Feb 20 2025 60 mins 2
A new side of renowned writer Hunter S. Thompson is presented here exclusively. We talk to Henry Vinson, convicted in 1990 for running a large “male escort service” in Washington D.C. For the first time, he describes his interactions with Thompson, & the late Gonzo journalist’s close friendship with disgraced lobbyist (& purported CIA asset) Craig J. Spence.
Afterwards, we talk to Zach Glenn of the Predictive Programming podcast. Zach will walk us through the murkier sides of Hunter Thompson’s life, including possible links to the U.S. intelligence community.
At the start of this episode, you’ll also hear about the strange, scandalous events unfolding in D.C. during the month of Thompson’s death. The father of Gonzo journalism may have been much closer to these events than has previously been known.
Some helpful background reading:
‘WV native, former leader in DC prostitution ring, authors tell-all book’. Charleston Gazette-Mail, May 17th 2015.https://www.wvgazettemail.com/arts__entertainment/wv-native-former-leader-in-dc-prostitution-ring-authors-tell-all-book/article_3a5fea02-9ae7-5f12-ae6b-e8efca445b93.html
‘The Shadow World of Craig Spence’. Washington Post, July 17th 1989.https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/07/18/the-shadow-world-of-craig-spence/2837e91e-49ce-4121-9416-8e0c7a2debf6/
‘Son’s Shotgun Tribute’. Rocky Mountain News, March 2nd 2005.https://web.archive.org/web/20050404123625/http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3587245,00.html
Music- ‘Identity Crisis’, ‘Cornered’ & ‘Danger’ by the wonderful Myuu.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit commendablecommotion.substack.com
