Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb

So much interesting history packed into this film. Hunter's political work was truly amazing and is an inspiration for many. He really changed my outlook on politics...

Oi mates... This film marks a time in my life where things changed. And to have an idol be Hunter S Thompson, well goddamn. The film was amusing and also marked seriousness when thinking struck. I'm not going to involve spoilers because if you're reading this and considering watching. Well hell spend your hard earned dollar on this film. You wont regret it, especially if you love the man himself. This film gets a hell yeah for me and the boys. True grit while watching this film. Cheers.

A great documentary about Hunter S. Thompson's 1970 campaign to become Sheriff of Pitkin County. The issues that the country faced during the Nixon era are eerily similar to today's contentious partisan environment. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these larger national themes get seamlessly woven into Hunter's local campaign. I highly recommend this documentary, as the directors do a great job showing that local elections are just as important as national elections and that collectively getting out to vote really does matter.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. In a surprisingly intimate look that show cases not just a passoinate side of Hunter S. Thompson but those around him, those that worked towards building better world, especially when it comes to the role of law enforcement. Ideas like that the role of the police shouldn't just be to make everyone out to be a criminal but understand the cause of crime and how a community can work towards unifying one another. It honestly felt that the same exact arguments between the conservatives and the freaks could be made today and unfornately probably even 20 years from now. But the film does a great job of creating a spark of hope, that change is possible, even radical change. As long as people stand up and use their voice with such passion that they just can't be ignored. For any fans of Hunter S. Thompson or just anyone that wants to see how politics at the community level can bring about huge change, this is a great film to check out.

Most people would say his defining moment was the publication of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas but they would be wrong. That may be his biggest moment in his literary career because it was a skyrocket for him as far as fame (which ironically ruined his career) but for his personal life it was when he ran for Sheriff of Pitkin County. Before he created and became gonzo Hunter tried his hand at starting a rebellion in the small town of Aspen. He made strong points against land developers and outlandish drug laws. His foresight on the devastation of major companies coming into small town America and ravaging communities, small businesses, and nature's ecosystems was incredible and is still massively relevant today.

He did it with his own style and grit as only Hunter S. Thompson could do because there can never be another like him. All imitation of the man is embarrassing and inaccurate. People who aren't fans or informed about him think he was just a guy on drugs playing a character when that was just him. They focus on his outlandish behavior without listening to the knowledge he was bestowing on his readers and listeners. He was extremely intelligent and cared deeply about what was once The American Dream. If you were really paying attention he was teaching while also entertaining you.

Thompson cared greatly for this community and changing it for the better and fighting against the continued pillaging by corporations, government, and ignorance. This was the happiest time of his life and he truly felt like a leader. People were listening and he was changing minds. He also was doing something that should be highly commended in America and that getting new voters registered and making people understand the importance of voting. He was trying to make a real difference.

This documentary covers this time in his life and the history in Aspen that he was attempting to make. This was Hunter S. Thompson being Hunter S. Thompson and not playing a character or embracing the outlandish in his Gonzo style of journalism which was revolutionary at the time. If you are a fan you will love this and it will help you brush up on the man's life and work. If you aren't very familiar with the man this is a great documentary to become acquainted with the man and hopefully get into his works and legend. In my opinion he's one of the most important writers of the last 100 years. He created a new style and it was so intertwined with who he was as a person that it's impossible to replicate accurately without completely ripping him off. Please watch this if you enjoy his work or if you don't know it and you are simply into small town politics or just raising a little bit of hell for the sake of change.