Better than Sex: A Short Review

by Ben Land

May 9, 2025

Hunter S. Thompson’s Better than Sex changed my perspective on how to cover politics as a journalist. Thompson changed my perspective on politicians as a whole. He helped me to understand through his infamous gonzo style that politicians, especially career ones, are truly addicted to gaining and maintaining power. It never made sense to me how unconscionable it seemed to plant oneself in Congress, the Supreme Court or another body of the federal government for thirty, fourty, fifty years? Wouldn’t you get sick of it? Would the trials and tribulations of being a public official wear you down enough so, to walk out of the bowls of government with your head high? Or would you become so cripplingly addicted to it that you, like the Congresswoman from Texas, Kay Granger, stay in Congress until you’re found in the dementia care unit of a nursing home after being missing for six months?

Thompson was a self proclaimed addict and I firmly believe that while it doesn’t always take one to know one, it helps in identifying one if you are or have been one. Thompson’s addictions manifested through sex, drugs, and alcohol. Lucky for us all that have read his work, political journalism also afflicted him similarly. This book, through a series of letters, drawings, and commentary on the state of politics in the early 90’s, colorfully illustrates Thompson’s unbridled dedication to his craft. He took immense pride in his convictions and his endorsements. The book featured hand written photocopies in cursive of notes sent directly to Bill Clinton or George Stephanopolous telling them to get their act together and that his reputation was on the line. Since Thompson published Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas he became revered by his peers along with nearly everyone who had read through his chronicle of his search for the American Dream on the Strip. The notion of the American Dream being dead followed him for the rest of the career and was pervasive in Thompson’s psyche until he committed suicide at 67. Thompson argued that the American Dream died with president Nixon. “When he (Nixon) arrived in the White House as VP at the age of 40, he was a smart young man on the rise– a hubris-crazed monster from the bowels of the American dream with a heart full of hate and an overweening lust to be president,” Thompson wrote. 

“He had won every office he’d run for and stomped like a Nazi on all of his enemies and even some of his friends.”

Thompson spared no insult when describing the president that pushed him to his limits and ultimate excellence as a political journalist. The rivalry was like that between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas—openly hating each other but simultaneously showing respect for each other. Thompson knew how rife Nixon was with corruption and called him out for it at every possible juncture. When Nixon finally passed in 1994, Thompson instead paid homage to H.L Mencken, another brilliant political journalist, who wrote scathing obituaries about corrupt American politicians in which he argued that even when a politician dies it is legitimate to criticize them and 'belittle' their legacy.

“He has poisoned our water forever. Nixon will be remembered as a classic case of a smart man shitting in his own nest. But he also shit in our nests, and that was the crime that history will burn on his memory like a brand,” Thompson wrote.

“By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart of the American Dream.” 

Thompson respected the shiesty nature and efficacy that Nixon exhibited during his time in office. Personally, Thompson wouldn’t have walked across the street to piss on Nixon if he was on fire during the time they were both still alive… or would he have, I’m unsure. What I am sure of, is Thompson’s coverage of Nixon and many other politicians was informed but quite subjective.

Thompson argued there is a place for opinion in political journalism. He made reference to the lack of opinion before Vietnam and highly consequential events that came to be at least partially as a result of journalists simply calling it as they see it. He argued that there is a place for journalists who consider themselves experts on whatever they are covering to sound the alarm. If you have to exaggerate to win the attention of the masses and stakeholders, so be it. Would you rather hear that the president is a spineless rat from someone who is classically trained to report on the president and make a judgement on the president’s character or be blindly led into a war? The juxtaposition seems extreme but that’s the kind of danger that Thompson would raise a red flag on in his uniquely scathing and fucked up way.

Thompson, while widely considered an unpolished hero in journalism, had misogynistic and racist tendencies that were on display in this book. He brandished the N word several times and would lewdly describe women that he took interest in for reasons that perhaps had more to do with his alcoholism and drug problem than malice for these groups. I mention this to say that a largely imperfect person can still do heroic things. A person that supports a Democratic candidate in an election can be their biggest critic. There is beauty and pain in the nuance of Thompson’s work. If you read what he said about Bill Clinton during the lead up to the presidential election of 1993, you might venture to think for Thompson’s money Clinton would be better off dead or at least working on a cotton farm in Plains, Alabama. I imagine Thompson would have had a lot to say about identity politics in today’s era of politics. I only wish that he would see how people are now siloed in their ideological camps like pigs ready for slaughter.

I honestly wonder after reading this book if he would have been more critical of Trump or Harris. Thompson would, no doubt, call out the outright incompetence of the Democratic party, and I reckon that he would revere both the gaming nature and success of the Republicans. His criticism for Democrats was fueled by a desire to prevent the potential evils of people like Nixon or Bush, and in his convoluted racy way he was probably one the best watchdogs politics has ever known. The guy was tapped into the zeitgeist on a borderline enlightened level. He pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable at the time for journalism and even the prissy arena of political journalism. There’s an argument to be made that journalists like Thompson becoming popular again could be just what America needs. Gandhi said an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Sadly, the country I love is on the cusp of being blinded and maimed by a fascist low-rent authoritarian for the second time. This time Trump is far more popular than eight years ago and he has a huge arsenal of resources behind him. Is objective hard news reporting going to be enough to hold a man accountable that has always played by his own rules? When our legal system fails to hold politicians accountable, how far are journalists and others willing to go to make wrongs, right? Nixon said, regarding being above the law two years before leaving office: “if the president does it, it can’t be illegal.” Sound familiar…?

This book is an important, at times hilarious read for those that care about the future of the country. Thompson can get lost in his own crazy mind throughout the book when he goes off on some written adventure. If there’s anything to glean from the book it’s in the beginning and end of the book. People wanted Thompson in jail. They wanted him barred from publishing beyond a carceral setting. Time and time against the odds he found a way to get his work out to the masses. The Rolling Stone bet on him and their investment paid dividends. If you are interested in politics, cultural writing, gonzo journalism or just want a good laugh—read this book. Don’t look away when he says something hateful, off color or just downright wrong. Everyone has flaws and Thompson had them in abundance. Thompson’s flaws can still co-exist with the tireless and critically acclaimed work that had some of the biggest political personalities shaking in their boots hoping that Thompson wouldn’t get wind of them next. Burn a flag, organize in your community, don’t lay down. Stand up. It’s what Thompson probably would have wanted.

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