Bit of a random question, but polls are fun and these images are amazing.

Ralph Steadman is the artist whose work is often associated with Hunter Thompson's writing. The two were fortuitously paired on a story covering the Kentucky Derby, which launched a long, successful, often strained literary collaboration that spanned decades.

Arguably his/their most famous work is Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Published originally in two parts in Rolling Stone, Steadman illustrated the work in his characteristic style. Those images have gone on to be used in many reprintings, from books to posters.

I have a small collection of Thompson/Steadman stuff. One of the original Rolling Stones with F&L (the first half), a couple of Steadman prints, a signed poster from a Thompson lecture in 1984 at ASU.

Long story short, I'm trying to get a sense for what images are most-associated and famous ... Of these four drawings, which do you know best? Which have you seen the most often, or at all?

1.


2.

3.

4.

Never seen any of them

the only things I have heard of in your post are the Kentucky Derby and Rolling Stone

Sapo,

3, 1, 4, never seen 2.

I don't recognize any, but is he the guy who does the artwork for Flying Dog Brewery?

Yup. Ralph Steadman. He's a great artist even if he never met HST. In some ways his story kinda got hijacked.

Great writing by the late, great, as mentioned in the OP.



‘The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved,’ by Hunter S. Thompson

http://grantland.com/features/lookin...entucky-derby/

I'm a bit confused. Are you asking which F&L scene is the most famous?

Or which of those fan art paintings people have seen before?

If the former, then 1 or 3, if the latter then I haven't seen any.

Yes. The Kentucky Derby piece is not only the first appearance* of his "Gonzo" style but is also a fantastic introduction to his work.

Thompson's story is really fascinating. He created a persona, a character, and it became more famous than him. ...

*Maybe this is debatable, I'm not a HST scholar I've just read most of his stuff and am a fan.

I would strongly recommend watching F&L... it's Johnny Depp before he became ******ed and probably his last great movie apart from Blow.

"fan"?

Anyways, the second. I'm curious which, of the artwork Steadman produced related to F&L LV, is most well known.

I've seen #3 on mass-produced posters, and I don't think any of his other work has been reprinted that way.

Oops I should have read the OP a little more closely =/

I've never seen any of them. But then I'm more of a Bob Ross type of guy.

Steadman's real art has been in loving Oprah.

I was surprised to find out that that is not the artist who did the art for The Wall.

What makes you say he never met Hunter Thompson?

I recommend The Curse of Lono by HST which is thoroughly illustrated by Steadman. The book chronicles a trip by Hunter to Hawaii to cover a marathon in the early eighties and Steadman goes along for a part of it. Hard to get a copy now but well worth it.

I let it go the first time but on the second reading...

pic #3 ainec

What is he clutching in this photo? Some sort of fish-bashing club? Polynesian royalty scepter? Drug storage and transport device?

Yeah, of course he met him. They knew each other for decades. I was just trying to say that aside from his connectionto Thompson, Steadman was a great artist.

Some people know his work only because of F&L in Las Vegas, and really just associate him with HST.

4,3,1 seem equally recognizable. Not 2.

Polynesian war club.

When I read Curse of Lono I really enjoyed it, but apparently Thompson in the end just wrote the project off. He considered it Steadman's book, and one story I've heard is that an editor came to Thompson's Owl Farm (what he called his place), and ultimately took all the notes and work and finsihed sections and just kind of bandaged it all together.

I read The Jokes Over, which is Steadman's retrospective on his time working with Thompson. It leaves no doubt that there was a lot of bitterness at times.

I voted #4 because I've seen that one in more places, not just the books of HST or the works of Steadman

Overrated.

1 and 4 I could have related to Hunter even without the writing. 2, I couldn't have related to Hunter in isolation. I might have guessed but I wouldn't have been sure. 1 seems vaguely familiar but that could be my mind playing tricks because I can easily tell what it depicts.

3, however, strikes me as very familiar. I can't even make a stab at where I've seen it other than in the books but I figure I must have. I haven't read Hunter for more than a decade and I wasn't paying attention to the illustrations. For the image to be so much more familiar, I must have seen it elsewhere.