09.17.09 HUNTER THOMPSON’S ANGRY RUM DIARY LETTER
The website LettersofNote publishes, er… letters of note, one of which I thought was of particular interest. It’s from Hunter S. Thompson to Holly Sorensen, then Production Executive at indie film studio The Shooting Gallery. It seems the Shooting Gallery was at some point in charge of the movie version of The Rum Diary. They were dragging their feet, and Thompson was none too pleased about it. And no one, NO ONE, could fire off an angry missive like the good doctor:
Okay, you lazy bitch, I’m getting tired of this waterhead f’ckaround that you’re doing with The Rum Diary.
We are not even spinning our wheels aggresivly. It’s like the whole Project got turned over to Zombies who live in cardboard boxes under the Hollywood Freeway… I seem to be the only person who’s doing anything about getting this movie Made. I have rounded up Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Brad Pitt, Nick Nolte [!] & a fine screenwriter from England, named Michael Thomas [no longer involved in the project], who is a very smart boy & has so far been a pleasure to talk to & conspire with…
So there’s yr. f’cking Script & all you have to do now is act like a Professional & Pay him. What the hell do you think Making a Movie is all about? Nobody needs to hear any more of that Gibberish about yr. New Mercedes & yr. Ski Trips & how Hopelessly Broke the Shooting Gallery is…. If you’re that f’cking Poor you should get out of the Movie Business. It is no place for Amateurs & Dilletants who don’t want to do anything but “take lunch” & Waste serious people’s Time.
F’ck this. We have a good writer, we have the main parts casted & we have a very marketable movie that will not even be hard to make….
And all you are is a g’ddamn Bystander, making stupid suggestions & jabbering now & then like some half-bright Kid with No Money & No Energy & no focus except on yr. own tits…. I’m sick of hearing about Cuba & Japs & yr. Yo-yo partners who want to change the story because the violence makes them Queasy.
Sh’t on them. I’d much rather deal with a Live asshole than a Dead worm with No Light in his Eyes…. If you people don’t want to Do Anything with this movie, just cough up the Option & I’ll talk to someone else. The only thing You’re going to get by quitting and curling up in a Fetal position is relentless Grief and Embarrassment. And the one thing you won’t have is Fun…
Wow, that got me hard. It also says a lot about how the movie business works. Letters of Note points out that The Shooting Gallery folded later that year, in 2001, but the name may sound familiar to FilmDrunk readers…
The Shooting Gallery, if you’ll remember, was the same studio that owed my old friend Allan Weisbecker $15,000 for the rights to Cosmic Banditos. They’d been giving him the runaround, telling him they’d pay him in 30 days. He got his check, but only after physically threatening John Cusack and a few other people, and The Shooting Gallery folded 15 days later — of course, they’d never intended to pay him at all. But as momma always said, Hollywood can’t hurt you if you hole up in the bathroom and eat ice cream. We don’t talk about her anymore.
[Original letter here, thanks to Matthew for the tip]
![[image]](http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2010/01/tomCruiseLesGrossman-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2009/03/pope-fingadog-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2009/02/amber_heard5-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2009/01/knightleymouth-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2008/10/indian-cycle-150x150.jpg)
There are 31 comments about:
HUNTER THOMPSON’S ANGRY RUM DIARY LETTER
A list of things I never do after I’ve had a lot of rum:
1. Make phone calls
2. Send text messages
3. Update my facebook status
4. Write in my diary
5.
DriveThat’s way more intense than my letter to the Shooting Gallery, which was very matter of fact and made with letters cut out of magazines.
I never got my $15K either. Hey, just changing the subject and all, does anybody know where I can sell a kid? Where my vanners at?
Is the Kanye meme played out yet? I only ask because I’d like to interrupt Alec Baldwin’s phone message rant to say that Hunter S. Thompson made one of the best rants of all time.
Hey, did you guys hear Patrick Swayze is going to be a guest on The View next week? But he can only talk to Whoopie.
Fuck boPa, I’ve been trying to make that joke since he died.
Jesus, Robo, I’m considering giving that its own post.
I had help.
*high fives Satan*
(seriously though, I stole that shit)
I’m not gonna even bother going to the Comments page. Robo fuckin Panda F. T. W!
You should read the letter @Ryan_Gosling just fired off to Twitter. You’ve never seen so much gosh darn heck.
Well, there goes the gust out of the lolcage sails. Thanks a lot, bopa! (BTK, who cares if you fucking stole it, it’s all yours now…unless it was from Turden.)
[stares at gigantic hole in the fabric of the universe that was left when Hunter blasted himself into the great magnet]
:*(
Oddly enough, that looks very similar to the letter His dad sent to school with Him when the teachers asked if He had lice.
I’m considering sucking that comments dick.
Get in line, Pauly.
Soooooooo… I guess we’re done for the day?
Okay, I’ll blow any comment.
I’m fucking desperate for a good joke right now.
The Mighty Feklahr guesses this makes “Ghost” the opposite of “Durst”?
Don’t give up now, Jack! Second place is first loser!
BESIDES! THERE ARE STILL CAGE PICS TO LOL!!!
*sucks thumb alone in corner*
That’s similar to the tone of the happenings letter I ship with my xmas cards.
Except from last year:
…then the SoCal savages stabbed that spastic retard who was so high on xanibars that he didn’t comprehend the knife hanging from his side. The brutes fled like the chicken shitted krill they are. I got the fucktard on the ground and pulled the medical kit from my Jeep and proceeded to save the life of a man who, had he not been stabbed, I would rather sling vile scathing insults or buckets of piss and shit topped with pure hate…
My family doesn’t call much.
I wonder what the out going message was on Hunters answering machine?
With the random capitalized letters and bolding, I’m going to bet that this letter was written with letters cut out of a magazine.
Jack, I’m done.
Cuz I just came.
Bad Up.
Right there is the difference between HST and these new crayon-doodlers like Chuck Klosetedman and DickTucker Max. Picture either of those two douchebags writing a letter like that, the producer would wipe her ass with it. HST sends it, and she’s hiring people to start her car for her.
Since all the funny got sucked out of this thread by Robo, I just want to say that the book is a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it.
It’s pointless to compare the book to the upcoming movie but regardless, go read it!
Yay! my first filmdrunk tip and it’s useful! unfortunately, this chub in my pants isn’t :(
“Sh’t on them. I’d much rather deal with a Live asshole than a Dead worm with No Light in his Eyes.”
Pete Wentz’s feelings must have been hurt hearing that.
FUCK MICHAEL THOMAS!!!
I know I live in Argentina, and I dont know what the view is, and I know Robo is way better commenter than me, but I did the whoopie joke on the swayze obit post, but then again if he wins I´ll be a part of it right?
Comment on this post:
You must be logged in to post a comment. Not yet a member, register for free.