And getting help deftly do that if you can. And you have a cross rifles. I went to central back two years ago to the day. I went to the one in arkansas. Okay. I forget his name. His like a walkinwa refrigerator. I never went there. After i got out i went to israel. I wish i did. One of our guys. He went there right before the last performance. 2012. He said she said. Aaron pierce. They are still teaching there. He is definitely there. Im from texas. He kind of talks like this all the time. It wasnt me, was it . Ibes eve no. Doesnt really open his mouth. Hed always yell at me because every time we would write up a cigarette. His site you ever have a cigarette not in your mouth . Do you ever have a tip not in your mouth . Publicly Say Something else. Anything else . You have something burning in your eyes. No . Anybody . Lets get it started, man. I am not big army is not taking anymore. To go to the italian . Budget cuts, man. They filled up the 82nd. Now they have the infantrymen with zero skill so we cant keep filling them out. Are you going to stay in . oss. Go for it, man. Go for it. Ive got bad memory loss, man. I have to see a face. Ill never forget a face, but names are like i forgot the name which is to develop. Peers. You are laughing, im being serious. Are you ready on some books . Lets do it, man. Will start in the front row. [inaudible conversations] welcome to denver on booktv, located along the front range of the Rocky Mountains, this capital city is colorados largest in the populated with over 3 million people, founded in 1858 nine encounter in the gold rush it is now home to a u. S. Mankind is the largest wine producer in the world. With the help of our Comcast Cable partnerscome over the next two hours we looks where the citys history and literary culture including a visit to the Tattered Cover. Tattered cover mr. Tobias d. Vogel and i think 1971. Joyce cox or run the end of 1973, beginning of 1974 and in a lot of ways, joyce really invented what has become modern brick and mortar retailing. And i, if you look at Tattered Cover, you will see brass fixtures in dark way. The original superstores are modeled on this. While in denver, we also spoke with Juan Thompson, son of author hunter s. Henderson thompson. Uninvolved i would say. Not that he didnt love me and care about me, but if far its been im not going to go out tonight and see my friends, i will they home and hang out with the kids and make them dinner. No, that was not him. First, we begin with the ride along toward denver with reporter jon murray at the highlights unique locations that the city. This is downtown denver, colorados capital city. I have lived here over a decade in the city changed and i liked the general direction of the city. This is jon murray, city hall reporter for the denver post. When we were in town on october, hezbollah denied local content vehicle to talk about denvers taste treat and the place we see today. Its my first time in denver. Never been here before. If someone like me has never been to denver, hulk explained the city. Denver is a city that was originally silver and gold and oil boom and bust city and in the last 30 years it has been kind of a western city on the rise. It still hasnt other industries, too. Growth has been a big dynamic year for the last 30 years or so. Denver is the economic stand appear. Denver has gone through a lot of economic change for the gap is widening because its growing so quickly. Affordability is hugehere. They are living up very comfortably. The rents are going up pretty quickly. That is pricing some people out of the city. The dynamics that teachers and firefighters are finding it harder to stay in denver and so they are moving to the suburbs because its too expensive. Denver has added 85,000 people in five years. It is growing very quickly. What is bringing people here . A stronger economy, the quality of life is amazing. Keep going straight. You can meet so many people who moved here in the last few years. Tell me about the neighborhood ahead of you. So, we are about to head into one of the parts of denver that has changed the most and has the most money invested in the last 10 or 15 years. Central Platte Valley includes lower downtown and also the river area in Union Station was just reopened a couple years ago after a 500 Million Investment in the transit center. An underground by Center Camera rail lines going in. Some are open, some will be opening in the next couple of years. And then theres also a billion dollars of New Buildings that have gone in. A whole new neighborhood around Union Station. What was that like previously . 25 years ago or 30 years ago it was a whole rail yard. The rail lines make space on all this stuff around here has gotten redevelop into actual neighborhood. Who lives here . Give me a picture of whos spent their time in the neighborhood. This is millennial sensual. Its millennial with College Education and good paying jobs. The baby boomers who are more like retired nhl live downtown. It is mostly apartments down here, some condos. But they are kind of highpriced apartments. How is that changing the look of denver . Its a beautiful city. The Rocky Mountains or a backdrop. How is that changing aesthetically from warehouses over here but i see this new construction. This guideline is expanding for sure. Its making central denver a much more urban place. There are new mass transit lanes opening, light rail line and are trained to the airport that starts over here, just opened in the last couple of my. So all these changes are giving denver a much more urban character and more urban feel. We are still a city of transition, but that excites a lot of people a lot of people appear to give me the downside of it. If we are honest. At the rents an apartment come you dont know how much her rent will be going up. Ive actually done that myself. My rent went up by double digits last year percentagewise. Thats hard to deal with winter salary is not doing such. The cost of living and rising. Its like the rest of the country. Wages are shooting up very much but the cost of living is. Denver is a diversifying city. Its always had an interesting diversity as far as the quite a bit lower africanamerican neighborhoods and stronghold that theyll be going through. Most of the Ethnic Diversity has been an annex. I think what you see is some of these new neighborhood that are higherpriced are overwhelmingly white. I also have noticed that i have to admit its a beautiful city, but i see a lot of homeless is here. What is the solution to that . Thats another big problem here. It is kind of similar to the homelessness dynamic ec in a city like portland or ross said for standard cisco, worried about denver is known no mythical pity, it is not used those spirits were tempered in the winter. People can get by except for maybe a few days. What that means is just as we draw for millennial and people on the higher economic society, its also an appealing place for the homeless. And quite honestly the people moving here who arent homeless that are lower income than they get here and dont realize how expensive it is to get forced out onto the street. That is a problem we are grappling with here. You do have that contingent fees may be younger and homeless because they might have some drug issues. They made a john by Legal Marijuana here. Were still figuring out what the dynamic looks like and how much marijuana is the fact you not. Its caused some problems and i would say the city is still working on trying to solve some of those issues and hasnt gotten very far. Historically the africanamerican neighborhood going back to this. It was the part of denver that when the rest of the city wasnt so welcoming to africanamericans have their jazz clubs and social clubs and just strong holds of the black community. Denver doesnt have those larger black community is a lot of big cities do. It is a very closeknit community and still is in many. What are the whole voters from that neighborhood . Are still historic loadings appear. Quite a few folks have lived here their entire lives. But it is a rapidly changing neighborhood. We will see some older buildings but also newer building. If this neighborhood in transition. This is the historic fivepoint intersection here. And so they see have kind of the old businesses, but then also some new restaurants, some hipster joints. Frankly theres a lot of white people who live in this neighborhood now. I have an africanamerican friend who has the latino husband. They are gentrifiers color, but that not a cold. More often than not white people are moving in and that does have a little bit of resentment because it is a very visible reminder of the change thats happening. If we were to come to 20, 30, 40 years ago, what would you have seen here . I think you wouldve seen a neighborhood that was much more africanamerican, much more culturally proud. It is still culturally proud. And also probably the 60s, 70s neighborhood that is struggling with the rest of central denver economically. Tell me about the struggle. Where is it now . Back in the 70s and 80s, it ever was very reliable. So when times are good they were really good. When times were bad, the economy hit the floor. And so you had a downtown that was more like an office park and apartment. You had a little bit less of an urban downtown area or central denver area and all of that has changed. Youre the City Council Reporter on the government day care. What are some interesting shifts that you kind of thing from that standpoint . I think youve seen last year a lot of turnover. One of the things that you did the if the influx of younger councilmembers. A few in the 30s and 40s like any urban city council tends to favor folks running the capital. More retire raise. Now you have working age folks. We are recommending more of the millennial residence here and there pointed you. Some of them are also on the reservation bandwagon, but some of them also are more in favor of the Marijuana Industry in hearing their concerns and tried to ballot that. I think he seen a listening on the city council in kind of a local iceni platitudes. We went under a sevenday period is there a distinction now that we are officially in a different neighborhood . Yeah, it does. This is a peer. That neighborhood south of the highway, too. Its kind of our classic urban story from the 1900 when a highway system was built. It was a very proud workingclass neighborhood. The federal government a highway right in the middle. And weve been dealing with the effects of that ever since. We have a ton of lower middle class. It has a very high latino population, spanishspeaking population. You have housing on the right and nonetheless youve got the National Western talkshow stock show, which is the biggest in the country. For people like me, what we mean by that . It has a rodeo. Its got people coming to show cattle from around the country and all kinds of competitions. So here in this pretty urban area, you will just bring your cattle. Yakima every january for a couple weeks it turned into a massive stock show. Over here youve got sanctuary. Thats a big dispensary, but a Marijuana Production facility. It tends to be because of zoning requirements and area for industrial and residential are mixed. Thats been a big problem. Theres been a lot of pushback because the industry is taking over all the spaces. Theyd rather have a space that is going to constrain the neighborhood growth in the future. Im sure people in denver and colorado get sick of the known for the place where marijuana is legal. But it is fascinating from the outside. You see there is some brutality they are. Nothing like you see when you drive through denver. Dispensaries lives, businesses businesses, it looks like apples door. Therere more dispensaries in denver than starbucks in the donalds combined. This last building is a production house for marijuana. And if we come out here, well turn left on 47th, but that this corner a star bud. It is interesting because it was the first big of a neighborhood push back. There is a small dispenser on the second floor. When it came up for renewal, the neighborhood pushed back and the city agreed with time that it was a Bad Influence on the area. It was going to hurt the plans for the neighborhood. So theyre going to lose their license for the next month. They are going to appeal it and the court is likely challenging the decision. But this is the first time the city despite the renewal for a grow license. There has been some pushback had one of the debates right now that you can only use it privately. You cannot use it in public even though some people violate that law. Theres going to be one or two ballot measures this fall. Should we allow private clubs for people to go smoke up or invade date, especially to race. And then allow businesses including bars to apply for a permit to have consumption areas within their buildings. Sort of like the old days when you had your restaurant you had your smoking and not smoking section here in the bar. Over here is the neighborhood where the streets dont have sidewalks. It is still neglected by the city and its a very big topic of discussion. Wouldve been to three different neighborhoods in denver. Weve looked at the good and kind of the bad and every city have that. What is next for denver . Where do you see your city . Denver is in some ways past the cusp of becoming an acre, more vibrant city. It has become a magnet for younger people are Young Professionals here. And lot of ways it is a success story. You can see in some of these neighborhood a lot of challenges left in that theyre going to be the Big Questions that faces the next decade or so and whether it becomes economically equal, a city of economic equality or a city where there is a widening gap he cleaned the rich and the poor. Denver doesnt want to become save the cisco. It doesnt want a giant old that exists economically there were people cant afford to live there. So those are problems a lot of cities are facing, but that is is hoping to put a stamp on those issues and all of them more than any other city has. We spoke with Juan Thompson about his book, stories i tell myself, who talks about his father, hunter s. Thompson. I think the public image of hunter is best captured by the fear and loathing character, which is really all about drinking way too much, taking way too many drugs and just be out of control. I would describe Hunter Thompson as complex. He was brilliant. He was sometimes crazy. He was focused. He was very ambitious. He was given to just be eruptions of rage for small provocations. He was a complex man. How do i describe hunter as a parent . Im involved. Im involved i would say. Theres a few reasons for that. First, he was born in team or defects, so when he was growing up, he didnt grow up in an era when fathers were typically heavily involved with raising kids. So that was part of a. Second, writing was always the most important thing. Family with secondary for sure. Not that he didnt love me and care about me, but as far as being im not going to go out tonight and see my friends. Im going to stay home and hang out with the kids and make them dinner. No, that was not him. I have been asked many times, why do i call him hunter and i called my mom cindy. That is just the way it always was and i think it was because when i was a baby and parents refer to themselves, for whatever reason he was not going to be bad. I dont if you wanted my mom to be mom. He wanted tobe hunter, so i think when little babies, like hunter, not god, hunter. When he would have these out yours over age, the primary thing was just the yelling. He could really yell. This deep, booming voice and i think the scariest day about him when he was angry was he could be just savage with his word. He didnt get physical or rarely. His primary tool was to say some really cutting ambitious. Because he was so smart and so perceptive, he knew exactly how to really just go right to the core of somebody. So that was the worst thing to see. And then, he also threw thing. He didnt throw things at people, but you know, throwing a plate of food against the wall, highspeed, that is pretty scary and i think that was his intent. It was to make a point and to make it clear that he was in control and that the thing to do less or other people to recognize that and submit. That was the point and it worked. He worked with kids. It worked with adults. Their effect is. I was absolutely afraid of them. Part of it was i was afraid of the possibility of him getting angry, so if i had a friend over in the middle of the day, and hunter slept odd hours. He was saved until 4 00 or 5 00 in the afternoon and then go to sleep at 2 00 or 3 00, 5 00 or 6 00. I dont know. During the day he was asleep, so there is this mandate, the deep quiet, and dont wait conjure up. It really wasnt an up or else. It was implied, it will be a bad thing. Do not wake the sleeping dragon. And then he would have these outbursts. Yeah, just the possibility of making him angry was terrifying to a little kid. And he was the big guy and he was loud and when he was a great, was really scary. So yeah, i was definitely scared of him. What was funny is he never hit me. I cant think that he really was verbally abusive. He certainly was two other people. But its funny, that didnt matter. It was just the possibility, knowing that he could do that, being afraid that he would do it to me. When i think of hunter being angry, the event that stands out most clearly is one night after my mom and he had been arguing, you know, still they are in the house, she called the police, which is something you just did not do. She called the police and they came and my mom was trying she was getting some drawers of clothes from her room to take outside and put in the car to drive away and i remember him grabbing grabbing the drawer of clothes from her, say you are not going anywhere with that. And it was just such a cruel thing to do, for he had to just demand that obedience and to exert so much control, i just coming in now, i was like 11 years old, five feet tall. Scrawny kid. I just lost it. I just started screaming at him and tried to hit him and a cop grabbed me and held me back. I was a little kid. I was just i couldnt stand it anymore. I was just so outraged at what a he was. And not really did set my perception of who he was for sever