How did the Presidential election of 2004 lead to Hunter’s depression?
I think that he was looking for a ray of hope, but he didn’t see it. I think that it took its toll on him. He was personally very vulnerable. The booze had caught up with him, and he was in terrible shape physically. And so the personal and political were merging in 2004 and there was despair in each. Hunter had what he called “a gun problem.” He lived for the gun and ultimately died by it. What did the gun represent to him? Hunter was an explosive character, and he liked things that exploded. He was also a real frontier American in that sense. There was something wild about him. He loved to blow things up. He loved to shoot guns. Do you think his use of drugs and guns was more about a love for freedom? He had the mentality of “Don’t tread on me. I will go where I want to go, when I want to go.” And that’s a very appealing part of his character. There’s also an element of self-destruction—from the drugs and booze to his decision to hang out with the Hell’s Angels, where he got his ass
