Much of the discussion centered on Johnny's friendship with the late Hunter S. Thompson, whose early novel The Rum Diary forms the basis for the film.
Asked where he would "place" Thompson "in the contemporary literary firmament,” Johnny replied, "For me, Hunter is without question one of the most important writers of the 20th century. He reinvented a style of writing by putting himself into the situation, by living it." And "what kind of a guy" was he? "He was brilliant," Johnny said. “Incredibly quick-witted - very fast and very, very funny.
