Many thanks to the numerous contributors who supported my successful @Kickstarter campaign, "Hunter Thompson: The Cozumel Diary". Thanks to you, we raised $55,987; 254% of my initial goal! ~Al Satterwhite
The Cozumel Diary .... running amuck with the King of Gonzo, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, in Mexico and other weird tales
Hi! My name is Al Satterwhite, I've been a photographer since I was in high school shooting for major publications such as Life, Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine. My career gave me an opportunity to get to know some of the major personalities and icons of our culture. Little did I know what was in store for me when I met, and became friends with, the one and only gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson.
Hunter and I became friends back in the early 70's when I first met him at the Republican Convention in Miami Beach. We were both there covering the event for different magazines; he for Rolling Stone, me for Newsweek
Hunter and I hit it off so when Playboy wanted to interview Hunter in 1974 he insisted I be assigned to photograph the event. I knew this wasn't going to be an ordinary gig.
Hunter and I met up in Cozumel, a small island in the Caribbean off the coast of Yucatan, Mexico. From the moment we got together until the work was finally submitted to Playboy, mischief and mayhem ensued. Not only did I capture Hunter photographically, I captured the experiences we shared together - and what a ride it was……. including the start of 'the Great Shark Hunt'.
Five days later I flew back to the States with a hangover and 20 rolls of exposed film. What I'm publishing is the story of that trip (and it was, indeed, one helluva trip). And since Hunter and I continued our relationship I'm adding a few other Hunter stories that were most definitely warped as only Hunter could be whenever he came to visit me in Florida. Tales involving the Secret Service, drugs, stopped for speeding in Palm Beach late one night, a harpoon gun and more. The phone would ring and off to some crazy adventure we would go.
With so much material, I've decided to put a high quality photographic book together to share those stories along with many of the never before seen photos that I took of Hunter being the quintessential Hunter S. Thompson. It's called 'The Cozumel Diary'. If you're a Hunter fan, you'll enjoy this candid slice of life with Hunter.
The entire print run will be exclusively limited to 1000 good sized books printed at one of the finest printers in China. They will be available with or without a slipcase (extra with) and only a small number of books will be available in clamshell boxes with a personally signed & numbered archival print.
From a selection of images from the book I meticulously make my own archival prints in limited editions of 25 for the print sizes that I offer. All are numbered and signed, and printed solely by me.
Join Hunter and I as we take on Cozumel and beyond. It was the ride of a lifetime.
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| The Cozumel Diary in a clamshell box with the letter from Hunter |
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| Sample page from The Cozumel Diary |
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| Hunter Thompson in Cozumel, Mexico |
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| Hunter ordering two more cervezas during the interview |
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| At Pepe's Bar where we spent most of our afternoons (sepia tone) |
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| Heading out on 'The Great Shark Hunt' -- a great story! |
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| Hanging out by the pool |
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| An afternoon at San Francisco beach |
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| Sitting on the seawall at the beach |
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| A contact sheet from a roll of Tri-X |
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| A Triptych of Hunter at Pepe's Bar one afternoon |
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| The double-page spread in the March 2013 issue of Playboy |
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| A letter from Hunter |
I've published three books in the past four years; one with a traditional publisher and two self-published. I did all of the editing, layout and design on those books. This book builds on that experience plus I now have access to one of the best printing companies in Hong Kong. That's why I'm looking for enough capital to have it printed at the highest standards. This book means a lot to me and I want it to look the best. And I think you'll be proud to own a copy. ~Al Satterwhite
