Post by darkstar3 on Jan 30, 2011 16:23:59 GMT
The King's Highway
Jim Morrison in Kingsville, Texas
By Ralph Wranker
2006
Flato Elementary School
Kingsville, Texas
The journey to becoming an icon of our times can take a curious path. Not everyone becomes a rock star and a legend, but where they live can become an influence in their craft. Some of the following information I've obtained from biographies found on the Internet about Jim Morrison. I've tried to tie the information together as best as I could.
Take one very small town in south Texas, Kingsville, in the early 1950's. The population of Kingsville in 1950 was about 17,000. Most people were employed by King Ranch, Mo-Pac Railroad, Humble Oil and Refining, Texas College of Arts and Industry (Texas A&I - now Texas A&M Kingsville), Celanese Chemical Co., and the U.S. Navy flight training airfield.
Many streets in Kingsville were dirt, or caliche. Those streets that were paved were at best, in fair condition. Downtown enjoyed the after-war prosperity that many towns and cities experienced. Schools had been built to accommodate the baby boom after World War II. The families that moved the most into and out of Kingsville were in the Navy. They were generally here for a short period of time. In those days, another war was occurring in Korea. Trained jet pilots were in high demand and Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Kingsville was one of the facilities where future jet pilots were trained, then relocated to their respective squadrons for additional training and finally deployment to the war zone.
One of those Navy families was that of George Stephen Morrison. They had moved to Kingsville from Fairfax County, Virginia. I do not know what Mr. Morrison did at NAAS Kingsville. Nor, do I know what his rank was at the time. What is known is that he was a pilot in World War II, and he later went on to become the Navy's youngest Admiral, until 1963. In the early 60's, his flagship, the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), was part of a task force of ships that was supposedly attacked by North Vietnam's gun boats in the Gulf of Tonkin -- thus, starting what would become known as the Vietnam War. In later years, Admiral Morrison headed up one of the Navy's intelligence agencies.
Steve and Clara Clark Morrison had three children, naming the oldest, James Douglas. Jim had two young siblings, a sister, Anne, and a brother, Andy.
Jim was born December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida.
Jim's sister, Anne Robin, in 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jim's brother, Andrew "Andy" Lee, in 1948 in Los Altos, California.
In the early years, the Morrison's hopped across the country -- Florida, Texas, California, New Mexico, and Washington DC. Each move brought successive promotions to Mr. Morrison. He eventually retired from service as a Rear Admiral.
The year, 1952: The Morrison's moved from Fairfax County, Virginia to Kingsville, Texas. Jim had finished the 3rd grade and was about to start the 4th grade there. Jim attended Charles H. Flato Elementary School in Kingsville, located on West Santa Gertrudis Avenue, a street named after cattle developed by the famed King Ranch. If you pass by the school's address heading west, you will enter the ranch's Santa Gertrudis division's main gate.
Not much is known about Jim's stay in Kingsville and his attendance at Flato Elementary. However, a hint of how good a student he was can be seen on one of his report cards, now on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio. Jim's teacher, Mrs. Irene Atwood, wrote, "It was a pleasure to work with Jimmy."
As of this writing; where Jim lived in Kingsville is not known, but he had to live on the west, or northwest side of town, since Flato, as all other schools in Kingsville, was a neighborhood school.
I have contacted the Kingsville Independent School District, but they do not have any records available. Ha, so much for the old teacher's of putting "it" on your permanent record, huh? Perhaps someone reading this article will be able to help?
The following is a listing of Jim Morrison's report cards on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
Elementary School:
Grade Two Progress Report Card, 1950-51
Fairfax County Elementary School Fairfax County, Virginia
One of Morrison's teachers noted that he "was adjusting well" to his new school.
Grade Four Progress Report Card, 1952-53
Kingsville Public School - Charles Flato Elementary Kingsville, Texas
Morrison's teacher, Mrs. Irene Atwood (shown to the right), wrote, "It was a pleasure to work with Jimmy."
Grade Five, 1955
St. John's Methodist School
Certificate of Promotion, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Grade six, 1955
Longfellow School Sixth Grade Graduation Program
San Diego, California
The handwritten notes on the front of the program are from Jim Morrison's mother, Clara. Morrison presented a history of the class. One of Jim's classmates was John Densmore. John would later play a role in Jim's life.
High School:
Jim would graduate high school in 1960 from George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
College:
After graduating high school, Jim moved to live with his grandparents while attending St. Petersburg Jr. College in Florida. The following year, Jim became tired of living with his grandparents and of life at St. Petersburg and decided to transfer to Florida State University (FSU) and major in theatre. He lived a mile from campus in a three bedroom house with five other FSU students, only two of whom he had known previously. Due to his heckling and shenanigans, his roommates asked him to move out.
His time at FSU was productive, however. It brought about several important events which would greatly influence Jim's life. First, he took Philosophies of Protest and Psychology of Crowds, which he identified later as two of his favorite classes (that would in the future aid him in his role as lead singer of The Doors). He also wrote a research paper on the imagery of heaven and hell in the paintings of Heteronymous Bosch. Finally, he managed to get a part in Harold Pinter's play The Dumbwaiter without having any previous acting experience. By 1964, Morrison had gotten tired of the theater arts department at FSU and transferred to UCLA where he became part of the film school.
Jim graduated from film school at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1965. Like his high school graduation, he did not attend the commencement ceremonies.
On To Greatness:
Jim moved to Venice Beach in California, where he lived a Bohemian lifestyle on the rooftop of a warehouse.
By 1966 the once pudgy Morrison had trimmed down to the chiseled rock-god immortalized in the famed series of black-and-white photos taken by photographer Joel Brodsky.
While on the beach, Jim ran into an old classmate at UCLA, Ray Manzarek. Jim read Ray some of his poetry and Ray said that the poems would be great for song lyrics. They immediately formed the band, The Doors. The name of the band came from Aldous Huxley's book, The Doors of Perception.
Ray and Jim were soon joined by drummer John Densmore (remember him, he graduated the 6th grade with Jim in San Diego). Next, guitarist Robby Krieger auditioned at Densmore's recommendation, and was immediately added to the lineup. Jim was the frontman. They performed nightly along the strip in Los Angeles. Jim was known to be shy and would sometimes perform with his back to the audience.
The Doors were first noticed on the national level in the spring of 1967 after signing to the Elektra Records label. The single "Light My Fire," written by Krieger, hit number one in June 1967. Three months later, The Doors appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, a popular Sunday night variety series that had earlier introduced a young, wiggling Elvis Presley and the Beatles to the United States. The Doors' incident became very notorious after the censors insisted that the band change the lyrics of "Light My Fire" from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl we couldn't get much better", because of the reference to drugs in the original lyric. But Morrison sang the song with the original lyrics anyway, on live TV. This infuriated host Ed Sullivan so much that he refused to shake their hands after their performance and they were never invited back.
By the release of their second album, Strange Days, The Doors had become one of the most popular rock bands in the U.S. Their blend of blues, jazz and rock tinged with psychedelia had never before been heard. The Doors' eclectic repertoire included a swag of stunning original songs and distinctive cover versions, such as the memorable rendition of "Alabama Song," from Bertholt Brecht and Kurt Weill's operetta, "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny." The four also broke new ground in rock music with their extended concept works, including the famous epic songs, "The End" and "When The Music's Over," and the extended suite which they played in concert, "The Celebration of the Lizard."
By the late 1960s, the pressure of pop stardom was taking its toll on Morrison. The formerly svelte, 5' 11" singer began to balloon due to his rapidly escalating drinking. Although the cover of the 1970 Absolutely Live LP depicts a trim, clean-shaven, leather-trousered Morrison on the front, this photo had in fact been taken about two years earlier. By the time of the tour on which the live album was recorded, Morrison was 20 pounds heavier (175 pounds). It was during this time that he tried to get away from the "Lizard King" image -- he grew a beard and started wearing regular slacks, jeans and T-shirts.
Morrison famously lived by an oft repeated quote from William Blake: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. Even before the formation of The Doors, he took copious amounts of LSD (legal at the time) in the band's early years, but soon switched to alcohol, which he began to consume in herculean proportions. He would sometimes show up for recording sessions extremely inebriated (he can be heard hiccupping on the song "Five To One"). Eventually such excesses took their toll.
During a 1969 concert at The Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami, an intoxicated Morrison attempted to spark a riot among those in attendance. He failed but a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Dade County Police department for indecent exposure some three days later while the band was vacationing in Jamaica. Morrison was ultimately convicted of indecent exposure and public profanity. Fallout from that event resulted in much negative publicity and the cancellation of many of The Doors' scheduled concerts.
Following Morrison's conviction, The Doors began to change direction with the production and successful release of the Morrison Hotel / Hard Rock Cafe LP. It featured a much grittier, blues-based sound and saw the group returning to its blues and R&B roots. By this time they had all but exhausted the cache of songs that Morrison had written in the early days of the group, and which had provided most of the material on their first three LPs.
After a lengthy break, the group reconvened in late 1970 to record what proved to be their last LP with Morrison, L.A. Woman. It solidified the group's return to its musical roots and featured songs that would quickly become among its most popular, including the title track, the pounding "Texas Radio and the Big Beat" and the album's epic closer "Riders on the Storm," which instantly became an FM radio staple.
L.A. Woman also witnessed another major change in the group's recording career. Shortly after sessions began, producer Paul A. Rothchild -- who had overseen all their previous recordings -- walked off the project, disenchanted with the band's new material, which he dismissed as "lounge music" and was "bored" after the band ran through the material in a bad manner. Long-serving engineer Bruce Botnick took over and produced an album that many fans consider The Doors' best after their 1967 debut. It also displayed a growing maturity in Morrison's singing. Amusingly, several of his vocals were performed in the bathroom of The Doors' offices, due to its excellent acoustics, particularly its reverberation quality.
Among Morrison's more famous nicknames are "Mr. Mojo Risin'," an anagram of his name, which he eventually used as a refrain in his final single, "L.A. Woman", and "The Lizard King" from a line in his famed epic poem "Celebration of the Lizard," part of which appeared on The Doors' 1968 album Waiting for the Sun and which was finally captured in full on the Absolutely Live double-LP released in 1970. Absolutely Live was a compilation of selected live material recorded at different venues ranging from Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The live version of "Celebration of the Lizard" was recorded in front of a sold-out crowd at the Aquarius theater in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969.
Rear Admiral Joseph S. Morrison (Center)
USS Hancock CVA-19
Shellback ceremony 1968.
Photo: Henry C. Van Acker, Jr.
Morrison moved to Paris in March 1971 with the intention of taking a break from performing and concentrating on his writing. Hoping to get his life back on track, Morrison lost a great deal of weight and shaved off his beard.
He died months later, on July 3, aged 27, found in his bathtub by Pamela Courson. Many fans and biographers have speculated that the cause of death was a drug overdose, but according to the official report, the cause of death was heart failure. No autopsy was performed because the medical examiner, pursuant to French law, found no evidence of foul play or criminality. The lack of an official autopsy left many questions unanswered and provided a fertile breeding ground for speculation and rumor.
In his autobiographical novel Wonderland Avenue, former Doors' associate Danny Sugerman recounts that he briefly met with Pamela Courson when she returned to America in the mid-1970s. According to his account, Courson told him that Morrison had in fact died of a heroin overdose when he inhaled great amounts of the substance, believing it to be cocaine. Sugerman added that Courson had also given numerous contradictory versions of Morrison's death but the majority of fans seem to have accepted the mistaken heroin overdose account. Courson herself died of a heroin overdose shortly after being recognized as Morrison's common law wife by the California court in which his estate was undergoing probate proceedings. Like Morrison, she was 27 at the time of her death.
Morrison is buried in "The Poets' Corner" of the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in eastern Paris. In the past, some of his fans were nuisances, leaving litter, graffiti, and cannabis behind to the point where the gravesite is surrounded by a fence. Well-publicized complaints by numerous families of the deceased about desecration of surrounding grave sites led many to expect that Morrison's remains would be forcibly relocated when the 30-year lease to his plot expired. Parisian authorities, however, have denied any such intention. Indeed, Morrison's grave has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris, along with Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. In 1993, his parents visited the site and made arrangements with a cleaning company to have the graffiti removed from the nearby tombstones.
Many fans have attempted to translate the Greek inscription found on the headstone of Morrison's grave. As transcribed into Roman lettering: KATA TON DAIMONA EAYTOY. Various interpretations have been proposed, including, "down (presumably in Hell) with his own demons", "burnt by his demons", "with the devil himself," and other creative possibilities. But in ancient Greek, the word daimon means spirit rather than demon and contains no negative or pejorative qualities. The phrase is more properly translated as "True to his own spirit," and is the meaning intended by the Morrison family when the inscription was selected. It was Morrison's father who either selected the phrase or drafted it himself. The Admiral, being widely read in the ancient Koine Greek (the original language of the New Testament) and other dialects chose a phrase that fit both the philosophy and reality of his son's life as well as providing a fitting link to Morrison's long abiding interest in ancient myth and symbology.
On the same day that Morrison died in Paris, his father was in Washington, giving the keynote speech at the decommissioning of the USS Bon Homme Richard, the naval ship upon which he had served for many years. Neither he nor any other member of the Morrison family learned of Morrison's death until it was announced on the radio and television news. Much later they received the official notice from the US State Department's office in Paris.
Some conspiracy theorists contend that Morrison did not die in Paris. The fact that only two people (other than the police, emergency personnel, and mortician), admitted to the press that they had seen his body, has helped keep the rumor alive for over thirty years.
Throughout Morrison's turbulent career, there had been numerous rumors that he had been killed in an auto accident or had died of a drug overdose. Also, in the days preceding the announcement of his death, the press had been told that Morrison was simply "very tired" and resting in an un-named French hospital. Perhaps, then, it isn't so surprising that fans would doubt the reality of his passing.
Jerry Hopkins recounts, in The Lizard King that well before the Doors achieved noticeable success, Morrison had joked that he should fake his own death in order to generate publicity. According to some of Morrison's friends and band mates, once the Doors had achieved their remarkable success, publicity was no longer seen as being so desirable. Morrison then spoke of wanting to fake his death and move to Africa in order to escape the scrutiny that surrounded his every move. He told them that if he could succeed with the ruse, he would write to them using the pseudonym "Mr. Mojo Risin."
Such a disappearing act would have paralleled the life of one of Morrison's favorite French poets, Arthur Rimbaud. According to Robbie Krieger and other Doors members, they have yet to receive any letters. Nonetheless, some fans still feel his death was a hoax.
Speculation about the cause and actuality of Morrison's death plays a large and continuing role in the Morrison mystique. Rumors still abound that Morrison committed suicide, was assassinated by the C.I.A., murdered by a witch, died in a toilet at the notorious Rock and Roll Circus (a nightclub in Paris) or any number of variations. Add to that persistent rumors that he is still alive and living in India, Africa, South America, as a cowboy in Oregon, or above a Quik-Check in New Jersey and the Morrison legend has taken on a life of its own. It may be fitting that Morrison the man, always fascinated by ancient mythology, has merged with the image of Morrison as Dionysus, the ever dying, ever re-born god of ecstasy of ancient Greece.....
And to think, he spent one year of his short life in Kingsville, Texas.
"There's danger on the edge of town. Ride the King's Highway…"
www.taliesyn.com/ralph/morrison.htm
Jim Morrison in Kingsville, Texas
By Ralph Wranker
2006
Flato Elementary School
Kingsville, Texas
The journey to becoming an icon of our times can take a curious path. Not everyone becomes a rock star and a legend, but where they live can become an influence in their craft. Some of the following information I've obtained from biographies found on the Internet about Jim Morrison. I've tried to tie the information together as best as I could.
Take one very small town in south Texas, Kingsville, in the early 1950's. The population of Kingsville in 1950 was about 17,000. Most people were employed by King Ranch, Mo-Pac Railroad, Humble Oil and Refining, Texas College of Arts and Industry (Texas A&I - now Texas A&M Kingsville), Celanese Chemical Co., and the U.S. Navy flight training airfield.
Many streets in Kingsville were dirt, or caliche. Those streets that were paved were at best, in fair condition. Downtown enjoyed the after-war prosperity that many towns and cities experienced. Schools had been built to accommodate the baby boom after World War II. The families that moved the most into and out of Kingsville were in the Navy. They were generally here for a short period of time. In those days, another war was occurring in Korea. Trained jet pilots were in high demand and Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Kingsville was one of the facilities where future jet pilots were trained, then relocated to their respective squadrons for additional training and finally deployment to the war zone.
One of those Navy families was that of George Stephen Morrison. They had moved to Kingsville from Fairfax County, Virginia. I do not know what Mr. Morrison did at NAAS Kingsville. Nor, do I know what his rank was at the time. What is known is that he was a pilot in World War II, and he later went on to become the Navy's youngest Admiral, until 1963. In the early 60's, his flagship, the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), was part of a task force of ships that was supposedly attacked by North Vietnam's gun boats in the Gulf of Tonkin -- thus, starting what would become known as the Vietnam War. In later years, Admiral Morrison headed up one of the Navy's intelligence agencies.
Steve and Clara Clark Morrison had three children, naming the oldest, James Douglas. Jim had two young siblings, a sister, Anne, and a brother, Andy.
Jim was born December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida.
Jim's sister, Anne Robin, in 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jim's brother, Andrew "Andy" Lee, in 1948 in Los Altos, California.
In the early years, the Morrison's hopped across the country -- Florida, Texas, California, New Mexico, and Washington DC. Each move brought successive promotions to Mr. Morrison. He eventually retired from service as a Rear Admiral.
The year, 1952: The Morrison's moved from Fairfax County, Virginia to Kingsville, Texas. Jim had finished the 3rd grade and was about to start the 4th grade there. Jim attended Charles H. Flato Elementary School in Kingsville, located on West Santa Gertrudis Avenue, a street named after cattle developed by the famed King Ranch. If you pass by the school's address heading west, you will enter the ranch's Santa Gertrudis division's main gate.
Not much is known about Jim's stay in Kingsville and his attendance at Flato Elementary. However, a hint of how good a student he was can be seen on one of his report cards, now on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio. Jim's teacher, Mrs. Irene Atwood, wrote, "It was a pleasure to work with Jimmy."
As of this writing; where Jim lived in Kingsville is not known, but he had to live on the west, or northwest side of town, since Flato, as all other schools in Kingsville, was a neighborhood school.
I have contacted the Kingsville Independent School District, but they do not have any records available. Ha, so much for the old teacher's of putting "it" on your permanent record, huh? Perhaps someone reading this article will be able to help?
The following is a listing of Jim Morrison's report cards on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
Elementary School:
Grade Two Progress Report Card, 1950-51
Fairfax County Elementary School Fairfax County, Virginia
One of Morrison's teachers noted that he "was adjusting well" to his new school.
Grade Four Progress Report Card, 1952-53
Kingsville Public School - Charles Flato Elementary Kingsville, Texas
Morrison's teacher, Mrs. Irene Atwood (shown to the right), wrote, "It was a pleasure to work with Jimmy."
Grade Five, 1955
St. John's Methodist School
Certificate of Promotion, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Grade six, 1955
Longfellow School Sixth Grade Graduation Program
San Diego, California
The handwritten notes on the front of the program are from Jim Morrison's mother, Clara. Morrison presented a history of the class. One of Jim's classmates was John Densmore. John would later play a role in Jim's life.
High School:
Jim would graduate high school in 1960 from George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
College:
After graduating high school, Jim moved to live with his grandparents while attending St. Petersburg Jr. College in Florida. The following year, Jim became tired of living with his grandparents and of life at St. Petersburg and decided to transfer to Florida State University (FSU) and major in theatre. He lived a mile from campus in a three bedroom house with five other FSU students, only two of whom he had known previously. Due to his heckling and shenanigans, his roommates asked him to move out.
His time at FSU was productive, however. It brought about several important events which would greatly influence Jim's life. First, he took Philosophies of Protest and Psychology of Crowds, which he identified later as two of his favorite classes (that would in the future aid him in his role as lead singer of The Doors). He also wrote a research paper on the imagery of heaven and hell in the paintings of Heteronymous Bosch. Finally, he managed to get a part in Harold Pinter's play The Dumbwaiter without having any previous acting experience. By 1964, Morrison had gotten tired of the theater arts department at FSU and transferred to UCLA where he became part of the film school.
Jim graduated from film school at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1965. Like his high school graduation, he did not attend the commencement ceremonies.
On To Greatness:
Jim moved to Venice Beach in California, where he lived a Bohemian lifestyle on the rooftop of a warehouse.
By 1966 the once pudgy Morrison had trimmed down to the chiseled rock-god immortalized in the famed series of black-and-white photos taken by photographer Joel Brodsky.
While on the beach, Jim ran into an old classmate at UCLA, Ray Manzarek. Jim read Ray some of his poetry and Ray said that the poems would be great for song lyrics. They immediately formed the band, The Doors. The name of the band came from Aldous Huxley's book, The Doors of Perception.
Ray and Jim were soon joined by drummer John Densmore (remember him, he graduated the 6th grade with Jim in San Diego). Next, guitarist Robby Krieger auditioned at Densmore's recommendation, and was immediately added to the lineup. Jim was the frontman. They performed nightly along the strip in Los Angeles. Jim was known to be shy and would sometimes perform with his back to the audience.
The Doors were first noticed on the national level in the spring of 1967 after signing to the Elektra Records label. The single "Light My Fire," written by Krieger, hit number one in June 1967. Three months later, The Doors appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, a popular Sunday night variety series that had earlier introduced a young, wiggling Elvis Presley and the Beatles to the United States. The Doors' incident became very notorious after the censors insisted that the band change the lyrics of "Light My Fire" from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl we couldn't get much better", because of the reference to drugs in the original lyric. But Morrison sang the song with the original lyrics anyway, on live TV. This infuriated host Ed Sullivan so much that he refused to shake their hands after their performance and they were never invited back.
By the release of their second album, Strange Days, The Doors had become one of the most popular rock bands in the U.S. Their blend of blues, jazz and rock tinged with psychedelia had never before been heard. The Doors' eclectic repertoire included a swag of stunning original songs and distinctive cover versions, such as the memorable rendition of "Alabama Song," from Bertholt Brecht and Kurt Weill's operetta, "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny." The four also broke new ground in rock music with their extended concept works, including the famous epic songs, "The End" and "When The Music's Over," and the extended suite which they played in concert, "The Celebration of the Lizard."
By the late 1960s, the pressure of pop stardom was taking its toll on Morrison. The formerly svelte, 5' 11" singer began to balloon due to his rapidly escalating drinking. Although the cover of the 1970 Absolutely Live LP depicts a trim, clean-shaven, leather-trousered Morrison on the front, this photo had in fact been taken about two years earlier. By the time of the tour on which the live album was recorded, Morrison was 20 pounds heavier (175 pounds). It was during this time that he tried to get away from the "Lizard King" image -- he grew a beard and started wearing regular slacks, jeans and T-shirts.
Morrison famously lived by an oft repeated quote from William Blake: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. Even before the formation of The Doors, he took copious amounts of LSD (legal at the time) in the band's early years, but soon switched to alcohol, which he began to consume in herculean proportions. He would sometimes show up for recording sessions extremely inebriated (he can be heard hiccupping on the song "Five To One"). Eventually such excesses took their toll.
During a 1969 concert at The Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami, an intoxicated Morrison attempted to spark a riot among those in attendance. He failed but a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Dade County Police department for indecent exposure some three days later while the band was vacationing in Jamaica. Morrison was ultimately convicted of indecent exposure and public profanity. Fallout from that event resulted in much negative publicity and the cancellation of many of The Doors' scheduled concerts.
Following Morrison's conviction, The Doors began to change direction with the production and successful release of the Morrison Hotel / Hard Rock Cafe LP. It featured a much grittier, blues-based sound and saw the group returning to its blues and R&B roots. By this time they had all but exhausted the cache of songs that Morrison had written in the early days of the group, and which had provided most of the material on their first three LPs.
After a lengthy break, the group reconvened in late 1970 to record what proved to be their last LP with Morrison, L.A. Woman. It solidified the group's return to its musical roots and featured songs that would quickly become among its most popular, including the title track, the pounding "Texas Radio and the Big Beat" and the album's epic closer "Riders on the Storm," which instantly became an FM radio staple.
L.A. Woman also witnessed another major change in the group's recording career. Shortly after sessions began, producer Paul A. Rothchild -- who had overseen all their previous recordings -- walked off the project, disenchanted with the band's new material, which he dismissed as "lounge music" and was "bored" after the band ran through the material in a bad manner. Long-serving engineer Bruce Botnick took over and produced an album that many fans consider The Doors' best after their 1967 debut. It also displayed a growing maturity in Morrison's singing. Amusingly, several of his vocals were performed in the bathroom of The Doors' offices, due to its excellent acoustics, particularly its reverberation quality.
Among Morrison's more famous nicknames are "Mr. Mojo Risin'," an anagram of his name, which he eventually used as a refrain in his final single, "L.A. Woman", and "The Lizard King" from a line in his famed epic poem "Celebration of the Lizard," part of which appeared on The Doors' 1968 album Waiting for the Sun and which was finally captured in full on the Absolutely Live double-LP released in 1970. Absolutely Live was a compilation of selected live material recorded at different venues ranging from Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The live version of "Celebration of the Lizard" was recorded in front of a sold-out crowd at the Aquarius theater in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969.
Rear Admiral Joseph S. Morrison (Center)
USS Hancock CVA-19
Shellback ceremony 1968.
Photo: Henry C. Van Acker, Jr.
Morrison moved to Paris in March 1971 with the intention of taking a break from performing and concentrating on his writing. Hoping to get his life back on track, Morrison lost a great deal of weight and shaved off his beard.
He died months later, on July 3, aged 27, found in his bathtub by Pamela Courson. Many fans and biographers have speculated that the cause of death was a drug overdose, but according to the official report, the cause of death was heart failure. No autopsy was performed because the medical examiner, pursuant to French law, found no evidence of foul play or criminality. The lack of an official autopsy left many questions unanswered and provided a fertile breeding ground for speculation and rumor.
In his autobiographical novel Wonderland Avenue, former Doors' associate Danny Sugerman recounts that he briefly met with Pamela Courson when she returned to America in the mid-1970s. According to his account, Courson told him that Morrison had in fact died of a heroin overdose when he inhaled great amounts of the substance, believing it to be cocaine. Sugerman added that Courson had also given numerous contradictory versions of Morrison's death but the majority of fans seem to have accepted the mistaken heroin overdose account. Courson herself died of a heroin overdose shortly after being recognized as Morrison's common law wife by the California court in which his estate was undergoing probate proceedings. Like Morrison, she was 27 at the time of her death.
Morrison is buried in "The Poets' Corner" of the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in eastern Paris. In the past, some of his fans were nuisances, leaving litter, graffiti, and cannabis behind to the point where the gravesite is surrounded by a fence. Well-publicized complaints by numerous families of the deceased about desecration of surrounding grave sites led many to expect that Morrison's remains would be forcibly relocated when the 30-year lease to his plot expired. Parisian authorities, however, have denied any such intention. Indeed, Morrison's grave has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris, along with Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. In 1993, his parents visited the site and made arrangements with a cleaning company to have the graffiti removed from the nearby tombstones.
Many fans have attempted to translate the Greek inscription found on the headstone of Morrison's grave. As transcribed into Roman lettering: KATA TON DAIMONA EAYTOY. Various interpretations have been proposed, including, "down (presumably in Hell) with his own demons", "burnt by his demons", "with the devil himself," and other creative possibilities. But in ancient Greek, the word daimon means spirit rather than demon and contains no negative or pejorative qualities. The phrase is more properly translated as "True to his own spirit," and is the meaning intended by the Morrison family when the inscription was selected. It was Morrison's father who either selected the phrase or drafted it himself. The Admiral, being widely read in the ancient Koine Greek (the original language of the New Testament) and other dialects chose a phrase that fit both the philosophy and reality of his son's life as well as providing a fitting link to Morrison's long abiding interest in ancient myth and symbology.
On the same day that Morrison died in Paris, his father was in Washington, giving the keynote speech at the decommissioning of the USS Bon Homme Richard, the naval ship upon which he had served for many years. Neither he nor any other member of the Morrison family learned of Morrison's death until it was announced on the radio and television news. Much later they received the official notice from the US State Department's office in Paris.
Some conspiracy theorists contend that Morrison did not die in Paris. The fact that only two people (other than the police, emergency personnel, and mortician), admitted to the press that they had seen his body, has helped keep the rumor alive for over thirty years.
Throughout Morrison's turbulent career, there had been numerous rumors that he had been killed in an auto accident or had died of a drug overdose. Also, in the days preceding the announcement of his death, the press had been told that Morrison was simply "very tired" and resting in an un-named French hospital. Perhaps, then, it isn't so surprising that fans would doubt the reality of his passing.
Jerry Hopkins recounts, in The Lizard King that well before the Doors achieved noticeable success, Morrison had joked that he should fake his own death in order to generate publicity. According to some of Morrison's friends and band mates, once the Doors had achieved their remarkable success, publicity was no longer seen as being so desirable. Morrison then spoke of wanting to fake his death and move to Africa in order to escape the scrutiny that surrounded his every move. He told them that if he could succeed with the ruse, he would write to them using the pseudonym "Mr. Mojo Risin."
Such a disappearing act would have paralleled the life of one of Morrison's favorite French poets, Arthur Rimbaud. According to Robbie Krieger and other Doors members, they have yet to receive any letters. Nonetheless, some fans still feel his death was a hoax.
Speculation about the cause and actuality of Morrison's death plays a large and continuing role in the Morrison mystique. Rumors still abound that Morrison committed suicide, was assassinated by the C.I.A., murdered by a witch, died in a toilet at the notorious Rock and Roll Circus (a nightclub in Paris) or any number of variations. Add to that persistent rumors that he is still alive and living in India, Africa, South America, as a cowboy in Oregon, or above a Quik-Check in New Jersey and the Morrison legend has taken on a life of its own. It may be fitting that Morrison the man, always fascinated by ancient mythology, has merged with the image of Morrison as Dionysus, the ever dying, ever re-born god of ecstasy of ancient Greece.....
And to think, he spent one year of his short life in Kingsville, Texas.
"There's danger on the edge of town. Ride the King's Highway…"
www.taliesyn.com/ralph/morrison.htm