Hunter S. Thompson’s short story “Screwjack” had a long and circuitous road to being widely available. As Keith Phipps noted in a review of the book in which it first appeared, it was first published as a private edition for friends of the author. Phipps also refers to the story as “a slim, sexually explicit description of the author’s affection for the tomcat he shared with a woman who left him,” which sounds even more like a Ralph Steadman illustration waiting to happen than most of Thompson’s bibliography.
Now, a new edition of Thompson’s story in question is out in the world — and this edition comes with an introduction by one of Thompson’s highest-profile fans. As Consequence reports, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich took on the task of introducing this book to a new generation of readers.
“Beyond psyched to have had the opportunity to write an introduction for the latest edition of Hunter S. Thompson’s ’91 collection of short stories, Screwjack,” Ulrich wrote on Instagram. “Reading these stories remind me what a treasure — and mindfuck — Hunter S. Thompson’s immortal words continue to be.”
Hunter S. Thompson and the Wildest Town Sheriff Campaign in US History
Fifty years later, the Godfather of Gonzo’s maverick political agenda still resonatesUlrich went on to offer a concise recommendation: “Check it out if you like things wild, salacious and unsettling.”
The combination of Metallica and literature might seem like an odd one, but it’s not without precedent. The band’s video for their song “One” includes clips from Dalton Trumbo’s film adaptation of his National Book Award-winning novel Johnny Got His Gun, to cite one example. How large is the overlap of Metallica fans and Hunter S. Thompson fans? We’re about to find out.
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