The Lizard King: Jim Morrison
The Lizard King: Jim Morrison
A Look at The Doors and Jim Morrison
via rollingstone.com
The Summer of 1967 is known as the 'Summer of Love' and that same summer the rock and roll band, The Doors, burst onto the national scene with their hit song, "Light My Fire".
The band has the number 34 ranked debut record of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine, however, most Doors fanatics feel that that mediocre ranking is an insult to the band's prowess on display in that first self-titled album where a close up collage of all four members graced the cover and all writing credits were given simply to The Doors.
The establishment of the United States resisted but a genuine counterculture was growing and forming behind youth rebellion, chemical enlightenment, and sexual freedom in the 1960's. The culmination of this counterculture came to a head by the time of the Woodstock Music & Arts Festival in August of 1969.
The London Fog
The band's first gig was at a true 'hole in the wall' joint which was right next door to the famous "Whisky A Go Go" on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. In the minds of the band they had hoped that word would trickle across to 'the Whisky' about a band from next door, and that is exactly what happened. One day, the talent booker from 'the Whisky' saw the band play next door at "The London Fog" and was so enamored with Morrison fronting the band that she convinced her boss at 'the Whisky' to hire The Doors. The band was ecstatic, and typically they would play multiple shows in one night for 'the Whisky' or their previous gig at The London Fog, so they took the opportunity to celebrate.
But right as things were lifting off of the ground, Jim did not show up one night. The band got in a car and went over to his rented room on La Cienega Boulevard where Jim was 'out of his mind on acid'. When the band corralled him back to play their shows, Jim insisted on playing "The End", a song he had written about a high school girlfriend. It was here that one of the first instances of Morrison being on a different brainwave became more than evident to the rest of the band. They became adept at 'keeping him alive on stage'.
via morrisonhotelgallery.com/ 1966, Doors at The London Fog
'Looked A Little Like Jim'
In the 2010 film, "When You're Strange", a documentary-movie about the band written by Tom DiCillo and narrated by actor Johnny Depp, it talks of the recording and release of that first debut record which Rolling Stone Magazine ranked at number 34 of all time. Depp says in the film:
"To promote the album (Jack) Holzman buys a billboard on the Sunset Strip. No one has done this before. 'Break on Through' is their first single, it stalls at number 106. (Jack) Holzman shifts quickly to 'Light My Fire'. (Paul) Rothschild cuts the instrumentals, and the song hits the AM airwaves. In July of 1967, the first song Robby Kreiger ever wrote climbs to number one in the country. Ray and Dorothy (Manzarek's girlfriend) hear it on the car radio and start screaming. The first royalty checks give The Doors 50,000 dollars a piece. Morrison's family is oblivious until a friend of his younger brother comes over with the album-he thought the guy on the cover looked a little like Jim."
Furthering the suspense of Morrison's family learning of this news, they are more shocked by what Jim has written about his family inside the record's sleeve where he insists that all of his family is "dead". Also picture that 50,000 dollars in 1967 would be roughly 300,000 +/- dollars in 2021.
The Ed Sullivan Show
Keep in mind that The Beatles and The Rolling Stones are hitting big in America in the mid-1960's amidst this counterculture revolution of youth movement and just as The Doors are bursting onto the national scene. The band was being hailed as, 'America's answer to The Beatles and Rolling Stones'.
Just as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones before them, The Doors are asked to play the very popular "Ed Sullivan Show". According to UltimateClassicRock.com, "rehearsals for the show went well, and with 15 minutes to air time, Sullivan went to see the band in their dressing room, telling them, 'You boys look great, (but) you ought to smile a little more.' The next thing the band knew a producer was urging them they had to cut out the line "she couldn't get much higher" for its references to drug use. The band agreed.
But as they performed in front of likely millions of Americans on national television, Jim sung the song exactly as written. In the 2010, When You're Strange film, Johnny Depp speaks just after some footage of "The Ed Sullivan Show" performance: "It's been barely a year since their shy young singer couldn't even face his audience. Now, the metamorphosis is complete."
See, Jim was in-fact particularly shy at first. Jim had no musical training, could not play an instrument, and at his insistence all writing credits were given to the band as a whole-he thought the band as a unit and a sole entity.
In only a few years time, less than 1,000 days, Jim had become a literal sex symbol in America-he had undertaken a metamorphosis. On 'The Sullivan Show' he was theatrical, brooding, and sexy, to be frank, in the way he caressed, molested, and puppeteer'd the microphone. It was at that moment that millions of fans around the country became infatuated with Morrison and his devilish good looks. Morrison looked like a kind of Greek-god with curly, luscious, long black hair and tight leather pants. According to MTV's "Rock Legends", "...he could be cerebral and he could be derelict."
via YouTube
Morrison Fan Club
When young girls, young men, young people, young journalists, caught glimpse of the theatrics and vocal ability of Morrison it was mesmerizing for many youth in America. A lasting impact from Morrison is still felt even today. Parents and children would watch 'Sullivan' as a family and here comes Morrison with beautiful flowing hair, dressed like an aristocrat and bellowing out introspective lyrics as young people's eyes were glued to the television.
There are song covers, cover bands as a whole, Morrison-impersonators that front mediocre cover bands, wannabe Morrison-poets, fan clubs such as MorrisonFanClub.com dedicated to Jim, and general mystique and admiration for Jim Morrison of The Doors. His gravesite in Paris, France has been a pilgrimage for many rock and roll fans since his death in 1971.
By the time of the band's third record, writing credits have started to be divided up and Morrison has started to let his alcoholism and drug use seriously affect the continuity of the band. Morrison's sister was quoted as saying, 'he felt that they (spectators) deserved a spectacle.'
Much of what drew people to Jim was the way that, as band member Ray Manzarek once said, how 'Jim was like an ancient shaman, leading listeners into areas they wouldn't dare enter alone.'
A Dirty Band
Around the time of the band's third, fourth, and final records, the band had developed a reputation as a 'dirty band'. Earlier incidents such as in New Haven, CT, in 1967, where an overcrowded arena stoked even further by a drunk and nearly belligerent Morrison briefly rushed the stage after Morrison recanted a story of a guard backstage macing him just minutes before. He kept referring to the police officer as, "a little blue man, in a little blue hat", and ultimately, the security force felt embarrassed enough to shut the show down and arrest Morrison right on stage-an arrest on stage had never happened before. Another incident in New York at the now demolished Singer Bowl led to a similar result. There were various instances where Morrison would stoke a crowd into a frenzy due to his perception of crowds 'needing a spectacle'.
via YouTube
During the 1960's in popular music it was expected that a band would produce a record, a single, something, nearly every year, or even sooner than that. So within just a year or so from 1967 the band had already produced multiple records such as their debut album, "Doors", "Strange Days", "Waiting For the Sun", or "The Soft Parade", released in 1969.
Getting Out
By late 1969 Jim was feeling the weight of being the famous singer in a famous rock and roll band: his drinking was at this time nearly astronomical, he continued tripping on LSD frequently, and his actions in the band's setting were becoming irregular. The band began hiring a series of professional drinkers to keep tabs on Morrison, but they could not keep up. Drummer John Densmore says in a 2012 film titled, "The Doors Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of LA Woman", produced by Eagle Records: 'Jim's drinking never affected the work in the studio. I mean Paul (Rothschild) used to have to shut sessions down because Jim would be too loaded but...'
At this time 'getting out' of the situation Morrison had created for himself-being a flashy, young rock and roller-was nearly impossible. The nation had come to see Jim as the charismatic and unpredictable frontman of a 'dirty band'. This image sticks with him to this day.
The band, having had to cancel almost a year's worth of shows due to the conglomerate of clubs across America which vowed not to host The Doors, was being pressured by fans, record executives, and management to produce another stellar record after the release of "The Soft Parade" in 1969. What followed was the band's return to its' bluesy roots with the release of "Morrison Hotel" in 1970 and the final seminole record, "L.A. Woman", in 1971.
Songs such as "Peace Frog", where the lyrics are taken directly from notebooks of Jim's where he wrote about an abortion, show the level of admiration and intense pressure that Morrison was under by not only record big-wigs and management alike but also the thousands of fans who so adored his presence. Apparently Jim essentially had his choice of any woman he wanted nearly every night. We can see with these lines of 'blood up to my knees, following me' how adored this man was at this time by not only women and lovers, but also record executives, bandmates, journalists, media members, and even peers in other contemporary bands of the time. The content is 'greasy' and 'dirty' and a bit taboo which serves to amplify this kind of dire state of mind that Jim possessed, along with the self realization of 'following me':
"Blood in the street it's up to my ankles.
Blood in the street it's up to my knees.
Blood in the street, town of Chicago.
Blood in the streets it's following me."
via YouTube
Paris
During the recording of The Doors last record, "L.A. Woman", released in 1971 and recorded in early 1971, Morrison divulged to the band that he and girlfriend Pamela Courson would be leaving the United States for France. Morrison felt endured to the poets that he loved whom had also traveled to Paris, France, where as drummer John Densmore stated, 'they drank wine for breakfast', so in hindsight, perhaps not a great decision for Jim.
Six months later Jim was dead in his hotel bathtub in Paris, allegedly a smile on his face when his body was found in the early morning by Paris authorities. His body was buried within a few days and allegedly only Pamela and the band's manager were in attendance which led to decades of rumors of his still being alive, perhaps faking his own death in order to escape publicity.
Many believed Morrison's death to be a hoax and to be the construction of Morrison himself, that he had assumed a new life away from fame. This simple fact alone leads us as readers to believe that Morrison was a 'larger than life' type of figure whom desperately desired for something that even he was unsure of.
Days after his death in 1971 there were numerous reports of having seen the singer, leading to unending rumors that he may still be alive even today in 2021-he would be 78 years old.
2021
There are pools of information about Morrison available for interested readers today in our modern world of connectivity, internet, and information. Online social media platforms such as "Instagram" have users that have established 'pages' dedicated to the spirit of Jim. There are multitudes of 'online posts' from these fan 'pages' as well as content that comes directly from the verified account of Jim Morrison which assumedly is ran by his estate. The Doors verified account frequently produces online content featuring Morrison lyrics, quotes, and archival footage. Below are two examples of fan pages along with the official, verified Jim Morrison profile.
Here is an in-depth website dedicated to Jim Morrison adulation and a picture of his grave from that same website.
1973 © Gilles Yepremian
YouTube
Over on "YouTube" there are innumerable videos featuring poetry readings, conspiracy theories, fan gravesite videos, song covers, concert footage, Morrison impersonators fronting cover bands, archival interviews, and lots more. It is evident that some fans still hope Morrison will return to the public spotlight someday, believing that he never truly died, which perpetuates the aura and infamy surrounding Morrison. Here is a clip from "YouTube" where the audio is from a 1969 interview of Morrison done by Howard Smith.
via YouTube
via YouTube
Of course there is also the popular Oliver Stone film from the 1990's where Morrison is portrayed by Val Kilmer. Below is the trailer.
via YouTube
'This Is The End'
In reality, Morrison was only 27 at the time of his death in 1971. In the span of only a few years The Doors burst onto the national scene and quickly were one of the hottest bands in America. Jim Morrison relished the attention but ultimately succumbed to his own life of excess. The '27 club' perpetuates the myths, mystique, and aura surrounding the frontman even in the present day. Other notable artists have died at the peculiar age of 27: Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, blues legend Robert Johnson, and many others.
The indelible and lasting impact of Jim Morrison's charismatic antiques, devilish good looks, and unpredictable persona make him a lightning rod for all types of fans across the globe almost 50 years after his death.
Sources:
YouTube, YouTube: Psychedelic Cinema, 8 Nov. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IERQmR2qESU.
(Doors Movie Trailer)
“The Doors: The Creepy Story Of Jim Morrison's Ghost In Paris, France At His Grave?” YouTube, Rock N' Roll True Stories, 30 Oct. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l-tvH87z0w.
(Morrison Gravesite-Picture Video)
"Jim Morrison On Why Fat Is Beautiful". YouTube, YouTube: Blank On Blank, 2 Apr. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhszZ53SEC8&t=13s.
(Video With Morrison Interview Audio from 1969)
"The Doors Light My Fire Ed Sullivan Show 1967". YouTube, YouTube: RhythmChild 2002, 20 Oct. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqcMAz7xQ5g.
(The Doors on Ed Sullivan in 1967)
"Jim Morrison's arrest in New Haven, told by Ray Manzarek". YouTube, YouTube: bignz721, 24 June 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPf-OeepYn4.
(Ray Manzarek On Morrison's On-Stage Arrest)
"Peace Frog". YouTube, YouTube: The Doors, 4 Feb 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lnoM25D-js.
(Peace Frog Song)
DiCillo, Tom, director. When You're Strange: The Doors. Performance by Johhny Depp, Universal Pictures, 2011.
(When You're Strange movie about the band)
Smith, Martin R., director. The Doors: Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman. Eagle Records, 2011.
(L.A. Woman documentary-movie)
morrisonhotelgallery.com
rollingstone.com
thedoors.com
(websites)
originally from 1967
Comments
Post a Comment