# The Playboy Interview — Hunter S. Thompson

**Author:** Hunter S. Thompson (interview)  
**Published:** 1974 (Playboy); our copy: 2012 edition  
**Full text:** `Playboy-Interview.epub`

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## Overview

Thompson's Playboy interview is one of his most direct statements on **American power, Nixon, the drug war, and the role of journalism**. Less allegory than Fear and Loathing; Thompson speaks plainly about what he's seen.

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## Government-Antagonistic Themes

### Thompson on Nixon

- **Direct assessment** — Nixon as symptom and cause; the "bad karma" of the administration
- **Watergate** — Thompson's take on the scandal as it unfolded or in retrospect

### Drug War and Hypocrisy

- **Enforcement** — Who gets busted, who doesn't; class and race in the war on drugs
- **Thompson's own use** — Interview context; journalist as subject of the same laws he critiques

### Journalism and Power

- **Access** — Why he rejected the White House beat; gonzo as alternative
- **"Objective" journalism** — Complicity with power; asking the wrong questions

### American Society and Authority

- **Cops, politicians, corporations** — Thompson's views on who runs things and how
- **Vegas, California** — Places as symptoms of systemic rot

*Specific quotes and themes to be added after reading.*

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## Cross-References

- [Main index](index-thompson-main.md)
- [Fear and Loathing](index-fear-and-loathing.md) — Vegas, Nixon
- [Great Shark Hunt](index-great-shark-hunt.md) — Campaign Trail, Watergate

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Keywords: #Playboy #Interview #Hunter #Thompson