Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism alongside figures like Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He developed a distinctive approach to reporting that would define much of his career and influence generations of writers. Thompson rose to prominence with his 1967 book Hell's Angels, for which he spent a year living among members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club to produce a first-hand account of their lives and experiences. This immersive approach to journalism established his reputation as a bold and unconventional reporter willing to embed himself in his subjects. In 1970, Thompson wrote an article titled "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" for Scanlan's Monthly, which further elevated his profile as a countercultural figure. This work exemplified the subgenre of New Journalism he would come to define as "Gonzo," a style in which the writer becomes central to and a participant in the narrative itself, rather than maintaining traditional journalistic distance.