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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." |
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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 1961 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.
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…"
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