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Nine Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Jim Morrison
Posted On Wednesday, June 15th
Jim Morrison was an enigma and to this day is considered one of the most influential figures in rock and roll history. Morrison’s music — like him — was revolutionary and influenced some of the greatest musicians, artists, and poets of the 20th and 21st centuries.
A rebel and a nonconformist who took the world by storm, Morrison was mysterious but had no qualms about letting out his glorious wild side for all to see, and he believed that in order to create, one must first destroy, a motto that led him to his premature demise. In honour of the Lizard King, we have compiled a list of nine things you probably didn’t know about him. Be ready to be pleasantly surprised.
1. Despite his notorious stage antics, Jim Morrison was shy and even sang with his back to the audience during early performances by the Doors.
2. Before beginning his acting career, Harrison Ford worked as the Doors’ stagehand and second camera assistant. Check out his interview with MTV’s The Big Picture in 1989 about his time on tour with the Doors.
3. In 1966, before even signing a record contract with Elektra Records, Morrison told his bandmates that he would fake his own death to increase their notoriety. Ironically, his actual death, five years later, had a skyrocket effect on album sales.
4. When the Doors were invited to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, the network asked that they change the lyrics of the song “Light My Fire” so as not to talk about drugs. Morrison agreed to this change. However, when he performed the song on live national television, he dismissed the request and sang the original lyrics. The show’s host, Ed Sullivan, was reportedly furious and later refused to shake hands with the band. They were never invited back to the show.
5. Due to the volume of rambunctious fans constantly flocking to the rock legend’s final resting place in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, local residents once filed an official request to have Morrison’s grave removed. To nobody’s surprise that request was rejected. The grave is the second most visited attraction in Paris after the Eiffel Tower.
6. Morrison’s favourite singer of all time was Frank Sinatra. When the Doors recorded Strange Days, Morrison used the same kind of microphone as Sinatra used in the studio. Even rock gods have a secret fanboy hiding on the inside.
7. Many viewed Morrison as a reckless force of nature and a bad influence (we’re talking parents and concerned grandparents). He actually had an IQ of 149 and developed a profound interest in poetry, devouring the romantic works of William Blake and the contemporary Beat verse of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac while composing his own poems.
8. Morrison’s family had hoped that he would follow in his father’s footsteps and join the U.S. Navy. Instead, he reluctantly attended college at UCLA because, in his own words, “I didn’t want to go into the army, and I didn’t want to work — and that's the damned truth.”
9. Morrison’s death shocked the world, as he became a member of the infamous 27 Club, which at the time included Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. It is reported that after the deaths of Joplin and Hendrix, he told friends at a bar that, “You’re drinking with No. 3.”
1. Despite his notorious stage antics, Jim Morrison was shy and even sang with his back to the audience during early performances by the Doors.
2. Before beginning his acting career, Harrison Ford worked as the Doors’ stagehand and second camera assistant. Check out his interview with MTV’s The Big Picture in 1989 about his time on tour with the Doors.
3. In 1966, before even signing a record contract with Elektra Records, Morrison told his bandmates that he would fake his own death to increase their notoriety. Ironically, his actual death, five years later, had a skyrocket effect on album sales.
4. When the Doors were invited to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, the network asked that they change the lyrics of the song “Light My Fire” so as not to talk about drugs. Morrison agreed to this change. However, when he performed the song on live national television, he dismissed the request and sang the original lyrics. The show’s host, Ed Sullivan, was reportedly furious and later refused to shake hands with the band. They were never invited back to the show.
5. Due to the volume of rambunctious fans constantly flocking to the rock legend’s final resting place in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, local residents once filed an official request to have Morrison’s grave removed. To nobody’s surprise that request was rejected. The grave is the second most visited attraction in Paris after the Eiffel Tower.
6. Morrison’s favourite singer of all time was Frank Sinatra. When the Doors recorded Strange Days, Morrison used the same kind of microphone as Sinatra used in the studio. Even rock gods have a secret fanboy hiding on the inside.
7. Many viewed Morrison as a reckless force of nature and a bad influence (we’re talking parents and concerned grandparents). He actually had an IQ of 149 and developed a profound interest in poetry, devouring the romantic works of William Blake and the contemporary Beat verse of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac while composing his own poems.
8. Morrison’s family had hoped that he would follow in his father’s footsteps and join the U.S. Navy. Instead, he reluctantly attended college at UCLA because, in his own words, “I didn’t want to go into the army, and I didn’t want to work — and that's the damned truth.”
9. Morrison’s death shocked the world, as he became a member of the infamous 27 Club, which at the time included Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. It is reported that after the deaths of Joplin and Hendrix, he told friends at a bar that, “You’re drinking with No. 3.”