Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Depp's portrayal of Duke was much an alternate portrayal of Thompson himself. His costume includes numerous possessions either previously associated with Thompson, or associated to him thanks to the film: among them, a patchwork hunting jacket, an Aloha shirt, a bucket hat, aviator sunglasses and a Tar-Gard cigarette holder.

Hunter S. Thompson and Oscar Acosta, 1971: the real-life Raoul Duke with the real-life Dr. Gonzo.

Raoul Duke was the pseudonym used by Hunter S. Thompson for the fictional character based on him in his autobiographical novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Fear and Loathing was originally written under the name Raoul Duke and Thompson periodically used the pen name for some of his later articles. John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his frequent portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the titular character of Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands. ... Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompsons 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. ... Example of patchwork Patchwork or pieced work is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. ... Aloha shirts are usually adorned with repeating tropical patterns. ... A bucket hat. ... Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses (RB3025 004/58) Aviator sunglasses are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Ray-Ban in 1937. ... A cigarette holder close up A cigarette holder is a slender tube in which a single cigarette is held for smoking, as opposed to a cigarette case, which holds many cigarettes for the purpose of carrying. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... For other uses, see Alias. ... Hunter Stockton Thompson (18 July 1937 – 20 February 2005) was an American journalist and author, famous for his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. ... A fictional character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that is created from ones imagination or from an adaption of an existing entity. ... This Side Of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a famous example of an autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a novel based on the life of the author. ... For the 1998 film adaptation of the novel, see Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film). ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ...

Thompson's alter ego

Duke is the main character and narrator of many of Thompson's stories, novels, and articles, often taking part of events in Thompson's life in Thompson's place. He is portrayed as an eccentric, deeply cynical hedonist with a myriad of drug addictions and a bottomless contempt for conservative American values. He is in a near-perpetual state of intoxication on whatever drugs happen to be available, ranging from marijuana and LSD to ether, mescaline, cocaine and even human adrenaline. He usually obtains and consumes these substances in the company of his attorney, Gonzo, a half-crazed Samoan, whose drug-induced frenzies give even Duke pause. Thompson based Gonzo on his friend, the late Chicano, civil rights lawyer Oscar Zeta Acosta. Thompson made Dr. Gonzo Samoan to hide the fact that he was based on Acosta. Hedonism is a word used to describe any way of thinking that gives pleasure a central role. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... Conservatism in the United States comprises a constellation of political ideologies including fiscal conservatism, free market or economic liberalism, social conservatism,[1] bioconservatism and religious conservatism,[2][3] as well as support for a strong military,[4] small government and promotion of states rights. ... Cannabis, also known as marijuana[1] or ganja (Hindi: गांजा),[2] is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa. ... LSD redirects here. ... This article is about a general class of chemical compounds. ... Not to be confused with mesclun. ... For other uses, see Cocaine (disambiguation). ... Adrenaline redirects here. ... For other uses, see Chicano (disambiguation). ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Duke is first mentioned by Thompson in his 1966 book Hell's Angels, where he is described as an outlaw with "that extra 'something,'" meaning that although he breaks the law he does so in a way that is not offensive to society, but that, in fact, makes him more acceptable.

Duke is often characterized as being somewhat of an author surrogate, a source of quotes and opinions that Thompson would not necessarily be able to get away with himself, and actions that Thompson didn't want to admit he had committed himself. His name, according to Thompson in interviews, was inspired by Raúl Castro (brother of Fidel Castro) and John Wayne's nickname "The Duke," and probably originated as a pseudonym used to check into hotels, as in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. As a literary technique, an author surrogate is a character who expresses the ideas, questions, personality and morality of the author. ... This article is about the Cuban politician. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... For other persons named John Wayne, see John Wayne (disambiguation). ...

Duke was also used so that Thompson could talk about himself - after a diving accident Thompson had to spend some time in a decompression chamber, and wrote a letter signed 'Raoul Duke' in which the pseudonym described the insanity of Thompson's condition in the chamber - holding up scrawled notes to the single glass window and ordering a television set to watch coverage of the Watergate hearings. The letter appeared in Rolling Stone in August 1973. Hyperbaric medicine, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the medical use of oxygen at a higher than atmospheric pressure. ... The Watergate building. ... This article is about the magazine. ...

In The Great Shark Hunt (a large selection of articles written by Thompson) Raoul Duke's name is the one that appears on several essays that were published in newspapers and magazines, including the "Police Chief," an article published by Scanlan's Monthly (June 1970) in which Duke is apparently an ex-police chief raging at the inadequate amount of real "weaponry" used by the police and advertised in the (presumably invented) Police Chief magazine. It was signed "Raoul Duke (Master of Weaponry)". The Great Shark Hunt is a book written by Hunter S. Thompson. ... Scanlans Monthly was a short-lived monthly publication, running from March 1970 to January 1971. ...

In Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, Thompson describes Raoul Duke as a sports writer friend, one of the few journalists who can truly write objectively instead of just talking about it. In the same section, Thompson calls journalistic objectivity "a pompous contradiction in terms", and warns the reader not to look for it under his byline. Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail 72 is a collection of articles covering the 1972 presidential campaign written by gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson and illustrated by Ralph Steadman. ... Objectivity is frequently held to be essential to proper journalism (particularly in the United States); however, there is some disagreement about what the concept consists of. ...

Other alter-egos

These characters include:

• F.X. Leach, a redneck poet who lives in a trailer park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Featured in Fear and Loathing in Elko^[1] and Death of a Poet. Quotes from poems of his are often featured as epigraphs in Thompson's nonfictional works.
• Paul Kemp, a disenchanted globetrotting newspaperman. Born in St. Louis, he lived in New York City, but was stationed variously around Europe with different publications. He then moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico to work on the English-language San Juan Daily News. Featured in The Rum Diary, set to be played by Johnny Depp in the upcoming film adaption.
• Welburn Kemp in the unpublished Prince Jellyfish, described by The Guardian in Thompson's obituary: "[A] boy from Louisville, going to the big city and struggling against the dunces to make his way."^[2]

This article is about a stereotypical description. ... For the Beth Orton album, see Trailer Park (album). ... Green Bay is the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Elko, Nevada Elko is a city in Elko County, Nevada, United States. ... Cover of Screw-Jack, and other stories. ... In literature, an epigraph is a quotation that is placed at the start of a work or section that expresses in some succinct way an aspect or theme of what is to follow. ... Disenchantment (Entzauberung) in social sciences refers to the devaluation of mysticism. ... St. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see San Juan. ... The Rum Diary, an early novel by American writer Hunter S. Thompson, was written in 1959 but was not published until 1998. ... The Rum Diary is a forthcoming film based on Hunter S. Thompsons novel The Rum Diary currently in pre-production and tentatively set for release in 2008. ... Prince Jellyfish is an unpublished novel by Hunter S. Thompson. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Louisville redirects here. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

In other media

• In the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Duke was played by Johnny Depp.
• In the comic strip Doonesbury, the character of Uncle Duke, is based on and named after (in part, or possibly in whole) the Fear and Loathing character.
• Rolling Stone magazine lists "Raoul Duke (Sports)" under their Contributing Editors credits in each edition of their magazine.
• In the romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, during the costume-themed prom, two students are seen dressed as the Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo characters from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompsons 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. ... John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his frequent portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the titular character of Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Doonesbury is a comic strip by Garry Trudeau, popular in the United States and other parts of the world. ... Uncle Duke is a fictional character in the comic strip Doonesbury. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Never Been Kissed is a 1999 comedy directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, Leelee Sobieski, John C. Reilly, Jessica Alba, Marley Shelton, James Franco, Giuseppe Andrews, Jeremy Jordan and Garry Marshall. ... Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompsons 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. ...

References

This article is about the magazine. ... is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Guardian Unlimited is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Dr. Gonzo
• Author surrogate