A boomer hero for all time

He was a kind of designated driver in reverse. Aging baby boomers counted on Hunter S. Thompson to behave with adolescent recklessness, decade after decade, even as they reconciled themselves to sober adulthood. And he didn’t let them down. Until his death this past weekend, I can’t recall the last time I heard anyone mention anything Thompson had written in the previous 20 years. Yet the outpouring of obituaries and “appreciations” made it clear that Thompson-as-gonzo-character had continued to occupy a significant place in the boomer consciousness.