Blurb:
Here is Jim Morrison in all his complexity-singer, philosopher, poet, delinquent-the brilliant, charismatic, and obsessed seeker who rejected authority in any form, the explorer who probed “the bounds of reality to see what would happen…” Seven years in the writing, this definitive biography is the work of two men whose empathy and experience with Jim Morrison uniquely prepared them to recount this modern tragedy: Jerry Hopkins, whose famous Presley biography, Elvis, was inspired by Morrison’s suggestion, and Danny Sugerman, confidant of and aide to the Doors. With an afterword by Michael McClure.
My Take:
This book is the one that is most responsible for the myth of Jim Morrison. Much of what has been written here by Danny Sugerman has been refuted by the surviving members of The Doors. Sugerman worked for the band, but that doesn’t mean he was there for all those mythical moments for which he writes. The book is a nice time capsule of the mid- to late 1960s. It captures the vibes, the scene, the emotions, the energy, and the hope. This is where Jim becomes the Lizard King, a shaman who has possibly staged his own death. A million conspiracy theories have been spawned from this book. I don’t believe Jim Morrison faked his death. He’s gone. But I’ve read this biography many times over the years. I enjoy it the way I enjoy a good novel. I would still have a copy with me on that island.
Book Island 