The "Love America" Hunter S Thompson

I discovered Pat Dollard almost a year ago and I believe I was one of the first to blog roll him on the left column under War 'n Shit. I penned a short piece about his blog in March of last year the full post is still a dam good read. I began the post:

IRAQ WITHOUT MAKEUP

"America is not at war. The Marine Corps is at war. America is at the mall:" is scrawled on a bunker wall and is the first shot in a video segment made by Pat Dollard. Dollard is the most effective reportorial guy over there because he actually shows us the fucking war by actually vidotaping soldiers both alive, and dying. He states up front to "Prepare to have your opinion about this war changed forever." And he ain't shittin' you

His blog is still there, and even tougher but his target has become plural. It is now targets. Vanity Fair is running a truly great piece about him not knowing whether to trash him or (shock) sort of praise him, but in an amazing (for them) turn they make him into a cult hero. The piece is an absolute must read because this guy Dollard is one true fucking icon in the rough and he is now either going to be either beatified or crucified, choices only available because the army didn't court martial him. The tale of Dollard in Iraq should be a movie too; we're talking stolen Valium he shared with the Marines, stalking for whores in the middle of fire fights, ripping up a mosque while either drunk or high, stepping in front of a line of possibly bomb carrying vehicles in a scene that

reveals an embedded reporter running out of control. In one sequence, filmed at a checkpoint where Marines are stopping civilian cars, Dollard himself cuts in front of the Marines to accost the driver. He leans in the window and shouts, “You got any bombs, dickface? Any booms? Any women?”

He does shit like this while somehow shooting Young Americans (his movie). The occasion for the most fun read since a Hunter Thompson piece is the release of Young Americans (link is to a ton of clips--be prepared, it's tough stuff), the movie that he's been making on the front lines while stoned, drunk, or hallucinating for most of the year. The Vanity Fair piece starts:

Rogue Agent

A montage of violent clips slides past—an Arab fighter being shot to death by American soldiers; a Marine rifleman dancing and clutching his groin, then firing a machine gun into an Iraqi town; the minaret of a mosque being blown to pieces. The violence is intercut with iconic images from American pop culture—the smiling face of Jackass prince Johnny Knoxville, college kids dancing at an MTV beach party, anti-war rallies, the faces of arch-liberals Jane Fonda and Michael Moore. The soundtrack is provided by Boston hard-core punk band Blood for Blood. Their song “Ain’t Like You (Wasted Youth II) Below,” with its chorus of “Fuck you, I ain’t like you,” becomes the refrain of the troops as they blow away insurgents and give the finger to anti-war activists and kids at home enjoying the fruits of America’s mindless civilian culture.

The lengthy piece goes on to describe the ex-Hollywood Agent they have crowned (labled) The Hunter S Thompson of the Iraq War, a coke snorting alcoholic maniac of the Right with a ton of fucking talent. Great essay. Read it. Or else. The below YouTube link is to a preview of the movie--- WARNING: SOUND TRACK IS NSFW ---, but from the gossip I'm beginning to hear in the halls around here this movie will probably never see the theaters. There seems to be a movement afoot to pressure the theater chains not to show it no matter who distributes it and since we all know that money means nothing to the Left of Hollywood, they can really bring pressure in the form of movie stars, big directors, and known producers who will rally local lefties all over the country. The refusal of Iger over at Disney to even allow a CD distribution of Path to 9/11 should be a major signal. Iger simply shrugs off a possible one hundred million dollar additional revenue stream because he isn't about to allow anything that puts Liberals into a bad light to be seen by anyone. So click the below, even this little bit is better than "Full Metal Jacket." Note: the link below is kind of buggy, if clicking doesn't work go here