Jim Morrison

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Jim Morrison
Photo of Jim Morrison posing in front of red and yellow psychedelic backdrop wearing leather head-to-toe
Jim Morrison in New York City in 1968
Born(1943-12-08)December 8, 1943
Melbourne, Florida, USA
DiedJuly 3, 1971(1971-07-03) (aged 27)
Paris, France
Other names
  • The Lizard King
  • Mr. Mojo Risin'
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Occupations
  • Singer
  • Songwriter
  • Poet
Years active1963–1971
Websitethedoors.com

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter. As the vocalist of the rock band The Doors, he became known for his "magnetic presence" and "mystical command" and is regarded as one of the most influential frontmen in rock history.[1] He recorded 6 studio albums with The Doors, almost all of which sold well and received critical acclaim, before dying from a heart failure caused by a suspected heroin overdose at the age of 27.[2][3] In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the other members of the band.

Early Life

Jim Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida to Clara Clarke Morrison and George Stephen Morrison. In 1947, at the age of 3, he witnessed a car accident in New Mexico which left an indelible impression on him.[4] He made repeated vivid references to it in his songs, poems, and interviews. His recollection of "Indians scattered all over the highway, bleeding to death" has been noted to be quite different to that of his family members. In a book written by the surviving band members, his father is quoted as saying: "We went by several Indians. It did make an impression on him. He always thought about that crying Indian."[5] In another book, his sister is quoted as saying: "He enjoyed telling that story and exaggerating it. He said he saw a dead Indian by the side of the road, and I don't even know if that's true."[6]

He spent his early childhood years in San Diego, California moving with his family later to Virginia, then to Texas and New Mexico. In 1957, he attended Alameda High School in Alameda, California, for his freshman and first semester of sophomore year.[7] His family moved back to Virginia in 1959, and he graduated from George Washington High School in Alexandria in 1961.[8] While living with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater, Florida he attended St. Petersburg Junior College but in 1962 transferred to Florida State University in Tallahassee. In 1964, after making the Dean's List in his freshman year, he transferred to the film program at University of California, Los Angeles which better suited his "freewheeling nature". He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA's Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts in 1965.

Career

In 1965, he met Ray Manzarek, a former fellow UCLA student, on the Venice beach and narrated his poems and sang few lines from a song. Ray Manzarek was "blown away" by his lyrical abilities and suggested that they form a band. He decided to name the band after the title of Aldous Huxley's book "The Doors of Perception" in which Huxley had taken inspiration from William Blake's words: "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."[9] In the summer of 1965, The Doors were formed in Venice, California with 2 members. Subsequently, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore joined. A long-term gig at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go on Hollywood's Sunset Strip allowed The Doors to build their presence, gradually drawing the attention of talent scouts. Elektra Records signed The Doors the following year, and in January 1967 the band released its self-titled debut album. The single "Light My Fire" from the debut album spent 3 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 23 July to 12 August 1967.[10]

Jim Morrison as photographed by Joel Brodsky

By the release of their second album "Strange Days", which included the hits "Love Me Two Times", "People are Strange" and "When the Music's Over", The Doors had gained considerable popularity and had become one of the prominent rock bands in the USA.[11] In the late summer of 1967, photographer Joel Brodsky did a photo shoot known as "The Young Lion". These photographs, regarded among his most "iconic" images, have been repeatedly used as covers for albums, books and related memorabilia.[12] In late 1967, prior to a concert in New Haven, Connecticut, a police officer found him and a woman in the showers backstage and sprayed him with mace. Once live after a delay, he went on a profanity-filled tirade narrating obscene details from the incident which led to his arrest onstage, consequently sparking area riots.[13]

The Doors released their third studio album "Waiting for the Sun" in 1968, featuring the hits "Hello, I Love You", "Love Street" and "Five to One".[11] Footage from the band's performance at the Hollywood Bowl on 5 July that year was later released on the DVD "Live at the Hollywood Bowl". Between 6-7 September in 1968, The Doors played their first shows in Europe, with four performances at the Roundhouse in London alongside Jefferson Airplane. It was filmed by Granada Television for John Sheppard's television documentary "The Doors Are Open". He began habitually showing up drunk in studio and appearing stoned in live acts around then.[14]

The fourth album "The Soft Parade" was released by The Doors in 1969, with "Touch Me" becoming another hit. It was viewed as The Doors trending into popular music and later considered as the group's "weakest effort".[15] As opposed to his erstwhile thin structure, he had gained weight, was seen growing a beard and dressing more "casually" during this time.

In 1970, The Doors released "Morrison Hotel" which did better than the preceding album with "You Make Me Real"/"Roadhouse Blues" peaking at No. 50 in May 1970 on the Billboard 100 chart.[11]

Before he moved to Paris with his girlfriend Pamela Courson, The Doors released its final album "L.A. Woman" in 1971, with "Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm" reaching the Top 20 in the Billboard Hot 100.[11] He died in Paris and was buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. His grave has since become one of the most visited tourist destinations in Paris.

Personality

He represented "hippie and youth counterculture" and is seen as one of popular culture's favorite rebellious icons.[16] Due to his wild personality and soft poetic charm, he was sought after as a "romantic partner" and "sexual conquest". In an interview, Ray Manzarek said: "I saw him at 135 pounds on the beach and said, "We're going to start a rock 'n' roll band and you're about the handsomest guy I've seen". I didn't say that to him. "The girls are going to love this guy" and the girls did love him."[17]

In his initial days with The Doors, he avoided eye contact with the audience and sometimes even sang with his back to the concertgoers. Later, as he started becoming comfortable, he did not shy away from onstage antics, flinging his mike stand around and using it as a "phallic symbol".[18] In the Village Voice, a writer remarked that he was the “first major male sex symbol since James Dean died and Marlon Brando got a paunch” while another considered him as a “leather tiger,” a “shaman-serpent king” and “America’s Oedipal nightingale” on separate occasions.[19] His unpredictable and erratic performances and the "dramatic circumstances" surrounding his life at times fueled his fame.

He developed an alcohol dependency throughout his career which affected his performances on stage. Robby Krieger said: “If he was sober he was the nicest person in the world. The problem was when he drank, and he drank a lot. He was transformed. He was the craziest guy I’ve ever met, without a doubt”.[20] According to witnesses, on one occasion, he destroyed some of the band's studio equipment in a drunken outburst of temper. His "ever-increasing withdrawal" and indulgence in "hedonistic excesses" at times threatened the band's stability.[18]

To the present day, he is seen as the "prototypical rock star": "surly, sexy, scandalous, and mysterious".[21] Throughout his career, he had several sexual and romantic encounters with fans and groupies, as well as numerous affairs with other musicians, writers, and photographers in the music business. In his relationships, he could be cruel and cold and then turn warm and loving.[13] Some have argued this as something that came along with fame and popularity and not as a pre-existing personality trait. His bandmates have said that they were living with an "outstanding artist", gifted in poetry, with a great voice and a "powerful ability to transmit" and that although he "had his demons", he "exorcised them on stage”.[20]

Legacy

Jim Morrison's bust at Père Lachaise, Paris

In Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time", he was ranked 47th.[22] In 2011, a readers' pick placed him in 5th position on the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time".[23] He was ranked the 22nd greatest singer in rock by Classic Rock magazine.[24]

The biopic film with actor Val Kilmer portraying him, directed by Oliver Stone and released in 1991, has been criticized for several inaccuracies and for deviating from depicting his true character. Although Val Kilmer's performance received some praise shortly after the film's release, he did not get any award.[25]

Siouxsie Sioux, Ian Curtis, Billy Idol, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, Scott Weiland, Glenn Danzig, Ian Astbury and Patti Smith have all cited him as their biggest influence. Iggy Pop's hit song "The Passenger" is based on one of his poems.[26] Alice Cooper and his guitarist Michael Bruce dedicated the song "Desperado" from their 1971 album "Killer" to him.[27]

A marble bust was designed and placed by Croatian sculptor Mladen Mikulin at his gravesite along with a gravestone carved with his name to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his death in 1981. The bust was damaged by vandals and eventually stolen in 1988. Mladen Mikulin made another bust in 1989 followed by a bronze sculpture in 2001 which are safely exhibited elsewhere and may be placed on the grave in the future.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Official website of The Doors". Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Jim Morrison’s Death May Be Reinvestigated". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Jim Morrison | Heart Failure & Suspected Heroin Overdose Death". Ark Behavioral Health. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Fans push to preserve Jim Morrison’s New Mexico home". The Associated Press. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ Fong-Torres, B. (October 25, 2006). The Doors. Hyperion. ISBN 978-1-4013-0303-7.
  6. ↑ Gaar, G. (2015). The Doors: The Illustrated History. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-1-62788-705-2.
  7. ↑ "The Lizard King Next Door". Gawker. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Jim Morrison: The High School Years". The Connection Newspapers. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  9. ↑ DiCillo, T. (January 2009). When You're Strange: The Doors Documentary. Rhino Entertainment.
  10. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: July-August, 1967". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "The Doors - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Joel Brodsky b.1939 - d.2007". San Fransisco Art Exchange. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Riordan, J. and Prochnicky, J. (1991). Break On Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison. Quill. ISBN 978-0-68811-915-7.
  14. ↑ Moretta, J. (2017). The Hippies: A 1960s History. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-78649-949-6.
  15. ↑ Unterberger, R. "The Soft Parade – The Doors". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ "It's not quite the Doors, but it is the music". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Remembering Ray Manzarek, Keyboardist For The Doors". NPR. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Jim Morrison Biography by Steve Huey". AllMusic. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Jim Morrison: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Jim had his demons, but he exorcised them on stage: Robby Krieger on the lies that fed the legend of The Doors". El País. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  21. ↑ Bennett, A. (2004). Remembering Woodstock. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-75460-714-4.
  22. ↑ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Best Lead Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  24. ↑ "50 Greatest Singers in Rock". Classic Rock. Issue 131. Published May 2009.
  25. ↑ Riordan, J. (September 1996). Stone: A Biography of Oliver Stone. New York: Aurum Press. ISBN 1-85410-444-6.
  26. ↑ "ROCK & POP: STORY OF THE SONG - 'THE PASSENGER' Iggy Pop (1977)". The Independent. Archived September 27, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  27. ↑ "How Alice Cooper Kept Rolling With Killer". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  28. ↑ Lukšić, E. (December 8, 2015). "Foreword – A Paris Tomb". Retrieved March 18, 2023.

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