A music-and-text recording of Hunter S. Thompson’s 1970 article “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved” will be available on vinyl for the first time, thanks to Shimmy-Disc. Actor Tim Robbins and jazz-great Bill Frisell are among the artists featured.
The celebrated piece is considered the first example of Thompson’s gonzo journalism. It ran in the June 1970 edition of Scanlan’s Monthly. Mostly overlooked initially, the article earned attention as the journalist’s star rose throughout the decade.
Frisell composed the album’s music and put together a band that included Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, Ron Miles on trumpet, Eyvind Kang on viola, Doug Weiselman on woodwinds, Jenny Scheinman on violin, Hank Roberts on cello and Kenny Wolleson on drums and percussion.
The new release is a remastering of a CD package put out by Paris Records in 2012