The passing of Hunter S. Thompson has lead to miles of print, much of it focussing on his penchant for living life on the edge, fuelled by drugs, booze and danger.
Goddammit. He was a role model? (He was for Johnny Depp who played him on screen.)
Or could it be an element of envy? Been there, done that, but didn't get paid.
His targets were tyranny, corruption, power, guns and above all, drugs. Contributors to the Jakartass sister paper, The Observer, have suggested a number of places which H.S.T. would have felt at home in, places which still exude a heady mix of beauty and filth, companionship and trepidation: all the places which make you feel, on having got out of them alive, more alive. These include Bangkok, Baghdad, Nablus and Cardiff (eh?).
Rich Simons, in today's Jakarta Post, recommends Jakarta. And why not? H.S.T. could get up at 11, p.m. that is, first head over to Blok M, then absolutely go berserk at Stadium until dawn, where he would inevitably hook up with some suave generals and a couple of crazed, filthy rich expats and ride Harleys down to the golf course.
He would then head over to Jalan Jaksa for a curry breakfast with the most intoxicatingly intelligent group of ne'er-do-wells the world has ever known. (Hey Rich, how come your article isn't online?)
There is yet another reason that H.S.T. would like it here: there are guns. Jakartass is an aging hippie, so has never held one, but I have seen plenty. One memorable occasion a couple of years ago, I had disembarked at Batam airport and was awaiting the return of the toothpick which was part of my lethal hijacking kit.
Another passenger got served first. I watched as he reloaded his pistol and sub-machine gun.
Collectors Corner.
Once upon a time, Jakartass had a collection of Flying Ducks which hung on the many walls of my bedsit. This was my link to an honourable tradition. Our ancestors decorated their caves with figurines made from mammoth ivory. Mine were made from plaster of Paris.
Modern collectors have a wider range of interests. Or should we talk about obsessions? For example, where is the historical interest in the McDonald's Mr. Men Collection currently doing the internet rounds?
Given that we all have an affinity with the past, there is a need to record history as it happens. Of particular interest to me is the world of children's games because they are both an international language and a direct link to our past. The seminal work is Children's Games in Street and Playground by Iona And Peter Opie.
Their son, Robert, has a Museum of Memories in Wigan. His Museum of Advertising and Packaging in Gloucester closed at the end of October 2001, and I'm not sure whether it has yet found a new home.
This points to the need for online collections. Czech out (pun intended) this range of tea caddies. This personal site serve as presentation of my tea caddies collection. It's my pleasure to introduce you 1.300 different tea caddies from the whole world. The large sets are from Twinings, Jacksons of Piccadilly and Kwong Sang. Everybody who can give me more information about tea caddies and their producers, please be so kind and contact me. Thanks for your visit, enjoy your stay.
