The Doors Faq v1.0

Who was in The Doors?

James Douglas Morrison (b. December 8 1943 in Melbourne, Florida
- lead singer d. July 3 1971 in Paris, France)

Raymond Daniel Manzarek (b. February 12 1939 in Chicago, Illinois)
- keyboards

John Paul Densmore (b. December 1 1944 in Santa Monica, California)
- percussion

Robert Alan Krieger (b. January 8 1946 in Los Angeles, California)
- guitar

Back to Top

How did The Doors get their name?

The name 'The Doors' was Jim's idea and it was inspired by a quote from William Blake, "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear as it is, infinite." Jim himself was fond of saying, "there are things known and things unknown and in between are The Doors."

Back to Top

When and where were The Doors formed?

The Doors were formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California. Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek had known each other at UCLA where they majored in film. In the summer of 1965, Manzarek was on the beach in Venice when Morrison came walking toward him. Jim sat down and the two them started talking about what they had been doing during the summer. Jim said he had been writing some songs. Ray asked him to sing one of them. Jim sang a few lines from Moonlight Drive. Ray was very impressed with the lyrics and suggested the two of them form a rock band. Jim said that that was his idea all along.
The very first line-up of the band consisted of Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek, along with Ray's two brothers, Rick and Jim. There was no bass player or regular drummer. They just hired whomever they could whenever they landed a gig. Then Ray met John Densmore at the Third Street Meditation center in Los Angeles. Ray and John were both disciples of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who opened the center in 1965. Ray invited John to join the group and be their regular drummer. In late 1965, Rick and Jim Manzarek quit the band as they seemed to be on a fast road to nowhere. They had shopped a demo tape around with little interest until Billy James at Columbia Records signed them to a deal. However once signed, Columbia did not show much interest in actually developing the band. On top of all this, they now had to replace Rick Manzarek who had been their guitar player.
Ray remembered another guy at the Meditation center who was a guitar player. He was a friend of John Densmore, named Robby Krieger. When Robby went to audition for The Doors he fit right in. Like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle, the band was now complete. Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robby Krieger and Jim Morrison were now, The Doors.

Back to Top

What instruments did The Doors use?

Ray Manzarek started off using a Wurlitzer electric keyboard. He then switched to a Vox Continental organ. He put a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass on top of the Vox. He used the Vox for about two and a half albums and then started using a Gibson Kalamazoo.

Robby Kreiger started with a 1964 Gibson Melody Maker. This guitar was stolen so he then used a Gibson SG Special. For bottleneck playing, he used a Gibson Les Paul.

John Densmore started off with Gretsch drums. One tom-tom on the bass, one floor tom and a snare. He then switched to Ludwig for the third album. He used a basic four-piece setup of snare, bass, and two tom-toms. He used Zildjian cymbals for the first three albums and then switched to Paiste 605s.

Back to Top

What studio albums were released on the Elektra label?

THE DOORS
  (January 1967, available on CD)

Break On Through (To The Other Side) / Soul Kitchen / The Crystal Ship /
Twentieth Century Fox / Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) / Light My Fire / Back
Door Man / I Looked At You / End Of The Night / Take It As It Comes / The
End


STRANGE DAYS
  (October 1967, available on CD)

Strange Days / You're Lost Little Girl / Love Me Two Times / Unhappy Girl /
Horse Latitudes / Moonlight Drive / People Are Strange / My Eyes Have Seen
You / I Can't See Your Face In My Mind / When The Music's Over



WAITING FOR THE SUN
  (July 1968, available on CD)

Hello, I Love You / Love Street / Not To Touch The Earth / Summer's Almost
Gone / Wintertime Love / The Unknown Soldier / Spanish Caravan / My Wild
Love / We Could Be So Good Together / Yes, The River Knows / Five To One



THE SOFT PARADE
  (July 1969, available on CD)

Tell All The People / Touch Me / Shaman's Blues / Do It / Easy Ride /
Wild Child / Runnin' Blue / Wishful Sinful / The Soft Parade



MORRISON HOTEL
  (February 1970, available on CD)

Roadhouse Blues / Waiting For The Sun / You Make Me Real / Peace Frog /
Blue Sunday / Ship Of Fools / Land Ho! / The Spy / Queen Of The Highway /
Indian Summer / Maggie M'Gill



L. A. WOMAN
  (April 1971, available on CD)

The Changeling / Love Her Madly / Been Down So Long / Cars Hiss By My
Window / L. A. Woman / L'America / Hyacinth House / Crawling King Snake /
The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat) / Riders On The Storm



AN AMERICAN PRAYER
  (November 1979, not available on CD)

Awake / Ghost Song / Dawn's Highway / To Come of Age / Black Polished
Chrome Latino Chrome / Angels and Sailors / The Movie / Curses 
Invocations / American Night / Roadhouse Blues / Lament / The 
Hitchhiker / An American Prayer

This album is Jim's spoken poetry with newly recorded music by The Doors
playing in the background.

What other Elektra albums were released?

ABSOLUTELY LIVE
  (July 1970, not available on CD)

Who Do You Love / Medley: < Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) / Back Door Man /
Love Hides / Five To One > / Build Me A Woman / When The Music's Over /
Close To You / Universal Mind / Break On Through #2 / The Celebration Of
The Lizard / Soul Kitchen

The liner notes say this album was recorded in New York and Philadelphia.
Based on Jim's conversations with the audience, the New York material is
almost certainly from the shows on January 17 & 18, 1970 at the Felt Forum.
The Philadelphia show was either the one in the summer of '69 or the one
at the Spectrum in April 1970.  Hopkins & Sugarman's book No One Here Gets
Out Alive, however, claims that this recording of The Celebration Of The
Lizard was from the Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood.  Who Do You Love is
definitely from Philadelphia, and When The Music's Over is definitely from
New York.
All the songs on this album are available on the In Concert 2-CD set.


ALIVE SHE CRIED
  (November 1983, available on CD)

Gloria / Light My Fire (including Graveyard Poem) / You Make Me Real /
Texas Radio And The Big Beat / Love Me Two Times / Little Red Rooster /
Moonlight Drive (including Horse Latitudes)

The liner notes say these songs were recorded between 68-70 in Los
Angeles, New York, Detriot, Boston and Copenhagen.  The Copenhagen tracks
are Texas Radio And The Big Beat and Love Me Two Times, which were recorded
for a  TV show in Denmark in 1968.  Gloria was the sound check for one of
the two Monday night performances at the Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood,
July 1969.  The presence of John Sebastian marks Little Red Rooster as
coming from the Felt Forum, New York shows on January 17 and 18, 1970.  The
only concerts in Detroit and Boston that I know of are the April 9, 1970
Boston show and the 1970 Cobo Hall show in Detroit.
All the songs on this album are available on the In Concert 2-CD set.


LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
  (June 1987, available on CD)

Wake Up / Light My Fire / Unknown Soldier / A Little Game / The Hill
Dwellers / Spanish Caravan / Light My Fire (edit) [CD only]

These songs were recorded on July 5th, 1969 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los
Angeles, California.



IN CONCERT
  (May 1990, available on CD)

House Announcer / Who Do You Love / Medley: < Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) /
Back Door Man / Love Hides / Five To One > / Build Me A Woman / When The
Music's Over / Universal Mind / Medley: < Dead Cats, Dead Rats / Break On
Through #2 > / The Celebration Of The Lizard: < Lions In The Street / Wake
Up / A Little Game / The Hill Dwellers / Not To Touch The Earth / Names Of
The Kingdom / The Palace Of Exile > / Soul Kitchen / Roadhouse Blues /
Gloria / Light My Fire (including Graveyard Poem) / You Make Me Real /
Texas Radio And The Big Beat / Love Me Two Times / Little Red Rooster /
Moonlight Drive (including Horse Latitudes) / Close To You / The Unknown
Soldier / The End

This album is an encapsulation of all the material from Absolutely Live
and Alive She Cried, with the live Roadhouse Blues that was issued as a
single in 1979, the version of The Unknown Soldier from Live At The
Hollywood Bowl, and the previously unreleased The End, also from the
Hollywood Bowl concert.
The liner notes list Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Detroit and Copenhagen as being recording sites for this
compilation.  The material from Absolutely Live (the entire first disc and
Close To You) was recorded in is from New York and Philadelphia.  The
tracks from Alive She Cried (from Gloria through Moonlight Drive/Horse
Latitudes on the second disc) are from Los Angeles, New York, Detriot,
Boston and Copenhagen.  The Hollywood Bowl is in Los Angeles, so the two
tracks from that concert are accounted for.  Only Roadhouse Blues and
Pittsburgh remain, so it is probably safe to assume that track is from that
location.



13
  (November 1970, not available on CD)

Light My Fire / People Are Strange / Back Door Man / Moonlight Drive / The
Crystal Ship / Roadhouse Blues / Touch Me / Love Me Two Times / You're Lost
Little Girl / Hello, I Love You / Wild Child / The Unknown Soldier



WEIRD SCENES INSIDE THE GOLDMINE
  (January 1972, not available on CD)

Break On Through (To The Other Side) / Strange Days / Shaman's Blues / Love
Street / Peace Frog / Blue Sunday / The Wasp / End Of The Night / Love Her
Madly / Spanish Caravan / Ship Of Fools / The Spy / The End / Take It As It
Comes / Runnin' Blue / L. A. Woman / Five To One / Who Scared You / Don't
Go No Farther / Riders On The Storm / Maggie McGill / Horse Latitudes /
When The Music's Over

This is the only collection to include the two b-side only tracks the
Doors released: Who Scared You and Don't Go No Farther.



BEST OF THE DOORS
  (August 1973, not available on CD)

Who Do You Love [live] / Soul Kitchen / Hello, I Love You / People Are
Strange / Riders On The Storm / Touch Me / Love Her Madly / Love Me Two
Times / Take It As It Comes / Moonlight Drive / Light My Fire



GREATEST HITS
  (October 1980, not available on CD)

Hello, I Love You / Light My Fire / People Are Strange / Love Me Two Times /
Riders On The Storm / Break On Through (To The Other Side) / Roadhouse
Blues / Not To Touch The Earth / Touch Me / L. A. Woman



CLASSICS
  (May 1985, not available on CD)

Strange Days / Love Her Madly / Waiting For The Sun / My Eyes Have Seen You
/ Wild Child / The Crystal Ship / Five To One / Roadhouse Blues [live] /
Land Ho! / I Can't See You Face In My Mind / Peace Frog / The Wasp (Texas
Radio And The Big Beat) / The Unknown Soldier



THE BEST OF THE DOORS
  (June 1987, available on CD)

Break On Through (To The Other Side) / Light My Fire / The Crystal Ship /
People Are Strange / Strange Days / Love Me Two Times / Alabama Song
[CD/tape only] / Five To One / Waiting For The Sun / Spanish Caravan / When
The Music's Over / Hello, I Love You / Roadhouse Blues / L. A. Woman /
Riders On The Storm / Touch Me / Love Her Madly / The Unknown Soldier / The
End

This is the only proper greatest hits collection available on CD.



THE DOORS: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RECORDING
  (March 1991, available on CD)

The Movie / Riders On The Storm / Love Street / Break On Through / The End
/ Light My Fire / Ghost Song / Roadhouse Blues [live] / Heroin [Lou Reed,
performed by the Velvet Underground] / Carmina Burana: Introduction [Carl
Orff, performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra] / Stoned Immaculate /
When The Music's Over / The Severed Garden (Adagio) / L. A. Woman

What studio albums were recorded after Jim's death?

Other Voices
  (November 1971)

In The Eye Of The Sun / Variety Is The Spice Of Life / Ships w/ Sails /
Tightrope Ride / Down On The Farm / I'm Horny, I'm Stoned / Wandering 
Musician / Hang On To Your Life



Full Circle
  (July 1972)

Get Up And Dance / 4 Billion Souls / Verdilac / Hardwood Floor / Good Rockin
/ The Mosquito / The Piano Bird / It Slipped My Mind / The Peking King And The
New York Queen

What is their number one selling album and single?

The number one selling single is really no surprise. It is 'Light My Fire'. It was the #1 song on the National Top 40 for three weeks and in the National Top 40 for a total of fourteen weeks.
Sources point to L.A. Woman as being their best selling album. If anyone can find proof that this is true, please let us know the source of the information.

Back to Top

Will 'An American Prayer' be released on CD?

Yes. Doors fans have been waiting anxiously for this to come out on CD for a long time. The release date has once again been pushed back to April of 1995.

Back to Top

Is Elektra going to release a Doors box set?

Ray Manzarek has gone on record as saying that they will put together a box set towards the end of 1994. When more definate plans are known it will be added to this FAQ.

Back to Top

What books are available on The Doors?


Clarke, Ross. "The Doors. Dance On Fire". Chesington, Surrey: 
Castle Communications PLC, 1993.

Dalton, David. "Mr. Mojo Risin', Jim Morrison The Last Holy Fool". London:
Spade & Archer, 1990.

Densmore, John. "Riders On The Storm". New York: Delacorte Press, 1990.     

Doe, Andrew, and John Tobler. "The Doors in Their Own Words".  London:
Omnibus Press, 1988.

Hopkins, Jerry.  "The Lizard King, The Essential Jim Morrison".  New York: 
Macmillan/Collier Books, 1993.

Hopkins, Jerry and Danny Sugarman. "No One Here Gets Out Alive".  New York:
Warner Books, 1980.  

Huddleston, Judy. "This Is The End, My Only Friend/Living and Dying With
Jim Morrison". New York: Shapolsky Publishers, 1991.

Jahn, Mike. "Jim Morrison And The Doors".  New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1969.

Jones, Dylan. "Dark Star".  London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1990 (American
edition, New York: Viking, 1991)

Kennealy, Patricia. "Strange Days, My Life With and Without Jim Morrison".
New York: Dutton, 1992.

Lisciandro, Frank. "An Hour for Magic".  New York: Delilah Books, 1982.

Lisciandro, Frank. "Morrison, A Feast of Friends". New York:
Warner Books, Inc. 1991.

Lisciandro, Frank, ed.  "Wilderness: The Lost Writing of Jim Morrison, 
Volume 1".  New York: Random House and Vintage Books, 1988.

Mooney, Jim, ed.  "Light My Fire".  New York: Zepplin, 1978.

Riordan, James and Jerry Prochnicky.  "Break on Through, The Life and 
Death of Jim Morrison".  New York: William Morrow/Quill, 1991.

Ruhlmann, William. "The Doors". London: Bison Books Ltd. 1991.

Seymore, Bob. "The End. The Death of Jim Morrison. London: 
Omnibus Press, 1990.

Sugarman, Danny.  "The Doors: The Illustrated History".  New York: William
Morrow & Co./Quill, 1983.

Sugarman, Danny.  "Wonderland Avenue".  New York: William Morrow & Co., 1989.

Taylor, Derek.  "It Was Twenty Years Ago Today".  New York: Fireside 
Books, 1987.

Tobler, John and Andrew Doe.  "The Doors In Their Own Words". London:
Omnibus Press, 1988.

What books of poetry did Jim write?


Morrison, James Douglas.  "The Lords".  Los Angeles: Western Lithographers,
1969.  Private publishing of 100 copies.

Morrison, James Douglas. "The New Creatures".  Los Angeles: Western 
Lithographers, 1969.  Private publishing of 100 copies.

Morrison, James Douglas.  "An American Prayer".  Los Angeles: Western 
Lithographers, 1970.  Private publishing of 100 copies.

Morrison, James Douglas.  "An American Prayer".  New York: Zepplin, 1983.

Morrison, James Douglas.  "The Lords & The New Creatures".  New York: 
Simon and Schuster, 1971.

Morrison, Jim. "The American Night".  New York: Villard Books, 1990.

What offical videos have been released?


Forbes, Gorden, dir.  "The Doors: A Tribute To Jim Morrison".  Hollywood: 
Warner Home Video, 1981.  Mono sound, 60 minutes.

Justman, Paul and Ray Manzarek, dirs.  "The Doors Live in Europe 1968".  
New York: HBO Video, 1988.  Mono sound, 58 minutes. 

Leo, Malcolm, dir.  "Rolling Stone Presents Twenty Years Of Rock And Roll"
Hollywood: MGM/UA Home Video, 1987.  VHS Hi-Fi Stereo, 97 minutes.

Manzarek, Ray, dir.  "The Doors Dance On Fire Classic Performances And 
Greatest Hist"  Universal City: MCA Universal Home Video, 1985.  VHS Hi-Fi 
Stereo, 65 minutes.

Manzarek, Ray, dir. "The Doors Live At The Hollywood Bowl" MCA Home Video,
1990. 65 minutes.

Manzarek, Ray, dir.  "The Doors The Soft Parade A Retrospective"  
Universal City: MCA Universal Home Video, 1991.  VHS Hi-Fi Stereo, 50 
minutes.

Sheppard, John, dir.  "Live #2 The Doors The Doors Are Open"  Hollywood:
Warner Reprise Video, 1968.  VHS Hi-Fi Stereo, 60 minutes.

Stone, Oliver, dir.  "The Doors".  Hollywood: 1991, 135 minutes.

Are there any Doors fan-clubs?

				
The Doors Collectors Club
c/o TDM Inc.
P.O. Box 1441
Orem, Utah
84059-1441
United States

Membership fees are $20.00 in the US, $25.00 in Canada and $30.00 for overseas.
All fees are payable in US funds and entitle you to a one year membership which
includes four issues of the Doors Collectors Magazine, personal membership card
and a quarterly list of rare and unusual Doors memorabilia.


The Doors Appreciation Society
c/o Richard Bond
11 Telford Way
High Wycombe
Bucks HP13 5EB
England

Membership includes publication of "The Soft Parade", published quarterly.
Send one IRC for information or $18.00 US for a one year subscription.


Doors Quarterly Magazine
Am Oelvebach 5
D. 4150 Krefeld-Stratum 12
Germany

Subscription rates, BRD 25 DM; Europe 30 DM; Overseas 35 DM.
(DM= deutsch mark)

Are there any Doors tribute bands?


Yes. Look for the following bands in your area.


Soft Parade (Featuring Joe Russo)
 For information call (212) 255-0800

Wild Child (Featuring Dave Brock)
 For information call (714) 520-4801

Carnival Dogs (Featuring Jeff Taverner)
 (Formerly known as  Riders On The Storm)
 For information call (818) 332-4020

Back Doors (Featuring Jim Hakim)

Moonlight Drive (Featuring Bill Pettijohn)

Where can I get Doors files on-line?


Doors lyrics are available by anonymous ftp at the following sites:

     host ftp.uwp.edu
    
     /pub/music/artists/d/doors


     host ftp.sunet.se

     /pub/music/lyrics/d/doors


Doors guitar chords are available by anonymous ftp at the following sites:

     host ftp.nevada.edu

     /pub/guitar/d/doors


     host cs.uwp.edu   (this is a mirror site of animal-farm.nevada.edu)

     /pub/music/guitar/d/doors

Who was Pamela Courson?

Pamela Susan Courson was born December 22, 1946 near Weed, California. She met Jim at Gazzarri's Club in L.A. while an art student at Los Angeles City College.
At the time of their meeting she was nineteen years old. She would become Jim's steady companion for the next five years until his death in 1971. Their relationship could be described as love-hate. They loved each other deeply, but they also fought often and abused each other. She was the one woman who could and did stand up to Jim. She could dish it out to him as well as he could to her. They both had flings on the side with other people but they always came back to each other in the end. Pamela was to take the name Morrison later on in their relationship even though she never actually married Jim.

Back to Top

What is the official cause of Jim's death?

Jim Morrison was found dead in the bathtub at approximately 5:00 am on July 3, 1971. On July 2, Jim had accompanied Pamela Courson to see a movie. After watching the movie they returned to their apartment, and he went to bed. He awoke some time later coughing and complaining of chest pains. He decided to take a bath. On the morning of July 3, Pamela awoke to see Jim still in the bathtub. She went into the bathroom and discovered he was dead. The death certificate simply stated he died as a result of heart failure. It was speculated that a blood clot from a respiratory illness made its way through his bloodstream where it stopped his heart, while he took his bath. There has since been speculation that Jim died of a drug overdose, possibly taking heroin thinking that it was cocaine. However there is no proof and no autopsy was ever performed.

Back to Top

Where is Jim buried and is his body to be moved?

Jim was buried July 8, 1971 at Pere-Lachaise cemetary in Paris, France. Pere-Lachaise is one of Paris' oldest, most prestigious cemetaries. Many famous people are buried here including, Chopin and Oscar Wilde.
Jim's plot was originally leased for a thirty year period, due to expire in 2001. This has fueled the rumour that his body is going to be removed from Pere-Lachaise during that year. This is because the relatives of the deceased at Pere-Lachaise have petitioned to have his body removed. The reason given is that many people who call themselves fans have desecrated tombs and headstones with graffiti and left behind much litter after visiting the cemetary. It is not known where Jim is to be moved to, but the popular rumour is that he will be moved to Los Angeles.

Back to Top

What do the strange letters on the headstone mean?

The following words are written in Greek on Jim's headstone.

KATA TON /\AIMONA EAYTOY
         --

It means 'burn your own demon'. Thanks to Vasiliki Chatzi for the translation. What we do not know is what significance this has exactly, and who decided to put it on the headstone. If anyone knows, please let me know.
[There has been a second translation sent to me by John Ledges. He had a professor of Greek at Iowa State U translate it, and he got two possible translations:

"In accordance with his own personality" or
"In opposition to his own personality"

Addition to FAQ by Neal Kettler ]

Back to Top

How and when did Pamela Courson die?

Pamela Susan Courson Morrison died April 25, 1974 in her Hollywood apartment of a heroin overdose. Her body was cremated and her ashes were buried in Jim Morrison's grave at Pere-Lachaise cemetary.

Back to Top

Who is Patricia Kennealy and was she married to Jim?

Patricia Kennealy was editor Of "Jazz and Pop" magazine when she met Jim Morrison in 1969. She met Jim at the Plaza Hotel in New York City for an interview. Not only was Kennealy a magazine editor, but she was also a practicing witch. The question of marriage is a thorn in the side of many fans because she currently goes by the last name of Morrison. While there is no doubt that she married Jim in a pagan ceremony (handfasting), the marriage is not recognized as legal. Kennealy has admitted such but maintains that it was a spiritual committment between Jim and herself and many fans support and believe her. On the other hand, the fact that Jim did not mention the ceremony to many of his friends and that he returned consistently to Pamela Courson until his death, seems to support the opposing view that Jim participated in the ceremony for kicks and that he didn't take his relationship with Kennealy seriously.

Back to Top

What happened in Miami, Florida?

The Doors were scheduled to play a concert at the Dinner Key Auditorium on March 1, 1969. The Doors manager, Bill Siddons had made a deal with the Miami promoter, Ken Collier to accept a flat fee of $25,0000 instead of sixty percent of the gross receipts. Collier then sold bewteen eight to nine thousand tickets at more than the agreed price. Collier also removed seats to allow more people into the auditorium. An auditorium designed to hold seven thousand people was now packed tight with about thirteen thousand.
Jim Morrison missed his scheduled flight into Miami and spent the time waiting for the next flight, drinking in the airport lounge. Once he boarded the plane he continued drinking. During a stopover in New Orleans he missed his flight again and consumed even more drinks waiting for the next flight. By the time he reached Miami he was extremely drunk. Once he took the stage he was almost falling down drunk. He was abusive towards the audience, he would start a song only to stop it after a few lines, he would bum even more drinks from members of the audience. At some point in the concert he then asked the audience, "Do you wanna see my cock?" He allegedly then exposed himself for a brief instant and continued on with the show.
The next day the Doors started a planned vacation. While out of the country, the press in Miami had a field day with the alleged exposure incident. Pressure was put on local officials to do something about it. On March 5 1969, Bob Jennings from the state attorney's office acted as complainant. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Jim Morrison on one felony count of lewd and lascivious behaviour and three misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, open profanity and drunkenness.
Jim turned himself in to the FBI in Los Angeles on April 4, 1969. On November 9, 1969 he entered a not guilty plea in Miami. The trial did not start until August 12, 1970. Max Fink was Jim's defence lawyer, the prosecuter was Terrence McWilliams and Judge Murray Goodman presided over the case. Much evidence was heard from witnesses for both sides. Most of it was contradictory. On September 20, 1970 the jury found Jim Morrison guilty on the misdemeanor charges of indecent exposure and profanity. He was found not guilty on the felony charge and the misdemeanor for drunkenness. He was released on a $50,000 bond and returned to Miami on October 30, 1970 for sentencing.
Judge Goodman sentenced Jim to six months of hard labor and a $500 fine for public exposure and sixty days of hard labor for profanity. The sentences would run concurrently. He would be eligible for release after two months and would be on probation for two years and four months. His lawyer filed an immediate appeal. Until the appeal could be heard, Jim would be free on the $50,000 bond.
Jim Morrison was to die in Paris, France July 3, 1971 before his legal problems could be resolved.

Back to Top

Who was 'Mr. Mojo'?

Mr. Mojo makes his appearence in the song L.A. Woman. The verse goes something like this,


Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'
Got to keep on risin'
Mr. Mojo Risin', Mr. Mojo Risin'

etc,etc

One thing we know for sure is that 'Mr. Mojo Risin' is a perfect anagram. Re-arrange the letters and it spells 'Jim Morrison'. The only other thing we know is from John Densmore's book. In it, John says that mojo is some kind of black magic sexual power. So, we'll just leave it up to your imagination to come up with the answer of what Jim meant by this.

Back to Top

Was the movie 'The Doors' accurate?

It is generally agreed upon by Doors purists that Oliver Stone's movie was not a true representation of Jim Morrison and The Doors. While the movie had some great music in it and the actors did a fine job, (particularly Val Kilmer as Jim) it seems that Stone took some liberties with the film. The film only shows the dark, self-destructive side of Jim. He is portrayed as an out-of-control, abusive drunk. Certainly that was a part of his persona. But there was much much more to the man as any true Doors fan can tell you. And Stone for whatever reason chose not to explore the poetic and intellectual side of Jim. At least not to any great extent. Unfortunately, the movie has only reinforced the idea among the general populace that Jim Morrison was nothing but an obnoxious, pathetic rock-and-roll singing alcoholic. Ray Manzarek has gone on record as saying that several scenes in the movie never took place. Scenes like the turkey dinner, the closet fire and the song 'Light My Fire' being used in a commercial. Those of you have seen the movie know which scenes these are, those of you who have yet to see the movie, keep these scenes in mind.
This writer would recommend that you see the movie for the music and Val Kilmer's portrayal of Jim. But, for someone who wants to learn more about The Doors and the 'real' Jim Morrison, please read some of the books mentioned above and get your hands on some of the official video releases.

Back to Top

What are the remaining Doors doing today?

Ray has been working in partnership with poet Michael McClure. During their performance, McClure recites his poetry and Ray accompanies Michael on the piano. They have released a CD called 'Love Lion'. The CD is on the Shanachie Records label.

John has been touring with writer Michael Ventura. They do poetry and dramatic readings.

Robby is busy with his own band called, 'The Robby Kreiger Organization'. He is trying to get a new record deal and get back into the recording studio.

Back to Top

"This is the end, beautiful friend".

JDM