Post by darkstar3 on Jan 27, 2011 1:30:55 GMT
Rock Magazine
By: Mike Gershman
August 1970
MORRISON’S MIAMI TRIAL: IF ALL ELSE FAILS YOU CAN PETITION THE LORD WITH PRAYER
There just are no summertime blues to compare with those felt here in Miami. We’re here – me, Jim, John, Ray and Robbie, waiting – four Doors and a publicist – waiting for the big trial.
The trial was supposed to start Monday, August 3, but was pushed back to the tenth. Then Judge Murray Goodman got his calendar all screwed up and there was another delay.
Monday, 10 am – We all go down to court with Max Fink, The Doors’ L.A. attorney, David Tardiff, his associate, and Robert Josefsberg, The Doors’ Miami attorney. The TC cameras, radio stations, and reporters are the only ties to a former reality/illusion we can recognize. The interviewing and picture taking begin, while a hundred feet away Murf The Surf is awaiting trial on yet another robbery charge. It is absolutely unreal.
We talk about heroes and the lack of them in our world today. “While I was in Europe getting ready for the trial,” Morrison says, “I saw this documentary about a guy who entered an around the world boat race. About the second day out he decided to just sit around and drink beer and send in these great phony reports that he was really getting on. He was in competition with another guy and he figured this other guy would beat him anyway, so he just sat there with some beer, the Bible, and a book on Einstein’s Theory Of Relativity, radioing back false reports of where he was. Well, the other guy he was racing against gets himself all fouled up and drops out of the race. So this English guy just can’t face it. Here everybody is declaring him the winner and it’s gonna take him another three weeks at least just to catch up. He can’t face it, so he kills himself by jumping off his boat. A real tragedy.” (If you’re interested in the story, read ‘The Last Strange Voyage Of Donald Crowhurst.)
Back to the courtroom. Nothing is happening here Monday morning. The interviewing over, we’re just sitting around. Rumors leak out of the judge’s chambers that are just incredible. First the word is the jury will be selected right away. Then, because Goodman has scheduled another case for the same time, and it’s a case that’s already been postponed three times, this larceny case takes precedence. There is grumbling and some paranoia, but it subsides quickly. Next a long wait.
John runs over, “Did you hear that? They’re going to postpone this thing until November. What a drag.” Everybody proceeds to freak out until five minutes later, when Bob Josefsberg corrects the misunderstanding. “We get started Wednesday at one o’clock. You can all go back and take the rest of today and tomorrow off.”
Wednesday, one o’clock – The Big Day. As I arrive, a reporter from the local ABC station asks for an interview with Morrison. I tell him that Jim is no mood to be interviewed. Can’t he at least be human in the performance of his job, I ask him. He looks shamefaced, apologizes, and then interviews me instead. I make my TV debut shitting my pants.
Court starts. The Doors’ lawyers ask for a dismissal on the grounds that the charges are unconstitutional under the First Amendment, which guarantee free speech. They know the judge will deny the motion, the prosecution knows it, everybody in court knows it, but its gotta happen.
Then we get down to the incredibly dull job of picking jurors. In Florida the jury is six people. Max Fink tried to have a twelve person jury earlier in the case and was denied. Both the prosecution and the defense have six peremptory challenges, which means they can arbitrarily excuse six jurors a piece. The judge can also excuse jurors for a variety of reasons.
The day’s proceedings over with, Chief Prosecutor Terence McWilliams, a young man obviously under thirty, walks over shamelessly to talk with Morrison, saying, “Can I have a copy of the new album? I have all the others.” It becomes more and more apparent that he hates the job he has to do and is trying to apologize. Morrison graciously accepts and we recess until Friday at 10 am.
The case will be tried every other day. At this point, it looks as if The Doors may have to cancel their European tour, which was suppose to start with an appearance at the Isle Of Wight on the twenty-ninth. The Doors are not very happy about this. Their attorney’s are freaked out over the fact that the trial will be conducted every other day. Apparently this is a first. However, since Morrison takes the whole thing in stride. Since he showed in Miami, he has been on his best behavior.
Judge Goodman, who was originally appointed to fill a vacancy on the court, comes up for his first election September 8. There is no way he can let the jury acquit Morrison and win his election. Also, Josefsberg, The Doors’ Miami attorney, was offered the judgeship that Goodman now sits in. Both men know it, and Goodman is the slightest bit antagonistic toward Josefsberg all through the trial.
END.
By: Mike Gershman
August 1970
MORRISON’S MIAMI TRIAL: IF ALL ELSE FAILS YOU CAN PETITION THE LORD WITH PRAYER
There just are no summertime blues to compare with those felt here in Miami. We’re here – me, Jim, John, Ray and Robbie, waiting – four Doors and a publicist – waiting for the big trial.
The trial was supposed to start Monday, August 3, but was pushed back to the tenth. Then Judge Murray Goodman got his calendar all screwed up and there was another delay.
Monday, 10 am – We all go down to court with Max Fink, The Doors’ L.A. attorney, David Tardiff, his associate, and Robert Josefsberg, The Doors’ Miami attorney. The TC cameras, radio stations, and reporters are the only ties to a former reality/illusion we can recognize. The interviewing and picture taking begin, while a hundred feet away Murf The Surf is awaiting trial on yet another robbery charge. It is absolutely unreal.
We talk about heroes and the lack of them in our world today. “While I was in Europe getting ready for the trial,” Morrison says, “I saw this documentary about a guy who entered an around the world boat race. About the second day out he decided to just sit around and drink beer and send in these great phony reports that he was really getting on. He was in competition with another guy and he figured this other guy would beat him anyway, so he just sat there with some beer, the Bible, and a book on Einstein’s Theory Of Relativity, radioing back false reports of where he was. Well, the other guy he was racing against gets himself all fouled up and drops out of the race. So this English guy just can’t face it. Here everybody is declaring him the winner and it’s gonna take him another three weeks at least just to catch up. He can’t face it, so he kills himself by jumping off his boat. A real tragedy.” (If you’re interested in the story, read ‘The Last Strange Voyage Of Donald Crowhurst.)
Back to the courtroom. Nothing is happening here Monday morning. The interviewing over, we’re just sitting around. Rumors leak out of the judge’s chambers that are just incredible. First the word is the jury will be selected right away. Then, because Goodman has scheduled another case for the same time, and it’s a case that’s already been postponed three times, this larceny case takes precedence. There is grumbling and some paranoia, but it subsides quickly. Next a long wait.
John runs over, “Did you hear that? They’re going to postpone this thing until November. What a drag.” Everybody proceeds to freak out until five minutes later, when Bob Josefsberg corrects the misunderstanding. “We get started Wednesday at one o’clock. You can all go back and take the rest of today and tomorrow off.”
Wednesday, one o’clock – The Big Day. As I arrive, a reporter from the local ABC station asks for an interview with Morrison. I tell him that Jim is no mood to be interviewed. Can’t he at least be human in the performance of his job, I ask him. He looks shamefaced, apologizes, and then interviews me instead. I make my TV debut shitting my pants.
Court starts. The Doors’ lawyers ask for a dismissal on the grounds that the charges are unconstitutional under the First Amendment, which guarantee free speech. They know the judge will deny the motion, the prosecution knows it, everybody in court knows it, but its gotta happen.
Then we get down to the incredibly dull job of picking jurors. In Florida the jury is six people. Max Fink tried to have a twelve person jury earlier in the case and was denied. Both the prosecution and the defense have six peremptory challenges, which means they can arbitrarily excuse six jurors a piece. The judge can also excuse jurors for a variety of reasons.
The day’s proceedings over with, Chief Prosecutor Terence McWilliams, a young man obviously under thirty, walks over shamelessly to talk with Morrison, saying, “Can I have a copy of the new album? I have all the others.” It becomes more and more apparent that he hates the job he has to do and is trying to apologize. Morrison graciously accepts and we recess until Friday at 10 am.
The case will be tried every other day. At this point, it looks as if The Doors may have to cancel their European tour, which was suppose to start with an appearance at the Isle Of Wight on the twenty-ninth. The Doors are not very happy about this. Their attorney’s are freaked out over the fact that the trial will be conducted every other day. Apparently this is a first. However, since Morrison takes the whole thing in stride. Since he showed in Miami, he has been on his best behavior.
Judge Goodman, who was originally appointed to fill a vacancy on the court, comes up for his first election September 8. There is no way he can let the jury acquit Morrison and win his election. Also, Josefsberg, The Doors’ Miami attorney, was offered the judgeship that Goodman now sits in. Both men know it, and Goodman is the slightest bit antagonistic toward Josefsberg all through the trial.
END.