In 1971, Hunter S. Thompson and his attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta journeyed to Las Vegas. The product of this experience became Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a counterculture text of biblical significance. The book sees its 40th anniversary this year and to commemorate the event Selected Shorts is hosting a reading.
Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Anthony Rapp (Rent, Dazed and Confused), Scott Shepherd (Elevator Repair Service's Gatz at The Public), and others will tackle selections from Thompson's book. Cultural critic Chuck Klosterman (Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs) and Editor of Time Inc.'s Sports Illustrated Group Terry McDonell, who interviewed Thompson for The Paris Review, will speak on Thompson's legacy. For the uninitiated, this is the perfect opportunity to get a taste of one of the most imitated, but never equaled writers in American letters.