How Jim Morrison Died

Time.com ^ | July 16, 2007 | VIVIENNE WALT

[Clara Lou]

I was 5 or 6 when he went on Ed Sullivan and performed in his druggy/boozy stupor. I’ll never forget it. He was climbing the scenery. It scared me. [I liked Kookla, Fran, and Ollie.]

[cripplecreek]

Captain Kangaroo never tripped out on live TV.

[#1CTYankee]

Dead is dead, who really cares?

You live by the drugs you die by the drugs.

[MrEdd]

This French fella sure takes a lotta words to say “dead junkie”.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Ride the snake.

[Finny]

I was 14. He was 27. I wasn't a "fan," but he was a truly strong singer and the music (not lyrics) was mostly interesting and above average, I'd say. This coming from a person who mostly rejected the music of her era. I was so glad when disco finally died. Will be glad when Rap hits the skids, as it will.

I absolutely believe the then-21-year-old nightclub owner. That's the way it would go down. The truth will out. The guy was a tormented soul with hypnotic stage talent born in an age just technically able to create instant Western fame. Somehnow, it reminds me of Tombstone. Doc's famous epitaph for Johnny Ringo comes to mind:

"He was just too high-strung."

[PhilDragoo]

7 min

[TheGeezer]

I was 21 when he died. He was already boring then. Those who follow him now? Pathetic.

[Finny]

Interesting. Those guys all look like they were stoned out of their gourds. Like most guys I knew in rock bands, and they could get away with it. It wasn't like they were playing Chopin. Morrison in the live footage was gone, out there, poor sap. I suspect the "Light My Fire" version heard was recorded in the studio, because the footage doesn't look like it was live to the performance. Wow. How easy it is to forget how spine-chillingly ugly the early 70s were! *shivver*

On the other hand, "Riders on the Storm" was a really good, lasting tune and only Morrison could have delivered it the way he did.

[dfwgator]

[bannie]

I guess his love became a funeral pyre.

(He was awfully cute, though!)

[Drew68]

I absolutely believe the then-21-year-old nightclub owner.

It sounds plausible to me as well. I read one Doors' biography that claimed Morrison had already been buried before the three other members of the band were even informed of his death.

[dfwgator]

Nah, why I saw him just the other day, hanging out with Elvis and Osama Bin Laden.

[EGPWS]

How Jim Morrison Died

Sprawled out in a bathtub with drug inducted contentment.

[Drew68]

Those guys all look like they were stoned out of their gourds.

While nobody denies that Morrison dabbled in drugs, his real downfall was booze. In a period of less than 5 short years he went from chiseled rock sex symbol to fat, bloated alcoholic. In the later years, he was often too drunk to even perform live. He'd show up late, mumble a few bars incoherently and pass out on stage, urinating himself on more than one occasion.

The Doors should have soldiered on without him. There was some real musical talent amongst the other three members and guitarist Robby Krieger knew how to pen hit songs.

[Finny]

I can believe that. Booze and drugs combined with enlightened hedonism make a lethal lifestyle. He wasn’t the first and won’t be the last.

[shield]

Don’t forget impotent...

[Finny]

There was some real musical talent amongst the other three members and guitarist Robby Krieger knew how to pen hit songs.

I heartily agree. In the footage of the live concert, they, or at least some of them, look stoned. But to me they're harmless dope-smokin' working musicians, in the noble tradition of Louis Armstrong. Not drunk, stoned.

Morrison in the footage, on the other hand -- yeah, helium high on one or two or more drugs -- reds, whites, heroin, acid, peyote, maybe, alcohol included. Or maybe even just booze, who knows.