An explosion at the Louvre! Ralph Steadman, Artist of Gonzo.

shereads

Sloganless
Joined
Jun 6, 2003
Posts
19,242
Hunter S. Thompson and iillustrator Ralph Steadman went together like...well, like two things that go together really well. Here, from ralphsteadman.com, is his farewell to the good doctor. Followed by some particularly expressive samples of Steadman's work.

http://storage.chatropolis.com/userfiles/shereads/01hst-4.jpg

Hunter S. Thompson
1937-2005

Since it happened my feet haven't touched the ground. It's like I can still speak to Hunter beyond the grave. Like he is saying, 'Don't fuck up on this one, Ralph! Tell it like you knew it, but don't bad mouth me!! You always knew I was going to do it, so it wasn't 'if' but 'when'. It was my call, Ralph and now you will have to deal with the flood. Apres moi, Ralph- the deluge!! Did you think it was going to be an easy ride? You knew what you were doing when you bought a ticket. You were there most of the time, but towards the end you couldn't handle the heat, but you made the Role of Honor by the skin of your teeth. So long Ralph, and thanks for the laughs. And remember- The Crazy Never Die! Look after Anita'.

So there we are. I always knew that one day Hunter would make that journey, but I did not know yesterday that it would be today. He told me 25 years ago that he would feel real trapped if he didn't know that he could commit suicide at any moment. I don't know if that is brave or stupid or what, but it was inevitable. I think that the truth of what rings through all his writing is that he meant what he said. If that is entertainment to you, well, that's OK. If you think that it enlightened you, well, that's even better. If you wonder if he's gone to Heaven or Hell- rest assured he will check out the both, find out which one Richard Milhaus Nixon went to- and go there. He could never stand being bored. But there must be Football too- and Peacocks. I thank everyone who has sent condolences, but spare a long thought for his wife Anita, who has had to balance their lives on a knife edge these last few years to keep them sane. She is a lovely lady. Bless her heart....

Ralph Steadman,
February 22, 2005

--------------------

http://storage.chatropolis.com/userfiles/shereads/01compassion.jpg

Oops! Political. This one, too:

http://storage.chatropolis.com/userfiles/shereads/01decrepublican.jpg
 
shereads said:
There's some surprising work at his website. Check out the silkscreens.

http://www.ralphsteadman.com
Thank you Shereads, what a great site, the silkscreens are wonderful, I've never seen them before. I do have "The Big I Am" I may have to pull it out and look through it again.
 
Samandiriel said:
Thank you Shereads, what a great site, the silkscreens are wonderful, I've never seen them before. I do have "The Big I Am" I may have to pull it out and look through it again.

If I had $600 to burn, I'd be shopping for a print.

I particularly like "Cardinal Zin," the wine label banned in Ohio.

:D
 
shereads said:
If I had $600 to burn, I'd be shopping for a print.

I particularly like "Cardinal Zin," the wine label banned in Ohio.

:D
LOL...that was great. I also like the Shakespeare and Elliot.
 
shereads said:
Hunter S. Thompson and iillustrator Ralph Steadman went together like...well, like two things that go together really well. Here, from ralphsteadman.com, is his farewell to the good doctor. Followed by some particularly expressive samples of Steadman's work.

http://storage.chatropolis.com/userfiles/shereads/01hst-4.jpg

Hunter S. Thompson
1937-2005


Ralph Steadman,
February 22, 2005

It amazes me how gullible (an Andy Warhol fan) people are from a bit of PR. Let me shit on my canvas, and see :D
 
CharleyH said:
It amazes me how gullible (an Andy Warhol fan) people are from a bit of PR. Let me shit on my canvas, and see :D
You must be a Kostabi fan. :p
 
Seattle Zack said:
Very cool, shereads.

I don't know if you've read these, from ESPN.com Page 2 they posted a few comments from people who knew him ...

Here's a start
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=050225/hunter/greider

Thanks. I hadn't been back to the site since he turned cannon-fodder. If you didn't see last month's Rolling Stone retrospective, it's worth finding a copy.

There's a great story about how the "gonzo" style got its start. HST was facing a deadline for a magazine article about the Kentucky Derby. He went on a drunken bender and couldn't come up with anything. When the editors were in a panic because he hadn't sent anything, he decided he might as well burn his bridges with them in a big way. So he packed up all the disjointed thoughts and margin notes he'd scribbled down, and added a title that was meant to communicate how little he cared about the assignment: "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved."

They LOVED it.

Steadman's illustrations and HST's crazed ramblings got rave reviews, as if the article had been planned that way.

HST describes his own reaction this way," It was like jumping down an elevator shaft and landing in a pool of Swedish girls." And, "If it was this easy to make them happy, why had I been trying so hard to write like the New York Times?"
 
Last edited:
Back
Top