This person died 2005, age 67. At his peak, he reached out in his writing to a generation made cynical by the Vietnam War and Watergate, and that was prepared to respond to his visceral honesty. His early work presaged some of the fundamental changes that rocked journalism today. His approach mirrors the style of modern-day bloggers and social commentators who blend news, opinion and personal experience on Internet postings. In 1970 he ran for sheriff in Pitkin County, Colo. It seemed a joke and another outlandish act, until the votes were counted and he came close to winning. His 1972 book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, cemented him as a singular presence in American journalism. Today’s dead celebrity is Hunter S. Thompson.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 102 Magical Thinker (Joan Didion) and Episode 58 Best in Show (Fred Willard).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer and features guest co-host Devin Fromm.

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Transcript of this episode

1975 Lucid interview with Hunter S Thompson

Conan O’Brien visits Hunter S Thompson’s Owl Farm

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, opening scene

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, high water mark monologue

HST on the Kentucky Derby

Tom Wolfe and Hunter S Thompson letter exchange

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died 2022, age 96. She worked to be a rare bastion of permanence in a world of shifting values. During the Covid pandemic, she said, “Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe,” and, “I am certain that we are up to that challenge. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part.” Her institution was forced to justify its existence in the face of often skeptical public attention and scrutiny. In 2017 she celebrated her 70th anniversary to her husband, whom she first met when she was just a teenager. She was Britain’s longest serving monarch. Today’s dead celebrity is Queen Elizabeth II.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 31 The Greatest (Muhammad Ali) and Episode 93 American Royalty (Elizabeth Taylor).

Transcript of this episode

NYT Article on the Queen and Corgi lineage

New Yorker Review of The Crown ending

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola and Evan Sherer, and features guest co-host Sara Murphy.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2011, age 58. His colleagues said he had charisma and a knack for spontaneity. In the mid-1970s, he played minor-league baseball for about four years in the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds organizations. He acted in the 2002 movie “Spider-Man,” appeared on sitcoms like “Mad About You,” and lent his scratchy baritone to video games and cartoons, including “Family Guy” and “King of the Hill.” He would wear brightly colored cowboy hats and outfits dripping with fringe. He would strut into the wrestling ring to his theme song “Pomp and Circumstance,” muscles gleaming and neon spandex shining, growling his signature expression, “Oooh, yeah!” before diving at his opponents, elbows first. Today’s dead celebrity is Randy Savage.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 092 Acerbic Comedian (George Carlin), Episode 100 Divine Neighbor (Fred Rogers), and Episode 049 Hammer Time (Hank Aaron).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sharer, and features guest co-host Steve Prata.

LINKS:

Transcript of this episode

Jon Finkel’s biography of Randy Savage

Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, WrestleMania III

Macho Man Slim Jim commercials compilation

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.