Hunter S Thompson’s favourite song by The Band
Music was always of vital importance to Hunter S Thompson, and it was inextricably linked to the works of the Gonzo journalism pioneer. Much more than just background noise, he was serious about the cultural connection between music and literature, most specifically, the electrifying power of rock ‘n’ roll.
Thompson said it best himself: “Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights, I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.”
In the late 1990s, he gave insight into the songs and artists that had most thoroughly captured his attention when EMI commissioned a series of compilation albums curated by prominent cultural figures. The string of albums included selections from cartoonist Robert Crumb, illustrator Ralph Steadman, and poet Ivor Cutler. Thompson’s compilation, Where Were You When The Fun Stopped?, remains one of the most beloved of the series. On the 18-track album, Thompson delves into his love for classic rock and emerges with the best of the best, featuring songs from Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Jefferson Airplane. Towards the end of the collection, he puts forth his favourite song by country-rock fusion legends The Band.
The track that Thompson selected as their ultimate offering is ‘The Weight’, which originally featured on their 1968 debut album Music From Big Pink and was written by guitarist Robbie Robertson. On ‘The Weight’, The Band combine the timeless tale of a weary traveller passing through a small town with more grandiose Biblical imagery. Initially, Robertson wasn’t convinced of its value and never predicted how influential ‘The Weight’ would become: “I didn’t recognise at the time that it was real good,” he told Record Collector. “When you’re inside looking out, sometimes you just can’t see it clearly. But it was definitely one of those songs.”
Commercially, ‘The Weight’ was nothing special. Peaking at 63 in the US charts, it wasn’t a big hit, and yet the track is frequently cited as being one of the greatest songs of all time and an essential track of the 1960s. It’s no surprise that the character-driven storytelling and literary lyricism stood out to the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas author, whose first-person narratives were a cornerstone of the New Journalism movement.
Since its release, ‘The Weight’ has been covered by a genre-spanning range of artists, with Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and The Supremes, and Ringo Starr all lending their voices to the track. The Band have also been named a key inspiration for the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead, and their debut album is even credited as being a guiding factor behind Eric Clapton’s departure from Cream.
As Thompson’s work was fuelled by the music he consumed, so too did his writing influence a new generation of artists, cementing the inseparable link between music and literature. The enigmatic Killers chorus “Are we human, or are we dancers?” is said to come from Thompson’s comment that “We’re raising a generation of dancers, afraid to take a step out of line.” Panic! At The Disco’s 2013 album title Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die is also borrowed from one of Thompson’s many quotable lines.
