Fact Check

Bill Murray and Hunter S. Thompson Wore Vulgar T-Shirts?

An image showing Bill Murray and Hunter S. Thompson on a boat was doctored for a viral marketing campaign.

Published May 25, 2017

Claim:
Bill Murray and Hunter S. Thompson were photographed wearing shirts reading "Buy Me Brunch" and "Polite as Fuck."

On 25 May 2017, the History Lovers Club Twitter account posted an image of actor Bill Murray and author Hunter S. Thompson on a boat apparently wearing t-shirts that read "Buy Me Brunch" and "Polite as Fuck."

This picture isn't real. It was created as part of a viral marketing campaign for the Buy Me Brunch clothing line. The real image showed Murray and Hunter wearing shirts with the words "Amazing X Navy":

Although we have not found the exact source for the original photograph, the picture was most likely taken during the filming of Where the Buffalo Roam, a 1980 movie which starred Murray as the Gonzo reporter. According to two unconfirmed reports, these t-shirts were a gift from Dan Gerber, a poet who lived on a property dubbed the "Amazing X Ranch" in Fremont, Michigan.

Sources

Tipton, James.   "The Third Coast, Contemporary Michigan Fiction."     Wayne State University Press.   1982.

Truman, Todd.   "The Amazing X Ranch (and How it Scarred me for Life)."     The Shirttail Press.   8 May 2013.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

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