Bay Area Book Festival with Sam Quinones

The Bay Area Book Festival took place last weekend in Berkeley. It was the festival's first face-to-face event in three years. I assembled and moderated many panels in the early years, and I think I'm officially still on the program committee, so this event has always meant a lot to me.

This year I was on the talent side of the equation. I chatted about Hunter Thompson with Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland and The Least of Us. Dreamland, which I reviewed for The National Memo, won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2015. It's an incredible tour de force on an urgent topic--the opioid crisis. I've known Sam for years, but I'm also a huge admirer, so I was delighted he could appear with me.

Our conversation was wide-ranging, but this was the first time I've discussed Thompson with someone like Sam, who has been documenting the ravages of drug abuse. As he pointed out, Thompson's drug use seemed funny in the 1970s, but there's nothing remotely amusing about what's happening on the streets now.

Washington Post Magazine Story

Jason Vest looked me up for a piece he wrote for The Washington Post Magazine. It appeared online a few days ago but is scheduled for Sunday's newspaper. It focuses on Hunter Thompson's campaign reporting in 1972, which is a remarkable chapter in his life. It's the 50th anniversary of that campaign, which always helps with this kind of story.

Jason also found Timothy Crouse, Thompson's Rolling Stone colleague on the campaign trail and author of The Boys on the Bus. Crouse has been out of journalism for some time, but that book holds up remarkably well. I felt I was in good company there.

Jason and I had a lot of fun swapping insights, so I was especially pleased that his story went over well. Many old colleagues saw it and contacted him, and CBS Morning News quickly reached out to UC Press about an author interview. We'll see what happens there.

As it turns out, NBC/Peacock also will interview me next week for a series on the Zodiac killer. Evidently, the production company heard my dulcet tones on the Monster podcast a while back. This interview will take place in Vallejo, where some of the murders occurred.