Passnotes: Hunter S Thompson

Name: What the hell do you want, punk?

Age: You trying to be funny here?

Occupation: Look, I've had just about enough of you. Get off my property before I pump you full of lead.

Ah, it can only be the original gonzo, Hunter S Thompson. We haven't heard from him for a while. Well, the man has always known how to keep himself busy, from his teenage experimentation with pyromania to his recent adventures with firearms, and then there's everything in between.

Do tell. The pharmaceutically inclined Thompson started his career as a journalist, writing about the bizarre, with increasingly erratic behaviour to match. He eventually added author and self-mythologiser to his CV, as well as inspiring countless alcohol-sodden anecdotes.

And what does gonzo journalism mean, exactly? To many, Thompson revolutionised journalism in 1970 with his stream-of-consciousness style of reportage, in which the emphasis is on the writer rather than the event.

So what has he been up to recently? More literary breakthroughs? Not exactly. It seems that Thompson has shot someone.

Not the first time guns have got him into trouble, I understand? Thompson has previously been accused of firing a weapon at his neighbour's house and discharging a revolver on a golf course. On top of this, in 1990 he was charged with possession of cannabis, cocaine, LSD, diazepam and dynamite.

Fear and loathing in Aspen, Colorado? His assistant, Deborah Fuller, can't feel too much fondness for Thompson, after getting on the wrong end of his shotgun.

What do the authorities have to say ? They're letting Thompson off, as he was trying to chase a bear away.

Do say: "First, never hesitate to use force, and second, abuse your credit card for all its worth." (Thompson's rules for a good life.)

Don't say: "He's a degenerate. He should shut up. He's pathetic." (Assistant in Thompson's local bookstore.)