[CJFusco]

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS isn't a work of fiction, but that doesn't mean there's no fiction in there. Hunter is notorious for making up "real" events as he goes along, a habit that has gotten him into trouble with numerous people attempting to sue him for slander and libel.

Hunter himself has said that he doesn't remember what was made up in FEAR AND LOATHING and what actually happened.

Many of the "new Journalists" use this technique of manipulating truth in order to get a point across, simplify a story, or exaggerate an occurrance. For example, Tom Wolfe, who has mastered the art of being a fly on the wall, wrote THE ELECTRIC KOOL-AID ACID TEST. In this book, one assumes that Wolfe gathered his information firsthand... this isn't always the case. For example, Wolfe was not present at the huge party that Ken Kesey threw for the Hell's Angels. All events in that section of the book were told to Wolfe by none other than our Dr. Thompson, who was still hanging out with the angels even after finishing his HELL'S ANGELS book. They eventually almost killed him, but that's the story of Hunter's life.