The Lizard King: Jim Morrison
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors.”
Jim Morrison was an American poet who played a major role in the revolution of rock music in the U.S. throughout the late sixties and part of the seventies. His music has influenced millions and changed the way that people looked at rock as a whole. His poetry, often written under the influence of mind-altering substances captured the minds of his listeners allowing his vivid imagery to be displayed in every piece of music he wrote.
Born in Melborne, Florida in 1943 as the son of Stephen and Clara Morrison, Jim, along with his two younger siblings, lived under the harsh command of his parents and was often subject to his father’s military-style discipline know as “dressing down”. “This consisted of yelling and berating Jim and his siblings until they were reduced to tears and acknowledged their failings” (Jim Morrison, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Though this had a serious effect on his siblings, Morrison himself always seemed to be unfazed by it. This could possibly be the root of Morrison’s blatant disrespect for authority during his adolescent and short- lived adult years.
Upon entering high school, Morrison, like many teenagers at the time quickly familiarized himself with drugs and alcohol, with his grades suffering tremendously as a result. His once honorable grades had dwindled down to far below his potential, and when he actually attended class he was often loud and disruptive leaving the teacher with no other option but to exclude him from any lessons. By the end of is high school career Morrison was forced to move out of his parents house, and was sent to live with his grandmother in Clearwater, Florida. From this point on Morrison “embarked on a life long pattern of alcoholism and substance abuse” (Jim Morrison, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), which inevitably lead to his tragic death.
Though he was far from a good student in high school, Morrison managed to get himself into a junior college, and later into FSU and then to the film school at UCLA to finish his undergraduate degree. It was here that Morrison was first recognized for his artistic abilities when he came out with two short films; “First Love”, and “Obscura”. They instantly gained the attention of his professors and would become useful later on in his career when he directed music videos for his band.
mother, Ruth, brought him to live with her at a sailor's hotel and bar that she
Morrison studied humanities at Howard and Cornell Universities. She pursued an academic career at Texas Southern University and Yale. She has had a chair at Princeton University since 1989. During these years she has also worked as an editor at Random House, a literary critic, and she has written and given many lectures focusing on African-American literature. Morrison's maternal and paternal influences greatly affected her outlook on life and this influence is palpable in her works and their characters and themes. From her father she learned to distrust whites and that she merited self-worth despite the white opinion of those of the black race "She readily admits: My father was a racist. As a child in ...
The end of man is knowledge, but there is one thing a man can't know. He can't
Jimi is today acknowledged as a musical intellectual. He is highly recognized for his precision and speed while playing his music. He did not care what kind of feedback he got whether it was negative or positive, all Jimi wanted to do was play his music the way he wanted. He created his music as one of the melodic elements and people went crazy for him and his ability to play, sing and dance all at the same time. As a rock singer and guitarist, Jim Hendrix won several awards for being a major contribution to rock music during his time. It is widely agreed that he was among one of the most influential musicians in the history of rock music. As the star of the rock music during his time, Jimi did not just play music but improved the image of rock music as well. While it is the dream of every artist to make a contribution throughout his or her work and performances, not all of them were successfully able to make their dreams to come true. Through Jimi’s singing and performances, he is today acknowledged for the impact that he had on the rock music we now have today. Some of his major contributions to rock music are that he improved the styles that were used to play a guitar by flipping the music upside down as well as
Bob Dylan is an important icon whose music continues to influence rock music even six decades later, despite after several top forty hits, not one being a number one hit. His music has inspired many iconic musicians like Johnny Cash and The Grateful Dead (nj101.com) . What Bob Dylan brought to rock music back in the sixties can be heard in today’s music.
“I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly and we don't even know it.”
Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison were more than leads of great bands. They were heros of their generations. They had so many talents and each influenced a multitude of people. Aside from being singers and song writers Kurt was also a musician, guitarist and mass-media phenomenon, and Jim was also a poet, film maker and writer. Their groups also had about a twenty year span in between them. Even though it seems you could not compare them you actually can. Unlike fictional writers their material comes more from their life experiences and feelings. Even though it was different things that affected each one you can still see a pattern of similarity between their lives. They both experienced hardships in their lives and also a few unexpected turns. There was a massive amount of stress put on their lives because not only did they have to worry about what they wrote but also what they said. Live performances were constantly being taped, there were interviews and television shows and specials, newspaper and magazine articles, and also public appearances. To them this also had to become a form of artistry. The publicity and fame that comes to band is far greater than any that would come to just one single writer. This was also a factor in their writings and maybe even in their tragic deaths.
As a child Dylan was comfortable being the center of attention, often writing creative poetry for his mother and on occasion singing. Dylan had no formal music lessons, but none the less he began to compose. Later at age 14, he took up the guitar and shortly after formed a band, one of many he played the guitar in. Always plunging ahead, performing to his up most potentional, Dylan absorbed his surroundings as a source of inspiration. Even during his early efforts Dylan responded very positivly to mainstream musicians, such as country star Hank Williams. Yet, he responded especially well to early rock stars such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. In the summer of 1959, after graduation Dylan began to work at a cafe, where he began to pay increasing attention to folksingers such as Judy Collins and Jesse Fuller. Finding an instant connection with their songs, songs relevant to social issues. Dylan was drawn into both the musical style and the social message of these indivisuals.
Bob Dylan is one of the most influential artists, especially in the Vietnam era where everything seemed to be falling apart. He wrote so many different rebel ballads that I most definitely think impacted the turnout of the 60s and 70s. Many of his songs are still popular today and so many different generations know of him and his work. Bob Dylan influenced many artists and is still is inspiring people and will continue to for many years to come.
Toni Morrison does not use any words she doesn’t need to. She narrates the story plainly and simply, with just a touch of bleak sadness. Her language has an uncommon power because of this; her matter-of-factness makes her story seem more real. The shocking unexpectedness of the one-sentence anecdotes she includes makes the reader think about what she says. With this unusual style, Morrison’s novel has an enthralling intensity that is found in few other places
Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18,1931 in Lorain, Ohio to George and Ramah Willis Wofford. She was the second of four children. Her parents influenced her writing because of their contrasting views. Her father had a very pessimistic view of hope for his people; however, her mother had a more positive belief that a person, with effort, could rise above African-Americans’ current surroundings (Carmean 1-2). Her parents also influenced her because they were “gifted storytellers who taught their children the value of family history and the vitality of language”(Carmean 2).
This article demonstatres how important Kurt Cobain was both as a rock and roll icon and a philosopher. His songs which he recorded himself are still popular today, over 20 years after his death. The author argues how Cobain influences other young artists and his effect on the direction of the music industry.
Simon and Garfunkel were just those kinds of poets. Their words were able to stimulate an emotion with most of their readers. Simon and Garfunkel are one of my favorite artists, and in my opinion one of the most influential lyricist of their time. In their song, “I am a rock”, they are able to make you feel and question for someone who avoiding emotional attachment, and instead of questioning what it might be like, using their words to but you in their place.
“With the writing of Jazz, Morrison takes on new tasks and new risks. Jazz, for example, doesn’t fit the classic novel format in terms of design, sentence structure, or narration. Just like the music this novel is named after, the work is improvisational.”
Toni Morrison born Chloe Walker was born in Lorain, Ohio in 1931. In 1949, after graduating from Lorain high school, Morrison attended Howard University. Where she majored in English and minored in classics, also while attending Howard University Morrison was an active socialite. By 1954 Morrison graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Upon graduation Morrison devoted her time to teaching at prestigious universities such as Yale, Princeton, Howard and Southern University. After her years of teaching Morrison decided to focus her passion on writing. With her literary work Morrison’s works has become a blue print for young black writers