Las Vegas | 5. Is Hunter S. Thompson "The Bad Art Friend"?

By the late 60s, that Vegas “anything goes” philosphy was fully solidified. And look no further than Hunter S. Thompson’s drug-fueled literary romp, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, to see this on full display. In making his surreal, snide and colorful portrait of Las Vegas – Thompson would later be accused of erasing the identity of the man who helped tell the tale. And that’s what this episode is about, how Thompson capitalized on a fantastical version of Vegas, and his friend – Chicano journalist Oscar Acosta – to promote the enduring representation of Las Vegas as “Sin City.” So what did he leave out? And what do people continue to leave out to espouse this fever dream fantasy of Vegas as a vice vacation? Host Brent Holmes digs into it with filmmaker Phillip Rodriguez and writers Zach Baron, Abby Aguirre and Scott Dickensheets.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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