designs is the readiest way to get a gonzo t-shirt; they have many official and authorized tees.

Fear and Loathing movie t-shirts were produced in a limited number. You can still find them here and there. :-) I bought mine through eBay years ago for $15.50US. It looks just like the poster except it does not have the blue sky background.

While you can find t-shirts on eBay, watch out for bootlegs and other cheaply made items.

Many people have asked me about gonzo brand t-shirts. A few years ago, about 1994-1995, small ads for gonzo wear were in the RS classifieds, promising prompt delivery for registered voters. These items occasionally appear on eBay as well. Doodah made a limited number of t-shirts for a woman in Quebec that quickly sold out. Happily, I have the gold/silver crest tee :-) See the HST section for more gonzo wear.

Thanks to our friend Catmommy, we have a more current address for t-shirts:

Haight-Ashbury T-shirts
1500 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415)863-4639
(800)851-7364

She reports that these are designs that Doodah doesn't have, and they even do mail and phone orders. They do not appear to have a website.

For a short while, a total doofus was scamming work from TGTH and selling his own T-shirts on CafePress. This was a very unhappy episode in TGTH's history. His CafePress store linked back to TGTH and an artist who had let us use his work thought that I was ripping him off. It took a long while to convince the artist that I was not ripping him off. The doofus later returned and scammed the Jagermeister gonzo brand. He sold these shirts through eBay as well, and at least one of the Jagermeister gonzo brands sold.

9.Where can I get Road Dog Ale?

A catalog of merchandise and t-shirts can be had by phoning 1-800-9-DOGGIE. They are now online at www.flyingdogales.com

The actual pub is:

424 E. Cooper St.,
Aspen, CO,
81602 USA