"Never kill a good story"

One should never kill a good story with the truth. Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson is credited for: "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side." A quote should be to the point. This particular quote meets the criteria of being to the point. However, Hunter S. Thompson never said or wrote this. Nevertheless, it has been quoted by hundreds of reputable sources. David Emery, an internet folklore expert and debunker of urban legends, hoaxes, and popular misconceptions researched the origin. The actual quote, which Emery found in Thompson’s Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation (New York: Summit Books, 1988), and which was originally published in Thompson’s San Francisco Examiner column on November 4, 1985, goes like this: "The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason." Clearly, it isn't about the music industry. There are many similarities ("cruel and shallow money trench"... "a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs"), but the added sentence "There’s also a negative side." is made up to make a perfect quote even better. When my initial disappointment over the quote subsided, I began to think about why, when, how and by whom the quote was altered. A good story is hard to kill. And, the music business is a cruel and shallow money trench. That's why the misquote resonates with so many people.