Fear and Loathing in DC: The Life and Work of Gonzo Illustrator Ralph Steadman

The task of creating the film’s poster was given to British artist Ralph Steadman, Their rugged, psychedelic illustrations are an integral part of both Rolling Stoneaesthetics and Fear and disgust (Unlike Thompson’s recreational drug use—some would say the Olympian’s—Steadman opted out.) In the years since, the Thompson-Steadman partnership has become legendary, like the fire-breathing Butch and Sundance that exploded in the latter half of American CenturyBreak all established rules with courage and fun.

And so, just as Steadman was the natural choice to market Linson’s film, he became the natural choice of running mate after Thompson first saw the script draft in horror. John Kaye, with whom Thompson would share the screenplay credit. “Call me right away,” Thompson wrote to Steadman via urgent telegram. (Yes, in those days, Thompson preferred to communicate by telegram, telex, or fax.) In typical paranoid fashion, Thompson warned: “Destroy all copies and release contracts relating to Buffalo until we speak. These bastards are worse than we thought. The brutal dealings with Linson tonight confirm our worst fears.… The crows have come home. Just like we always knew they would.… The picture is doomed.” Not quite. Bill Murray’s performance as Thompson was praised by critics, and although the film received mixed reviews, it became a cult favorite.

In the half-century since Thompson’s greatest successes and failures, his imagery and style have inspired generations of imitators, but Steadman’s role has sometimes been lost or underappreciated in all that nonsense. In fact, his illustrations and Thompson’s words formed one of the most powerful and symbiotic artistic relationships in American literature (think Walker Evans and James Agee), with Steadman’s art serving as the vehicle for Thompson’s mise-en-scène of purposeful chaos.