Jim Morrison Biography and List of Works

American rock singer and lyricist who achieved a cult status among fans after his death. Morrison wished to be accepted as a serious artist, and he published such collections of poetry as An American Prayer (1970) and The Lords and The New Creatures (1971). With his early death Morrison has been seen as a voluntary victim of the destructive forces in pop culture. However, he was not ignorant about the consequences of fame and his position as an idol. Morrison once confessed, "We're more interested in the dark side of life, the evil thing, the night time."

"This is the end, beautiful friend.
It hurts to set you free,
But you'll never follow me.
The end of laughter and soft lies.
The end of nights we tried to die.
This is the... end."

Jim Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida. His father was a US Navy admiral and the family moved according to his father's numerous postings. From an early age Morrison was interested in literature, he excelled at school and he had an IQ of 149. Morrison studied theatre arts at the University of California. With his fellow student Ray Manzarek and John Densmore and Robbie Kriger he formed a group which in 1965 was christened The Doors. The name was taken from Aldous Huxley's book on mescaline, The Doors of Perception, which quoted William Blake's poem (If the doors of perception were cleansed / All things would appear infinite). Their first album, THE DOORS (1967), mixed performances from Bertold Brecht/Kurt Weil's 'Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)' to Willie Dixon's 'Back Door Man'. The lyrics Morrison wrote in 1965 dominated the first two Doors albums. The first single chart success came in July 1967 with 'Light My Fire'.

Between childhood, boyhood,
                  adolescence
& manhood (maturity) there
should be sharp lines drawn w/
Tests, deaths, feasts, rites
stories, songs & judgements
(from Wilderness, 1988)

The mythical Lizard King, Morrison's alter ego, first appeared in the best-selling record WAITING FOR THE SUN (1968) in a poem printed inside the record sleeve entitled "The Celebration of the Lizard King". Part of the lyrics were used in "Not to Touch the Earth" and the complete "Celebration" appeared on the album ABSOLUTELY LIVE (1970).

Morrison's drinking and drug taking badly affected his singing and input at recordings. In Miami in 1969 he was charged with exposing himself on stage - in full view of 10,000 people. The police did not arrest him on the spot; for fear that it would cause a riot. Next year Morrison was sentenced to 8 months' hard labour and a $500 fine for 'profanity' and 'indecent exposure', but he remained free while the sentence was appealed against.

"O great creator of being, grant us one more hour to perform our art and perfect our lives."

In April 1970 MORRISON HOTEL hit the charts in the U.S. and England. It was hailed as a major comeback. One song, 'Queen of the Highway', was dedicated Morrison's new wife, Pamela. On his 27th birthday, Morrison made recordings of his poetry at lektra's LA studio, which later formed the basis of AN AMERICAN PRAYER. The Doors played their last concert with Morrison in New Orleans. It was a disaster - Morrison smashed the microphone into the stage, threw the stand into the crowd and slumped down.

"Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain.
And all the children are insane,
Waiting for the summer rain."

After finishing sessions for a new album, L.A. WOMAN, Morrison escaped to Paris, where he hoped to follow a literary career. His first book, THE LORDS AND THE NEW CREATURES, went into paperback after selling 15.000 in hardback. On 3 July 1971 he was found dead in his bathtub. Morrison had regurgitated a small amount of blood on the night of July 2, but claimed he felt fine. He had recently consulted a local doctor concerning a respitory problem.

STAR FISH GLUTTONY

Star fish gluttony
what are the word-forms
   for co(s)mic encounter
wedding flesh & mind
      in one body
(from The American Night, 1990)

Morrison was buried at Pére Lachaise cemetery in Paris, which houses the remains of many famous artists, statesmen and legendaries from Edith Piaf to Oscar Wilde. His wife, Pamela Courson Morrison, died in Hollywood of heroin overdose on April 25, 1974. In 1979 Francis Ford Coppola used The Doors' performance of 'The End' in his Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now, and in 1991 director Oliver Stone made the film biography The Doors, starring Val Kilmer.

For further reading: Jim Morrison and the Doors by Mike Jahn; Jim Morrison Au Dela Des Doors by Herve Muller; No One Here Get Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman; Burn Down the Night by Craig Kee Strete; Jim Morrison by Frank Lisciandro; The Doors by Danny Sugerman; The Doors by John Tobler and Andrew Doe; Jim Morrison: Dark Star by Dylan Jones; Images of Jim Morrison by Edward Wincentsen; The End: The Death of Jim Morrison by Bob Seymore; A Feast of Friends by Frank Lisciandro; Light My Fire by John Densmore; Riders On The Storm by John Densmore; The Doors Complete Illustrated Lyrics by Danny Sugerman (ed.); Break On Through by James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky; The Lizard King by Jerry Hopkins; The Doors: Dance on Fire by Ross Clarke; The Complete Guide to The Music of..., by Peter K. Hogan; The Doors: Moonlight Drive by Chuck Crisafulli

Poems and other fiction and non-fiction by Jim Morrison:

An American Prayer, (1970)
The Lords and the New Creatures, (1971)
Jim Morrison collaborated on a screenplay with poet Michael McClure and directed the film A Feast of Friends. He had made films to accompany "Break on Through" and the, (1968)
Wilderness, (1988)
The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison, vol.1, (1990)
The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison, vol. 2, (1991)