In 1970, journalist Hunter S. Thompson, 32, and artist Ralph Steadman were assigned to cover the Kentucky Derby for Scanlan’s Monthly magazine. The resulting article, “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved” (PDF) was the birth of the good doctor’s gonzo journalism and changed first-person reporting forever.
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
Below, Michael D. Ratner’s short documentary about “Gonzo @ The Derby.” (Thanks, Jordan Kurland!)
