Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Sept 21, 2007 19:40:19 GMT
TheDoors4Scorpywag Present
‘24 Hours For Magic’
By Deanna Michaelson with an Introduction by Michael White
It's my pleasure to introduce Deanna Michaelson to our Scorpywag readers.
I first became aware of Deanna several months ago when she made a small post on another site regarding her meeting Jim and receiving the gift of his now famous An American Prayer poetry booklet. Met with skepticism and doubt from others, I knew right away she was telling the truth, and together we formed a friendship. Unlike others who have written of their friendship with Jim, Deanna does not make any false claims or over states her relationship with him. Her story 24 Hours For Magic is a gift Deanna has chosen to share with us of her own volition, for our entertainment and edification, to depict the real Jim Morrison as few seem to remember him today. Shared without any bias or agenda, this Scorpywag exclusive is nothing short of pure gold nuggets for those who mine for the truth. Michael White
I have to set the stage for you of South Florida in the mid-1960s - us locals were into surfing and sun and at the University of Miami we were interested in having fun, not going to Viet Nam and listening to music.
We were cruising the beach in my ‘66 GTO convertible - going to all of shows at the big hotels - the Fontainebleau, the Deauville, the Eden Roc, the Diplomat (in Hollywood). The headliners were the Temps and the Tops, Bobby Rydell, Paul Anka, the Supremes to name a few. The go-go-girls were dancing in cages and we were eating at Wolfies and Pumpernicks - the best delis on Collins Ave. – and all of Miami Beach for that matter.
South Beach back then had the 'old' hotels where the 'old' people lived (First Street beach had great surfing).
The Cuban refugees were starting to have a strong cultural influence and we were marching in downtown Miami to protest the war.
But it was still the South and the cops were 'bad.’ In our minds, the Establishment wasn’t much better.
In the summer of 1967 I was driving down Collins Avenue toward 48th Beach (where we used to hang out in College) and heard “Light My Fire” for the first time. The music was changing - and The Doors were part of the new 60's genre - the music was different and 'cool.'
How did I feel about the music?
Good to listen to when cruising A1A – eating at Scotty’s Drive-in (next to the Castaways on Collins and 163rd Street) or sitting around with friends getting high.
Good 'head' music.
By then I was in college and more than the music I personally felt connected to Jim because I was a psych student and wrote a lot of poetry.
Jim stood out to me on that plane rather that as a rock star.
He was referred to as the "King of Orgasmic Rock" back then but I saw him differently. Because of my ongoing friendship with Carl and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys from the time I was 14 years old, I was never 'wowed' by Jim’s 'star' status - my perception of Jim was no doubt different than most.
I never looked at him that way....to me he was James Douglas Morrison, the Poet. I was a student at University of Miami from 1966-1971 (including Graduate School) -Our school had great entertainment and speakers on campus - the Rascals, Janis Joplin (who, by the way, was never arrested for passing a joint on stage or taking off her shirt), Andy Warhol, Count Basie, Al Capp. You might say South Florida - University of Miami - was the East Coast plastic fantastic wanna-be of L.A. LOTS of entitled kids on student deferments from the Military - getting high and on the '6-year plan.' We had kids like Johnny Carson's son, a Princess from Thailand, wealthy kids from Long Island....all riding around in their Jags and Sting-Rays.
But the times were changing - as the 60s wore on - and the war 'wore on' - we changed - from doing everything that society said we should do to doing what we wanted.
And in the late 60s we wanted The Doors more than any other group to play in South Florida.
We were tired of the same old music - The Doors offered something new and exciting - and Jim got it right - we wanted the World and we wanted it NOW!
We WERE all about sex, drugs and rock n roll and so were The Doors - there was honesty and a connection that wasn't flowers and bubble gum - they were REAL.
Remembering The Dinner Key Concert
It WAS hot and steamy in Dinner Key Auditorium that night - the crowd was restless - Jim came on and the crowd went CRAZY. We didn’t seem to care if he was drunk - everyone was high on something anyway - even if it was a contact
high from all of the grass that was being passed around.
Jim’s singing was bad, but I personally didn't mind -
Jim was my idol and - so close I could almost touch him.
He didn't hit one good note but there he was - in all his leather-clad drunken glory.
One thing I remember for sure, Jim did NOT whip it out; he pretended to - made the 'hand motions' – said he “wanted some lovin” – said he “was lonely.” As Jim taunted and dove into the crowd, the crowd taunted back - until there was near frenzy and the concert was over.
The only other information I have about the concert is from my then-fiancée who was with me at the concert –
"As I remember, we were right in the centre front and to this day, I do not believe he took anything out. He may have grabbed his crotch like Michael Jackson does but no p***s. We were close enough and we would have seen. Those Miami cops were looking for trouble which is why it became a riot scene."
Meeting Jim and Babe in Miami
Please remember that these memories are over thirty years old and are memories of experiences I had as a 21 year old soon-to-be graduate student at the University of Miami (I was just finishing my Bachelor Degree there).
It was chance that I met Jim – I was at the courthouse in Miami with a friend (he was a lawyer who was there filing some papers) and had no idea that Jim was going to be there for his pre-trial hearing.. I walked by where Jim was sitting on a bench with Babe. They were waiting to go into the courtroom and when I realized it was him, I stopped to introduce myself.
We talked for a few moments, and he suddenly asked “has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes…?” What an ice-breaker!!
He asked me out (I countered with asking him to my house for dinner that night) and I gave him my phone number. He called, I gave him directions and proceeded to shop for and cook my specialty – duckling l’orange with wild rice!
When Jim was at my house (I lived in an apartment building in Coral Gables) there were a bunch of my college friends over – they were so psyched that he was actually there!
He came with Babe.
Babe, by the way, was so nice and genuine and it was very clear to see that he and Jim had a tight friendship.
None of my friends was into alcohol - only grass - and I didn’t have any liquor at the house. So I have to say that Jim didn’t drink nor was he drunk – at least not there! We had dinner and really just hung out.
I think all of the people were really getting to Jim so he asked if we could go somewhere that was more quite. Through our conversations he knew that I wrote poetry and asked if I had anything that I could bring along to share with him. So I grabbed my notebook and off we went – with Jim driving!
I knew this little place in Coconut Grove (ironically the same place as where Dinner Key Auditorium was located) that was a bar/pool hall – it was dark and smoke-filled and I was fairly certain that Jim could go there and not be recognized (he was also heavily bearded which further added to his non-recognition).
We went with Babe and one of my female friends and maybe 2-3 kids from the apartment complex.
Jim did drink there - not excessively - and I remember him being very, very mellow. We shot pool and Jim actually sat at the piano – just fooling around – and was singing – again all very mellow. After that we went back to the Carillon on Miami Beach (where he was staying) and spent the rest of the evening.
James Douglas Morrison The Poet
I was lucky to know James Douglas Morrison The Poet – It was an experience I will never forget.
Here was a man with a ’bad boy’ reputation ready to go on trial for indecency, and we were reading poetry to each other and talking about our feelings.
We shared our poetry (I *think* he liked mine
) and that’s when he read to me and gave me his book “An American Prayer.”
He really wanted to know how I felt about it – it seemed that my opinion really mattered!
He was also very interested in my poetry, what inspired me – what my feelings were when I wrote. He listened intently, closing his eyes as if reflecting –
I really felt he was sharing my emotions as I read.
It was also then that I remember him drinking - again - NOT excessively – he had a bottle in the room. He was NEVER out of control - to the contrary - he was always in control of his actions – our conversations were always enlightening (I had just received my Psychology degree so on some level we were able to interact) and we had a really nice evening.
I do remember telling him that I was good friends with Carl and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys (another story for another time) and that I surfed a lot when I was in high school.
Jim said that he really LOVED the Beach Boys’ music and thought it was cool that I was friends with them.
I remember feeling funny discussing this with him – after all he was a much bigger ‘star’ than the Beach Boys at the time.
We did not discuss the Miami concert except to say that I was there and got hurt in the “riot”.
Our First…and Last Goodbye
When Jim drove me back to my house the next day, the whole way he was telling me about the Indians, their beliefs about dreams, lots of spiritual things. He asked if I would see him again; I said sure, give me a call.
That night or the next day he called to ask me to dinner with him and his lawyer. Because of school demands, I couldn’t go and said I would call him if I could see him another time. He called a couple of times after that but I was unable to see him again. I’m sure I wasn’t the first thing on his mind with the trial and other circumstances. We never saw each other again… I was of course shocked and saddened by his death. I still am to this day.
I went on to teach briefly, Psychology to inner city high school kids – and always made ‘Celebration of the Lizard’ part of the course work – the kids really got into the Doors and most importantly Jim. It was my memorial to him.
Remembering Jim today
All these years later, 34 ½ to be exact - my teenage daughter’s friend was curious about my friendship with Jim – its then that I went to my safe deposit box to retrieve my not-so-carefully preserved An American Prayer.
Out of curiosity, I began to make inquiries on Internet Doors discussion boards about the book and here I am today.
I’ve connected with some wonderful people, and have started to read Jim’s other published poetry.
I will always remember Jim as a kind, sweet, considerate, sensitive, confident, very talented and fascinating person. He was very nice to me, easy to talk to, and it seemed that we really enjoyed each other’s company.
I will always remember The Poet.
I recently learned from one of Jim’s close friends that it was very possible and more than probable that Jim wrote “Miami” as reminiscent of our time together (it was exactly our experience)……
Miami
“What can I read her, What can I read her on a Sunday Morning
What can I do that will somehow reach her on a Sunday Morning
I'll read her the news of The Indian Wars Full of criss-cavalry,
blood & gore
Stories to tame & charm & more On a Sunday Morning
Some wild fires
Searchout
A dry quiet kiss on leaving”
.....JDM, Lost Writings, Wilderness 1969-1971
I will never forget you…..
DJM March 2005.
The contents of "24 Hours for Magic" are the sole property of Deanna Michaelson. No part of this story may be reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission from the author.
‘24 Hours For Magic’
By Deanna Michaelson with an Introduction by Michael White
It's my pleasure to introduce Deanna Michaelson to our Scorpywag readers.
I first became aware of Deanna several months ago when she made a small post on another site regarding her meeting Jim and receiving the gift of his now famous An American Prayer poetry booklet. Met with skepticism and doubt from others, I knew right away she was telling the truth, and together we formed a friendship. Unlike others who have written of their friendship with Jim, Deanna does not make any false claims or over states her relationship with him. Her story 24 Hours For Magic is a gift Deanna has chosen to share with us of her own volition, for our entertainment and edification, to depict the real Jim Morrison as few seem to remember him today. Shared without any bias or agenda, this Scorpywag exclusive is nothing short of pure gold nuggets for those who mine for the truth. Michael White
I have to set the stage for you of South Florida in the mid-1960s - us locals were into surfing and sun and at the University of Miami we were interested in having fun, not going to Viet Nam and listening to music.
We were cruising the beach in my ‘66 GTO convertible - going to all of shows at the big hotels - the Fontainebleau, the Deauville, the Eden Roc, the Diplomat (in Hollywood). The headliners were the Temps and the Tops, Bobby Rydell, Paul Anka, the Supremes to name a few. The go-go-girls were dancing in cages and we were eating at Wolfies and Pumpernicks - the best delis on Collins Ave. – and all of Miami Beach for that matter.
South Beach back then had the 'old' hotels where the 'old' people lived (First Street beach had great surfing).
The Cuban refugees were starting to have a strong cultural influence and we were marching in downtown Miami to protest the war.
But it was still the South and the cops were 'bad.’ In our minds, the Establishment wasn’t much better.
In the summer of 1967 I was driving down Collins Avenue toward 48th Beach (where we used to hang out in College) and heard “Light My Fire” for the first time. The music was changing - and The Doors were part of the new 60's genre - the music was different and 'cool.'
How did I feel about the music?
Good to listen to when cruising A1A – eating at Scotty’s Drive-in (next to the Castaways on Collins and 163rd Street) or sitting around with friends getting high.
Good 'head' music.
By then I was in college and more than the music I personally felt connected to Jim because I was a psych student and wrote a lot of poetry.
Jim stood out to me on that plane rather that as a rock star.
He was referred to as the "King of Orgasmic Rock" back then but I saw him differently. Because of my ongoing friendship with Carl and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys from the time I was 14 years old, I was never 'wowed' by Jim’s 'star' status - my perception of Jim was no doubt different than most.
I never looked at him that way....to me he was James Douglas Morrison, the Poet. I was a student at University of Miami from 1966-1971 (including Graduate School) -Our school had great entertainment and speakers on campus - the Rascals, Janis Joplin (who, by the way, was never arrested for passing a joint on stage or taking off her shirt), Andy Warhol, Count Basie, Al Capp. You might say South Florida - University of Miami - was the East Coast plastic fantastic wanna-be of L.A. LOTS of entitled kids on student deferments from the Military - getting high and on the '6-year plan.' We had kids like Johnny Carson's son, a Princess from Thailand, wealthy kids from Long Island....all riding around in their Jags and Sting-Rays.
But the times were changing - as the 60s wore on - and the war 'wore on' - we changed - from doing everything that society said we should do to doing what we wanted.
And in the late 60s we wanted The Doors more than any other group to play in South Florida.
We were tired of the same old music - The Doors offered something new and exciting - and Jim got it right - we wanted the World and we wanted it NOW!
We WERE all about sex, drugs and rock n roll and so were The Doors - there was honesty and a connection that wasn't flowers and bubble gum - they were REAL.
Remembering The Dinner Key Concert
It WAS hot and steamy in Dinner Key Auditorium that night - the crowd was restless - Jim came on and the crowd went CRAZY. We didn’t seem to care if he was drunk - everyone was high on something anyway - even if it was a contact
high from all of the grass that was being passed around.
Jim’s singing was bad, but I personally didn't mind -
Jim was my idol and - so close I could almost touch him.
He didn't hit one good note but there he was - in all his leather-clad drunken glory.
One thing I remember for sure, Jim did NOT whip it out; he pretended to - made the 'hand motions' – said he “wanted some lovin” – said he “was lonely.” As Jim taunted and dove into the crowd, the crowd taunted back - until there was near frenzy and the concert was over.
The only other information I have about the concert is from my then-fiancée who was with me at the concert –
"As I remember, we were right in the centre front and to this day, I do not believe he took anything out. He may have grabbed his crotch like Michael Jackson does but no p***s. We were close enough and we would have seen. Those Miami cops were looking for trouble which is why it became a riot scene."
Meeting Jim and Babe in Miami
Please remember that these memories are over thirty years old and are memories of experiences I had as a 21 year old soon-to-be graduate student at the University of Miami (I was just finishing my Bachelor Degree there).
It was chance that I met Jim – I was at the courthouse in Miami with a friend (he was a lawyer who was there filing some papers) and had no idea that Jim was going to be there for his pre-trial hearing.. I walked by where Jim was sitting on a bench with Babe. They were waiting to go into the courtroom and when I realized it was him, I stopped to introduce myself.
We talked for a few moments, and he suddenly asked “has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes…?” What an ice-breaker!!
He asked me out (I countered with asking him to my house for dinner that night) and I gave him my phone number. He called, I gave him directions and proceeded to shop for and cook my specialty – duckling l’orange with wild rice!
When Jim was at my house (I lived in an apartment building in Coral Gables) there were a bunch of my college friends over – they were so psyched that he was actually there!
He came with Babe.
Babe, by the way, was so nice and genuine and it was very clear to see that he and Jim had a tight friendship.
None of my friends was into alcohol - only grass - and I didn’t have any liquor at the house. So I have to say that Jim didn’t drink nor was he drunk – at least not there! We had dinner and really just hung out.
I think all of the people were really getting to Jim so he asked if we could go somewhere that was more quite. Through our conversations he knew that I wrote poetry and asked if I had anything that I could bring along to share with him. So I grabbed my notebook and off we went – with Jim driving!
I knew this little place in Coconut Grove (ironically the same place as where Dinner Key Auditorium was located) that was a bar/pool hall – it was dark and smoke-filled and I was fairly certain that Jim could go there and not be recognized (he was also heavily bearded which further added to his non-recognition).
We went with Babe and one of my female friends and maybe 2-3 kids from the apartment complex.
Jim did drink there - not excessively - and I remember him being very, very mellow. We shot pool and Jim actually sat at the piano – just fooling around – and was singing – again all very mellow. After that we went back to the Carillon on Miami Beach (where he was staying) and spent the rest of the evening.
James Douglas Morrison The Poet
I was lucky to know James Douglas Morrison The Poet – It was an experience I will never forget.
Here was a man with a ’bad boy’ reputation ready to go on trial for indecency, and we were reading poetry to each other and talking about our feelings.
We shared our poetry (I *think* he liked mine
) and that’s when he read to me and gave me his book “An American Prayer.” He really wanted to know how I felt about it – it seemed that my opinion really mattered!
He was also very interested in my poetry, what inspired me – what my feelings were when I wrote. He listened intently, closing his eyes as if reflecting –
I really felt he was sharing my emotions as I read.
It was also then that I remember him drinking - again - NOT excessively – he had a bottle in the room. He was NEVER out of control - to the contrary - he was always in control of his actions – our conversations were always enlightening (I had just received my Psychology degree so on some level we were able to interact) and we had a really nice evening.
I do remember telling him that I was good friends with Carl and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys (another story for another time) and that I surfed a lot when I was in high school.
Jim said that he really LOVED the Beach Boys’ music and thought it was cool that I was friends with them.
I remember feeling funny discussing this with him – after all he was a much bigger ‘star’ than the Beach Boys at the time.
We did not discuss the Miami concert except to say that I was there and got hurt in the “riot”.
Our First…and Last Goodbye
When Jim drove me back to my house the next day, the whole way he was telling me about the Indians, their beliefs about dreams, lots of spiritual things. He asked if I would see him again; I said sure, give me a call.
That night or the next day he called to ask me to dinner with him and his lawyer. Because of school demands, I couldn’t go and said I would call him if I could see him another time. He called a couple of times after that but I was unable to see him again. I’m sure I wasn’t the first thing on his mind with the trial and other circumstances. We never saw each other again… I was of course shocked and saddened by his death. I still am to this day.
I went on to teach briefly, Psychology to inner city high school kids – and always made ‘Celebration of the Lizard’ part of the course work – the kids really got into the Doors and most importantly Jim. It was my memorial to him.
Remembering Jim today
All these years later, 34 ½ to be exact - my teenage daughter’s friend was curious about my friendship with Jim – its then that I went to my safe deposit box to retrieve my not-so-carefully preserved An American Prayer.
Out of curiosity, I began to make inquiries on Internet Doors discussion boards about the book and here I am today.
I’ve connected with some wonderful people, and have started to read Jim’s other published poetry.
I will always remember Jim as a kind, sweet, considerate, sensitive, confident, very talented and fascinating person. He was very nice to me, easy to talk to, and it seemed that we really enjoyed each other’s company.
I will always remember The Poet.
I recently learned from one of Jim’s close friends that it was very possible and more than probable that Jim wrote “Miami” as reminiscent of our time together (it was exactly our experience)……
Miami
“What can I read her, What can I read her on a Sunday Morning
What can I do that will somehow reach her on a Sunday Morning
I'll read her the news of The Indian Wars Full of criss-cavalry,
blood & gore
Stories to tame & charm & more On a Sunday Morning
Some wild fires
Searchout
A dry quiet kiss on leaving”
.....JDM, Lost Writings, Wilderness 1969-1971
I will never forget you…..
DJM March 2005.
The contents of "24 Hours for Magic" are the sole property of Deanna Michaelson. No part of this story may be reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission from the author.