“When the going gets weird, the weird go to sea.”

Over his career, Hunter S. Thompson developed Gonzo Journalism, an offshoot of New Journalism that made the writer into the central participant in the narrative. He practiced this style of writing in such famous pieces as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved,” and Hell’s Angels. Much of his work over the years appeared in Rolling Stone, and he, rightly, built up a large and loyal following.

Thompson long hated Richard Nixon and, before many others, saw him as representing “that dark, venal, and incurably violent side of the American character.” In many ways, Nixon represented for Thompson the moral corruption that was at the heart of much of modern American society, especially its politics and culture. Over time, Thompson also began to see “the free enterprise system as the single greatest evil in the history of human savagery.” And, he supported the legalization of drugs and possession of firearms. As he was fond of saying, “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”

One of Thompson’s greatest quotes comes from his article, “Fear and Loathing at the Super Bowl,” from 1974: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” And, while Thompson is not know as a sailor, he did, as he wrote, “have just enough experience on the sea under sail to feel a certain nostalgia for it when I see a big white racing yacht heeled over at cruising speed on the ocean.” And, therefore, we think old Raul Duke – just like any true sailor – would approve of our adjustment to it, emblazoned on this t-shirt, “When the going gets weird, the weird go to sea.”