'Gonzo' journalist Thompson marries long-time assistant

Hunter S Thompson, the self-styled US “gonzo journalist” who often portrays himself as hard-drinking and unpredictable, was on his best behaviour as he married his long-time assistant near his home in Colorado, officials said.

The 66-year-old, best-known as the author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, married Anita Beymuk, 30, in Aspen on April 24.

“He had a nice suit jacket and slacks on. He brought her flowers. That never happens here. We were all impressed with that,” Pitkin County Deputy Clerk Sherry McIntire said yesterday.

The couple live on Owl Farm in Woody Creek, near Aspen.

In a column Thompson wrote after the event, entitled The Royal Wedding, he said the marriage was completed “with fine style and secrecy”.

He wrote: “Our honeymoon was even simpler. We drank heavily for a few hours ... and accepted fine gifts from strangers, then we drove erratically back out to the Owl Farm.”

There the couple celebrated privately by “building a huge fire, icing down a magnum of Crystal Champagne and turning on the Lakers-Timberwolves game until we passed out and crawled to the bedroom”.

Contrary to his reputation, guests have said Thompson is gentlemanly and polite in his own home.