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{{For|other persons named James or Jim Morrison|James Morrison}}

{{Infobox Musical artist
| Name = Jim Morrison
| Img = Jim_Morrison2.png
| Img_capt = A drawing of Jim Morrison
| Img_size = 250
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = James Douglas Morrison
| Alias = The Lizard King, Mr. Mojo Risin'
| Born = {{birth date|1943|12|8}}<br>[[Melbourne, Florida|Melbourne]], [[Florida]], [[United States|USA]]
| Origin = [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]], USA
| Died = {{death date and age|1971|7|3|1943|12|8}}<br>[[Paris, France|Paris]], [[France]]
| Genre = [[Psychedelic rock]], [[acid rock]], [[blues-rock]], [[hard rock]]
| Occupation = [[Musician]], [[Songwriter]], [[Poet]], [[Filmmaker]]<br>
| Instruments = [[Singer|Vocals]], [[Harmonica]]
| Years_active = 1965&nbsp;– 1971
| Label = [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
| Associated_acts = [[The Doors]]
| URL = [http://www.thedoors.com/ TheDoors.com]
}}
'''James Douglas Morrison''' ([[8 December]], [[1943]]&nbsp;– [[3 July]], [[1971]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[singer]], [[poet]], [[songwriter]], [[writer]], and [[film director]]. He is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of [[The Doors]], and is widely considered to be one of the most [[charisma]]tic and influential [[Lead singer|frontmen]] in [[rock music]] history.<ref name="climate">"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6316743.stm ''See e.g.'', Morrison poem backs climate plea]", ''BBC News'', January 31, 2007.</ref> He was also the author of several books of [[poetry]],<ref name="climate">"http://www.huddersfield1.co.uk/poetry/morrisonpoetry.htm, ''huddersfield'', </ref> and the director of a documentary and short film.

==Biography==
===Early years===
Morrison was born in [[Melbourne, Florida]], in 1943 to future [[Admiral]] [[George Stephen Morrison]] and Clara Clarke Morrison. Morrison had a sister, Anne Robin, who was born in 1947 in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], and a brother, Andrew Lee Morrison, who was born 1948 in [[Los Altos, California]]. He was of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Irish people|Irish]] ethnic heritage.<ref>"[http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1930:2450/1/Jim_Morrison.htm Dead Famous: Jim Morrison]", ''The Biography Channel''. (Retrieved Dec. 2, 2007).</ref> He had an [[IQ]] of 153.

In 1947, Morrison, then 4 years old, purportedly witnessed a [[car accident]] in the [[desert]], where a family of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] were 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]]'', and again in the songs "[[Peace Frog]]" and "[[Ghost Song]]."

<blockquote>''Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding''<br>
''Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind''</blockquote>

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. Interestingly, his family does not recall this incident happening in the way he told it. According to the Morrison biography ''[[No One Here Gets Out Alive]]'', Morrison's family did drive past a car accident on an Indian reservation when he was a child, and he was very upset by it. However, the book ''The Doors'' written by the remaining members of Morrison's rock group, tells how different Jim's account of the incident was than the account of his father. This book quotes his father as saying, "We went by several Indians. It did make an impression on him [Jim]. He always thought about that crying Indian." This is contrasted sharply with Jim's tale of "Indians scattered all over the highway, bleeding to death." In the same 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."

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]]. However, he graduated from George Washington High School (now [[George Washington Middle School (Virginia)|George Washington Middle School]]) in [[Alexandria, Virginia]] in June 1961. His father was also stationed at [[Naval Station Mayport|Mayport Naval Air Station]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]].

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]] in Tallahassee, where he appeared in a school recruitment film.<ref name="fsufilm">{{cite web| title = Recruitment Film | url=http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/VideoFilm2/video.cfm?VID=22 | accessdate = 2007-05-11 }}</ref>

In January 1964, Morrison moved to [[Los Angeles, California]]. He completed his [[undergraduate]] degree in [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]]'s film school, the Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts in 1965. He 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 ''Obscura''. During these years, while living in [[Venice, Los Angeles, California]] he became friends with writers at the ''[[Los Angeles Free Press]]''. Morrison was an advocate of the underground newspaper until his death in 1971.<ref>Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith, "Criticism ''Lighting His Fire'': Perspectives on Jim Morrison from the ''Los Angeles Free Press'', ''Down Beat'', and ''The Miami Herald'' (master's thesis, Interdepartmental Program in Liberal Arts, Louisiana State University, 2007). Available at "http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11162007-105056/".</ref>

===Solo: poetry and film===
Morrison began writing in adolescence. In college, he studied the related fields of [[theater]], [[film]] and [[cinematography]].<ref>{{Citation |last= |first= |title=UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Alumni Page (Actors/Performers) |url=http://www.tft.ucla.edu/alumni/index.cfm?action=actors |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>

He self-published two volumes of his poetry in 1969, ''The Lords / Notes on Vision'' and ''The New Creatures''. ''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 generation|Beat Poet]] [[Michael McClure]]. McClure wrote the [[afterword]] for [[Danny Sugerman]]'s biography of Morrison, ''No One Here Gets Out Alive''. 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 [[Billy The Kid]].<ref>{{Citation |last=McClure |first=Michael |title=Michael McClure Recalls an Old Friend |url=http://archives.waiting-forthe-sun.net/Pages/Players/Personal/mcclure_recalls.html |accessdate=2008-09-09}}</ref>

After his death, two volumes of Morrison's 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, ''[[American Night|The American Night]],'' released in 1990, was also a success.

Morrison recorded his own poetry in a mausoleum 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. The latter recording session was attended by Morrison's personal friends and included a variety of sketch pieces. Some of the segments from the 1969 session were issued on the [[bootlegs|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. Morrison asked his friend, composer/pianist Fred Myrow, to select the [[soundtrack]] for the film.<ref>{{Citation |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |title=Liner Notes for Diane Hildebrand's "Early Morning Blues and Greens |url=http://www.richieunterberger.com/diane.html |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last= |first= |title=HWY: An American Pastoral |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388097/combined |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>

===Personal life===
====Morrison's family====
Morrison's early life was a nomadic existence typical of military families.<ref>{{Citation |last= |first= |title=Jim Morrison Biography |url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1930:2450/1/Jim_Morrison.htm |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> 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.

Morrison began drinking in adolescence, starting a lifelong pattern of [[alcoholism]] and [[substance abuse]]. Morrison lived a [[Libertine]] lifestyle, completely devoid of restraint. This was likely a result of his taking on the philosophy of [[Arthur Rimbaud]]; that “the Poet makes himself a visionary through a long, prodigious, and rational disordering of all the senses" and [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s assessment that “whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger."

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 Doors' [[The Doors (album)|self-titled debut album]].

In a letter to the Florida Probation and Parole Commission District Office dated 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, and that he was proud of him nonetheless.<ref name="fatherletter">[http://www.idafan.com/FloridaProbation-ParoleLetters.htm Letter from Jim's Father to probation department 1970]</ref>

====Women in his life====
Morrison met his long-term companion,<ref>{{Citation |last=Hoover |first=Elizabeth |title=The Death of Jim Morrison |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/entertainment/articles/web/20060703-jim-morrison-doors-drugs-rock-n-roll-aldous-huxley-paris-heroin-pamela-courson.shtml |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> [[Pamela Courson]], well before he gained any fame or fortune,<ref>{{Citation |last= |first= |title=Jim Morrison Biography |url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1930:2450/4/Jim_Morrison.htm |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> and she encouraged him to develop his poetry. At times, Courson used the surname "Morrison," with his apparent consent or at least lack of concern. 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. 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. However, in ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'' (by Sugerman and [[Jerry Hopkins]]), a different reason is proposed for the couple's relationships problems: that they were keeping secrets from each other and this caused the conflicts and separations. In ''Riders on the Storm'', John Densmore remarks that Courson was having affairs to get even with Morrison and having to confess infidelity to each other frequently caused their relationship to be rocky.{{facts|date=March 2008}}

In 1970, Morrison participated in a [[Celtic Neopaganism|Celtic Pagan]] [[handfasting]] ceremony with rock critic and [[science fiction]]/[[fantasy]] author [[Patricia Kennealy-Morrison|Patricia Kennealy]]. Before witnesses, one of them a [[Presbyterian]] [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]],<ref name="pkm1">{{cite book | first =Patricia | last =Kennealy | authorlink = | coauthors = | year =1992 | month = | title =Strange Days: My Life With And Without Jim Morrison | chapter = | editor = | others = | edition = | pages =p.63 | publisher =Dutton/Penguin | location =New York| id =ISBN 0-525-93419-7 | url = }}</ref> the couple signed a document declaring themselves wedded;<ref name="pkm2">Kennealy (1992) plate 7, p.175</ref> 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 [[Nico]], the singer associated with [[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]]. 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. [http://famous-relationships.topsynergy.com/Jim_Morrison/]

===Death===
[[Image:Jim-Morrison Pere Lachaise 2.jpg|300px|thumb|Jim Morrison's grave at [[Père Lachaise Cemetery|Père-Lachaise]].]]
Morrison moved to [[Paris]] in March 1971, taking up residence in an apartment. Once in Paris, Morrison grew a beard.<ref name="Davis">Davis, Steven (2004) "[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6185019/the_last_days_of_jim_morrison The Last Days of Jim Morrison]" in Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 December 2007</ref> By all accounts Morrison became 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.<ref name="pkm3">Kennealy (1992) pp.314-16</ref>

It was in Paris that Morrison made his last studio recording, with two American street musicians&nbsp;— a session dismissed by Manzarek as "drunken gibberish."<ref>"Ask Ray Manzarek" Transcript, ''Talk'', BBC, 10 April 2002, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/communicate/archive/ray_manzarek/page2.shtml.]</ref> 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]]''.

Morrison died on [[July 3]], [[1971]], at age 27. In the official account of his death, he was found in a Paris apartment bathtub by Courson. Pursuant to [[France|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#Causes of human death|cause of death]].

In ''Wonderland Avenue'', [[Danny Sugerman]] discussed his encounter with Courson after she returned to the United States. According to Sugerman's account, Courson stated that Morrison had died of a [[heroin]] overdose, inhaling 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. Courson's story of Morrison's unintentional ingestion of cocaine, followed by accidental overdose, is supported by the confession of Alain Ronay, who has written that Morrison died of a hemorrhage after snorting Courson's heroin, and that Courson nodded off, leaving Morrison bleeding to death instead of phoning for medical help.<ref name="Ronay">Ronay, Alain (2002) [http://archives.waiting-forthesun.net/Pages/Articles/jims_last_days.html "Jim and I - Friends Until Death"]. Originally published in KING. Retrieved 25 December 2007</ref>

Ronay confessed in an article in [[Paris-Match]] that he then helped cover up the circumstances of Morrison's death.<ref name="Ronay2">Kennealy (1992) pp: 385-92 quotes from Ronay's interview in Paris-Match</ref> In the epilogue of ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'', Hopkins and Sugerman write that Ronay and Varda say Courson lied to the police on at the scene at the time of death and later in her deposition, saying Morrison never took drugs.

In the epilogue to ''No one Here Gets Out Alive'', Hopkins' says that twenty years after Morrison's death Ronay and Varda broke silence and gave this account: They arrived at the house shortly after Morrison's death and Pamela said that prior to it, she and Jim had taken heroin after a night of drinking in bars. Then, Jim had been coughing badly, had gone to take a bath, and had thrown up blood. Then, Pamela said he appeared to recover, she went to sleep, and when she awoke, he was unresponsive and she called for medical assistance.

Courson herself died of a heroin overdose three years later. Like Morrison, she was 27 years old at the time of her death.

However, in the ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'' epilogue, Hopkins and Sugerman also claim that Morrison had asthma and was suffering from a respiratory condition involving a chronic cough and throwing up blood on the night of his death; this theory is partially supported in ''The Doors'' (written by the remaining members of the Doors) in which they claim Morrison had been coughing up blood for nearly two months in Paris. However, none of the members of the Doors were in Paris with Jim in the months before his death.

In the first edition of ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'' Hopkins and Sugerman even opined that perhaps Morrison was not dead at all, a choice that may have sold more books and records, but led to considerable distress for Morrison's loved ones over the years, notably when fans would stalk them, searching for Morrison.<ref name="sugerman">Hopkins, Jerry; and Danny Sugerman (1980) ''No One Here Gets Out Alive'' ISBN 0-85965-138-X</ref><ref name="pkm4">Kennealy (1992) pp.344-6</ref>

In a July 2007 newspaper interview, a self-described close friend of Morrison's, [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Bernett Sam Bernett], resurrected an old rumour and announced that Morrison actually died of a heroin overdose in the Rock 'n' Roll Circus nightclub, on the [[Left Bank]] in Paris. Bernett claims that Morrison came to the club to buy heroin for Courson, then did some himself and died in the bathroom. Bernett alleges that Morrison was then 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,<ref>{{Citation |last=Walt |first=Vivienne |title=How Jim Morrison Died |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1643884,00.html |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> and that some of the witnesses immediately left the country. However, this is just the latest of many in a long line of old rumours and [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] surrounding the death of Morrison,<ref>"The shocking truth about Jim Morrison's death surfaces". AndhraNews.net story, July 8, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite news
| url = http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=466947&in_page_id=1773
| title = The shocking truth about how my pal Jim Morrison REALLY died
| publisher = mailonsunday.co.uk Accessed July 13, 2007
}}</ref> and is less supported by witnesses than are the accounts of Ronay and Courson (cited above).<ref>{{Citation |last=Doland |first=Angela |title=Morrison Bathtub Death Story Questioned |url=http://news.aol.com/entertainment/music/story/_a/morrison-bathtub-death-story-questioned/20070711145609990001 |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>

====Grave site====
Morrison is buried in the [[Père Lachaise Cemetery|Père Lachaise cemetery]] in eastern Paris, one of the city's most visited tourist attractions. The grave had no official marker until French officials placed a shield over it, which was stolen in 1973. In 1981, [[Croatian people|Croatian]] sculptor Mladen Mikulin placed a bust of Morrison and the new gravestone with Jim's name at the grave to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death;<ref name="Mikulin1">[http://www.ars-cartae.com/GAmm0000.htm Mladen Mikulin - Sculptor]</ref> the bust was defaced through the years by the cemetery vandals and later stolen in 1988.<ref name="Mikulin2">[http://www.ars-cartae.com/GAmmsk04.htm photo of defaced bust on Morrison's grave before it was stolen].</ref> In the 1990s a flat stone was placed on the grave, possibly by his birth family, with the [[Greek language|Greek]] inscription: ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ. Mikulin later made two more Morrison's portraits in bronze, but is awaiting the license to place a new sculpture on the tomb.

What does Jim Morrison's enigmatic epitaph at the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris-XX mean?

In the Ancient Greek religion, daemons (or daimons, since the Greek “αι” is latinized as “ae”) (Greek: ο δαίμων (sing.) – οι δαίμονες (pl.)) were good “supernatural beings between mortals and gods, such as inferior divinities and ghosts of dead heroes.”

A common derivatives of the term is Eudaimonia (Greek: εὐδαιμονία) commonly translated as “happiness.” Etymologically, it consists of the word "eu" (Greek: “ευ” = “good" or "well being") and daimon. Also, the term “Eudaemonism” refers to a philosophical school of thought that defines right action as that which leads to “well-being.”

In Judeo-Christian usage, the word has been adopted as “demon”, which refers to an evil spirit that can seduce or possess humans.

The ancient Greeks believed that individuals were attached at birth to a daemon who determined, wholly or in part, their destiny.

“Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού” can thus be translated as “according to destiny.”

===Estate controversy===
In his [[will (law)|will]], made in [[Los Angeles County]] on February 12, 1969, Morrison (who described 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 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, her parents. Morrison's parents 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&nbsp;— and Colorado was one of the 11 U.S. jurisdictions that still recognized common-law marriage. As long as a common-law marriage was lawfully contracted under Colorado law, it was recognized as a marriage under California law.

==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. While still in his teens, Morrison discovered the works of philosopher [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]. 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 [[France|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." Morrison later met and befriended 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]].

Other works relating to [[religion]], [[mysticism]], ancient [[Mythology|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."

Morrison was particularly attracted to the myths and religions of Native American cultures.<ref>{{Citation |last= |first= |title=Jim Morrison |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5221/is_2005/ai_n19141572/pg_2 |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> 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 his ideas of Native American rhythm and ritual. He also consumed 8 buttons of [[peyote]] and [[Psychedelic experience|tripped]] for a week and wrote about seeing the "God of Peyote."

==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 music|rock]] star: surly, sexy, scandalous and mysterious. The [[leather]] pants he was fond of wearing both onstage and off have since become stereotyped as rock star apparel.

Seminal [[punk rock]] band [[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]].<ref>{{Citation |last= |first= |title=The Stooges: Biography: Rolling Stone |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thestooges/biography |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> One of Iggy Pop's most popular songs, "The Passenger", is said to be based on one of Morrison's poems.<ref>{{Citation |last=Webb |first=Robert |title=ROCK & POP: STORY OF THE SONG - 'THE PASSENGER' Iggy Pop (1977) |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20051014/ai_n15713651 |accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> 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.

Wallace Fowlie, professor emeritus of [[French literature]] at [[Duke University]], wrote ''Rimbaud and Jim Morrison,'' subtitled ''"The Rebel as Poet&nbsp;– 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|Rimbaud's]] verse into [[English language|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.

[[Scott Weiland]], the vocalist of [[Stone Temple Pilots]] and [[Velvet Revolver]], as well as [[Scott Stapp]] of [[Creed (band)]] claim Morrison to be their biggest influence and inspiration. Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver have both covered "[[Roadhouse Blues]]" by the Doors. Weiland also filled in for the late-Morrison to perform "Break On Through" with the rest of the Doors . Stapp filled in for Morrison for "Light my fire","Riders on the Storm" and "Roadhouse Blues" on vH1 storytellers. Creed performed their version of "Riders on the storm" with Robbie Krieger for the Woodstock festival.

In [[Stephen Davis]]' book ''Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend'' (2004) the author makes a compelling argument for a case that the [[Rolling Stones]] adopted some of the Doors darker edges for their album ''Aftermath'' - and beyond. Subsequent tracks like, "[[Gimme Shelter]]", "[[Street Fighting Man]]" and "[[You Can't Always Get What You Want]]" also share lyrical similarities with the dark material in Morrison's songs, which has been both confirmed and denied to be a sign of Morrison having a preference for [[nihilism]].The book ''The Doors'' by the remaining Doors quotes Morrison's close friend Frank Lisciandro as saying that too many people took a remark of Morrison's that he was interested in revolt, disorder, and chaos “to mean that he was an anarchist, a revolutionary, or worse a nihilist. Hardly anyone noticed that Jim was restating Rimbaud and the Surreal poets.”<ref>The Doors (remaining members Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore) with Ben Fong-Torres), ''The Doors'', page 104</ref>

==Books==
===By Jim Morrison===
*''The Lords and The New Creatures'' (1969). 1985 edition: ISBN 0-7119-0552-5
*''An American Prayer'' (1970) privately printed by Western Lithographers. (Unauthorized edition also published in 1983, Zeppelin Publishing Company, ISBN 0-915628-46-5. 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===
* 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 (music journalist)|Stephen Davis]], ''Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend'', (2004) ISBN 1-592-40064-7
* [[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-Morrison|Patricia Kennealy]], ''Strange Days: My Life With And Without Jim Morrison'' (1992) ISBN 0-525-93419-7
* Frank Lisciandro, ''Morrison&nbsp;— A Feast Of Friends'' (1991) ISBN 0-446-39276-6
* Frank Lisciandro, ''Jim Morrison&nbsp;— An Hour For Magic'' (A Photojournal) ISBN 0-85965-246-7
* [[Ray Manzarek]], ''Light My Fire'' (1998) ISBN 0-446-60228-0L. First by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman (1981)
* Peter Jan Margry, The Pilgrimage to Jim Morrison's Grave at Père Lachaise Cemetery: The Social Construction of Sacred Space. In idem (ed.), ''Shrines and Pilgrimage in the Modern World. New Itineraries into the Sacred.'' Amsterdam University Press, 2008, p. 145-173.
* 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
* James Riordan & Jerry Prochnicky, ''Break on through : The Life and Death of Jim Morrison'' (1991) ISBN 0-688-11915-8
* 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

==Films==
===By Jim Morrison===
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388097/ ''HWY: An American Pastoral'' (1969)]
*[http://imdb.com/title/tt0196551/ ''A Feast of Friends'' (1970)]

===Documentaries featuring Jim Morrison===
*''The Doors Are Open'' (1968)
*''Live in Europe'' (1968)
*''Live at the Hollywood Bowl'' (1968)
*''Feast of Friends'' (1969)
*''The Doors: A Tribute to Jim Morrison'' (1981)
*''The Doors: Dance on Fire'' (1985)
*''The Soft Parade, a Retrospective'' (1991)
*''[[Final 24]]: Jim Morrison'' (2008), The Biography Channel<ref name=24bio> [http://www.biography.com/listings/episode_details.do?episodeid=244810&airingid=260095 Biography Channel documentary]</ref>

===Films about Jim Morrison===
*''[[The Doors (film)|The Doors]]'' (1991), A film by director [[Oliver Stone]], starring [[Val Kilmer]] as Morrison and with cameos by Krieger and Densmore. Kilmer's impersonation and the film itself were praised by critics, despite its inaccuracies. Members of the group criticized Stone's portrayal of Morrison as an out-of-control sociopath. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101761/ Entry at the IMDB website]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}


*[http://www.thedoors.com/ Official Doors website]
*[http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/VideoFilm2/video.cfm?VID=22 Earliest film of Jim Morrison]
*[http://www.maniacworld.com/rare-lizard-king-interview.html Morrison interviewed at the Miami trial (video)]
*[http://www.soundboard.com/sb/jimmorrison.aspx The Jim Morrison Poetry Soundboard (audio clips)]
*[http://www.tebreitenbach.com/morrison.htm A lost painting collaboration with Jim Morrison intended for his American Prayer Album]
*[http://www.gwhsaa.com/ George Washington High School Alumni Association, Alexandria, Va.]
*{{Find A Grave|id=740}}
{{The Doors}}

<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME= Morrison, Jim
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Morrison, James Douglas; The Lizard King; Mr. Mojo Risin'
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[Musician]], [[Songwriter]], [[Poet]], [[Filmmaker]],
|DATE OF BIRTH= [[8 December]] [[1943]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Melbourne, Florida|Melbourne]], [[Florida]], [[United States|USA]]
|DATE OF DEATH= [[3 July]] [[1971]]
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Paris, France|Paris]], [[France]]
}}

{{lifetime|1943|1971|Morrison, Jim}}
[[Category:The Doors members]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:American pop singers]]
[[Category:American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American baritones]]
[[Category:American film actors]]
[[Category:American poets]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies]]
[[Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni]]
[[Category:Florida State University alumni|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:People from Brevard County, Florida]]
[[Category:Psychedelic advocates and proponents]]
[[Category:Florida musicians]]
[[Category:Florida writers]]
[[Category:Scottish-Americans]]
[[Category:American expatriates in France]]
[[Category:Military brats]]
[[Category:Cause of death disputed]]
[[Category:Drug-related deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery]]
[[Category:Irish-Americans]]
[[Category:American spoken word artists]]

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Revision as of 06:03, 31 May 2008

He was God, and, like Nietzsche said, we have killed him...

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