Woody Creek – A plan is underway to permanently memorialize Hunter S. Thomp son somewhere between Barstow, Calif., and Las Vegas, where the outlaw journalist famously took a savage journey to the heart of the American dream.
The monument would be similar to the 153-foot-tall tower used to blast Thompson’s ashes over his Owl Farm property on Aug. 20, complete with a double-thumbed clenched fist, massive dagger and peyote buttons, said Steve Cohn, a Los Angeles contractor whom actor Johnny Depp appointed to lead the Gonzo Monument Team.
“There’s been talk about it. We’re looking at properties,” said Cohn.
The permanent monument would be made entirely out of metal and include a pulley to transport guests to the top of the fist, where an intimate lounge and views of the Las Vegas skyline would await, Cohn said.
“The most important thing is if we do a permanent monument, the focus will be on Hunter’s work,” said Anita Thompson, the writer’s widow. “For example, there would have to be a library and a bar – not just a bar. Maybe there would be a reading room and a place for a symposium where people could actually learn something about Hunter that they didn’t know already.”
Anita Thompson said the project would largely be bankrolled through the Hunter Thompson Foundation, which was established after his Feb. 20 suicide to advance his work in literature, politics and criminal justice.
Depp, who paid more than $2 million for the Aug. 20 service, also would contribute.
There is no definitive timeline for the project at this point, Anita Thompson said.
Meanwhile, crews in Aspen this week began the task of dismantling the monument that served as the centerpiece of last month’s memorial. Most of it should be removed by the end of the week.
It will be transported to Los Angeles, where it will be stored in a warehouse until Depp decides what to do with it. Cohn said it might be placed outside Depp’s home in California or possibly moved to a small island the actor recently purchased in the Caribbean.
