Yeah. I think I'd like something like that :) Dana
On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 11:05:17 -0500, Ray Champagne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > That's awesome.... > > > At 07:19 PM 2/23/2005, you wrote: > >Thompson's Ashes May Be Shot From Cannon > > > >Wednesday, February 23, 2005 > > > >DENVER - Hunter S. Thompson, the "gonzo journalist" with a penchant > >for drugs, guns and flame-thrower prose, might have one more salvo in > >store for everyone: Friends and relatives want to blast his ashes out > >of a cannon, just as he wished. > > > >"If that's what he wanted, we'll see if we can pull it off," said > >historian Douglas Brinkley, a friend of Thompson's and now the > >family's spokesman. > > > >Thompson, who shot himself to death at his Aspen-area home Sunday at > >67, said several times he wanted an artillery send-off for his > >remains. > > > >"There's no question, I'm sure that's what he would want," said Mike > >Cleverly, a longtime friend and neighbor. "Hunter truly loved that > >kind of thing." > > > >Colorado fireworks impresario Marc Williams said it's doable. > > > >"Oh, sweet. I'd love to. I would so love to," said Williams, 44, owner > >of Night Musick Inc. in suburban Denver and a fan of Thompson's > >writing. > > > >Thompson's wife, Anita, and son, Juan, are looking into the cannon > >scenario, said Brinkley, who has edited some of Thompson's work. > > > >Brinkley also said Thompson did not take his life "in a moment of > >haste or anger or despondency" but probably planned his suicide well > >in advance because of declining health. The author of books including > >"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was in pain from a host of problems > >that included a broken leg and a hip replacement. > > > >"I think he made a conscious decision that he had an incredible run of > >67 years, lived the way he wanted to, and wasn't going to suffer the > >indignities of old age," Brinkley said. "He was not going to let > >anybody dictate how he was going to die." > > > >Thompson had spent an intimate weekend with his son, daughter-in-law > >and young grandson, the spokesman said. > > > >"He was trying to really bond and be close to the family" before his > >suicide, Brinkley said. "This was not just an act of irrationality. It > >was a very pre-planned act." > > > >Family members had no hint that Thompson planned to take his own life, > >Brinkley said, and he did not leave a note. "There was no farewell > >salutation," he said. > > > >Williams, the fireworks impresario, said it is not uncommon for > >families to have their loved one's ashes scattered across the sky in a > >fireworks shell, though his company has never done it. > > > >If the Thompson job were his, Williams said, he would probably blast > >the ashes from a 12-inch-diameter mortar 800 feet into the sky. Then a > >second, window-rattling blast would scatter them amid a blossom of > >color 600 feet across. > > > >"If you were going to light up a flash-bomb worthy of Hunter S. > >Thompson, you'd want to make it an earth-shaker," Williams said. > > > >Sales of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and other Thompson favorites > >have soared since his death. "Fear and Loathing" was No. 15 on > >Amazon.com as of Wednesday and publisher Vintage Books has ordered a > >sizable reprinting. > > > >"We usually sell about 60,000-70,000 copies a year of that book and > >our next printing will be close to that total," Vintage spokesman > >Russell Perreault said. > > > >Other Thompson books selling well include "Hell's Angels," "Fear and > >Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72" and "Hey Rube." > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Purchase Studio MX from House of Fusion, a Macromedia Authorized Affiliate and support the CF community. http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=50 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:148345 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
