Jim Morrison as a child. Biography of Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison(English Jim Morrison; full name James Douglas Morrison, English James Douglas Morrison; December 8, 1943, Melbourne, Florida - July 3, 1971, Paris) - American singer, poet, songwriter, leader and vocalist of the group The Doors.

Considered one of the most charismatic frontmen in the history of rock music. Morrison is known both for his distinctive voice and for his distinctive stage presence, his self-destructive lifestyle and his poetic work. Rolling Stone magazine included him in its list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.

Biography

Jim Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida, the son of the future Admiral George Stephen Morrison and Clara Morrison (maiden name Clark). Jim also had a brother, Andrew, and a sister, Anne. Jim was of mixed Scottish, English and Irish blood. It is known that Morrison's IQ was 149.

Moves are frequent in the life of military men, and one day, when Jim was only four years old, something happened in New Mexico that he later described as one of the most important events of his life: a truck carrying Indians crashed on the road, and their bloody and sick bodies fell out from the truck and lay along the road.

“I knew death for the first time (...) I think at that moment the souls of those dead Indians, maybe one or two of them, were rushing around, writhing, and moved into my soul, I was like a sponge, readily absorbing them.”

Jim spent part of his childhood in San Diego, California. In 1962, he entered Florida State University in Tallahassee. In January 1964, Morrison moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in the film department at UCLA, where he made two films during his studies. Jim liked performers such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Love and the Kinks.

University

At Florida State University in Tallahassee, Jim studied the history of the Renaissance, in particular the work of Hieronymus Bosch and acting, and acted in student productions of plays. After that, Jim studied at the film department of the University of California, but did not take his studies very seriously, and was more interested in parties and alcohol. At the end of 1964, Jim came to his parents for Christmas. This was the last time he saw them. A few months later, Jim wrote a letter to his parents saying that he wanted to create a rock band. But he did not find understanding from his father, who replied that this was a bad joke. After that, when asked about his parents, Jim always said that they died. Apparently, the parents also treated Jim coolly, because even many years after his death they refused to comment on their son’s work. The film, which was his final work, was not accepted by either teachers or students. Jim was very worried about this, and even wanted to leave the university two weeks before graduation, but the teachers dissuaded him from this decision.

The Doors

While attending UCLA, Jim met and became friends with Ray Manzarek. Together they formed the group The Doors. After some time, they were joined by drummer John Densmore and John's friend, Robbie Krieger. Krieger was introduced on Densmore's recommendation and was then included in the group. The Doors took the band's name from the title of Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception (a reference to the "opening" of the "doors" of perception through the use of psychedelics). Huxley, in turn, took the title of his book from a poem by the English visionary poet William Blake: “If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.” everything would appear as it is - infinite). Jim told friends that he wanted to be that "door of perception." The name of the group was adopted unanimously.

The group began performing in local pubs and their performances were frankly weak, partly due to the amateurism of the musicians, partly because of Jim Morrison’s timidity: at first he was even embarrassed to turn his face to the audience and sang with his back to the audience. In addition, Jim often came to performances drunk. Fortunately for the group, they had an army of female fans, and the next “last time” of the angry club owner resulted in calls from girls asking when they would see “that hairy guy” again. Six months later, the group had the opportunity to perform at the best club on Sunset Trip - Whiskey-A-Go-Go.

Soon the group was noticed by producer Paul Rothschild from the recently opened Elektra Records label, which had previously only released jazz performers, who risked offering the Doors a contract (the group entered Elektra's circle with such giants as Love). The group's first single, "Break On Through", entered the top ten of the US Billboard charts, and the next, "Light My Fire", took first place on the chart - an extremely successful debut. The Doors' first album, released in early 1967, also took first place in the charts and marked the beginning of Dorsomania. One composition of the album - The End, conceived as an ordinary farewell song, gradually became more complex, acquiring universal images.

Jim Morrison on this song several years after the album's release:

Jim's subsequent fate was a downward spiral: drunkenness, arrests for indecent behavior and fights with police, transformation from an idol for girls into a fat bearded slob. More and more material was written by Robbie Krieger, less and less by Jim Morrison. The Doors' later concerts consisted mostly of drunken Morrison arguing with the audience. In 1971, a rock star goes with his friend Pamela Courson to Paris to relax and work on a book of poetry. According to the official version, Morrison died on July 3, 1971 in Paris from a heart attack, however, no one knows the real cause of his death. Among the options were: a heroin overdose in the Parisian club Rock-n-Roll Circus, suicide, a staged suicide by the FBI, which was then actively fighting participants in the hippie movement, and so on. There are still rumors surrounding his death. The only person who saw the singer's death was Morrison's girlfriend, Pamela. But she took the secret of his death with her to the grave, as she died of a drug overdose three years later. Jim Morrison is buried in Paris at Père Lachaise Cemetery. His grave became a place of cult worship for fans, who covered the neighboring graves with inscriptions about their love for their idol and lines from The Doors songs.

In 1978, the album An American Prayer was released: shortly before his death, Morrison dictated his poems onto a tape recorder, and the musicians of The Doors put musical accompaniment on the poems. The song “The End” was included in F. F. Coppola’s film “Apocalypse Now” (1979).

"I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a flying star. Everyone stops, points and whispers in amazement, “Look at this!” And then - whoosh, and I’m gone. And they’ll never see anything like that again and they’ll never be able to forget me.

Jim Morrison is a charismatic, unique and gifted rock musician. Over the course of his 27-year life, he managed to become a legend who has remained popular for more than 50 years.

His group “The Doors” forever entered the history of world musical culture. Jim Morrison is a unique charm, a memorable voice and a destructive lifestyle that led to his sudden death.

The biography of the future idol of several generations began in the medium-sized city of Melbourne, located in the American state of Florida, on December 8, 1943. His father was George Morrison, who later received the rank of admiral, and his mother was Clara Morrison, nee Clark. The parents gave their illustrious son Irish, English and Scottish roots, although the boy spent his childhood in the States. Jim was not the only child in the family: George and Clara also had a daughter, Anne, and a son, Andrew.

From a young age, Morrison Jr. never ceased to amaze school teachers with his intelligence (the musician’s IQ level was 149). At the same time, he knew how to charm those around him and win him over. But in the still waters there were devils: for example, Jim loved to lie, and achieved a virtuoso level of skill in this matter. He also loved cruel pranks, the object of which was most often his little brother Andy.

Since the father of the future musician was a military man, the whole family had to move. So, when the boy was only four years old, he saw a sight that made a huge impression on him. We are talking about a terrible accident: on a highway in New Mexico, a truck carrying Indians got into an accident. The bloody corpses lying on the road made Jim experience fear for the first time in his life (he said so in an interview). Morrison was sure that the souls of the dead Indians had entered his body.

Little Jim's passion was reading. Moreover, he read mainly the works of world philosophers, symbolist poets and other authors, whose works are quite difficult to understand. As Morrison's teacher later said, he contacted the Library of Congress. He wanted to make sure that the books Jim told him about existed. Most of all, the boy liked the works of Nietzsche. In his spare time from reading, he liked to write poetry and draw obscene caricatures.

Also in childhood, the Morrison family visited the Californian city of San Diego. Having matured, the future leader of The Doors was not at all tired of numerous moves and getting used to life in new cities. In 1962, at the age of nineteen, he went to Tallahassee. There the young man was accepted into Florida State University.

However, Jim did not like Tallahassee too much, and already at the beginning of 1964 he decided to change something in his life by going to Los Angeles. There the guy began studying at the cinematography department of the prestigious UCLA University. At that time, the teachers of this university were Joseph von Sternberg and Stanley Kramer, and at the same time the young man also studied at UCLA.

Music career

While studying at both universities, Jim Morrison did not work too hard. At Florida State University, he studied the work of Bosch, studied the history of the Renaissance and studied acting. At the University of California, he studied cinematography, but all this was more in the background for him than in the foreground. Jim excelled in all subjects due to his high level of intelligence, but preferred alcohol and parties to study.

Apparently, then he decided to create his own rock band. He even wrote to his father about this decision, but he took another fixed idea of ​​his impulsive son for a bad joke. Sadly, after this, Jim’s relationship with his parents went wrong: to all questions about them, he answered that they had died, and the Morrisons themselves refused to give interviews about the work of their son even years after the musician’s premature death.

It was not only his parents who did not see Jim as a successful creative person. As his senior thesis after graduating from UCLA, he was supposed to direct his own film. Morrison did work on his own film, but other students and teachers did not see anything in this film that could be of artistic value. Jim even wanted to quit his studies just a couple of weeks before receiving his diploma, but his teachers dissuaded him from such a rash act.

However, studying at the University of California also had its advantages for a creative career as a performer. It was here that he met his friend Ray Manzarek, with whom he later formed the cult group The Doors.

The Doors

The band was founded by Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek, who were joined by drummer John Densmore and his friend guitarist Robbie Krieger. The band's name, in Morrison's style, was borrowed from the title of the book: "The Doors of Perception" is a work by the author best known for his dystopian novel Brave New World. The title of the book translates as “Doors of Perception.” This is exactly what Jim wanted to become for his fans—a “door of perception.” His friends agreed on this name for the group.

The first months of the life of The Doors were unsuccessful. Most of the musicians who made up the group turned out to be outright amateurs. And Morrison himself at first showed extreme timidity and embarrassment on stage. During the band's first concerts, he turned his back to the audience and stood that way throughout the entire performance. In addition, Jim continued to drink alcohol and drugs, and he did not hesitate to come to performances while intoxicated.

Back then they called him “that hairy guy.” Jim's height was 1.8 m. Surprisingly, Morrison's charisma worked even from behind: although the band performed unsuccessfully, because of his charm, The Doors quickly acquired their own army of female fans who liked the secretive guy and his enchanting voice. And then the band was noticed by Paul Rothschild, who decided to offer The Doors a contract on behalf of the Elektra Records record label.

The band's first album, “The Doors,” was released in 1967. The songs “Alabama Song”, “Light My Fire” and others instantly blew up the charts and made the group famous. At the same time, Jim Morrison continued to use illegal substances and alcohol - perhaps this is partly due to the mystical flair of the group’s songs and performances.

Jim inspired and charmed, but at this time the idol himself sank deeper and deeper to the bottom. In the last years of his life, Morrison gained excess weight, fought with police, and even survived being arrested on stage. He went on stage drunk and lost his temper in public. He wrote less and less material for the group, and singles and albums had to be worked on by Robbie Krieger, and not by the band's frontman.

Personal life

Photos of Jim Morrison even today evoke enthusiastic sighs from the fair sex, so it is not surprising that women loved him. There have been many speculations about Morrison's novels, and many of them may not be without foundation. He had a serious relationship with the editor of a music magazine, Patricia Kennealy. The girl met the frontman of The Doors in 1969, and in 1970, Patricia and Jim even got married according to Celtic customs (Kennely was interested in Celtic culture).

This event further fueled public interest in Morrison, who began to be accused of being addicted to the occult. It never came to an official wedding. However, in an interview at that time, Jim claimed that he was in love with his betrothed, and that their souls were now inseparable.

Official cause of death

In the spring of 1971, Jim and his girlfriend Pamela Courson went to Paris. Morrison intended to rest and work on a book of poetry. During the day, Pamela and Jim drank alcohol and took heroin in the evening.

At night, Morrison began to feel unwell, but he refused to call an ambulance. Pamela went to bed, and at approximately five o'clock in the morning on July 3, 1971, she discovered Jim's lifeless body in the bathtub, in hot water.

Alternative cause of death

Many alternative options for the death of the leader of The Doors have been proposed. Suicide, a staged suicide by FBI employees fighting representatives of the hippie movement, a drug dealer who treated Jim to too strong heroin. In fact, the only witness to Morrison's death was Pamela Courson, but three years later she also died of a drug overdose.

The grave of the iconic musician is located in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. To this day, the cemetery is considered a place of worship for fans of The Doors, who even covered nearby tombstones with inscriptions about how much they loved the band and Morrison. After his death, Jim was included in the "27 Club".

Seven years after Morrison's death, the studio album An American Prayer was released, featuring recordings of Jim reciting poetry set to a rhythmic musical background.

Discography:

• The Doors (January 1967)
• Strange Days (October 1967)
• Waiting for the Sun (July 1968)
• The Soft Parade (July 1969)
• Morrison Hotel (February 1970)
• L.A. Woman (April 1971)
• An American Prayer (November 1978)

Sooner or later you come across a band like The Doors. This happens to almost every dude. Psychedelic rock is like that: it gets into your head by accident, and then doesn’t let go for a very long time, if it ever does. And Jim Morrison is probably the most iconic and prominent figure in music of the second half of the twentieth century, not only within genres, but in general.

Jim was born in Melbourne, Florida. He was a true Celt by nature, with Irish, English and Scottish blood pulsating in him. He was born into a military family, which automatically meant frequent moves of the whole family to one end of the country and then to the other. In this our country and America are very similar. Jim recalled that time; one event stuck in his memory as a bright bloody stain: on one of these trips, he saw a broken, mangled truck with Indians, whose bodies lay in blood along the road.

I think at that moment the souls of those dead Indians, maybe one or two of them, were running around, writhing, and moved into my soul, I was like a sponge, readily absorbing them.
Jim Morrison

When Jim entered Florida State University, he studied art, acting, and enjoyed acting in student productions. Morrison then studied at the University of California's film department. But he did not become a director, because his dream was to create his own rock band; Jim felt music differently than others. Morrison tried to enlist the support of his parents. But they did not share their son’s beliefs either in his choice of career or in his lifestyle. As a result, the last day he saw his own parents was Christmas 1964.

In any case, his farewell to his parents served as a complete departure into the field of art. The group was named "The Doors" after Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception. This is an essay written by one of the prominent writers and philosophers of the twentieth century. In it, Huxley describes his experience with mescaline, a substance that is obtained from certain types of cacti, in particular Lophophora williamsii, and which has a hallucinogenic effect on those who ingest it. Its properties have long been known to the shamans of some Indian tribes; such cacti were used to communicate with spirits and gods. But such substances came into widespread use by civilized people only in the 60-70s of the twentieth century. Not the last popularizer of “expansion of consciousness” is Jim Morisson.

His music absorbed the traditions of many cultures: black, southern country and blues. There was not a single band at that time that would do something similar in sound. Coupled with Morisson’s poetic gift, such a cocktail had a deafening effect on young people. He suddenly became the star of his generation, and the songs, which sometimes smacked of some kind of esotericism, began to spin in many heads. He was perceived as a prophet and poet.

The musician’s performance style is also known. He rarely appeared on stage sober or not high. Was this necessary for the image? Quite. But, most likely, at some point Jim simply lost control. On the other hand, despite all the scandals associated with his performances, they still loved him and continued to call him. Just six months after the start of their concert activity, The Doors began performing at the best club on Sunset Street - Whisky-A-Go-Go. A contract with a record company was not long in coming. This company turned out to be Elektra Records, which showed the world the group in all its splendor.

We wouldn't call The Doors' music ordinary. There is too much something vague, strange and mysterious in it. Shamanism is Morrison's stage technique. Perhaps the reason for this is that episode from childhood with the dead Indians. Jim always gravitated towards mysticism, and his favorite poet was the magnificent William Blake, a British visionary of the 19th century, who managed not only to write poetry, but also to draw paintings and engravings.

I am the lizard king. I can do anything.
Jim Morrison

Technically the music is very unique. It is full of interesting moments, the sound itself is truly unique, it cannot be confused with anything else. The guitar part rarely came to the fore, but the keys were amazing. Well, and of course, Jim’s voice with its poetic lyrics and all sorts of intonations that are unlikely to be repeated in a sober state. He didn’t mess around, the songs came out alive, real. They were not polished by sound producers to create the “ideal” sound. There was something of jazz in it. Just a man with a good song that he wants to tell the world. Honest and frank music.

You never know when you'll have to perform your last song.
Jim Morrison

Officially, Morrison died of a heart attack in a Paris hotel at the age of 27, but many are skeptical about this cause of death. It is known that towards the end of his life he became more and more addicted to substances and booze, wrote less and less material for songs and treated visitors to his concerts worse and worse. Overdose was common at the time. And he probably got into Club 27 precisely because of her. Morrison was buried in France, at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

But let's not talk about sad things. A man dies, but his songs remain. And now they have not remained in history as lamentations forgotten by everyone, everything still sounds excellent. The Doors' albums are often re-released, the music is updated to suit modern tastes, but the old records still live, and someday they will reach your skull and open the doors of your perception.

, harmonica

Considered one of the most charismatic frontmen in the history of rock music. Morrison is known both for his distinctive voice and for his distinctive stage presence, his self-destructive lifestyle and his poetic work. Rolling Stone magazine included him in its list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.

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Subtitles

Biography

Moves are frequent in the life of military men, and one day, when Jim was only four years old, something happened in New Mexico that he later described as one of the most important events of his life: a truck carrying Indians crashed on the road, and their bloody and sick bodies fell out from the truck and lay along the road.

“I knew fear for the first time (...) I think at that moment the souls of those dead Indians, maybe one or two of them, rushed around, writhing, and moved into my soul, I was like a sponge, readily absorbing them.”

Morrison considered this incident the most significant in his life, and returned to it in poetry, interviews, and in the songs “Dawn’s Highway,” “Peace Frog,” “Ghost Song” from the album An American Prayer, as well as “Riders on the Storm.” Jim spent part of his childhood in San Diego, California. In 1962, he entered Florida State University in Tallahassee. In January 1964, Morrison moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in the film department at UCLA, where he made two films during his studies. Jim liked such performers as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Love and the Kinks.

University

Soon the group was noticed by producer Paul Rothschild from the recently opened Elektra Records label, which had previously only released jazz performers, and who risked offering the Doors a contract (the group was included in Elektra's catalog along with such giants as Love). The group's first single, "Break On Through," hit number 126 on the Billboard charts, but this relative failure was more than compensated for by the next, "Light My Fire," which topped the charts. The Doors' first album, released in early 1967, also took first place in the charts and marked the beginning of "Doorsmania". One composition of the album - The End, conceived as an ordinary farewell song, gradually became more complex, acquiring universal images.

Jim Morrison on this song several years after the album's release:

"The End"... I really don't know what I was going to say. Every time I listen to this song it seems different to me. At first it was a farewell, perhaps to a girl, or perhaps to childhood.

The use of hallucinogens, in particular LSD, had a direct impact on the work of Morrison and the Doors: mysticism and shamanism became part of the stage act. “I am a Lizard king. “I can do anything,” Jim said to himself in one of the songs (“I am the king of lizards. I can do anything”). The Doors managed to become not only a musical phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon. The band's sound lacked bass [ ], the emphasis was on hypnotic organ parts and (to a lesser extent) original guitar parts. However, The Doors' popularity was largely due to the unique charismatic personality and deep lyrics of their leader Jim Morrison. Morrison was an extremely erudite person, interested in the philosophy of Nietzsche, the culture of the American Indians, the poetry of the European Symbolists, and much more. In the year Jim married practicing witch Patricia Kennealy; the wedding was carried out according to a Celtic witchcraft ritual. Nowadays in America, Jim Morrison is considered not only a recognized musician, but also an outstanding poet: he is sometimes put on a par with William Blake and Arthur Rimbaud. Morrison attracted fans of the group with his unusual behavior. He inspired the young rebels of that era, and the musician’s mysterious death further mystified him in the eyes of his fans.

In the future, Jim's fate was a rapid descent down an inclined plane: drunkenness, arrests for indecent behavior and a fight with the police, the transformation from an idol for girls into a fat bearded slob. More and more material was written by Robbie Krieger, less and less by Jim Morrison. The Doors' later concerts featured mostly a drunken Morrison arguing with the audience; This drove the band members crazy. In the spring of 1971, the rock star went with his friend Pamela Courson to Paris to relax and work on a book of poetry.

Death

Official version

According to the official version, Jim Morrison died at about 5 o'clock in the morning on July 3, 1971 in the IV arrondissement of Paris in the bathroom of a rented apartment at number 17 on rue Beautreillis from a heart attack. According to his old friend Alain Ronay, who specially came to Paris to meet Morrison, the day before his death Jim looked unwell and complained of feeling unwell.

They walked around the city, bought a pendant for Pamela in a store and went to a cafe where they had lunch. After that, we visited a film store and took several films. During the walk, Morrison became very dizzy several times and had several bouts of hiccups. At about 5 p.m. they returned back to the musician’s apartment. After visiting for another hour, Rone left his friend, leaving him in one of the Parisian cafes, and headed to an important meeting.

At the cafe, Jim ordered himself three bottles of beer; After drinking them, at about 7 p.m. he went to the cinema with Pamela Courson. They watched the movie "The Chase" [ ] starring Marlon Brando and returned to their apartment around 10 p.m. Around 1 a.m. on July 3, Courson and Morrison took heroin. However, years of frequent alcohol and drug use had taken a toll on his health, and around 3:30 a.m., a sleeping Morrison began having severe convulsions and vomiting from taking too much heroin. Pamela managed to bring him to his senses and she suggested that he call an ambulance, but Jim refused. Following this, Kurson went to bed. What happened next is unknown, but at about 5 a.m. Pamela found Morrison in the bathroom in hot water, he was no longer breathing. After the ambulance and police arrived, they found traces on the floor that Morrison had been vomiting blood heavily before his death and there were signs of nosebleeds on his face.

No autopsy was performed on Morrison's body, according to French law. The death certificate states that he died between 4:45 and 5 a.m. on July 3, 1971, in an unconscious state from acute heart failure, presumably caused by a heroin overdose. This gave rise to many alternative versions of Morrison's death that spread among fans.

Alternative versions

However, no one knows the real cause of his death. Among the options were: a heroin overdose in the men's room of the Parisian Rock-n-Roll Circus club or in the nearby Alcazar cabaret (Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman's version), suicide, a staged suicide by the FBI, which was then actively fighting members of the hippie movement, and so on. There are still rumors surrounding his death. British rock singer Marianne Faithfull said that a drug dealer and her ex-boyfriend Jean de Breteuil were responsible for the death of Jim Morrison. According to Faithfull, de Breteuil gave the singer heroin, the effects of which were too strong, and this caused Morrison's death. She stated that de Breteuil then “came to see Morrison and killed him.” Faithfull expressed confidence that it was an accident. The only person who saw the singer's death was Morrison's girlfriend, Pamela. But she took the secret of his death with her to the grave, as she died of a drug overdose three years later. Jim Morrison is buried in Paris at Père Lachaise Cemetery. His grave became a place of cult worship for fans, who covered the neighboring graves with inscriptions about their love for their idol and lines from The Doors songs.

“I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a flying star. Everyone stops, points and whispers in amazement, “Look at this!” And then - whoosh, and I’m no longer there. And they will never see anything like this again and will never be able to forget me. Never"

Morrison is a member of the so-called “Club 27”; According to Krieger and Densmore, when the Doors were discussing the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, Morrison said, “You might be drinking with number three.”

Creation

Poe was brought into the hippie era, but he also lived like one - heading straight to a sad end in the gutter." Far from being naive, the Doors openly addressed the symbolic realm of the unconscious: dark, “nightly” lyrics with a pulsating rhythm, a fluttering tone, unsettling images. It was written about Morrison that he sang as if he were being executed in the electric chair.

• Literature
• Linda Ashcroft, Wild Child: Life with Jim Morrison, (1997) ISBN 1-56025-249-9
• 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
• Patricia Butler, Angels Dance and Angels Die: The Tragic Romance of Pamela and Jim Morrison, (1998) ISBN 0-8256-7341-0
• Stephen Davis, Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend, (2004) ISBN 1-59240-064-7
• John Densmore, Riders on the Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison and the Doors (1991) 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) ISBN 0-446-60228-0
• 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
• Adriana Rubio, Jim Morrison: Ceremony...Exploring the Shaman Possession (2005) ISBN 0-9766590-0-X
• The Doors (remaining members Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore) with Ben Fong-Torres, The Doors (2006) ISBN 1-4013-0303-X
• Alan Zhukovsky. Metaphorical understanding of physicality in the poetry of J. Morrison // Russian rock poetry: text and context. Vol. 12. - Tver, Ekaterinburg - 2011. 300 s. ISBN 978-5-7186-0387-3
• Alan Zhukovsky. Metaphorical understanding of physicality in the poetry of J. Morrison // Materials of the XVII International Scientific Conference of Students, Postgraduate Students and Young Scientists “Lomonosov”. Section "Philology". - Moscow - Moscow University Publishing House, 2010. 832 pages. ISBN 978-5-211-05685-5
• Alexey Polikovsky. Morrison. The Shaman's Journey. - Moscow - Hummingbird, 2008. 303 pages. ISBN 978-5-389-00077-3
• Jerry Hopkins, Danny Sugarman. None of us will get out of here alive. - Moscow - Amphora, 2007. 480 pages. ISBN 978-5-367-00607-0

Data

• Mentioned in Stephen King's story "Rock 'n' Roll Heaven" as Lizard King.
• In the 1970s, paleontologist Russell Sayokon (USA) made a revolution in science when he discovered in Myanmar the remains of a giant lizard that reached 180 cm in length and weighed about 30 kg. This world's largest herbivorous lizard was named Barbaturex morrisoni in honor of Jim Morrison, who once sang: “I am the king of the lizards. I can do anything."
• Jim Morrison and Patricia Kennealy-Morrison exchanged Claddagh rings at their pagan wedding. An image of the rings is included on the cover of Kennealy-Morrison's memoir. Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison, they are visible in many of her photographs.
• In the book by writer Simon Green, “The City Where Shadows Die,” Jim Morrison is one of the key characters, returned from the dead and able to mesmerize those around him with his music.
• In Stephen King's novel The Stand, one of the main characters says that he saw Jim Morrison (after his death) while working at a gas station.
• In Mick Farren's book Jim Morrison After Death, Jim is the main character who understands the intricacies of afterlife.
• In the book “The Labyrinth of Secret Books” by Paolo Di Reda and Flavia Ermetes (ISBN 978-5-389-02551-6 01), Jim Morrison is one of the key characters.
• In the collection Wild Cards, edited by J. R. R. Martin, Victor Milan's novella "Transfigurations" easily identifies The Doors and James Douglas Morrison (renamed Destiny and Tom Marion Douglas by the writer, respectively). Under the influence of an alien virus, Morrison-Douglas receives an aura that gives him the ability to influence the emotions of listeners with increased power, and also periodically changes his appearance to the image of a man with a snake head (“The Lizard King”).
• In the film Death Is Facing, Jim Morrison is among Liesl's clients who have the gift of immortality.
• In the film An American Werewolf in Paris, there is a sex scene at Morrison's grave in Père Lachaise Cemetery.
• In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks' character solemnly sings "Come on, baby, light my fire" when he manages to get fire.
• In the TV series Interns, one of the main characters Gleb Romanenko often mentions that he is a big fan of Morrison.
• In the computer game World of Warcraft, there is a boss, Lord Serpentis, who says the phrase “I am the Serpent King, I can do anything.”
• In the computer game Postal 2, the main character, when using catnip, says the phrase “Yes, baby, I’m the Lizard King!”
• Scottish post-rock band Mogwai have a song called "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead".
• Radiohead mentions Morrison in the song "Anyone Can Play Guitar" - "Grow my hair I am Jim Morrison".
• The 69 Eyes mention Morrison in the song "Wasting The Dawn" - "Where the lizard lingers long under the sun Forgetting the night darkest july paris "71".
• The group 5"nizza mentions Morrison in the song "Gone Too Soon".
• In Tracktor Bowling's song “Outside,” Morrison is mentioned in a list of great people (“Victims of their ideas that pierced the world through: Morrison and Cobain, Lennon, Sid Vicious or Christ”).
• The song of the Crematorium group “Hounds of Hounds” - a mention of Morrison:
• Rapper Assai's song "Mono":
• Song of the Civil Defense group “Harakiri”:
• The song of the group Brigadny in a row “Seriously”:
• Song of the group End of the film “Dying Young”:
• Band song

Frank Lisciandro entered UCLA film school at the same time as Morrison. They knew each other for six years. He saw the Doors perform in New York and Los Angeles. He worked on Morrison's 1969 film HWY: An American Pastoral and the 1970 concert film Feast of Friend. In his new book, Jim Morrison: Friends Gathered Together, he compiled serious interviews with thirteen of Jim's less famous friends, such as manager Bill Siddons, his wife, tour manager Vince Treanor, and friend Babe Hill. Morrison's girlfriend Eva Gardonyi also ended up in this company. As a result, each of the friends offers their own take on the Lizard King.

Asthma could have killed him

Jim suffered from asthma and took the medicine Marax, which he injected through an inhaler. The drug was subsequently banned in the United States because it was believed to cause death when combined with alcohol. For example, Eva Gardonyi heard from Pamela Courson that Jim's asthma had something to do with his heart. That's what the doctor said.

He was lustful

His favorite way to party was at the go-go club Phone Booth, where he and his buddy Tom Baker chatted with strippers and hiked up their skirts. My friend Eva usually helped me meet girls. “Tom and Jim would pull their skirts off and do something stupid, then laugh and pat each other on the back, and then go off to another place to slam a couple more drinks.”

To get some girl, he could become interested in her national music

When he lived with Hungarian Eva Gardonyi from early 1969 to March 1971, he loved listening to her ethnic records with folk music from Eastern Europe and Africa. Jim also liked it when Eva dressed up in black lingerie and a garter belt, pretending to be a stripper. Who doesn't like this kind of thing?

Even if Jim had not died in Paris, there would have been no new Doors albums.

Could there be new records after LA Woman? According to Eve, no. He had a bad relationship with the rest of the group. He was very dissatisfied with them.

Asking him to give him a lift somewhere in a wheelbarrow is not a good idea.

Jim had a Ford Mustang named “Blue Lady.” Driving along brick-and-mortar roads and down hills at top speeds, he loved to terrify his passengers, especially the one sitting in the “death seat,” as Jim himself called it, the place to the right of the driver’s seat. Babe Hill remembers how they drove the “Blue Lady”, not caring about the limit signs. “We were on the right behind the Beverly Hills Police Department. They called a tow truck and a taxi. The clutch was burned. I remember muttering, repeating “Well, we’re going to die.”

Between Peggy Lee and Led Zeppelin, he chose Peggy

When asked what he thought about Zeppelins, Jim replied: “To tell you the truth, I don’t listen to rock music, so I’ve never heard them. I usually listen to classical music or something like Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley.” His favorite blues artist was Jimmy Reed, and especially liked the song Baby What You Want Me to Do

It was not drunkenness, but an artistic act

When he fell off stage at the Shrine Auditorium in December 1967, it was part of an artistic design. Jim told his bandmates in advance that he was going to get as drunk as possible so that he would not be responsible for himself later. This must be the appearance of oneself in the form of a drunken manifesto.

He had a “beautiful throat”

Babe Hill (Jim's close friend from 1969-1971) says Jim had the most beautiful throat he had ever seen. Most likely, she came to this state as a result of singing and screaming, which made up a fair share of Morrison's existence. Large neck and beautifully developed throat.

The nuns somehow saved him

He didn't do it on stage when the Doors played Amsterdam in 1968 as part of a European tour. Well, or he did, but only during a Jefferson Airplane performance. Bob, the singer of Canned Heat, gave Jim a bag of dope, which he began to swallow. As a result, Morrison lost consciousness and was rushed to a nearby hospital, which was run by nuns. When Jim woke up, he probably thought he had died and gone to heaven. For he was surrounded by women who, unlike him, knew what he had done and why he came to them.

Jim preferred bars. He hated parties in other places

After the Doors played the Hollywood Bowl (July 6, 1968), Jim spent the night at his usual spot, the Alta Cienega Motel bar, across from the Doors offices on La Cienega Boulevard, instead of partying at the Chateau Marmont. Hotel manager Eddie, meeting Jim, asked about the concert, “Is everything okay? Were you a cool star today? Did people like it?”

The road to death seemed ordinary

He was already on acid when Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix died. Despite the fact that he was partial to marijuana and PCP, he also smoked a lot. There is a popular opinion in certain circles that he was not friends with cocaine. However, it is not. Since 1969, he has consumed a lot of cocaine. He had a good friendship with a coke dealer named Violet, who was also called the “Queen of Cocaine.”

He had a dog named Thor

Jim and his girlfriend had a dog named Sage. This dog outlived them both. When Jim went to Paris in 1971, he mailed money to the States to keep the dog. He was often photographed with Sage, as well as two other dogs named Stoner and Thor.

He got caught in Jamaica

After a concert in Miami (March 1, 1969), the Doors went to Jamaica. Jim was there alone in the big house on the island, smoking pot with the house manager, and becoming increasingly frantic and frightened. According to Eva Gardonyi, he had a very strange visit, as he began to hallucinate about people who were going to kill him. His night was spent in fear, and this fear greatly affected him, causing him to have a different attitude towards blacks. He said that he didn’t believe them or understand them before. He was like a white boy who didn't understand his place in it all.

He wasn't crazy about festivals

Leon Barnard says that in May 1970, Jim on Canadian television described Woodstock with the following words: “Half a million people wallowing in who knows what.” Jim did not perceive this event as a festival of love at all.

He had a passion for the classics

Jim wanted to call the 1970 Absolutely Live album Lions In The Street. He also had the idea of ​​releasing an album of poetry recorded in 1969, calling it The Rise and Fall of James Phoenix. Leon Barnard says Jim abandoned the Lions In The Street idea because the rest of the band were against it. But he wanted The Rise and Fall of James Phoenix to be published with a philharmonic orchestra behind his poems. He wanted something classic that wasn't rock and roll.

Translation: Sergei Tyncu