Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas recently credited the late Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson with launching his entire career during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. Eszterhas revealed that "Hunter really was the cause of my whole huge success, even as a screenwriter" by personally connecting him with an agent and advocating for his work.
Beyond the wild, drug-fueled caricature, Eszterhas recalled a much more complex friend. While Thompson was undoubtedly a "larger than life, no doubt, colorful figure," he also possessed a hidden, deeply intellectual side. According to Eszterhas, Thompson had a whole other side that was "a very sensitive and un-hippie-like" persona that he rarely shared with the public.
Host Joe Rogan shared his own favorite piece of Thompson lore during a conversation with NFL legend Terry Bradshaw, highlighting the writer's strange mix of professional apathy and deep empathy. Rogan detailed how Thompson flew to Africa to cover the legendary Rumble in the Jungle but skipped the historic fight entirely. As Rogan put it, Thompson "wound up just drinking and floating around in his pool and blew off the fight because he didn't wanna watch Ali get knocked out."
These dual portraits—one of a generous literary mentor, the other of an emotional wreck who chose a swimming pool over sporting history—show why Hunter S. Thompson's mythos remains so potent. Decades after his death, creators still treat his chaotic, brilliant life not as ancient history, but as an ongoing study in uncompromising individuality.