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
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
At the height of his popularity, he became a fixture in American culture, with his name, style, image, music, and voice becoming a global phenomenon. His influence in helping pioneer early rock music had a lasting effect for many years to follow.
Morrison has said, "I can easily project into other people's circumstances and imagine how I might feel if...I don't have to have done this things. So that if I'm writing of what I disapprove of, I can suspend that feeling and love those characters a lot. You know, sort of get inside the character because I sort of wonder what it would be like to be this person..." Both her novels, The Bluest Eye and Sula, speak to this statement.
...onal autonomy and archetypal rock star decadence. As Morrison has not been subject to a study of commodification, as has Presley, then the study of Morrison as a commodity, and its religion to consideration of him as a “religious figure,” warrants future study.
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.
Morrison's childhood gave little indication of the road he would follow. He was born on December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida (Hopkins 30). Morrison's father was in the Navy so he moved around frequently. Jim started high school in Alameda, California. With his best friend, Ford Fud, he engaged in typical teenage pranks and problems. His sophomore year, Jim moved to Alexandria, Virginia where he attended a segregated, upper middle class school. In school Jim was constantly calling attention to himself. Once he chased an imaginary bee around the classroom (Hopkins 39). He was never content to be normal or average. Jim also had a huge fascination with literature and poetry, and his IQ was listed as 149 in school records.
Bob Dylan was considered one of the greatest influences on popular culture of all time, and though influential, Bob Dylan’s rise to idol status in popular culture was more brought about by historical factors, his life was affected by many historical events including, The Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination and the civil rights movement, to name a few. His songs became known as protest songs, despite Bob Dylan’s apparent lack of understanding for the meanings the public attached to his writing.
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.
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
Jim Morrison is widely considered to be one of the most iconic performers in rock and roll history. Paired with the instrumentals of The Doors, his haunting lyrics and chaotic performance style struck a chord with audiences of the 1960’s and elevated him to “Rock God” status. Morrison undoubtedly lived his life in a way to live up to that title: in his short lifetime he was arrested a total of 6 times and most of his adult life was consumed by copious amounts of sex, drugs and alcohol. Of course, all of this indulgence only led to tragedy, Morrison was often prone to self-destructive and abusive behaviors. Oliver Stone’s 1991 film The Doors as well as James Farr’s essay “'The Lizard King or Fake Hero?”: Oliver Stone, Jim Morrison, and History
Poet William Blake once said "If The Doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite" (Gilmore 34). From this quote arose a band that even over 20 years after its disbanding still is played and remembered. The Doors started as a little garage band in California back in the early sixties. They were extremely popular due to their lead singer, Jim Morrison. Morrison himself was a real character. Morrison is considered by many critics a modern day poet. Others view him in a different light, George Will wrote "Morrison resembled Byron in one aspect, they both were mad, bad, and dangerous to know" (Will 64). Still others view him as a hero of the 'counterculture'. He was a sort of 'Peter Pan', one of those boys who never grew up. Morrison basically was The Doors. His blatant disregard for law and order made him a very well known figure. He was arrested on a few occasions for charges ranging from inciting riots to indecent exposure. He was also notorious for his drug use and alcohol abuse. His poetry though, justified his lifestyle. There were also three other members of the band: Ray Manzarak (keyboards), John Densmore (drummer), and Robby Krieger (guitarist). They all made up The Doors, but after the death of the lead singer Jim Morrison, the band's popularity dropped significantly. They did though produce three albums after Morrison's untimely demise (all of which were not very popular). Jim Morrison died on July 4th, 1971, in Paris, France. He was 27 years old at the time of death (the same age Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin died at also). He was found in his bathtub with a cute smirk on his face. He had finally "broke through to the other side"(Gilmore 35).
Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. Toni Morrison’s father, George Wofford, worked primarily as a welder, but held several jobs at once to support his family (Toni Morrison Biography 1). As a welder, he was a hardworking and dignified man who took a great deal of pride in the quality of his work and always made sure that his dress game was on point (1). He was also a well-dressed man, even during the depression and later started to become racist (1). This made Toni Morrison start to mistrust all white people (1).