Paul Krassner, one of Hunter’s friends, was then and is now an underground satirist. He founded The Realist and I happened to meet him in New York City when Hunter blew into town for his Hell’s Angels book tour. I found him quite the quick-witted, interesting conversationalist at the time and also he was nice to look at. He recalls below that he followed up that meeting with a letter to me, getting my name wrong. I remember it well. It wound up in the baffled hands of another copy editor at Random House. Right here is a follow-up letter I recently uncovered in my archives that carries the story forward. Anyway, here Paul reminisces recently in a excerpt from Abakus:
On a visit to New York in February, Hunter arranged for me to meet him and his copy editor, Margaret Harrell — an attractive redhead, smart and witty — for dinner. Apparently I forgot her name, so it’s possible that I called the publisher and asked for the name of the copy editor. In March, I sent her this letter: Dear Barbara, If you ever decide to try LSD, this is just to offer my services as guide. Incidentally—no, not incidentally — you are one of the most delicious females I’ve ever seen, and since there was already a mild establishment of intellectual rapport, I feel compelled to state my — to de-ulteriorize — my motivation. I would like to make funny, passionate, friendly, cosmic, absurd love with you. Ho hum. I think I’ll attach a questionnaire with this. It is not a form letter, by the way.
Hunter S. Thompson as Remembered by Paul Krassner.
click image to go to full article at Abakus Magazine.
(offsite)
Click here to go to 1960’s interview with the young satirist, Krassner.
