Table of Contents
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1. Who was in The Doors?
2. How did The Doors get their name?
3. When and where were The Doors formed?
4. What instruments did The Doors use?
5. What is their number one selling album and single? 

7. What is the official cause of Jim's death?
8. Where is Jim buried and is he to be moved?
9. What are the strange letters on the headstone?
10. How and when did Pamela Courson die?
11. Who is Patricia Kennealy and was she married to Jim?
12. Why was Jim arrested in New Haven, Conneticut.
13. What happened in Miami, Florida?
15. Whats that phrase at the end of `Touch Me'?
16. Where did the Doors (with Jim) perform their last concert?
17. Was the movie `The Doors' accurate?
18. What are the remaining Doors doing today?





1. Who was in The Doors?

James Douglas Morrison  (8th Dec '43 - 3rd July '71)

Raymond Daniel Manzarek (12th Feb '39)

John Paul Densmore (1st Dec '44)

Robert Alan Krieger (8th Jan '46)




2. 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."



3. 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.



. 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.



5. What studio albums were recorded after Jim's death?

Other Voices (November 1971, not available on CD)

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, not available on CD)

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



6. 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.



7.  Who was Pamela Courson?

Pamela Susan Courson was born December 22, 1946 in 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.


8. 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.



9. 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. Recent information has come to light indicating that the French
government has designated Jim's grave as a cultural heritage site and that he
is staying put. I am awaiting confirmation on this information.
But if Jim is to be moved, it is not known where he would go. The popular
rumour is that he would be moved to Los Angeles.



10. What do the strange letters on the headstone mean?

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

KAWA TON /\AIMONA EAYTOY
         --
I have seen more than one translation for these words. I am including more
than one translation since I really don't know for sure if one is more 
correct than the other. They seem to have one theme in common though, and
that is demons or the devil.

1. `Burn your own demon'.
2. `Against the devil himself'.
3. `Faithful to his spirit'.

Recently obtained information indicates that Jim's father is responsible for
the Greek inscription. Reports suggest that there was a `better late than
never' reconciliation with his late son. Back in 1991, Jim's father replaced
the original headstone wtih the new one bearing the Greek inscription. It
would seem that translation number 3, `Faithful to his spirit', is the 
true translation. When you give it some thought, it does seem appropriate.
I am trying to track down the original source of this information to verify
it myself but until then I'll leave it at this.



11. How and when did Pamela Courson die?

Pamela Susan Courson Morrison died April 25, 1974 in her Hollywood apartment
of a heroin overdose. Pamela's parents originally intended to have her buried
with Jim at Pere-Lachaise cemetary. Pamela's father listed Pere LaChaise as
the burial place on her death certificate. However, due to the enormous red-
tape involved in transporting a body to a foreign country for burial, her
parents had her cremated remains buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa
Ana, California.



12. 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.



13. Why was Jim arrested in New Haven, Conneticut?

On December 9, 1967, the Doors were scheduled to play a concert in
New Haven, Conneticut. Jim Morrison had turned 24 years of age the day
before. His birthday had not been a joyous occasion because the Doors
concert on December 8 in Troy, New York had been a huge disappointment.
The Troy crowd did not respond well to Jim Morrison and the applause after
the concert died quickly. In fact, there was no encore at this concert.
The Doors departed quickly and Jim decided to take a limo all the way back
to New York city instead of taking the plane. Jim was depressed and hoped
that New Haven would be more receptive the next night.

The New Haven crowd seemed to be waiting in anxious anticipation of
something special about to happen. Policemen provided security at the show
and they lined the hallways making sure that no one could get backstage.
Before the show started, Jim met a local college girl. He wanted to talk
to her in private and they located a shower stall near the dressing room.
Shortly after entering the stall, the young couple began making out. At this
point a police officer happened upon the scene. He failed to recognize Jim
as the lead singer of the Doors and ordered him and the girl to clear out.
Jim refused to move. The officer repeated the order and Jim again refused,
telling the officer, "Eat it!" The officer withdrew his can of mace and
offered Jim one last chance. Jim responded, "Last chance to eat it!" The
officer now lost his patience and fired the mace directly into Jim's face.

Jim screamed in pain from the effects of the mace. He stumbled down the
hall to the dressing room with tears streaming down his face. The Doors
manager Bill Siddons informed the police just who it was they maced. The
officer who maced Jim, explained he hadn't known who Jim was but he still
wanted to arrest him. Siddons, fearing a riot if the star attraction was
hauled off to jail, pleaded with the police to let Jim take the stage. The
police relented and Jim and the officer apologized to each other. Before
long the Doors hit the stage. The crowd was very enthusiastic in New Haven.
Jim responded by moving and jumping about the stage. The crowd was going
wild and shouting along with Jim as he screamed the lyrics to "When The
Music's Over." They exictedly applauded Jim's every move onstage.  The last
song of the night was "Backdoor Man." During the instrumental break, Jim
started talking to the crowd. Policemen lined the stage and the areas just
offstage. Jim began telling the people how he met a girl prior to the
concert. He continued on...

"We started talking and we wanted some privacy and so we went into this
shower room. We weren't doing anything you know. Just standing there and
talking. And then this little man came in there, this little man in a
litle blue suit and a little blue cap. And he said, "What ya' doin' there?"
"Nothing." But he didn't go away. He stood there. And then he reached
'round behind him and he brought out this little black can of somethin'.
Looked like shaving cream, and then he sprayed it in my eyes. I was
blinded for about thirty minutes."

After this speach, Jim returned to singing the song when the
lights suddenly came on. Jim asked that the lights be turned off. In a
matter of seconds, Jim was flanked by two policemen. Jim offered the
microphone to Lt. Kelly so he could say his thing. At this point, Ray
Manzarek approached Jim. Just then, the officer grabbed the mike and the
two officers started dragging Jim off the stage. The police said the
concert was over and everyone was to go home. On this night, Jim Morrison
had taunted and embarrassed the police. The police weren't going to stand
for it. They chose to flaunt their authority by arresting Jim and making a
scene. Once they had Jim out of the view of the audience, they proceeded
to punch and kick him repeatedly before throwing him into a cruiser and
bringing him to the station.

According to the official police report, Jim was arrested when he
began using vile and filthy language while relating a sexually expicit
story. This was totally false information. The police said they arrested
Jim when they began receiving complaints from people in the audience. It
was obvious though that the police were angry and embarrassed, so they
arrested jim on trumped-up charges. It is amazing to compare the official
police report to eye-witness testimony. The police allege that Jim was
arrested for an indecent performance yet it is clear that he was simply
telling a truthful story to the audience. Jim said nothing that was
sexually obscene. The police allege Jim resisted arrest. There are plenty
of witnesses who saw the police beat Jim and yet Jim did not even fight
back. This charge was invented to justify the injuries that were inflicted
upon Jim.

Jim Morrison had become the first rock star to be arrested while
on-stage, yet the police had no grounds upon which to lay charges. They
could not admit in their report that he was arrested because he had
embarrassed them. They clearly invented these charges and it would be
obvious to the most casual observer. The only fabric of truth in their
report was a reference to the girl in the shower stall. Charges were
eventually dropped but it proved to foreshadow trouble yet to come. It
made Jim Morrison noticeable to the authorities and this would become
painfully obvious in Miami.

Jim never forgot the New Haven incident. Recollections of the bust echo
in the song, "Peace Frog" in the line, "Blood in the streets in the town
of New Haven." It would appear that strange days had finally tracked Jim
Morrison down.



14. What happened in Miami, Florida in 1969?

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.



15. Who was 'Mr. Mojo'? 

Mr. Mojo makes his appearance 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 his book, John says, "Since it contained
the black slang word mojo (for sexual prowess), I got the idea to steadily
increase the tempo back up to the orginal speed, a la orgasm."



16. Whats that phrase at the end of `Touch Me'?

Right at the end of this song, a phrase can be heard that many people do not
quite hear correctly or else wonder where it came from. The phrase is;
"Stronger than dirt". The origin of this is from a television commercial that
was playing on-air in the late 1960's. The line was used as a slogan for the
houshold cleanser, Ajax.



17. Where did The Doors (with Jim) perform their last concert?

The Doors last public performance was at the Warehouse in New Orleans,
Louisiana on December 12, 1970. 



18. 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.



19. 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's most recent band, 'The Robby Kreiger Organization' broke up within
the last few months. Their last release was a CD released on One Way
Records called 'RKO Live!'





"This is the end, beautiful friend".

JDM