Gonzo Fashion Explained

I was organizing my bookshelves late last night and came across this gem from my late friend Hunter Thompson on fashion. Many have tried to explain his quirky style -- myself included -- but he best explained it himself in an interview with Playboy editor Tim Mohr shortly before his death, in which he reveals his penchant for dressing with a sense of humor and buying quality, practical threads. "When it comes to clothes," he said, "It's easier to talk about the dark side of the American dream in a clown's garb than a clergyman's. But dressing with a sense of humor has its drawbacks. I have a shirt covered with fishing lures -- they're silver rubber minnows. Sometimes when I'm wearing it, I'll reach down and scratch my rib and feel this scaly shit. God, what a shock. I'm used to finding weird things wrong with me -- what the fuck is that? -- but not scales." Oh yes, there's more.

On sunglasses: “I like the way sunglasses look, but I seldom wear really dark sunglasses. I’ve found that if people can see my eyes through the lenses it’s more comfortable. I try not to have my costume be a problem for me or other people.”

On Chucks and coats: “I’ll wear Chucks with a tuxedo. Is that confrontational? There are times when I’ll wear a blazer for no particular reason. They have good pockets. It’s easy, comfortable. I love what people call my Coat of Many Colors, which I bought at Abercrombie & Fitch in the early 1970s. Every once and a while, I wish I had bought the pants, too. It’s a hunting outfit, sort of a precursor to those blaze orange outfits. It’s a very well-made coat—it has a huge game bag that folds out the back. The bag’s waterproof, plastic-lined—you can shoot a duck and pop it into the pouch. It’ll carry ice for drinks. And it doesn’t leak blood.”

And above all, the doctor suggested, always go with quality. “I’ve always bought, been treated to or stolen the highest-quality clothing I can. Shit, it saves a lot of money not having to go out and buy new shirts every year.” Still, we may never know Thompson’s recommended funeral couture for getting shot out of a cannon.