[WATCH] The Birth of Gonzo Journalism

The 146th running of the Kentucky Derby was scheduled for today. For the first time since 1945, The "most exciting two minutes in sports" has been rescheduled for September 5th, due to the global pandemic COVID_19 virus.

Hopefully, it will run.  This farm had to mow down the mint it supplies to Churchill Downs and re-grow the two tons it provides for the 127,000 mint juleps consumed.

In 1970, a short lived publication that featured political controversial muckraking, Scanlan's  Monthly, sent Hunter S. Thompson to cover the Kentucky Derby.

Not to cover the race, the jockeys, or the horses. But the people-- the REAL beasts.

What was published is not only one of the greatest written piece of social critique and self-satire, it is considered the birth of Gonzo Journalism.

According to wikipedia, "gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to have been first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style."

"Gonzo journalism involves an approach to accuracy that concerns the reporting of personal experiences and emotions, in contrast to traditional journalism, which favors a detached style and relies on facts or quotations that can be verified by third parties. Gonzo journalism disregards the strictly-edited product favored by newspaper media and strives for a more personal approach; the personality of a piece is as important as the event or actual subject of the piece. Use of sarcasm, humor, exaggeration, and profanity is common."

Here is the link to the Hunter S. Thompson's article "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved"

If you take the TLDR approach, watch this clip...

In 2016, ESPN's 30 for 30 released a short doc on the infamous story.  It's awesome.