Jim Morrison (in Pere Lachaise Cemetery)
N 48° 51.548 E 002° 23.614
31U E 455519 N 5411973
The lead singer and lyricist of the popular American rock band The Doors, and considered to be one of the most charismatic frontmen in the history of rock music.
Waymark Code: WMTWZ
Location: France
Date Posted: 10/11/2006
Views: 356
Born in Melbourne, Florida, James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 - July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, writer, and poet. Morrison's death at the age of 27 in Paris, France stunned his fans; the circumstances of his death and secret burial have been the subject of endless rumors and play a significant part in the mystique that continues to surround him.
Morrison graduated from George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia in June 1961. His father was transferred to Southern California that August. Morrison was sent to live with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater, Florida, where he attended classes at St. Petersburg Junior College.
He later transferred to Florida State University (1962-1963). In January 1964, urged on by an FSU professor, Morrison headed for Los Angeles, California where he completed his undergraduate education at UCLA, majoring in film.
As a naval family, the Morrisons relocated frequently. Consequently, Morrison's early education was routinely disrupted as he moved from school to school. Nonetheless, he proved to be an intelligent and capable student drawn to the study of literature, poetry, religion, philosophy, and psychology, among other fields.
In 1965, after graduating from film school at UCLA, Morrison led a Bohemian lifestyle in nearby Venice Beach. Due to a regimen of little food and lots of LSD, by 1966 the formerly 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. Known as "The Young Lion" photo session, it included the iconic, bare-chested "Christ" pose, a shot that was featured on the Best of the Doors LP cover.
Morrison wowed fellow UCLA student Ray Manzarek with a reading of his lyrics for "Moonlight Drive," and the two then formed The Doors. They were soon joined by drummer John Densmore. Guitarist Robby Krieger auditioned at Densmore's recommendation, and was immediately added to the lineup.
The Doors' sound was a significant innovation, dominated by Morrison's deep, sonorous baritone voice, against the interplay of Manzarek's keyboards, Krieger's classically influenced flamenco guitar style and Densmore's crisp, fluid drumming. The Doors were unique because they didn't have a bass guitar in the lineup. Manzarek provided bass lines on his newly-released Fender keyboard bass, a small bass-scale version of the famous Fender Rhodes electric piano.
Lyrically, The Doors broke new ground in rock music, with Morrison's complex, surrealist, allusive lyrics exploring themes of sex, mysticism, drugs, murder, madness and death. Although Morrison is known as the lyricist for the group, Krieger also made significant lyrical contributions, writing or co-writing some of the group's biggest hits, including "Light My Fire" and "Touch Me."
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, years earlier, introduced a young, wriggling Elvis Presley and the Beatles to the United States.
By the release of their second album, Strange Days, The Doors had became one of the most popular rock bands in the United States. Their blend of blues and rock tinged with psychedelia had never before been heard. 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."
Morrison famously lived by an oft repeated quote from Blake: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." Even before the formation of The Doors, he took copious amounts of LSD, but soon switched to alcohol, which he began to consume in herculean proportions, and he reportedly indulged in various bacchanalia. He would sometimes show up for recording sessions extremely inebriated (he can be heard hiccuping on the song "Five To One"). Such excesses eventually took their toll; By 1969, the formerly svelte 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.
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.
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 on July 3, 1971, at age 27, and was found in his bathtub. According to Stephen Davis' biography of Morrison, it was reported that he had dried blood around his mouth and nose and large bruising on his chest. This suggests Morrison might have died from a massive hemorrhage caused by tuberculosis. Many fans and biographers have speculated that the cause of death was a drug overdose, but the official report listed the cause of death as heart failure. No autopsy was performed because the medical examiner, pursuant to French law, found no evidence of foul play. The lack of an official autopsy left many questions unanswered and provided a fertile breeding ground for speculation and rumor.
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 them after their visits. 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, and Morrison's family has since negotiated an agreement with the cemetery to keep him interred there in perpetuity. Indeed, Morrison's grave is the most popular grave in the cemetery and 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.
Morrison's gravestone has a Greek inscription. The meaning intended by the Morrison family when the inscription was selected is "True to his own spirit". Morrison's father either selected the phrase or drafted it himself. The literal meaning is "according to his own daimon", an Ancient Greek word that usually implies luck, fortune, "guiding star" and the like, with no negative or pejorative connotations.
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 CIA, 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, above a Quik-Check in New Jersey, or in North Dakota anonymously and the "Morrison legend" has taken on a life of its own.
Description:
Morrison remains one of the most popular and influential singers/writers in rock history, as The Doors' catalog has become a staple of classic rock radio stations. To this day, he is widely regarded as the prototypical rock star: surly, sexy, scandalous and mysterious. The leather pants he was fond of wearing both onstage and off have since become stereotyped as rock star apparel.
Date of birth: 12/08/1943
Date of death: 07/03/1971
Area of notoriety: Art
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 09:00 - 17:30
Fee required?: No
Web site: Not listed
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