Patrick T. Sullivan

The Courier-Journal;

Louisville will become Gonzoville when a banner depicting famed journalist Hunter S. Thompson is unveiled downtown next month.

The banner, drawn by artist Ralph Steadman, will be unveiled April 5 at Angel’s Envy distillery on Main Street as part of GonzoFest, an annual celebration of Thompson’s life. The banner will be moved to an undisclosed location downtown after the Kentucky Derby, said Lauren Hendricks, the festival’s spokeswoman.

Ron Whitehead, who befriended Thompson in the 1970s and curates the festival, has pushed for the city to honor the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” author, who grew up in Louisville, since he killed himself in 2005.

Steadman befriended Thompson in Louisville while illustrating the author’s “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” piece, and sent Whitehead 20 portraits of Thompson last year. The festival’s organizers have selected the design, and it will be revealed when the mural is unveiled, Whitehead said.

The festival will be held at different locations downtown from March 31 to April 5. It will include musical acts, art galleries, readings, a parade and a screening of “For No Good Reason,” a documentary on Steadman’s life narrated by Johnny Depp.

“This will be the biggest, best, most uplifting and inspiring Hunter S. Thompson celebration in history,” Whitehead said.

Thompson’s widow, Anita Thompson, will deliver the festival’s keynote address before the banner is unveiled.

The festival’s complete schedule can be found here.

Reporter Patrick T. Sullivan can be reached at (502) 582-4335 or on Twitter by following @CJ_PSullivan.