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Songs of the Doomed (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,142 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
First published in 1990, Songs of the Doomed is back in print—by popular demand! In this third and most extraordinary volume of the Gonzo Papers, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson recalls high and hideous moments in his thirty years in the Passing Lane—and no one is safe from his hilarious, remarkably astute social commentary.
With Thompson’s trademark insight and passion about the state of American politics and culture, Songs of the Doomed charts the long, strange trip from Kennedy to Quayle in Thompson’s freewheeling, inimitable style. Spanning four decades—1950 to 1990—Thompson is at the top of his form while fleeing New York for Puerto Rico, riding with the Hell’s Angels, investigating Las Vegas sleaze, grappling with the “Dukakis problem,” and finally, detailing his infamous lifestyle bust, trial documents, and Fourth Amendment battle with the Law. These tales—often sleazy, brutal, and crude—are only the tip of what Jack Nicholson called “the most baffling human iceberg of our time.”
Songs of the Doomed is vintage Thompson—a brilliant, brazen, bawdy compilation of the greatest sound bites of Gonzo journalism from the past thirty years.
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"Hunter knew we were headed down a road to nowhere long before our current economic meltdown. He could smell the decay wafting off The Empire's carcass. He was a sage and a madman and I miss his whiskey-fueled wisdom. We need him now more than ever. R.I.P., brother."
— Moss (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Songs of the Doomed allows us to track Thompson’s evolution as a writer, and hence the evolution of the form he played such a major role in creating.”
— Washington Post Book World
Songs of the Doomed Listener Reviews
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" HST's little notes/asides/essays/journal entries etc. are just as good as his fiction writing. Recommended if you even have a thought that you might like his work. "
— Jason, 2/19/2014 -
" This is the only Thompson book that I found nearly unreadable. A complete letdown. "
— Dean, 2/15/2014 -
" Life becomes caricature; padding aplenty. "
— Brendan, 2/5/2014 -
" Gotta read some HST at some point; this is a good overview. "
— Virginia, 2/3/2014 -
" Great! This book comes in choppy pieces of insanity. "
— doug, 1/20/2014 -
" The title explains it all and trust me its totally worth the read. "
— Eric, 1/17/2014 -
" Another collection of Hunter's works that hits quite a few high notes. I would recommend it to a more eager Hunter Thompson fan. "
— Patrick, 1/10/2014 -
" good if you like political history from the 70s and 80s "
— Brent, 12/14/2013 -
" The perfect read this Independence Day! "
— Kevin, 12/9/2013 -
" Some good stuff. Covering the 60's, 70's, 80's, and ends with an awesome court battle to kick off the 90's. HST never fails. "
— William, 12/6/2013 -
" Uneven, but worth a read especially for the earlier stuff. "
— Joan, 12/5/2013 -
" I thought he was just a nutjob. Who knew that he was such an eloquent writer? This book was a great introduction to Thompson and definitely made me want to read more. "
— Somer, 12/1/2013 -
" Much improved over Vol 2. Good variety...the old works still sound great, and the newer stuff has a newfound teeth-baring intensity to it not seen since the Brown Buffalo freely roamed the earth. Worth a shot. "
— Chris, 11/23/2013 -
" More wisdom from the epitomy of cynical prophets... "
— Erk, 7/13/2013 -
" Probably the best collection of notes and stories from HST. I carried this bad boy around with me most of my junior year of high school. "
— Zach, 4/15/2013 -
" Hunter S. Thompson is the single most important political writer in my lifetime. His perspective is just as explosively wild as modern capitalistic Republican logic. "
— Philip, 3/6/2013 -
" This is a good solid compilation of his work. Everytime I read a chapter I want to do something destructive. "
— Devin, 6/15/2012 -
" Nonfiction, supposedly; i'm not convinced its entirely true. He really did, however, run for sheriff of Aspen on the Freak Power ticket. Anyway, its perfect: deeply insightful, hilarious, and almost too much. "
— Lindsey, 6/6/2012 -
" unfortunately scattered and not as good as his other work. "
— Kevin, 11/3/2011 -
" Just re-read - Great book! "
— Hope, 10/11/2011 -
" Excellent as usual. Genius and visionary gone to soon. "
— Sketchycat8, 10/6/2011 -
" this became a real drag at the end. if i wanted to listen to someone bitch and moan about nixon i would just live in the world. "
— Jenny, 8/23/2011 -
" It's pretty good in places, especially when he gets on a roll. But overall, it gets bogged down when he becomes a parody of himself. "
— Todd, 8/9/2011 -
" All you can say is Wow! "
— Mike, 1/4/2011 -
" Gonzo writing is harsh and energizing. "
— Brittany, 9/23/2010 -
" hst is hst....what more can i say "
— Michael, 10/15/2009 -
" This is the only Thompson book that I found nearly unreadable. A complete letdown. "
— Dean, 10/10/2009 -
" My favorite Hunter S. Thompson book. "
— Lydia, 9/27/2009 -
" Gotta read some HST at some point; this is a good overview. "
— Virginia, 8/29/2009 -
" Probably the best collection of notes and stories from HST. I carried this bad boy around with me most of my junior year of high school. "
— Zach, 7/25/2009 -
" The perfect read this Independence Day! "
— Kevin, 7/3/2009 -
" unfortunately scattered and not as good as his other work. "
— Kevin, 2/26/2009 -
" One of the best Hunter S. thompson books to date. This book is so debauched and plain speed driven, that it makes you feel that way too. Awesome. "
— Leonid, 1/7/2009 -
" This is a good solid compilation of his work. Everytime I read a chapter I want to do something destructive. "
— Devin, 10/17/2008
About Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005) was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. His books on politics and society were regarded as groundbreaking among journalists, and he was celebrated as one of the early practitioners of an outraged, irreverent form of highly subjective journalism that became known as gonzo journalism. His numerous articles for Rolling Stone and books like Hell’s Angels and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas brought him wide recognition and cultlike status.