His own books include the lives of Sigmund Freud
and Leonardo da Vinci and "The Big I Am", the story of
God. With American writer Hunter S. Thompson he collaborated in
the birth of GONZO journalism, the definitive book in the genre
being "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", which was made
into a feature film. He is also a printmaker. His prints include
a series of etchings on writers from William Shakespeare to William
Burroughs.
In 1989 he wrote the libretto for an eco-oratorio
called "Plague and the Moonflower" which has been performed
in five cathedrals in the UK and was the subject of a BBC 2 film
in 1994. He has traveled the world's vineyards and distilleries
for Oddbins, which culminated in his two prize-winning books, "The
Grapes of Ralph" and "Still Life With Bottle". He
has an Honorary D. Litt from the University of Kent.