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Watch Hunter S. Thompson Light A Christmas Tree On Fire
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 22, 2014
Modified Dec 22, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 22, 2014
Modified Dec 22, 2014
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Christmas is just a few days away, which means getting rid of your Christmas tree in a timely manner is just a few days away +1. In the below video, taken in 1990, Hunter S. Thompson demonstrates one disposal method: dumping on two cans of fire starter and tossing a lit match, as the Cowboy Junkies "Misguided Angel" soundtracks the quick burn.
The tree was in his own Owl Farm living room fireplace, and as one reporter who happened to be on hand noted, very nearby "the original manuscript of Hell's Angels was on the table... and there were the bullets." But Hunter declared he wanted to "give the journalist a memorable experience to write about." Everyone in the room fled for the safety of the outdoors, according to the account:
"When Hunter tossed a lit match at the Christmas tree, it exploded into flames. He took a few pulls on the fire extinguisher and then joined us outside. The view from the porch through the window resembled something out of Watts in 1965. The chimney was on fire. His five peacocks, whose roost was separated from the living room by a thin pane of glass, were not happy. Nor was Hunter, who yelled at me, 'GET BACK IN THERE, FOOL!' He had given me an iron prodder with which I was to keep pushing the tree into the fireplace. 'I'M NOT GOING BACK IN THERE,' I yelled back. The whole room was full of smoke, and flames kicked up onto the mantel and on toward the ceiling. Thompson dashed back in and did battle with the tree."
You can see all of this in the below video:
Hunter, unsurprisingly not a huge fan of Christmas, offered these thoughts up on the holiday that same year, in a Rolling Stone piece: “It is still a day that only amateurs can love. It is all well and good for children and acid freaks to still believe in Santa Claus—but it is still a profoundly morbid day for us working professionals. It is unsettling to know that one out of every twenty people you meet on Christmas will be dead this time next year... Some people can accept this, and some can’t. That is why God made whiskey, and also why Wild Turkey comes in $300 shaped canisters during most of the Christmas season.”
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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