“Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson”

“Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson,” by William McKeen (W.W. Norton & Co., $27.95)

Through his published works and deeds, outlaw journalist Hunter S. Thompson built a towering myth of excess, craziness and chaos that gave him fame, but obscured the depth of the man and his literary talent.

Using Thompson’s publishing successes and pitfalls as guideposts, William McKeen’s biography, “Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson,” fans away the smoke of cigarettes, explosions and weed to reveal a writer who took his craft far more seriously than casual observers may have believed.

In fact, it is McKeen’s attention to Thompson’s career, craft and literary and cultural significance that gives this biography its value.

Not only does the book chart Thompson’s hardscrabble journey from neophyte writer for a U.S. Air Force base newspaper and struggling freelancer to his big break with the publication of “Hell’s Angels” and beyond, but it also provides an insight into his complex and contradictory approach to his work.

McKeen shows Thompson had a great love of books from a young age and aspired to write fiction, yet he gravitated toward journalism in attempts to pay the bills. Early in his career, the journalist went to great effort to be published. Yet when numerous writing offers poured in after his first major success with “Hell’s Angels,” he regularly failed to complete assignments. It was a notorious pattern that would plague him through the end of his life.

Yet it was the pieces he did complete and publish during that late-1960s and early-1970s period that catapulted Thompson into the national spotlight again and again.

Alongside the rise of the New Journalism work of Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote and George Plimpton, Thompson stumbled upon his own inimitable style of journalism – gonzo – that literally put him at the center of the action and played fast and loose with the facts. A blessing and a curse, gonzo journalism brought him fame but wouldn’t let him escape the wildly drug-crazed persona he had created for himself as Raoul Duke, the main character Thompson cloaked himself in for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”

McKeen writes, “ ‘Gonzo,’ [Thompson] once sighed to a reporter. ‘I wish I’d never heard the word.’ ”

McKeen gathers comments from Thompson’s editors and other famous writers, including Wolfe and Carl Bernstein, to give credence to Thompson’s significance as a writer, journalist and man of letters.

In fuller view, the biography thoroughly chronicles the life Thompson lived from his modest youth as a juvenile delinquent in Louisville, Ky., through to the frustrations he faced before committing suicide.

Despite a friendship of sorts with Thompson, McKeen, a professor of journalism at the University of Florida, delivers a fully detailed and unbiased view of all aspects of the Thompson’s life – warts and all.

Tom Waits - Times-Union Performing Arts Center, Jacksonville 7-1-08

This was, for me, the greatest concert ever!

However, I can’t give this an unbiased review since Tom Waits quickly became my favorite entertainer since I first heard him back in 1988. So, after 20 years I finally had a chance to see him perform.

My friends probably think I’m crazy for driving by myself four hours from Tampa to Jacksonville, a city I’ve never been to, and laying out a ton of cash on a nearby hotel and gas money – not to mention the $106 ticket price, including taxes and convenience fees. To me it was worth every red cent.

In fact, a dialog often would arise about the costs of ticket prices when high-dollar acts would blow through Tampa. I remember someone wondering if they should pay $100-plus per ticket to see some tired old wreck of a band play on a reunion tour. I would always say I wouldn’t pay that much money to see anyone – except for Tom Waits. To see Tom Waits perform, I would probably be willing to pay up to around $1,000 – possibly as high as $1,500.

So, this go round I got off cheap.

I was not alone, however, in my love and appreciation for Waits. The couple that sat next to me had driven five hours from Lake Worth, Fla. Later I spoke to two women who had traveled from Cleveland and I later heard that some folks had flown from Canada to see the Jacksonville show. Apparently, the Columbus, Ohio show, the northernmost performance was sold out in seconds with fans from Maine and New York to Indiana and Illinois scarfing up the tickets.

Tom Waits isn’t for everyone. (When I was still living at home, my mother referred to him as “that drunk guy.”) For diehard fans - people like me who dug deep into their pockets and wells of time to travel - there is no greater live entertainment experience.

At the sold-out Moran Theatre of the Times-Union Performing Arts Center, Waits didn’t perform all the songs that people wanted to hear – that would be impossible. His catalog of music is vast – spanning about 30 years or more. His last recorded offering alone was the three-CD set “Orphans.”

Personally, I wanted to hear “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis,” “Hang on St. Christopher” or “Time.”

Was I disappointed? Not a bit. I’ve never been more satisfied by a performance. Waits delivered everything I could have asked and hoped for and more. Yet, I want to see him again – and again, as his set list varies from stop to stop.

Other than seeing the concert film “Big Time,” I’ve had to use my imagination to conjure up what the magic of a Tom Waits’ show would be like. I almost couldn’t believe I was sitting there. It was a dream to me, which is why I won’t even attempt to explain what I saw, heard and felt. I only hope you will have the opportunity to experience everything I did.

Tampa Bay Derby Darlins doubleheader 4-19-20

The Tampa Bay Derby Darlins kicked off its 2008 season Saturday night with a double header.

The Cigar City Mafia won its tightly contested bout against the Vice Grip Vixens - 79 to 70; and the Switchblade Sisters fought hard to best the visiting Panama City roller girls - 133 to 98.

Mossy Choak and Wild Cherri were standout jammers for CCM.

It was nice to see the return of the Switchblade Sisters, which hadn't competed since, I believe, early 2007.

Panama City held its own well into the second period, despite the point gap in the final score.

Proving her mettle, new SS skater Rennie Rampage took a hard hit that brought out the EMTs. Many were probably surprised to see her quickly return a short time later and rack up some needed points.

Those who live in or near Panama City need to check out a match of the PCRD just to see Scarlet Letter Have It. She is a ferocious skater who looks like Kelly Clarkson, has a heart like Leona Helmsley and blocks like Deacon Jones. I believe she spent more time in the sin bin, but her forceful presence was felt while she was on the track. However, she may have better helped her team had she toned down her aggressive nature just enough to remain on the track rather than in the penalty box.

If you haven't checked out a match by the Darlins, I suggest you attend the next bout May 17 against Minnesota at Skateplex, 5313 Busch Blvd. in Tampa.

For more (grainy) photos, click here.

The Dresden Dolls – Tampa Theatre 1-10-08

Even before The Dresden Dolls finished the third song in their performance Jan. 10 at the historic Tampa Theatre, fans were begging the band to return.

From the back rows of the darkly atmospheric, Mediterranean-style theatre designed in 1925 – and possibly the American venue most perfectly suited for the band’s "Brechtian punk cabaret" – came an earnest plea.

“Come back!”

A couple other fans joined the call for the band to include Tampa on future tour stops.

Amused and a bit surprised, Amanda Palmer (vocals and piano) essentially said, “We haven’t even finished this show yet.”

The second of only two performances by the Dolls in Florida, and the first time they appeared in Tampa, Palmer and Brian Viglione (drums, vocals and guitar) delivered an amazing musical experience. What they created was much more than just a concert. Over nearly two hours, everything the band did that night was a highlight.

Taking the stage dressed in long dark trench coats and caps reminiscent of something a Nazi general would wear, The Dolls opened the show with a masterful interpretation of Pink Floyd’s “In The Flesh.” It was a great start to a great show that never faltered and only got better.

Every song performed was notable, but standouts included the intense rendition of “Half Jack;” the total audience sing-along cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right (To Party),” which featured Palmer on drums, Viglione on guitar and help from Christopher Schiel, one of the two bass players from Two Ton Boa; and the rousing, hand-clap inducing “Night at the Roses.”

The most riveting moment was during the torch song, “The Gardner.” Palmer’s passionate performance was chilling. While she sang the vitriolic closing chorus, she slowly, absently squeezed a flower to pulp as moisture trickled between the fingers of her clenched fist.

Closing the encore, the band unleashed its wicked awesome cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” which they made their own while doing justice to the original.

In the end, there were a number of songs from the band’s albums that would have been welcome additions to the set list. However, concerts of this caliber are rare, so it would be surprising if anyone seriously asked why specific songs weren't played.

The only questions that remains? When will The Dresden Dolls come back?