Hunter S. Thompson’s bizarre festive tradition of burning the Christmas tree
Every family has their own special traditions regarding the festive period, and Hunter S. Thompson was no different. The eccentric journalist and author, credited with the creation of gonzo journalism, was known for his outlandish behaviour and bizarre routines. As such, his annual Christmas tradition was just as disorderly and idiosyncratic as you might expect.
When it comes to Thompson, there is no shortage of unbelievable stories. From his insane daily routine, taken up mainly by the consumption of various drugs, to Johnny Depp shooting his ashes out of a cannon. His eccentric journeys were often captured within the pages of magazines that he would contribute towards, in addition to his many semi-autobiographical novels.
Pioneering gonzo journalism, Thompson’s accounts of trips to the Kentucky Derby, the America’s Cup and, of course, his exploits in Las Vegas read like the accounts of a drug-fuelled madman intent on causing chaos and anarchy everywhere he goes. Perhaps because that’s just what he was. Despite the popularity of his almost inconceivable tales, Hunter never seemed to lose his ability to shock. Back in 1990, Hunter certainly shocked Sam Allis from Time magazine. The journalist had visited Thompson’s Colorado cabin to interview the writer, but the king of gonzo had other ideas. Earlier, his secretary had left Hunter’s Christmas tree out on the front porch, ready to be disposed of, so he did just that.
On a chilly January evening, Hunter decided that now, during his interview with TIME, was the best opportunity to dispose of his tree and that the best way of doing that was with fire. The journalist always had a penchant for fire and explosives, so it was no real surprise when he took the festive tree and shoved it in the fireplace of the cabin, dousing it with fuel.
“I gave up on the interview and started worrying about my life when Hunter Thompson squirted two cans of fire starter on the Christmas tree he was going to burn in his living-room fireplace, a few feet away from an unopened wooden crate of 9-mm bullets,” wrote Allis. Not only was the fire dangerously close to some bullets, Hunter’s original manuscript for Hell’s Angels, his first published work, was also nearby.
Thanks in part to the copious amounts of fuel poured over the tree and in part to the fact that the tree was much too large for the fireplace, the fire quickly grew out of control. Luckily, Thompson had decided to videotape this whole scene. He can be heard saying, “Get in there you fool!” as the blaze takes over the tree, and the almost-empty fire extinguisher fails to tackle the fire. Elsewhere on the tape, the terrified voices of the secretary and journalist can be heard, though a fairly intoxicated Thompson doesn’t seem to mind too much.
As fans of the man can likely guess, Hunter was not a man awash with the festive spirit. “It is all well and good for children and acid freaks to still believe in Santa Claus,” he once told Rolling Stone, “But it is still a profoundly morbid day for us working professionals”. Despite his feelings towards Christmas, he still seems to have found joy in the traditional tree burning, as can be seen on the tape.
