Anybody who ever said that history archives are boring obviously never read the posting I am going to share with you in this entry. Recently I was reading the blog for the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University where the Robert Boyd family papers reside which was the basis for The Boys of Diamond Hill. Subsequently I was asked to write a guest column for this site, which you may read here.

This particular entry in their blog recounts the tale of when famed “gonzo” writer Hunter S. Thompson came to Duke’s Page Auditorium to speak on October 22nd, 1974. He was off to a bad start by being 35 minutes late then it got no better when it was immediately obvious that the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” author was also quite drunk. Things went downhill from there when he responded to questions from the audience written on index cards by insulting those in attendance, flinging the cards on the floor and throwing the contents of his glass of bourbon on the stage curtains. The tale becomes even funnier with Thompson’s response and bizarre explanation for his behavior. Along with the full account you may read at this link, they also have links to how you may find the full source material.

For anyone who is familiar with Hunter S. Thompson, they will know this is vintage Hunter. So, be sure to check out this entertaining account.