THEREUPON: JAMES DOUGLAS MORRISON the defendant herein, was recalled as a witness on his own behalf, and being first duly sworn, was examined and testified on his oath as follows: DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR FINK Q: Will you state your full name, please? Jim: My name is James Douglas Morrison.     Q: Mr. Morrison, where do you live? Jim: I am a resident of California.     Q: Are you a member of a group called The Doors? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: About when was that group formed? Jim: Well, approximately four years ago.     Q: Do you recall when you started to work together professionally? Jim: Oh, about six months after we started rehearsing.     Q: What education do you have? Jim: I am a graduate of UCLA Bachelor in Fine Arts.     Q: UCLA, is that the University of California of Los Angeles? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: Did you go to school with Ray Manzarek? Jim: For about a year and a half.     Q: Did you also go to school in Florida? Jim: Yes, I did.     Q: Where did you go to school in Florida? Jim: I started out at St. Petersburg Junior College and then moved up to Florida State University.     Q: What is your fathers business or occupation? Jim: He is a member of the Navy.     Q: In connection with his naval work, did your family move about? Jim: Yes, we did. (objection, overruled)     Q: Mr. Morrison, what type of work do you do? Jim: I sing and write songs.     Q: Do you also write poetry, literature and art work? Jim: That is more a labour of love rather than occupation.     Q: Do you recall being in Miami at Dinner Key Auditorium? Jim: Yes, sir, I do.     Q: Was that on March 1st of 1969? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: Do you recall arriving in Miami? Jim: Yes, sir, I do.     Q: At the time that you arrived at Dinner Key Auditorium were the other members of your group already present? Jim: Yes, sir, they were.     Q: Do you recall whether you were late in arriving or not? Jim: Yes, 1 just made it on time, actually.     Q: Had you missed the plane? Jim: Yes.     Q: Someone mentioned that. Jim: Yes, I missed the plane, the nonstop plane in LA, and I had a holdover in New Orleans for a couple of hours.     Q: When you arrived at Dinner Key that night did you go to a dressing room? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: What did you do there? Jim: Had a beer, ate a sandwich.     Q: Then did you go on stage with your fellow members of the Doors? Jim: That's right     Q: About how long did the Doors' performance, including your performance, last that night? Jim: Well, I could only approximate. It was over an hour. I don't think it was more than an hour and a half.     Q: Can you tell us in general what did you do on stage that night? Jim: Well, we did about five or six songs and talked to the audience a bit.     Q: Is there any particular message that you brought to this audience or that you normally bring to audiences? (objection, sustained.)     Q: Insofar as any message that you brought to this audience, was it any different than other messages you bring to audiences? (objection, sustained.)     Q: Insofar as your talking to the audience is concerned, what subjects did you touch upon on the night of March 1st of last year at Dinner Key? Jim: Well, the theme of most of my songs is love, sex, death, travel, just the basic human condition.     Q: What do you mean by that? (objection, sustained )     Q: Did you say anything to the audience that night of March 1st of last year with regard to the subject of love or love your neighbour or friend? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: Can you tell us in your own words just what you said? Jim: That time is short and better make the most of it.     Q: Did you discuss the subject with the audience that night, of demonstration or revolution? Jim: I guess so.     Q: Were you here in the courtroom when we played the tape of the performance? Jim: I was, yes.     Q: Was it substantially correct? Jim: Yes, it was.     Q: When you arrived on stage that night did you observe the condition of the audience or crowd? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: Could you tell the jury what you observed, please. Jim: A vast arena. It looked like an airplane hangar, I think, crammed with people.     Q: To what extent were they crowded? Jim: Well, except for on the fringes there was not much room to move around at all. It was like a can of worms.     Q: In performing before this audience, did you do anything to try to hold their attention? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: How is that done or how did you do it? Jim: Well, I really... (objection, overruled.)     Q: Tell us what you did. The question was, how did you do it. Jim: Constant chatter and movement.     Q: Did you do anything or make any attempt to put the audience at ease, make them less nervous or tired by way of speech or song? Jim: Yes, I did.     Q: Can you tell us what you did, if anything? Jim: Well, I suggested that it would be better if everyone stood up and felt free to move around and relax.     Q: Did you say to the audience in words and substance as follows, when you first talked to them: "I'm not talking about no demonstration. I am talking about having a good time. I am talking about having a good time this summer. Are you all coming up here?" Did you say words to that effect? Jim: Yes.     Q: Did you say words in substance as follows: "You all get out there. We are all going to lie down there in the sand and rub our toes in the ocean. We are going to have a good time." (objection, sustained.)     Q: By the way, you are what is called a rock singer? Jim: Among other things, yes.     Q: During the course of your performance that night did you have occasion to move around? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: On the stage? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: Can you tell us to what extent did you move around? Jim: Well, I danced around the entire stage.     Q: Did you move your arms? lim: Yes.     Q: Legs, head? Jim: Yes.     Q: Do you recall whether or not the guitar player, Robby Krieger, took a solo run during the song "Light My Fire"? Jim: Yes, he did.     Q: During the time that he was taking that solo run on his guitar, what did you do, if anything? Jim: I got down on my hands and knees and scrutinized the intricate finger movements of the guitar player.     Q: Is there a particular reason why you did that? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: Would you tell the jury why, what the reason is? Jim: Well, I don`t play an instrument myself. I don't play the guitar and it amazes me how someone is able to do it. It is masterful.     Q: Any other reason why you took that particular position near Robby Krieger? Jim: Well, I like to be close to the action.     Q: What do you mean by that? Jim: In a way, I suppose, I was trying to share in the limelight.     Q: Was there a spotlight? Jim: Yes, there was.     Q: Did it move wherever you went on stage? Jim: Yes, that's right.     Q: And did it move with you when you went over on your hands and knees at the guitar? Jim: I think it did.     Q: What did you do, if anything, while you were near the guitar while Robby was taking this run during "Light My Fire"? Jim: Oh, kind of made idiotic faces at him to see if I could break him up in the midst of his solo. It is kind of a game I play with him.     Q: Was Robby laughing or was he cold-faced or stone-faced? Jim: Well, let's put it this way, he was ..., he wasn't too amused.     Q: By whatever you did? Jim: Yes.     Q: As far as you were concerned, did you enjoy the situation? Jim: Oh, yes, except for a kind of subtle jealousy I am not able to play the guitar.     Q: While you were on the stage that night did you hear any noises from the audience? Jim: Yes.     Q: Can you sit back in your chair and tell the jury what you heard? Jim: Well, "Fuck you, Morrison, you creep," and stuff like that.     Q: Any other four-letter words? Jim: Yes, they kind of ran the gamut of your basic four-letter slang expressions.     Q: Do you recall whether or not there was an animal near the stage? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: Will you tell us what was done with regard to this animal? Jim: There was a guy I had met on the coast who inherited a lot of money and he has devoted his life to travelling around preaching his philosophy, and one of the tenets ... (objection.)     Q: Did this man say anything? Jim: We just exchanged greetings.     Q: Did he say anything on the microphone that night? Jim: I can't remember if he did or not.     Q: Do you know what the purpose of this man and the lamb was? Jim: I believe so. Basically he believed that human beings should not kill. (objection, sustained.)     Q: Could you tell us what the reason was for this lamb? Jim: Well, the lamb is such a symbolically cuddly and defenceless beast and I think attempts to point out the absurdity of killing any living thing by the example of the lamb.     Q: Counsel may ask about this later. Let me ask you now, what was your views about war and killing? (objection, sustained.)     Q: Were you wearing trousers the night of this concert at Dinner Key? Jim: Yes, sir.     Q: What type of material were the trousers made of? Jim: Cowhide, I think.     Q: Can you describe them for us generally, if you will. Jim: Well, I had them made to order so they perfectly and tightly contour the lower part of my body.     Q: Did they have a belt? Jim: No, no belt, but they have kind of a built in ... there are two straps. They are attached at the waist of my pants.     Q: To open those straps what would you have to do? Can you describe those straps and how they operate, in other words? Jim: Well, a piece of leather, a thin strip of leather on each side. It opens on the principle of like a life jacket on an airplane or a boat, kind of a brass ring pulls.     Q: A double ring that you put the belt loop through? Jim: Yes, exactly.     Q: There are two of those? Jim: Yes, right.     Q: You have to insert them into the double metal rings? Jim: That's right.     Q: And twist them back around? Jim: Yes.     Q: How much time does it take you to put these belt loops ... there are two sets of straps you say? Jim: Right.     Q: How much time does it take to undo both of those straps and put them back through the two loops again and fasten them up again? Jim: Sometimes it takes too long.     Q: How long is that? Jim: Well, I guess it depends on how fast you want to get them undone.     Q: How about putting them back on, putting them back in the loops and pulling them? Jim: Yes, same thing.     Q: How long does it take you to put them on, those two straps, and fasten them down? Jim: You mean the natural time?     Q: If you can give it to us, just your estimation. I am sure you haven't timed it. Jim: I really don't know.     Q: Does it take some little doing to get it done? Jim: Yes.     Q: Did you at any time during the course of this evening while you were at Dinner Key Auditorium unfasten those straps? Jim: No, I didn't.     Q: Did you at any time while you were at Dinner Key Auditorium that night of March 1st, 1969 fasten those straps up again while you were on stage? Jim: No, sir.     Q: The way those cowhide pants were fitted to you, the way that belt opens, is it possible to lower the pants below your hips without unfastening those straps? Jim: They are so tight it couldn't be done, really. They fit perfectly.     Q: Would it be possible without undoing those straps to pull those pants down? (objection, sustained)     Q: Due to the contour of your body as it was shaped and existed on the night of March 1st of 1969 while you were at Dinner Key Auditorium, in view of the manner in which those trousers or cowhide pants were made in the belt area, the two belts or two straps, rather, could you physically pull those pants down without undoing the straps. (objection, sustained.) (Thereupon, the trail was recessed until September 17, 1970.)

© 1998 Rainer Moddemann, The Doors Quarterly Magazine. This article may not be distributed in any other context or media without the written permission of the copyright owner.

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