There’s been a change of plans. The August 20 public memorial service for gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, at which his ashes were to be blast out of a cannon, has been canceled. There will be a private memorial service instead.

“It got too tricky to morph symposium and ashes, so instead there is just the private service,” [planner Doug] Brinkley said Tuesday.

Somehow, I think there’s more to this story. It’s just breaking, so stay tuned. Maybe the blasting of the ashes is a zoning or land use violation. Or maybe the cost got prohibitive. It’s too bad because legions of Hunter fans would have trekked to Aspen for the event.