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|
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- For other persons named James or Jim Morrison, see James Morrison.
| Jim Morrison |
Jim Morrison at the height of his career.
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
James Douglas Morrison |
| Also known as |
The Lizard King, Mr. Mojo Risin' |
| Born |
December 8 1943(1943--) |
| Origin |
Melbourne, Florida, USA   |
| Died |
July 3 1971 (aged 27)
Paris, France  |
| Genre(s) |
Psychedelic rock, Acid rock, Blues-rock, Hard rock |
| Occupation(s) |
Musician, Songwriter, Poet, Filmmaker
|
| Years active |
1965 – 1971 |
| Label(s) |
Elektra |
Associated
acts |
The Doors |
| Website |
TheDoors.com |
James Douglas Morrison (8 December, 1943 –
3 July, 1971) was an iconic American singer, songwriter, writer,
film director, and poet. He was best known as the lead
singer and lyricist of the popular American rock band The Doors, and is considered to be one
of the most charismatic and influential frontmen in the history
of rock music.[1] He
was also an author of several poetry books, a documentary, short film, and three early
music videos ("The Unknown Soldier", "Moonlight Drive", and "People are Strange"). Morrison
died in Paris at the age of 27.
Biography
Early years
Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida, to Admiral George Stephen Morrison and Clara Clarke Morrison.
Morrison had a sister, Anne Robin Morrison, who was born in 1947 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a brother, Andrew Lee Morrison, who was born 1948 in Los Altos, California. Jim Morrison was of Scottish and Irish ethnic heritage.
In 1947, Morrison purportedly witnessed a car accident in the desert, where a family of Native Americans was
injured and possibly killed. He referred to this incident in a spoken-word performance on the song "Dawn's Highway" from the
album, An American Prayer. There are also links in other songs such as
Peace Frog and Ghost Song, themselves linked by the
same spoken line from "Dawn's Highway":
"Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding
Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind."
Morrison believed the incident to be the most formative event in his life and made repeated references to it in the imagery in
his songs, poems, and interviews.
With his father in the Navy, Morrison's family moved often. He spent part of his childhood in San Diego, California. In 1958, Morrison attended Alameda High School in Alameda, California (near
Oakland). However, he graduated from George Washington High School (now
George Washington Middle School) in Alexandria, Virginia in June 1961.
Morrison went to live with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater, Florida,
where he attended classes at St. Petersburg Junior College. In 1962, he transferred to Florida State University where he
appeared in a school recruitment film.[2]
In January 1964, Morrison moved to Los Angeles, California. He completed his undergraduate degree in UCLA's
film school, the Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts in 1965. Jim made two films
while attending UCLA. "First Love", the first of the two films, was released to the public when it appeared in a documentary
about the film called "Obscura".
The Doors
-
Jim (far left) with his bandmates in
The Doors. From left to right: Jim Morrison, Ray
Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore.
In 1965, after graduating from UCLA, Morrison led a
Bohemian lifestyle in nearby Venice
Beach. Photographer Joel Brodsky took a series of black-and-white photos of Morrison. Known as "The Young Lion" photo
session, the pictures included the shot that was later featured on the Best of the Doors LP cover.
Morrison and fellow UCLA student Ray Manzarek were the first two members of The Doors.
Shortly thereafter, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger joined. Krieger auditioned at Densmore's recommendation, and was then added to the
lineup.
While it is widely believed that the Doors took their name from the title of Aldous
Huxley's The Doors of Perception (a reference to the 'unlocking'
of 'doors' to perception through psychedelic drug use), Huxley's own title was a quote from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and
Hell, in which Blake wrote that "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is,
infinite."
In June 1966, at the famed Whisky-A-Go-Go, The Doors were the opening act for the Northern
Irish group Them, whose leader was Van
Morrison. According to Ray Manzarek, in his book, Light My Fire, "Jim was transfixed by Van. He studied his every
move. He put the eye on him and he absorbed....The last night... saw us all in a monster jam session...Jim Morrison and Van
Morrison onstage at the same time! And singing 'Gloria.'"[3]
Although Morrison is known as the lyricist for the group, Krieger also made significant lyrical contributions, writing or
co-writing some of the group's biggest hits, including "Light My Fire," "Love Me Two Times," "Love Her Madly" and "Touch Me."[4]
Decades before music videos became commonplace, Morrison and The Doors produced a
promotional film for "Break On Through," which was to be their first single release. The
video featured the four members of the group playing the song on a darkened set with alternating views and close-ups of the
performers while Morrison lip-synced the lyrics. Morrison and The Doors continued to make music videos, including "The Unknown
Soldier", "Moonlight Drive", "Light my Fire", and "People Are Strange".
The Doors achieved national recognition after signing with Elektra Records in
1967.[5] The single
"Light My Fire" eventually reached number one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.[6] Later, The Doors appeared on the Ed Sullivan
Show, a popular Sunday night variety series that had introduced The Beatles and a
young, wriggling Elvis Presley to the nation. Ed Sullivan requested two songs from The
Doors for the show, People are Strange, and Light My
Fire. The censors insisted that they change the lyrics of "Light My Fire" from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl
we couldn't get much better." This was reportedly due to what could be perceived as a reference to drugs in the original lyric.
During the rehersal, Jim changed the lyrics, to appear to be in compliance with host Ed Sullivan, Morrison then proceeded to sing
the song with the original lyrics anyway, on live TV. He later said that he had simply forgotten to make the change. This
infuriated Sullivan so much that he refused to shake their hands after their performance. They were never invited back.[7]The Producer of the show screamed at the TV sets as Morrison
sung the lyric, that The Doors would never do the Ed Sullivan show ever again. Jim came back to that comment by stating "Hey, we
just did the Ed Sullivan show."
By the release of their second album, Strange
Days, The Doors had become one of the most popular rock bands in the United
States. Their blend of blues and rock tinged with psychedelia included a number of original songs and distinctive cover versions, such as the memorable
rendition of "Alabama Song", from Bertolt Brecht
and Kurt Weill's operetta, "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny". The band also performed a number of
extended concept works, including the songs "The End", "When The Music's Over", and "Celebration of the Lizard".
In 1968, The Doors released their third studio LP, Waiting for the Sun. Their fourth LP, The Soft
Parade, was released in 1969. It was the first album where the individual band members
were given credit on the inner-sleeve for the songs they had written.
After this, Morrison started to show up for recording sessions inebriated (he can be heard hiccuping on the song "Five To
One"). He was also frequently late for live performances. As a result, the band would play instrumental music or force Ray
Manzarek to take on the singing duties.
By 1969, the formerly svelte singer began to change his appearance. He gained weight, grew a beard, and began dressing more
casually - abandoning the leather pants and concho belts for regular slacks, jeans and T-shirts.
During a 1969 concert at The Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami, Morrison attempted to
spark a riot in the audience. He failed, but a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Dade County Police department three days later for indecent exposure. Consequently, many of The Doors' scheduled concerts were canceled.[8] In the years following the incident, Morrison has been
exonerated. In 2007 Florida Governor Charlie Crist suggested
the possibility of a posthumous pardon for Morrison.[9]
Following The Soft Parade, The Doors released the Morrison Hotel LP.
After a lengthy break, the group reconvened in October 1970 to record their last LP with
Morrison, L.A. Woman. Shortly after the recording sessions for the album began,
producer Paul A. Rothchild -- who had overseen all their previous recordings -- left
the project. Engineer Bruce Botnick took over as producer.
Solo: poetry and film
Morrison began writing in adolescence. In college, he studied the related fields of theater,
film and cinematography.[10]
He self-published two volumes of his poetry in 1969, The Lords / Notes on Vision and The New Creatures. Both
works were dedicated to "Pamela Susan" (Courson). The Lords consists primarily of brief descriptions of places, people,
events and Morrison's thoughts on cinema. The New Creatures verses are more poetic in structure, feel and appearance.
These two books were later combined into a single volume titled The Lords and The New Creatures. These were the only
writings published during Morrison's lifetime.
Morrison befriended Beat Poet Michael
McClure. McClure wrote the Afterword for Danny
Sugerman's biography of Morrison. McClure and Morrison reportedly collaborated on a number of unmade film projects,
including a film version of McClure's infamous play The Beard in which Morrison would have played the role of Billy The
Kid.[11]
After his death, two volumes of poetry were published. The contents of the books were selected and arranged by Morrison's
friend, photographer Frank Lisciandro, and girlfriend Pamela Courson's parents, who owned the rights to his poetry. The Lost
Writings of Jim Morrison Volume 1 is titled Wilderness, and, upon its release in
1988, became an instant New York Times best
seller. Volume 2, The American Night, released in [[1990], was also a success.
Morrison recorded his own poetry in a professional sound studio on two separate occasions. The first was in March 1969 in Los Angeles
and the second was on December 8, 1970, his 27th birthday. The
latter recording session was attended by personal friends of Morrison and included a variety of sketch pieces. Some of the
segments from the 1969 session were issued on the bootleg album The Lost Paris Tapes and were later used as part of the Doors' An American Prayer album, released in 1978. The album reached
number 54 on the music charts. The poetry recorded from the December 1970 session
remains unreleased to this day and is in the possession of the Courson family.
Morrison's best-known but seldom seen cinematic endeavor is HWY: An American Pastoral, a project he started in 1969.
Morrison financed the venture and formed his own production company in order to maintain complete control of the project. Paul
Ferrara, Frank Lisciandro and Babe Hill assisted with the project. Morrison played the main character, a hitchhiker turned
killer/car thief. This same or very similar character is alluded to in Riders On The Storm. Morrison asked his friend,
composer/pianist Fred Myrow, to select the eclectic soundtrack for the film.[12][13] The film shows the influence of other producer-directors of independent art films, such as Andy Warhol, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Jean-Luc Godard.
A 2004 biography of Morrison says that Warhol asked Morrison to star with Nico in Warhol's
I, a Man (1967) but was talked out of it by the management of The Doors. Morrison then
asked his drinking buddy Tom Baker to play the lead role in the Warhol
film.
Personal life
Morrison's family
Morrison's early life was a nomadic existence typical of military families.[14] Jerry Hopkins recorded Morrison's brother Andy explaining that his parents had determined never to
use corporal punishment on their children, and instead instilled discipline and
levied punishment by the military tradition known as "dressing down." This consisted of yelling at and berating the children
until they were reduced to tears and acknowledged their failings. Andy said that although he could never keep from crying, his
brother learned never to shed a tear.
Biographers record that during his youth, Morrison was a dutiful and respectful son who excelled at school and greatly enjoyed
swimming and other outdoor activities. His parents hoped he would follow in his father's military footsteps and, for quite some
time, Morrison was happy to emulate his father, intending to study at United States
Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
In adolescence, however, Morrison discovered drinking and embarked on a lifelong pattern of alcoholism and substance abuse. He was often disruptive in class and
became a discipline problem. For a few years, Jim lived with his grandparents. He would
purposely go out late and come home drunk, much to his grandparents' disapproval. Neither of his grandparents drank alcohol, so
he would leave empty wine bottles and beer cans in the garbage. He would often come home late and make a lot of noise solely to
aggravate them.
Once Morrison graduated from UCLA, he broke off most of his family contact. By the time Morrison's music ascended the top of
the charts in 1967, he had not been in communication with his family for more than a year and falsely claimed that his parents
and siblings were dead (or claiming, as it has been widely misreported, that he was an only child). This misinformation was
published as part of the materials distributed with the first Doors album.
In a letter to the Florida Probation and Parole Commission District Office, October 2,
1970, Morrison's father acknowledged the breakdown in family communications, the result of an
argument over his assessment of his son's musical talents. He said he could not blame his son for being reluctant to initiate
contact. He also stressed that he thought Jim was 'fundamentally a respectable citizen' and that he was proud of his son's
progress.[15]
Women in his life
Morrison met his long-term companion,[16]
Pamela Courson, well before he gained any fame or fortune,[17] and she encouraged him to develop his poetry. At times, Courson used Morrison's
name, with his apparent consent. After Courson's death in 1974, the probate court in California
decided that she and Morrison had what qualified as a common law marriage (see
below, under "Estate Controversy").
Courson and Morrison's relationship was a stormy one, however, with frequent loud arguments, and periods of separation
followed by tearful reunions. Doors biographer Danny Sugerman surmised that part of their
difficulties may have stemmed from a conflict between their respective commitments to an open
relationship and the consequences of living in such a relationship.
In 1970, Morrison participated in a Celtic Pagan
handfasting ceremony with rock critic and Science
fiction/fantasy author Patricia
Kennealy. Before witnesses, one of them a Presbyterian minister,[18] the
couple signed a document declaring themselves wedded;[19] however, none of the necessary paperwork for a legal marriage was filed with the state. Kennealy
discussed her experiences with Morrison in her autobiography Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison, and in
an interview reported in the book Rock Wives.
Morrison also regularly slept with fans and had numerous short flings with women who were celebrities in their own right,
including one with Nico from The Velvet
Underground, a one night stand with singer Grace
Slick of Jefferson Airplane, an on again off again relationship with
16 Magazine's editor in chief Gloria Stavers, and an
alleged alcohol-fueled encounter with Janis Joplin that left Joplin in tears. Judy
Huddleston also recalls her relationship with Morrison in Living and Dying with Jim Morrison. At the time of his death,
there were reportedly as many as 20 paternity actions pending against him, although no claims
were made against his estate by any of the putative paternity claimants, and the only person making a public claim to being
Morrison's son was shown to be a fraud.
Death
Morrison moved to Paris in March
1971, taking up residence in an apartment at 17 rue Beautreillis. Once in Paris, Morrison gained a
great deal of weight and shaved off his beard.[20] By all accounts Morrison became very depressed while in Paris, and was planning to
return to the US. However, he admired the city's architecture and would go for long walks through the city.[21]
It was in Paris that Morrison made his last studio recording, with two American street musicians — a session dismissed by
Manzarek as "drunken gibberish."[22] Regardless, the
session included an intriguing version of a song-in-progress, "Orange County Suite," which can be heard on the bootleg
Lost Paris Tapes.
He died on July 3, 1971, at age 27, and, in one account of his
death, was found in the rue Beautreillis apartment bathtub by Courson. Pursuant to French law, no
autopsy was performed because the medical examiner claimed to
have found no evidence of foul play. The absence of an official autopsy has left many
questions regarding Morrison's cause of death.
In Wonderland Avenue, Danny Sugerman discussed his encounter with Courson after she returned to the United States.
According to his account, Courson stated that Morrison had died of a heroin overdose. Courson
said that Morrison inhaled the substance because he thought it was cocaine. Sugerman added that
Courson had given numerous contradictory versions of Morrison's death, at times saying that she had killed Jim, or that his death
was her fault. The majority of fans seem to have accepted the mistaken heroin overdose account. Courson herself died of a heroin
overdose three years later. Like Morrison, she was 27 years old at the time of her death.
In a July 2007 newspaper interview, a self described close friend of Morrison's, Sam Bernett, announced that Morrison actually
died of a heroin overdose in the bathroom of the Rock 'n' Roll Circus nightclub, on the Left
Bank in Paris. Bernett stated that Morrison had snorted heroin and was found with foam and blood coming out of his mouth
with his head and arms hanging down by his legs, sitting on the toilet a la Elvis. Bernett
says that a doctor, who was among the patrons at the club that night, determined that Morrison had died, but other patrons
disagreed and insisted that he was still alive, only unconscious. Morrison was then allegedly moved back to the rue Beautreillis
apartment and dumped in the bathtub by the same two drug-dealers from whom Morrison had purchased the heroin. Bernett says those
who saw Morrison that night were sworn to secrecy, in order to prevent a scandal for the famous club,[23] and some of the witnesses immediately left the country. Bernett has authored a
book entitled The End: Jim Morrison, in which these claims are discussed in more detail. This is just the latest of many
conspiracies surrounding the death of Morrison. [24][25]
While there are many conspiracy theories concerning Morrison's death, the official version is widely accepted as the most
likely.[26]
Grave site
Morrison is buried in the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in eastern Paris. The
grave was unmarked until French officials placed a shield over it, which was subsequently stolen in 1973 by a thief identifying himself only as "Ian The Gecko". In 1981, Croatian
sculptor Mladen Mikulin placed a bust
of Jim's head on top of the gravestone to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Jim's death. The bust remained until
1988, when it was stolen. After that, the new headstone with Morrison's name was erected. The
Greek inscription on the square headstone reads in capital letters ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ
ΕΑΥΤΟΥ. The inscription means "True to his own spirit". The literal meaning is "according to his own demon"; "demon" in Ancient
Greek means "god". Which means he lived and died according to his own personal beliefs. It also implies a minor deity, attendant
spirit, luck, fortune, "guiding star" and the like, with no negative or pejorative connotations. Various erroneous
interpretations of the inscription have been proposed, including, "down with his own demons" (presumably in Hell), "burnt by his
demons", "with the devil himself."
Estate controversy
In his will, made in Los Angeles County on February 12, 1969, Morrison (who describes himself as "an unmarried person")
left his entire estate to Pamela Courson, also naming her co-executor with his attorney,
Max Fink. She thus inherited everything upon Morrison’s death in 1971.
When Courson died herself in 1974, a battle ensued between Morrison’s parents and Courson’s parents over who had legal claim
to what had been Morrison’s estate. Since Morrison left a will, the question was effectively moot. On his death, his property
became Courson’s property; and on her death, her property passed to her next heirs at law, who were her parents. Morrison's
parents did not accept this and contested the will under which Courson and now her parents had inherited their son’s
property.
To bolster their positions, Courson’s parents presented a document they claimed she had acquired in Colorado, apparently an application for a declaration that she and Morrison had contracted a common law
marriage under the laws of that state. The ability to contract a common-law marriage was abolished in California in
1896, but the state's conflict of laws rules provided for
recognition of common-law marriages lawfully contracted in foreign jurisdictions -
and Colorado was one of the eleven U.S. jurisdictions that still recognized common-law marriage. So, as long as a common-law
marriage was lawfully contracted under Colorado law, it was recognised as a marriage under California law.
It is not known whether Courson acquired the application before or after Morrison’s death, or indeed whether it was she or her
parents who acquired it. In either case, Morrison, who did not fill it out or sign it, may have never known about the document,
and neither Morrison nor Courson appear to have ever been residents of Colorado. But those facts would not necessarily be
relevant to the court’s deliberation on the validity of a common-law marriage, since the determination would be made according to
Colorado law. Many of the jurisdictions which still permitted the common law contract of a marriage provide that either party may
demand a declaration that a common law marriage was contracted between them, whether the other party (if living) agrees or not.
The burden of proof is on the applicant, in any case, to prove that a marriage existed. What is ironic in this case is that both
of the alleged applicants were dead, and it was their parents who were trying to prove or disprove that there had been a
common-law marriage.
Whatever the circumstances of the unsigned document and the court case, and the controversy surrounding it, the California
probate court decided that Courson and Morrison had a common-law marriage under the laws of Colorado. The effect of the court's
ruling was to close probate of Morrison's and Courson's estates, and reinforce the Courson family's hold on the inheritance.
Artistic roots
As a naval family, the Morrisons relocated frequently. Consequently, Morrison's early education was routinely disrupted as he moved from school to school. Nonetheless, he proved to be an
intelligent and capable student drawn to the study of literature, poetry, religion, philosophy, and
psychology, among other fields.
Biographers have consistently pointed to a number of writers and philosophers who
influenced Morrison's thinking and, perhaps, behavior. Richard Fariña's 1966 novel Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to
Me is thought to have inspired the title of the blues song featured on the L.A.
Woman album. While still in his teens, Morrison discovered the works of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (after Morrison's death, John Densmore opined that the nihilism of "Nietzsche killed Jim"). He was also drawn to the poetry of William
Blake, Charles Baudelaire and Arthur
Rimbaud. Beat Generation writers, such as Jack
Kerouac, also had a strong influence on Morrison's outlook and manner of expression; Morrison was eager to experience the
life described in Kerouac's On the Road. He was similarly drawn to the works of the
French writer Céline. Céline's book, Voyage au
Bout de la Nuit (Journey to the End of the Night) and Blake's
Auguries of Innocence both echo through one of Morrison's early songs, "End
of the Night." Eventually Morrison got to meet and befriend Michael McClure, a well
known beat poet. McClure had enjoyed Morrison's lyrics but was even more impressed by his poetry and encouraged him to further
develop his craft.
Morrison's vision of performance was colored by the works of 20th century French playwright Antonin Artaud (author of Theater
and its Double) and by Julian Beck's Living
Theater, which perhaps influenced some of Jim's confrontational behaviour onstage, such as in the Miami incident. But
perhaps the most influential work was a rather obscure, 19th century work by
Charles Mackay, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.
Morrison began practicing MacKay's insights regarding influencing and manipulating crowds while still in college.
Other works relating to religion, mysticism, ancient
myth and symbolism were of lasting interest, particularly
Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a
Thousand Faces. James Frazer's The
Golden Bough also became a source of inspiration and is reflected in the title and lyrics of the song "Not to Touch
the Earth."
He apparently borrowed some wording from the King James New Testament. Matthew 7:13-14: “Wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and... strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,” which speaks of
death and the afterlife, one of his common themes. Their first hit single “Break On Through” includes the lines: “Gate is
straight, deep and wide—break on through to the other side.” Though most of “Light My Fire” was written by Krieger, the second
verse was written by Morrison and includes the line “...no time to wallow in the mire,” a wording that could have been borrowed
either from 2 Peter 2:22, which reads: “The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in
the mire,” or from Socrates’ deathbed statement, as recorded in Plato’s “Phaedo”: “...They said that whoever arrives in the
underworld uninitiated and unsanctified will wallow in the mire....” Furthermore Huxley wrote "wallowing in muck isnt the best
way to cleanse oneself".
Morrison was particularly attracted to the myths and religions of Native American cultures.[27] While he was still in school, his family moved to New Mexico where he got to see some of the places and artifacts important to the Southwest Indigenous
cultures. These interests appear to be the source of many references to creatures and places, such as lizards, snakes, deserts
and "ancient lakes" that appear in his songs and poetry. His interpretation of the practices of a Native American
"shaman" were worked into some of Morrison's stage routine, notably in his interpretation of
the Ghost Dance, and a song on his later poetry album, The Ghost Song. The songs My Wild Love and Wild
Child were also inspired by Native American rhythm and ritual. The latter piece can also be interpreted to be about one of
Morrison's literary influences, Arthur Rimbaud.
Influence
Morrison remains one of the most popular and influential singers/writers in rock history, as The Doors' catalog has become a
staple of classic rock radio stations. To this day, he is widely regarded as the
prototypical rock star: surly, sexy, scandalous and mysterious, the necessary criteria for
all "rock gods" to follow. The leather pants he was fond of wearing both onstage and off have
since become stereotyped as rock star apparel. He was likely the model for other highly charismatic rock front men of the same
era, including Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant.
Morrison has influenced many,[28] including
Iggy Pop, Glenn Danzig, Bruce Springsteen, Marilyn Manson, Patti Smith, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Billy Idol among others.[29]
The legendary punk prototypes Iggy and the Stooges are said to have formed after lead
singer Iggy Pop was inspired by Morrison while attending a Doors concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[30] One
of his most popular songs, "The Passenger", is said to be based on one of Morrison's poems.[31] After Morrison's death, Iggy was considered as a replacement for Morrison; the
surviving Doors gave Iggy some of Morrison's belongings, and hired him as a vocalist for a series of shows.
Beat poet Michael McClure has written a poem, For Jim Morrison, in honor of
their friendship. He recites this work at his poetry readings with some regularity, often to the accompaniment of Manzarek's
keyboards.
On a more cerebral level, Wallace Fowlie, professor emeritus of French literature at Duke
University and internationally recognized expert on the poet Arthur Rimbaud, wrote
Rimbaud and Jim Morrison, subtitled "The Rebel as Poet – A Memoir." In this book, Fowlie recounts his surprise at
receiving a fan letter from Morrison who, in 1968, thanked him for his latest translation of Rimbaud's verse into English. "I
don't read French easily", he wrote, "...your book travels around with me." Fowlie went on to give lectures on numerous campuses
comparing the lives, philosophies and poetry of Morrison and Rimbaud.
At the instigation of third baseman Robin Ventura, the 2000 pennant-winning
New York Mets adopted Morrison's "L.A. Woman"
as their theme song. The song was played regularly over the loudspeakers during games, with the crowd chanting the "Mojo Risin'"
refrain.[32]
In 2007 it was announced that a charity, Global Cool,
focusing on eliminating global warming, was commissioning a song to be made out of a poem
Morrison had written, entitled "Woman in the Window". It will be released on Satellite
Party's debut album, Ultra Payloaded.[33]
He also serves as the inspiration for WWE wrestler John Hennigan's "John Morrison" character.[34]
Books
Morrison's poetry
- The Lords and The New Creatures (1969). 1985 edition: ISBN 0-7119-0552-5.
- An American Prayer (1970) privately printed by Western Lithographers, and
an unauthorized version American Prayer in 1983 by now-defunct Zeppelin Publishing Company.
ISBN 0-915628-46-5 (caution: the authenticity of the unauthorized edition has been disputed)
- Wilderness The Lost Writings Of Jim Morrison]] (1988). 1990 edition: ISBN 0-14-011910-8
- The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison]] (1990). 1991 edition: ISBN 0-670-83772-5.
About Jim Morrison
- Lester Bangs, "Jim Morrison: Bozo Dionysus a Decade Later" in Main Lines, Blood
Feasts, and Bad Taste: A Lester Bangs Reader, John Morthland, ed. Anchor Press (2003) ISBN
0-375-71367-0
- John Densmore, Riders On The Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison and the Doors ISBN 0-385-30447-1
- Dave DiMartino, Moonlight Drive (1995) ISBN 1-886894-21-3
- Wallace Fowlie, Rimbaud and Jim Morrison (1994) ISBN 0-8223-1442-8.
- Jerry Hopkins, The Lizard King: The Essential Jim Morrison (1995) ISBN
0-684-81866-3.
- Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman, No One Here Gets Out Alive
(1980) ISBN 0-85965-138-X
- Patricia Kennealy, Strange Days: My Life With And Without Jim Morrison (1992) ISBN
0-525-93419-7
- Frank Lisciandro, Morrison -- A Feast Of Friends (1991) ISBN 0-446-39276-6
- Frank Lisciandro, Jim Morrison -- An Hour For Magic (A Photojournal) ISBN 0-85965-246-7
- Ray Manzarek, Light My Fire (1998) First by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman (1981). ISBN 0-446-60228-0L
- Thanasis Michos, The Poetry of JAMES DOUGLAS MORRISON (2001) ISBN 960-7748-23-9
(Greek)
- Mark Opsasnick, The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria, Virginia (2006) ISBN 1-4257-1330-0, Library of Congress Control Number: 2006903269. (Interview with the author)
- James Riordan & Jerry Prochnicky, Break On Through (1991) ISBN 0-688-11915-8.
- Stephen Davis, Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend (2004) ISBN 0-091-90041-7.
Movies
Footnotes
