The Gonzo Fist by Paul Pascarella .
Paul Pascarella writes:
I would just like to be clear on the logo that you are refering to, the Gonzo fist, or the actual Gonzo logo with fist, name and dagger blade. The two thumbed fist with peyote button was originally designed by Hunter and a local Aspen artist named Tom Benton. It was first used I believe as a Freak Power symbol when Hunter was running for Sheriff in Aspen in 69′ when Benton designed the poster.
The actual Gonzo logo that you see around in Rolling Stone, Hunter’s books etc. is what I designed for Hunter in the early 70′s. Designing logos is what I did such as the Lorimar logo, United Artists and many more. Hunter wanted a logo for the Gonzo way, Gonzo Journalism and so on. So I took the two thumbed fist and redesigned it along with the logotype and knife blade. I remember the knife blade was roughly fashioned after one of Hunter’s throwing knives and if you notice carefully the negative spaces in the type and knife blade all match up and relate well to each other, atleast if you are looking at the real one.
That was only one of many graphic and art projects I worked on with Hunter and working with Hunter is always much more complex than it need be, but also can be more fun than usual. The most recent was a kind of Hunter’s World portrait I did right after his death. It is mixed media almost all in black and white 5′x4′. I also made a six minute film on the making of the painting and soon will be putting the painting up for sale.
Years later I didn’t think the Gonzo logo was my best design, but it may turn out to be the biggest.
“And don’t think that my arrogance is unintentional: it’s just that I’d rather offend you now than after I started working for you. I didn’t make myself clear to the last man I worked for until after I took the job. It was as if the Marquis de Sade had suddenly found himself working for Billy Graham. The man despised me, of course, and I had nothing but contempt for him and everything he stood for. If you asked him, he’d tell you that I’m “not very likable, (that I) hate people, (that I) just want to be left alone, and (that I) feel too superior to mingle with the average person.” (That’s a direct quote from a memo he sent to the publisher.) Nothing beats having good references.”
