ROLLING STONE’s new issue, dated March 24, 2005, features the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson on the cover and contains 31 pages of tributes to the pioneering journalist. Johnny Depp’s contribution, entitled “A Pair of Deviant Bookends,” is a lengthy, vivid reminiscence of his friendship with Hunter. He eulogizes his friend as “a genius who revolutionized writing in the same way that Marlon Brando had done with acting” and calls Hunter “without question, the most loyal and present friend I have ever had the honor of knowing.” Needless to say, this issue is a must-have for all Deppheads. Sam was kind enough to post the full text of Johnny’s tribute on the News & Views forum–thanks so much, sam! Here is a small sample that explains the tribute’s title, as Johnny discusses the period when he was living in Hunter’s house in Aspen, preparing for his role in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS:

“I used to tease him that we were becoming a perversely twisted version of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, which really made him uncomfortable. I had, by this point, purloined an impressive amount of his clothing from the Vegas period and adopted the same mode of dress: the aviator shades, a bush hat, short pants, athletic socks, Converse sneakers, cigarette holder clenched tightly between the teeth. We’d saunter out of the house to take a drive in the car like freakish twins.

“So, for good or ill, there we were, a pair of deviant bookends on the prowl.

“Truly, the man should be sainted for putting up with my continual scratching away at the layers of his life. He stuck it out like a champion and couldn’t have been a better friend.”

The photo on the left comes from the HELLO MAGAZINE site and shows Johnny delivering his memorial tribute to Hunter at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen on March 5th. He performs “the wave speech” from FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS while standing next to a large cardboard cut-out of Hunter, with a huge American flag in the background. To see a larger version of the photo, click HERE, and to read the HELLO story, click HERE. The Zone thanks emma and sam for posting the ROLLING STONE stories, and sleepy and Pebbles for the HELLO magazine pictures and story. The Zone also thanks Johnny for sharing his memories of Hunter and giving us all a glimpse of “the dear Doctor.”