dh1 the stories behind the music legends is presented by AT&T it's all within your reach some bands think of rock as daytime music others consider it a road map to the blackest part of the night the doors always took their inspiration from the darkness led by singer Jim Morrison the band combined poetry and theater they investigated places where Dreams and Nightmares collided they brought an underground Vision to the top of the charts the doors are legends this is their [Music] story during the early 1960s California was a hot bed of rock and roll the beach boy set the tone for a lifestyle of Fun Fun Fun by mid decade San Francisco is a Haven for the hippies and their smile on your brother attitude but in Los Angeles the doors left flower power to rot on the vine they looked for Truth by Moonlight separating themselves from hippie values of optimism and Community the doors created one of Rock's most ominous sounds at the center was Jim Morrison a film student and aspiring poet in a theatrical moment he called himself the Lizard King and told journalists that the doors were erotic politicians I think uh these days especially in in the States you have to be uh a politician or an assassin or something to really be a superstar like the stones in the Velvet underground the doors flirted with danger they stood for investigating the extremes of every situation we want the world and we want it now right Mama now Morrison's emotions were extreme too he could be cerebral he could be deric the tension between the two sides was explosive he reacted against all forms of authority it made him one of the most charismatic and provocative rock stars who ever lived one of the most bewildering too no one not even the other doors knew what he would do next James Douglas Morrison was born in 1943 his father a captain in the Navy was fighting in World War II when his son was born Jim's middle name was inspired by General Douglas MacArthur but the discipline of military life wasn't his Destiny Steve Morrison's duties often kept him away from his children the family moved frequently by the time Jim turned four they had bounced from Florida to DC to New Mexico he never settled into one particular environment a chubby kid Jim had a Wild Streak he taunted his siblings an and Andy and got attention by throwing fits and when that didn't work he'd Retreat to his books a favorite subject was reptiles life in Albuquerque provided plenty of opportunity to investigate the desert creatures young Jim was fascinated by lizards I'm the Lizard King I can do anything as an adult more Morrison told his friends that he had a life-altering experience at the age of four while the Morrison family was driving to Santa Fe one day they came across a crash on the highway a truck had swerved off the road and into the desert several Native Americans had been riding in the back one died in the crash some were thrown from the truck badly injured the morison stopped to help and Jim couldn't take his eyes off the scene years later he said that an Indian Spirit took possession of him that [Music] day ghost Crow the young child's fragile egg shell mind in high school in Virginia Jim shunned hobbies in sports he was a Class Clown who loved the satire of Mad Magazine but managed to get good grades an IQ test placed him in the genius range he investigated philosophy mysticism and art Jack kowak on the road was a favorite book Morrison was attracted to an anything goes kind of Freedom soon n was also on his reading list he often rebelled against the middle class life his family lived Jim relished the chance to be on his own in college first he went to school in Florida where he read incessantly he was intrigued by texts that dealt with the psychology of crowds at one point Morrison urged some friends to help him start a riot just to see what the outcome would be they declined against his parents wishes he transferred to UCLA to study film he told his friends that film was where the unconscious part of life was most eloquently expressed Morrison was taken with two kinds of motion pictures sural ISM and Cinema ver he was fascinated by the difference between sensual dreams and blunt reality Jim made one film while he was at UCLA he got a D on it he fell in with several students who were dedicated to Art and some who made an art of partying one pal was in a band with his brothers on the weekends his name was Ray manzer Ray liked Jim he thought Morrison was witty devilish and smart manz's group Rick and the Ravens was a bar band they did Tunes like Lou Louie and they'd invite fellow students up on stage to sing along one night at a local bar Jim joined too but he was shy and didn't do much more than shake a tambourine after graduation Morrison took an apartment in LA's Bohemian neighborhood Venice Beach there he read the poems of Rambo and wrote WR his own verse he told one friend he wanted to start a band I never went to concerts he said but I heard in my head a band and singing in an audience he slept on rooftops near the ocean he crashed at friends houses Morrison was living the poet's life the afternoon he bumped into Rayman zeric on the beach changed both of their lives school was finished we had nothing to do and uh uh Jim was going to New York I was going to stay in Los Angeles and about a month into the summer vacation who comes walking down the beach but Jim morison and I asked him what are you up to man I thought you were going to New York he said no I decided to stay here and write some songs and stuff I said well go ahead sing one of the songs and then he did Moonlight Drive and I thought the words are just amazing let's swim to the Moon let's climb through the child penetrate thou evening that thou s sleeps too high let's swi out tonight it's our time to [Music] try beside the ocean on [Music] our Jim needed someone to believe in him and help him set his words to music he moved in with Ry and began to work on songs they called themselves the doors after aldus huxley's book The Doors of perception huxley's title itself came from William Blake's line if the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is infinite at first the doors had no drummer that changed when manzer met John denmore at a medit ation class John was an inventive drummer without a regular gig he was playing fraternity parties for pocket money when he me the doors together with a bass player Morrison Den Moore and the manzer brothers cut a demo tape that included Moonlight Drive hello I love you and a tune called go insane Colombia records signed the group but then dragged their feet about recording sessions it was clear the band was not a priority disheartened Rayman zk's Brothers went back to their day jobs it looked like the doors were finished in fact they had not yet started in the next remarkable year the doors would bring Jim Morrison's Vision to [Music] life Jim Morrison Ray manzer and John dinmore wanted to keep the doors together but they had lost two members and were getting no support from their record company denmore said he knew a good guitarist Robbie creger when I first uh heard about the doors John denore who I'd known in school was telling me about this group that he was in called the doors and uh they had this wild crazy guy Jim Morrison who was going to be the lead singer even though he couldn't sing at the time time but I knew that they were going to be good because they have these great songs the first time Robbie rehearsed with the doors he played the snaky bottleneck guitar lines that are the signature of Moonlight Drive everyone knew he was perfect the doors were fully formed name Robbie 22 years old occupation uh guitar name John denmore eight 23 occation percussionist name Raymond Daniel maner born 21239 occup musician [Music] organist uh [Music] Jim some of those who came to hear the do's rehearse thought they were too weird Jim went through periods of self-doubt as a singer sometimes he would stand on off to the side of the stage club Owners were bewildered there was no bass player Jim didn't look anyone in the eye no other band sounded like or acted like the doors we were all acid heads looking for another way to get high said manzer we found it in the music the songs made plenty of room for poetic and musical improvisations if an interesting tangent popped up they'd follow it till it reached emotional Crescendo this gave them an unusual sound loose but explosive the music would settle into a kind of hypnotic of river of sound which um would leave me free to kind of make up anything that came into my head at the time have you seen my grasshopper Mama looking real good [Music] uhoh I blew it at a moth at first the doors were considered Outsiders on the LA scene but finally they got a gig at a Cheesy Hollywood club called the London Fog Jim grew more confident on stage and his singing improved his blend of insolence and vulnerability ility seduced many listeners before long the doors became the house band at the prestigious Whiskey aogo Jim's improvised passages included lots of sexual innuendo often stoned he'd hurl himself around stage writhing with the rhythms other times he remained motionless with his head hung Whispering into the mic the other doors reacted to Jim's moves musically it was a far cry from the bounciness of other La bands like Buffalo Springfield or the Birds the mood I get for most of it is kind of a heavy kind of uh sort sort of gloomy feeling you like uh uh like of someone not quite at home or you know or not quite not quite relaxed the booking agent at the whiskey said Morrison's dirty street clothes weren't right for the stage she helped him choose a skintight leather outfit to wear already dangerous looking Jim took on a Regal Air he was a young Adonis with a sexual magnetism of early Elvis women made up much of the band's audience Pam Corson made a point of being at every door's gig it wasn't long before she became Morrison's girlfriend but it was not just the female fans who were captivated by Jim's performances crowds gathered each night at the whiskey to see what kind of craze theatrics Morrison would come up with one night filled to the brim with LSD he produced a defining moment during the end a song about a romantic breakup Jim improvised a new section that had blatant edible references father yes son I want to kill [Music] you mother [Music] all night long you Mama going to love your baby all night yeah the doors were fired as soon as they left the stage but the Sunset Strip buzzed about the performance for weeks Colombia let the band go without ever releasing an album Electra records moved in in September of 66 Morrison manzer creger and Densmore went into the studio with producer Paul Rothchild manzer called the creative process a sort of a seance the result was one of Rock's most electrifying albums one of the most Eerie too the first time the doors tried to capture the end in the studio it didn't work Jim was tripping and the focus wasn't there a few days later Morrison felt more secure with all the studio lights off and a single candle burning the doors got the take they wanted 11 minutes long the end was a testimony to brutal self-examination it was full of anger mystery and destruction the doors had captured their Essence on tape later that night when the studio was closed Morrison returned broke in and sprayed a fire extinguisher all over the room where he had [Music] sung the end gave vors the confidence they needed to go further into theatrical territory they wanted their music to roam through the listener's psyche what are you hope it would do to its audience I hope it'll leave them puzzled puzzled is a good word uh but puzzled and liking you are puzzled and disliking you that's part of the puzzlement you know div Break On Through was the door's first single it was a local hidden LA but struggled to get on the national charts Electra put up the door's bill board on the Sunset Strip something that had never been done for rock musicians it gained the doors notoriety with the media in San Francisco the doors played the Filmore Auditorium and Avalon Ballroom they shared bills with bands as different as The Young Rascals and the Grateful Dead when they got to New York the Press was waiting for them critics heralded the band as a great underground group The doors went back to California triumphant for their second single Electra suggested that the doors release Light My Fire the first song Robbie kriger had ever written at 6 minutes it was way too long AM radio wouldn't touch it the label decided to edit out the organ Solo in the middle of the track and tested it on the airwaves it started to move and FM stations began playing the uncut version as well by July of 196 7 Light My Fire was the number one single in the [Music] country fire in a matter of weeks the doors were rock stars the Wild Ride had [Music] begun in the middle of 1967 the doors were a hot new band with a number one single they didn't waste time following up many of the lyrics for their second album were taken from Jim Morrison's notebooks musically the band wanted to enhance the sound of their first album they used Echo moo synthesizer Backwards Piano harpsicord and bits of electronic processing Ker's guitar lines were increasingly graceful but they had a sting Den Moore's drumming was always inventive success surrounded the band but the second album's title lived up to the door's mysterious image Strange Days the doors opened for Simon and Garfunkle in New York at the end of the summer the crowd didn't buy dramatic moves some of them even laughed Jim operated on impulse at his best he was captivating at his worst he was a clown after the Simon and gar funcle show he knew everybody wasn't going to Swoon to his Antics now the door that didn't mean Morrison was going to change for anyone when the doors performed Light My Fire on The Ed Sullivan Show the producer demanded that that the line girl we couldn't get much higher be removed it was too blatant a drug reference in the dressing room the doors agreed but on stage Jim sang the original line I be alive if I to you we couldn't get no try my fire come [Music] on night fire set the night on [Music] fire the night on [Music] fire that was their last Sullivan appearance on stage and off Morrison's Mischief was becoming obnoxious drunk in stone one night he tried to rip a park the apartment of Electra's president he and Pam began to have heated squabbles too Jim visited psychiatrist but didn't stick around for many sessions at the age of 23 he was becoming one of the most influential singers in America this power expanded his already healthy sense of self-confidence Jim singing became more expressive full of Grunts and howls Ray compared Jim to a shaman he took the audience on a mystical Journey what do you think the role of a a rock Shaman is in a time of say social tur turmoil I don't think the shaman from what I've read is uh really too interested in defining his role and in society he's just more interested in um uh pursuing his own fantasies Morrison said performing for people was like presiding over a crisis situation he often leapt and fell off the stage the music and the action became increasingly cathartic some writers suggested Jim was [Music] possessed in New Haven Connecticut Morrison demonstrated his Defiance Jim was making out with the fan before a show in October of 67 when he was confronted by a policeman the cop told Jim to clear the room Jim mouthed off and got a blast of Mace in the eyes the doors went on anyway during one song Jim began telling the audience what had happened backstage and was viciously teasing the police the cops threw on the house lights and dragged Morrison off the stage he was charged with breach of peace and immoral exhibition the FBI opened a file on Jim Morrison now known by every Rock fan in the world the doors began work on their third album waiting for the sun it was to have a whole side dedicated to Morrison's extended poem the celebration of the lizard hopes were high that it would be his Masterpiece but things were unraveling Pam was urging Jim to quit the doors and lead a quieter Life as a poet booze became a steady companion for the singer occasionally his writing was incoherent the trappings of Pop stardom made Jim wonder about his Effectiveness as an artist John denmore lost patience with the door's lack of focus in the studio One Night in the studio I said that's it goodbye fck you um to the whole band and I left and I came back the next day because I couldn't give up uh my art but that was my way of saying we got to stop this you know destruction Den Moore's action sent a message to the others Jim was veering out of control the band hired a bodyguard to keep him away from whiskey way the next whiskey keeping Morrison straight was impossible the doors became increasingly frustrated with working on celebration of the lizard the peace didn't hold up the friction between young protesters and the government over the war in Vietnam was at its Zenith the doors released the highly theatrical song The Unknown Soldier they also produced a promotional film for the track at the end of it Morrison minded being shot dead a martyr some radio stations played the song but many thought it was too controversial or just too strange to be commercial do you think you're a political the music can't help but reflecting things that are happening around her the news is children Morrison didn't seem to care about chart success he made a game out of testing his own physical limits he jumped out of moving cars he hung from The Ledges of hotels Morrison could provoke the audience into rushing the stage dor concerts began to generate riots if Jim could not mesmerize the huge crowds as he had Club audiences he would instead drive them into a [Music] frenzy the doors hadn't had a hit song in the year since Light My Fire they released hello I love you in June of 68 it was their second number one but it Simplicity caused many fans to wonder about the band's Direction in all honesty hello I love you was released because we felt it had the best chance on the top 40 charts waiting for the sun came out a few weeks later and went gold quickly the only thing saved from celebration of the lizard was a 4-minute song called not to touch the Earth it contained the line I am the Lizard King I can do anything R Jim smth continued to grow ladies and gentlemen from Los Angeles California the do concert venues began getting bigger but the Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden didn't Supply the kind of intimacy the doors were used to and of course they were expected to play their hits that kind of formula was at odds with their roots in improvisation in the early days the band made up its Tunes as it went along now they felt a commitment to give the audience what it came for Morrison began scripting some of his stage Falls a show biz move teeny boppers filled the shows and Morrison believed they were missing the depth of his lyrics he was frustrated one day Jim announced he was quitting Ray talked him into staying for another 6 months they definitely generate an atmosphere or a mood which might be characterized as Rebellion chaos disorder and activity that appears to have no meaning on stage morison sexual overtones became more and more graphic local police began to monitor the door shows for indecent or illegal activity there was a shoving match in Phoenix as fans rushed the stage after Morrison had taunted the audience no matter how hot it got Morrison couldn't resist fueling the Fire come on come on come on come on now touch me you see that I am for their next single the doors added an orchestra touch me had a Las Vegas tinge to it at the LA Forum with the orchestra in tow the band didn't go over Morrison the crowd what they wanted Light My Fire they roared celebration of the lizard is what they got just blind under the beds of Lao couples wound in sheets and daugh smug with seamen eyes in their [Music] nipples wait there's been a SL what are you everything exploded in Miami at a packed Concert Hall in inebriated Morrison railed about Revolution you're all a bunch of [ __ ] idiots Miami was chaos audience members brought a lamb up to the stage Jim took the hat off a cop and threw it into the crowd it was more of a circus than a concert Jim started to strip teas and asked the audience if they wanted to see his penis he prowled the stage feigning masturbation a brawl broke out some of the audience members swear Jim exposed himself others said he didn't that was all pretend confusion anger and excitement erupted it was Morrison's most notorious moment his dedication to spectacle was triumphant we have taken out two warrants for Jim Morrison one of them is for indecent exposure the others for the use of obscene languages during his performance dinner Key Saturday night Morrison turned himself into to the authorities when he got back to LA he was charged with a felony 16 states banned the group from ever appearing again and in Miami a conservative group staged a decency rally the doors are out to uh make their own scene it was a bad scene and like I said it was completely unwanted and I just want to know if anyone has the courage enough to stand up and do something about the trash that's beinging being brought into Miami I've heard that the doors they got kicked out of other places uh because of their riots and their um decent exposure and and they're um they're they're talking and I feel that uh we have to do something about this this is this is real disgusting mean how my children if when I grow up and have children do I want them in a in an environment like this I mean is this progress or uh are we decaying in a way in the months following Miami Jim's constant drinking made him look heavy he wore a thick beard and sunglasses the counterculture sex symbol was turning into a haunted recluse Jim was busted for drunk and disorderly conduct in Phoenix after some obnoxious behavior on a plane flight the charges were dropped when it turned out the stewardess had mistaken one of Jim's Rowdy Pals for Morrison Jim's bad reputation was overshadowing the music as work started on Morrison Hotel some of the press began calling Jim a hasb been the felony charges were hanging over his head Jim mumbled to the other doors that he was having a nervous breakdown he was 26 years [Music] old in 1970 the doors were suffering from a critical backlash and Jim Morrison was facing felony charges for allegedly exposing himself in Miami the doors knew they had to make a musical statement strong enough to silence the doubters their new record morison Hotel was a return to strip down rock and roll it avoided Cosmic lyrics and Jazz chords instead it featured B diddly rhythms blue Rifts and lots of Morrison whaling the cover photo was shot in the skid R Hotel on La the picture on the back was of a runchy bar room the message was clear the doors were dumping their pretenses the band was concentrating on down in dirty rock some of the group's teeny bopper fans drifted away but the door's hardcore audience like what they heard as Morrison Hotel was pushing its way up the charts a book of Jim's poetry was released the Lords and the new creatures contained some of his verse from earlier days as ador's live record was released Morrison dwell on the pending Miami trial he had cause to be worried well in the realm of Art and theater I I do think that uh there should be complete freedom for the artist and performer uh I'm not personally that uh convinced that uh nudity is always you know a necessary part of uh you know a play or film but uh the artist should feel free to use it if he feels like it Jim hoped the trial would be seen as a fight over freedom of expression instead it turned into a pop culture Carnival with crowds of teenage fans outside the building Jim took the stand and said he didn't remember if he had actually exposed himself he was too drunk to recall the jury decided he had though they let him go on some counts Morrison was convicted on the charge of indecent exposure he was sent to 6 months of hard labor his lawyers filed an appeal toward the end of the trial Jimmy Hendricks and Janice Joplin both died from abuse of drugs and booze Morrison told some Pals you're drinking with number three Jim was depressed the wear and tear of drinking and the threat of prison wounded his interest in music making when they went in to make their next record the doors weren't very energetic their longtime producer Paul Rothchild got frustrated and quit he said that the new tapes sounded like cocktail Jazz Rothschild's departure shook the doors and forced them to work harder along with their engineer Bruce botnik the band produced themselves they enjoyed the new Freedom the result was LA Woman it was eloquent in its description of apprehension and fear Riders on the Storm was a dreamy tale of a serial killer that set the mood for the danger that was lurking ahead [Music] Riders late in December of 1970 Morrison cut a spoken word record of poetry he showed up at the studio with a bottle and some friends it was his birthday for hours he acted out his verse poetry was his first love he was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to document it awake Shake dreams from your hair my pretty child my sweet one choose the day and choose the sign of your day the day's Divinity first thing you see the doors went off to Dallas and New Orleans to do shows the first was fine the second was awful drunk and drowsy Morrison continuously smashed the mic stand into the stage mumbling to himself denmore walked away from his drum set the tour was cancelled the doors were [Music] disintegrating Jim Morrison was burned out and facing jail the doors had completed their obligation to Electro records Morrison told his bandmates and Friends that he and Pam were going to Paris to be alone he wanted to spend time reading and writing he had to get away from the trappings of rock I must find hi a place for me to hi LA Woman was released and the song Love Her Madly was a hit but Jim was enjoying the calm of French Bohemia and the freedom of anonymity he told friends that people think of me as a rock star I don't want to have anything to do with it back in La the doors rehearsed without him even when his life was calm Jim had to contend with alcoholism after a couple of months of Casual Living he slipped into his manic behavior once again on July 2nd 1971 in Paris he went to see a Robert Mitchum movie and came back home complaining of chest pains in the middle of that night Pam found him dead in the bathtub only Pam and the doctor who signed the death certificate ever saw Jim Morrison's body there was no autopsy that prompted endless speculation did Morrison fake his death and disappear to get away from the courts in the spotlight did he buy heroin from a French dealer and OD the rumors were wild and varied he was already an international star death would make Jim Morrison a legend with the death of Jim Morrison the future of the doors was uncertain after much internal debate Rayman zerich Robbie creger and John denmore decided to continue as a trio they released two records after Morrison's death ray saying most of the [Music] songs neither album had much Commercial Success they split up in 1973 in April of 74 Pamela Morrison was found dead from a heroin overdose in Los Angeles the fans who believed Jim was still alive imagine she'd faked her death to join him in 1978 the door created new music and sound collages to go along with the Poetry tapes Jim recorded during his 27th birthday session in 1970 they were released by Electra as an American Prayer the legacy of the doors continues in 1979 Francis Ford Copla used the end to set the mood of horror and Devastation in his Vietnam Opus Apocalypse Now Hollywood also churned out a big screen bio of the band's turbulence career directed by Oliver Stone Door songs became fixtures on Classic Rock Radio in 1997 Ray Robbie and John went into a Los Angeles Studio to put music to a newly discovered Morrison song called Orange County [Music] sweet people who laugh and made her poor heart hey I'm very pleased with the music very proud to have made the music with Dennis Moore creger and Morrison and those guys are they were great to work with and I think we uh I think we captured something captured a moment in time and captured also a Timeless moment that'll perhaps uh live on into eternity Always A Friend Of Mayhem the doors interfered with the status quo at every opportunity there are many Rock Fans who believe that exactly what the music should do entranced by the hostility of Modern Life Jim Morrison used hisia and literature as a springboard into salvation during the fevered years from 1967 to 1970 the doors made some of Rock's most eternally disturbing music for those who are there and were awake the music of the doors will always summon a passionate dangerous era for those two young young to know how the songs felt when they were new the doors offer a glimpse into the emotional complexities of a time too often reduced to nostalgic simplicities the doors represent the 60s dichotomies of artistic ambition and rampant Hedonism flower power and Anarchy peace and violence LSD and Jack Daniels they were the antidote that contained the disease they paid a terrible price for going into the unexplored regions but they brought back incredible stories love me one time I could not speak one [Music] baby but love a two time girl last me I you the week love you time I'm gone away love me [Music] meing you time I'm going [Music] away tomorrow for today love me I'm going [Music] away away me two times I'm G away