In Italian, “gonzo” means “foolish,” an apt descriptor for the outrageous activities undertaken in the wild, literary style of journalism. Perhaps the most famous figure of gonzo journalism is Hunter S. Thompson, who pioneered the style in his best-known work, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.” It started out as an assignment in 1971 to cover a motorcycle race for “Sports Illustrated” magazine, but the story developed as a drug-fueled road trip undertaken by Thompson and his lawyer. The gonzo journalism piece, which discussed the end of 1960s counterculture, was first serialized by “Rolling Stone,” then published as a book in 1971, and later adapted as a movie in 1998.