JDM - A Priest Of the Invisible By Thomas R Koll

[darkstar]

James Douglas Morrison - A Priest of the Invisible

By: Thomas R. Koll


Contents

1 PREFACE

2 HIS LIFE

2.1 Growing Up
2.2 Music
2.3 Theater & Film
2.4 Women
2.4.1 Pamela Susan Courson
2.4.2 Patricia Kennealy
2.5 Miami
2.6 Paris

3 HIS WORK

3.1 L.A. and L'America
3.2 Shamanism
3.3 Death
3.3.1 The Hitchhiker
3.3.2 Indian Highway
3.3.3 The End

4 APPENDIX

4.1 Short Biographies
4.1.1 James Douglas Morrison
4.1.2 Pamela Susan
4.1.3 Patricia Kennealy
4.1.4 Raymond Daniel Manzarek
4.1.5 Robert Alan Krieger
4.1.6 John Paul Densmore
4.1.7 Michael McClure
4.2 Bibliography/Sources
4.3 Discography

www.tomk32.de/Facharbeit/jim-morrison.html

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Its interesting but it like many of these kinda things goes for the Manzarek style of narrative rather than the actual facts.....for instance the Doors were not 'fired' as such from the Fog (the club was bankrupt and they were just let go) Ronny Haran did not ask them to play the Whisky on thier last night as she turned up two nights before the end of their stint and the Monday gig was just an audition and the band did not play a paid gig until two weeks after......Much of The Doors History has degenerated into little mythical vignettes that sound great when told by guys like Ray but I for one prefer to seek out the truth myself......

[darkstar]

I agree, Alex. I Thought it appropriate to post this article in the myths and legends section of the board for the very reasons you stated above.

[salli]

Several myths and legends here about the people in Jim's life and their importance or lack of it pertaining to Jim.

Liked the fact that Kroll took the time to list some of Jim's work and tried to analyze it.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

The Myth should never be underestimated nontheless....let's face it Salli it's been with us longer than Jim ever was
I am not against the Myth as such as much of it has replaced the reality and nobody believes what actually happened anymore anyways........ but I do get a bit fed up sometimes hearing about this crazy but ultra cool bloke who was the lead singer of The Doors especially when some of those closest to him are happy to go along with it.
Ray is one of the biggest culprits and weaves his fantasies into the actual truth until the truth has been suffocated completely and will never be seen again as it might interfere with selling a new Best Of album.
Take the Ed Sullivan Show for instance and the 'we just 'did' the Ed Sullivan Show' remark to Bob Precht (Ed's son in law) after he said they would never do the Sullivan show again.......I have also seen it said Morrison just said 'fuck off'....which is less cool but makes more sense and more likely but the Ray soundbites rule and many believe because of it that Jim spent every waking moment thinking and saying stuff that was cool.
The internet is full of this rubbish and it will always be believed before any of the actual facts. So its hard to combat the Myth.....thats why stuff like your Lost Interview are so worthwhile as you get to hear Jim Morrison from his lips rather than someone who uses him as a meal ticket.......the Tony Thomas one, Bob Chorush and Ben Fong Torres give us a great insight into Jim that dispel the image the Myth likes to portray.......I don't mind the Myth but I hope it does not take over completely......those like yourself can always do your bit......I know sometimes you don't get treated a s well as maybe you should be by us folks but for our faults we do appreciate hearing the kinda stuff you guys tell......
Like every ordianary fan here I have been entwined in all sorts of Morrison Myth but over the years discovered a better story that was not as cool but was nontheless fascinating.
I would like to think that the new Doors documentaries would at last give us the definitive Doors story but I don't hold out much hope as after all they are selling a new documentary not giving one away and sensation is what sells......I can ride along with the wave of bullshit same as everyone else but it would be nice to one day actually see Jim Morrison given a fair shake as a human being instead of the shit end of the stick he gets from Densmore/Manzarek/Krieger/Jampol and thier chums who see him as nothing more than thier meal ticket!

[wtd]

Good point Alex!!! It's true, what you read in the Jim Morrison biographies don't seem to correlate with what comes out of interviews Jim Morrison actually did. It's like two different people.

admin said:

The Myth should never be underestimated nontheless....let's face it Salli it's been with us longer than Jim ever was
I am not against the Myth as such as much of it has replaced the reality and nobody believes what actually happened anymore anyways........ but I do get a bit fed up sometimes hearing about this crazy but ultra cool bloke who was the lead singer of The Doors especially when some of those closest to him are happy to go along with it.
Ray is one of the biggest culprits and weaves his fantasies into the actual truth until the truth has been suffocated completely and will never be seen again as it might interfere with selling a new Best Of album.
Take the Ed Sullivan Show for instance and the 'we just 'did' the Ed Sullivan Show' remark to Bob Precht (Ed's son in law) after he said they would never do the Sullivan show again.......I have also seen it said Morrison just said 'fuck off'....which is less cool but makes more sense and more likely but the Ray soundbites rule and many believe because of it that Jim spent every waking moment thinking and saying stuff that was cool.
The internet is full of this rubbish and it will always be believed before any of the actual facts. So its hard to combat the Myth.....thats why stuff like your Lost Interview are so worthwhile as you get to hear Jim Morrison from his lips rather than someone who uses him as a meal ticket.......the Tony Thomas one, Bob Chorush and Ben Fong Torres give us a great insight into Jim that dispel the image the Myth likes to portray.......I don't mind the Myth but I hope it does not take over completely......those like yourself can always do your bit......I know sometimes you don't get treated a s well as maybe you should be by us folks but for our faults we do appreciate hearing the kinda stuff you guys tell......
Like every ordianary fan here I have been entwined in all sorts of Morrison Myth but over the years discovered a better story that was not as cool but was nontheless fascinating.
I would like to think that the new Doors documentaries would at last give us the definitive Doors story but I don't hold out much hope as after all they are selling a new documentary not giving one away and sensation is what sells......I can ride along with the wave of bullshit same as everyone else but it would be nice to one day actually see Jim Morrison given a fair shake as a human being instead of the shit end of the stick he gets from Densmore/Manzarek/Krieger/Jampol and thier chums who see him as nothing more than thier meal ticket!

[reflect]

admin said:

Its interesting but it like many of these kinda things goes for the Manzarek style of narrative rather than the actual facts.....for instance the Doors were not 'fired' as such from the Fog (the club was bankrupt and they were just let go) Ronny Haran did not ask them to play the Whisky on thier last night as she turned up two nights before the end of their stint and the Monday gig was just an audition and the band did not play a paid gig until two weeks after......Much of The Doors History has degenerated into little mythical vignettes that sound great when told by guys like Ray but I for one prefer to seek out the truth myself......

Hello, Alex. I am wondering if you'd like to compile a list of facts vs myth and questionable accounts concerning Jim and the Doors. It should help people to think more about the myth vs reality thing.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

There is too much of it for me mate I am afraid.....lots of it are insignificant little incidents such as whether 'Hello I Love You' was written by Jim Morrison during his sojourn on Dennis Jacobs rooftop or as Ray claims was written when HE and JIM were sitting on a beach and a coloured girl walked by.
The smart money is on Jim wrote it after leaving UCLA before he bumped into Ray on the beach as he had a lot of songs already written before the fateful meet in July of 1965. Also that very date has been passed off by Ray as early July or early August but if the September 2nd date for the demo is right (and I presume they got that off the can with the tape in) then August does not leave much time to find Densmore........Ray's Myth & Reality is an interesting listen as many of the discrepancies are there most of it comes from Ray's recollections as he has been the most vociferous Door this last 30 od years (so I am not picking on him its just the fact he is the biggest source for Doors History and is rather contradictory)
The Whisky gigs a good case in point as Ray says so often that the first date at The Whisky the Doors did was supporting THEM...which was not the case at all............ also the story that The Doors tell of their Whisky 'firing' after the Oedipal section of The End is contradicted by Mario Maglieri and Elmer Valentine who supposedly did the firing......
So much of The Doors story has degenerated into Myth within Myth and it takes a lot of effort to find out the Reality......I been doing it for over 30 years now and still am finding out stuff........I doubt anyone will tackle a job like that Reflect.........there is just so much..........
As I say I don't knock the Myth as I enjoy it too but the Reality is just as interesting and thats one of the reasons I strted a Message Forum in 2000 in conjunction with my website.......I wanted to allow fans to express a view in the Fanzine and share info on a forum.......ProBoard is the best Forum I have had and this place dispels a lot of The Myth with the info gathered here as well as Celebrates The Myth ...... being a Doors fan is never easy as any of the old farts like me here will tell you!

[darkstar]

Alex, I agree with what your saying. I believe that the myth has been spoon fed to new generations for the past 3 decades, with the exception of a few short years in the 70's following the demise of the band. It is these few years that the surviving Doors didn't talk about Jim Morrison as if distance was the best policy in starting a solo career. When this concept failed the myths began to take root once more a s a means to keep “the money machine rolling.”

Remember the "Three Hours For Magic" radio show hosted by Scott Munie? A now dated radio show from 1981 but in my opinion it opened the "door" in questioning fact vs. myth. Jim Ladd’s “Inner-View” from 1979 is another good example. I'd like to see this same concept applied to the new Doors documentary set for release in 2007. Of course, its wishful thinking on my part cause I know this will never happen.

As you mentioned Manzarek has been and still is the self appointed "keeper of the myth". For the past three decades he has entrenched himself as a by product of the success he previously enjoyed. The myth as a marketing campaign has become redundant.

As if the past three decades of “storytelling” were not enough, last year we witnessed the myth used as a means of defense as evident in court documentation and testimony.

Alex, do you remember when we first read those court documents? I have to say it was unbelievable that some of the myths were being pasted off as fact in a court of law. In my opinion, prior to reading any of the documentation I thought a lot of what had been passed off as myth over the past few decades would finally be washed out by the truth considering the depositions and testimony are given under oath. Not in this case. Ray Manzareks' own mouth lead to the final verdict in this case. For once, the myth turned against him.

I guess when you reiterate the myths over and over again, molding them to suit your needs they in effect become your reality. I believe this is what has happened to Ray Manzarek over the years.

My favorite Jim Morrison interview that I most enjoyed and could personally identify was with Lizzie James.

I remember Jim Morrison for the words he wrote and the application of those words incorporated into my own life. In reality, Jim Morrison did things that a majority of people only fantasize about. I believe in the concept of one doing what one wants to do with their life and in doing so not giving a fuck about what other people think. This is the spirit of Jim Morrison that survives to me. The ability to open any “door” that suits you without reprisal is a matter of individual freedom that resides in all of us it just depends on how you choose to apply it.

[reflect]

admin said:

As I say I don't knock the Myth as I enjoy it too but the Reality is just as interesting and thats one of the reasons I strted a Message Forum in 2000 in conjunction with my website.......I wanted to allow fans to express a view in the Fanzine and share info on a forum.......ProBoard is the best Forum I have had and this place dispels a lot of The Myth with the info gathered here as well as Celebrates The Myth ...... being a Doors fan is never easy as any of the old farts like me here will tell you!

Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Alex. It seems being a hardcore Doors fan is very rewarding as well as demanding.
I must admit that although I wish to know the "truth", sometimes I enjoy the myth as well. And it's really difficult to differentiate which part is fact and which part is myth.

I was reading NOHGOA and can't help but keep doubting what was written on it. The Oliver Stone's movie is far away from the truth too, but still I enjoy some elements in it.

I really appreciate the effort of you and other people on this board in investigating the Doors, their music and their life.

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

NOHGOA is a good starting point but it has been surpassed by much better books. Some refer to it as 'nothing but a pack of lies' but the truth is probably a bit in between.....Danny was Ray's manager at the time and as Danny did a lot of work getting NOHGOA into shape he made Ray a lot more important than anyone else int he book.....I loved it when I first read it in 1980 but now know what it really is. Stones movie is just Hollywood fun and to take it as anything else is daft.....I love the film myself but its not a documentary.....
I been listening to rock since the late 50s as a toddler and The Doors are the most interesting band/artist I ever heard in all those years of listening to music......although i prefer not to call myself a 'hardcore fan' as that term was just invented by knobs so they could sound important...........
Just a Doors fan same as yourself.....
As you say this band is so cool to peel away the layers of.....and its up to the individual fan how far they wanna go......some get way way into all sorts of shit that I for one have never been into......thats the fun of being a Doors fan for me......you can always add to the knowledge of the History of this great band!

[tomk32]

Is it okay to revive this ancient thread? I'm the guy who wrote the 20 odd pages linked by the thread starter. My website isn't functional anymore but the archive doesn't forget and I recomend the PDF: web.archive.org/web/20070926221711/http://www.tomk32.de/Facharbeit/jim-morrison.pdf

I totally I get the ciritique about myths, I was limited to only two books for researching Jim's history (mind you I wrote the paper in late 2001) and my personal focus was slightly more on the hard facts of his literary body. Now this paper being 15 years old, me now being in my mid-30s I wonder if I'd still write that paper like this: I don't think so. Did anyone come across other papers trying to explore Jim's writings?