Post by darkstar on Jan 26, 2005 13:36:20 GMT
Gilles Yepremian Interview conducted by Alan Rourke in April 1994.
Inetrview Transcript from Issue 13 & 14 of the fanzine D.A.S. (Doors Appreciation Society-UK)
PART ONE (Issue No. 13 1994) of an Exclusive in depth interview with Gilles Yepremian, the man who befriended Jim Morrison during his last few weeks in Paris.
Interview by Alan Rourke April 1994
Q. How long have you been living in Paris?
A. I was born in Paris.
Q. What did you study at college?
A. I studied law.
Q. And what is your current job?
A. I'm a manager of a French group called "Urban Sex" and we play sometimes in England – in Bath, Leeds and the International Festival Theatre in Birmingham and in London at the G.L.C. The last party was for the G.L.C.
Q. Okay, can you tell me the story of how you met Jim in Paris and the time you met Jim and Pam on other occasions?
A. It was four months before my 21st birthday. I was in this club, it was the rock scene of Paris at that period, Jim was completely drunk. Nobody recognized him, I just saw his shadow, he was going mad – jumping all over the place – all over the seats and some hours
later I went back and noticed that it was Jim Morrison of The Doors. So I shouted his name, "Jim", so, he comes to see me and he said, "Yes." I had two attempts to get him into a taxi cab, because as I said he was rather drunk. I explained to Jim I was living with my parents, so I ended up taking him to my friends apartment Herve
Muller.
Q. There has been a lot written about Pam over the years – some good, some not so good. Could you tell us what the real Pam was like?
A. To me she seemed very shy. She didn't talk a lot, but she seemed to be in love with Jim.
Q. What was your first impression of Jim Morrison when you met him? Did you get close to him?
A. The first time he just followed me because he was completely drunk. And then I met him again around two or three days later, because the second day when I went back to Herve's apartment Jim was drunk again, so he was sleeping. I met him again a day later.
Q. When did you first hear The Doors music and what was your first impression of them?
A. The first time I heard the Doors music was in the spring of 1967 and the song was the classic, "Light My Fire". I went out and bought it shortly afterwards.
Q.A few people have said that Jim's creativity was entwined with his destructive side. What do you think of this?
A. Who knows.
Q. Did Jim carry around any books with him when you knew him? If so, do you remember which ones?
A. Not at all. He probably carried a few books, but when we met it was only for lunch he had no books with him then.
Q. Did Jim eat any French foods or did he stick to the American style of eating?
A. Yes. One time we ate at Herve's place. He ate French food then but I can't quite remember little things like that from so far back. I can remember they drank Corsican wine and they (Jim and Pam) decided to go to Corsica a few days later.
Q. Were you witness to Jim writing or singing any of his work?
A. Not at all. We talked but he never sung and he never read any thing.
Q. Did you see or read any of Jim's notebooks?
A. Never. He was quite secretive about that.
Q. Did Jim talk about his future?
A. Yes. He said that he wanted to write and he wanted to do films.
Q. Do you think that Jim's drinking and drug binges were brought on by the Miami incident and the fans expectations of him, thinking he was some kind of God?
A. Miami incident? I don't know. But the fans expectations of him I think probably added to his problems.
Q. Didn't Jim mention the Miami incident in Paris?
A. I don't remember. He just didn't mention The Doors. He was completely paranoid about that. He didn't want to talk about The Doors. I think for him it was over.
Q. There are so many stories of how Jim died. From overdosing on heroin in the Rock and Roll Circus, to a heart attack in his bath. The whole thing has completely baffled me and personally speaking I don't know what to believe. Are you able to shed some light for
us Doors fans?
A. There is only one person who knows that and that was Pamela and she died. Herve and I met a girl a month later who said that she was the wife of the pusher who sold the horse (heroin) to Jim.
Q. There has been so many labels for Jim Morrison, such as Lizard King and King of Orgasmic Rock. Do you think that the fans take this whole thing too literally, becoming deadly serious over the whole matter. When we should be listening to his music and not forever
mourning his death? After all he wouldn't want is wasting our lives crying over him.
A. Yes, probably because he was in Paris to forget all the past of his life, he live there because he wanted to forget The Doors.
Q. When you hear the name Jim Morrison. What image do you see – is it one of a Rock Star, or a bearded poet or its it the Jim you knew in Paris?
A. So, when I met him I didn't recognize him and after that I remembered that it was the singer of The Doors and I called him and he responded and came over to me but he didn't look anything like the rock star. He looked like a student traveling.
Inetrview Transcript from Issue 13 & 14 of the fanzine D.A.S. (Doors Appreciation Society-UK)
PART ONE (Issue No. 13 1994) of an Exclusive in depth interview with Gilles Yepremian, the man who befriended Jim Morrison during his last few weeks in Paris.
Interview by Alan Rourke April 1994
Q. How long have you been living in Paris?
A. I was born in Paris.
Q. What did you study at college?
A. I studied law.
Q. And what is your current job?
A. I'm a manager of a French group called "Urban Sex" and we play sometimes in England – in Bath, Leeds and the International Festival Theatre in Birmingham and in London at the G.L.C. The last party was for the G.L.C.
Q. Okay, can you tell me the story of how you met Jim in Paris and the time you met Jim and Pam on other occasions?
A. It was four months before my 21st birthday. I was in this club, it was the rock scene of Paris at that period, Jim was completely drunk. Nobody recognized him, I just saw his shadow, he was going mad – jumping all over the place – all over the seats and some hours
later I went back and noticed that it was Jim Morrison of The Doors. So I shouted his name, "Jim", so, he comes to see me and he said, "Yes." I had two attempts to get him into a taxi cab, because as I said he was rather drunk. I explained to Jim I was living with my parents, so I ended up taking him to my friends apartment Herve
Muller.
Q. There has been a lot written about Pam over the years – some good, some not so good. Could you tell us what the real Pam was like?
A. To me she seemed very shy. She didn't talk a lot, but she seemed to be in love with Jim.
Q. What was your first impression of Jim Morrison when you met him? Did you get close to him?
A. The first time he just followed me because he was completely drunk. And then I met him again around two or three days later, because the second day when I went back to Herve's apartment Jim was drunk again, so he was sleeping. I met him again a day later.
Q. When did you first hear The Doors music and what was your first impression of them?
A. The first time I heard the Doors music was in the spring of 1967 and the song was the classic, "Light My Fire". I went out and bought it shortly afterwards.
Q.A few people have said that Jim's creativity was entwined with his destructive side. What do you think of this?
A. Who knows.
Q. Did Jim carry around any books with him when you knew him? If so, do you remember which ones?
A. Not at all. He probably carried a few books, but when we met it was only for lunch he had no books with him then.
Q. Did Jim eat any French foods or did he stick to the American style of eating?
A. Yes. One time we ate at Herve's place. He ate French food then but I can't quite remember little things like that from so far back. I can remember they drank Corsican wine and they (Jim and Pam) decided to go to Corsica a few days later.
Q. Were you witness to Jim writing or singing any of his work?
A. Not at all. We talked but he never sung and he never read any thing.
Q. Did you see or read any of Jim's notebooks?
A. Never. He was quite secretive about that.
Q. Did Jim talk about his future?
A. Yes. He said that he wanted to write and he wanted to do films.
Q. Do you think that Jim's drinking and drug binges were brought on by the Miami incident and the fans expectations of him, thinking he was some kind of God?
A. Miami incident? I don't know. But the fans expectations of him I think probably added to his problems.
Q. Didn't Jim mention the Miami incident in Paris?
A. I don't remember. He just didn't mention The Doors. He was completely paranoid about that. He didn't want to talk about The Doors. I think for him it was over.
Q. There are so many stories of how Jim died. From overdosing on heroin in the Rock and Roll Circus, to a heart attack in his bath. The whole thing has completely baffled me and personally speaking I don't know what to believe. Are you able to shed some light for
us Doors fans?
A. There is only one person who knows that and that was Pamela and she died. Herve and I met a girl a month later who said that she was the wife of the pusher who sold the horse (heroin) to Jim.
Q. There has been so many labels for Jim Morrison, such as Lizard King and King of Orgasmic Rock. Do you think that the fans take this whole thing too literally, becoming deadly serious over the whole matter. When we should be listening to his music and not forever
mourning his death? After all he wouldn't want is wasting our lives crying over him.
A. Yes, probably because he was in Paris to forget all the past of his life, he live there because he wanted to forget The Doors.
Q. When you hear the name Jim Morrison. What image do you see – is it one of a Rock Star, or a bearded poet or its it the Jim you knew in Paris?
A. So, when I met him I didn't recognize him and after that I remembered that it was the singer of The Doors and I called him and he responded and came over to me but he didn't look anything like the rock star. He looked like a student traveling.