The Doors Portal: Jim Morrison and The Doors: Hello I Love You, From 1968 In Color

Source:The Doors Portal: Jim Morrison and The Doors: Hello I Love You, From 1968 In Color

It’s a rare treat that you get to see Jim Morrison and The Doors perform in color. Even though they came out and became a hit in the late 1960s most of their concert footage and music videos were done in black and white. Almost like watching music performances from 1955 or something even though color video and footage for both TV and movies was pretty common if not expected by 1968 when this video in Frankfurt Germany came out. But since this video was shot in color, you get to see Jim Morrison and The Doors the best blues rock band I believe of the 1960s playing in color. With Jim Morrison performing in his go to black leather suit and suede cowboy boots. And you get to see parts of downtown Frankfurt, Germany as well.

The song Hello I don’t think is that great of song. But it has a great guitar and drums beat to it and with the Lizard King and his great voice and with the timing down can make ordinary lyrics like “hello, I love you”, sound better than they actually are. And then you throw in Morrison’s skin-tight black leather jeans and concho belt that almost made him look like his crotch was sticking out (and that is as graphic as I’ll get) and you had women who simply were in love with him especially when they got to see him perform up close and wanting to touch him. A big reason why you would see women jump up on the stage trying touch and grab him while her performed in the 1960s. So you put all of these things together and you have a pretty good video here.

Fame Music: Jim Morrison- The Bad Boy of Classic Rock

Source:The New Democrat- The Lizard King Jim Morrison, in concert perhaps in London, England, in 1967-68.

"Flashback Friday, this week brings the story of famous American singer and poet James Douglas ‘Jim’ Morrison. Known widely as the lead vocalist of psychedelic rock band ‘The Doors’, Jim was a charismatic singer and regarded as the most iconic figures of popular rock music history. He is remembered today for his outrageous stage performances and rebellious lifestyle other than his unforgettable songs and lyrics.

Jim Morrison was born on December 8, 1949 in Melbourne, Florida. Jim was a dutiful and intelligent child, a voracious reader and a passionate diarist. Morrison joined University of California at Los Angeles after graduating from high school to study film. It was here at UCLA that he developed an avid interest in poetry.

Ray Manzarek, a former classmate from UCLA and Jim came with an idea of putting together a band for which they recruited Robbie Krieger as the guitarist and John Densomore as the drummer and began calling themselves ‘The Doors’. Elektra Records signed the Doors in 1966-67 for a recording contract. After the modest success of their first single, “Break on Through” it was their second single, “Light My Fire,” which catapulted the band to the forefront of the rock and roll world, reaching No. 1 on music charts. The group became known for its charismatic stage personality and its hypnotic music and Jim gained a reputation for erratic public behaviour.

In a small but inspiring journey, Jim Morrison led a bohemian life and remained infamous for alcohol dependency, drug use, violent temper and infidelity which led him into many troubles and life long depression.

In an attempt to get his life back in order, he took time off The Doors and moved to Paris where he departed at the age of 27, on July 3 1971, allegedly due to heroine overdose. His early death deprived the world of beautiful music and poetry. However, the most legendary and mysterious rockstar of all time, Jim Morrison continues to inspire many disaffected people around the world, who in his words find the expression of their hopes and frustration!

His legacy and popularity can be best testified in the fact that his grave located at Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris is one of the world’s most visited resting place to this day."

From Fame Music

Jim Morrison aka The Lizard King, is the bad boy and frontman of classic rock and blues rock.

I’m not interested in heavy metal and punk rock, where I’m sure you’ll find guys who got into more trouble and perhaps had even bigger addiction problems. Curt Cobain and Axel Rose come to mind damn fast for me.

But, the heavy reliance and influence of black leather that you saw at least in the 1980s and 1990s especially with the leather jeans, boots, jackets, came from Jim Morrison. Which just to my point about how big a deal The Lizard King is when it comes to rock and roll and not just classic rock and blues rock where he made his biggest impact. But again heavy metal when you’re talking about wardrobe with the leather jeans, boots and jackets. That Jim Morrison made a staple of his wardrobe in the late 1960s, when almost no one else outside biker culture was wearing at all.

I don’t know of a frontman that meant more to his band than Jim Morrison. Not to take anything away from Ray Manzarek especially, who was great on the keyboards and also had a great singing voice. And Robby Krieger was an excellent guitarist and John Densmore could play the drums.

But The Doors are famous because of Jim Morrison, but Morrison wouldn’t have needed The Doors at least the group that was put together to be famous and successful. How many other rock frontman at least from that generation, had the intelligence, the wit, the writing ability and then throw in the style that The Lizard King had.

In an era where frontman looked somewhat preppy except for the long hair and looked like hippies, I mean we are talking about the late 1960s after all, Jim Morrison is wearing a black leather suit, skin-tight black leather jeans, that would be called skinny leathers today. With a black leather suit jacket, an Indian concho belt and black suede and leather boots.

Jim Morrison not just put leather jeans on the map in rock and roll, but leather period. To the point that Elvis Presley starts wearing a black leather suit in the late 60s and early 70s. John Kay, from Steppenwolf has his own Lizard King outfit. With a leather vest, black leather jeans and an Indian belt.

The hard rockers of the 1980s Kiss, Motley Crew, Guns N Roses, as well as heavy metal bands like Skid Row, are all wearing leather jackets and leather jeans. But much more casually than Jim Morrison and wore biker jackets and t-shirts with their leathers.

Morrison, again was a rebel and did his own thing and did it so well that he made it so cool and had others following him. To the point that there are countless Doors cover bands and Jim Morrison covers. With the Jim Morrison figure always in his black leathers and concho belt and at times with the black leather jacket.

But with The Lizard King, it’s not just his leather rock and roll fashion. And the fact that perhaps no other man has ever wore a black leather suit better. Or the fact that thousands of women went to Doors concerts to check the man out every night and to see what he would do on the stage next. But it was also his music and the fact that he and The Doors did their own thing and made their own music and to a certain extent sung about the times the 1960s, but did it their own way.

Morrison, especially didn’t want to fit in some place, but instead create his own place that was even different from his own band members from again how he carried and presented himself on stage. And then see if others would follow him.

The Baby Boom Generation, the 1960s rockers who made it big in that decade, lost three great stars. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. But I’m not sure as great as Jimi and Janis would’ve been even combined would’ve they’ve meant more to rock and roll than Jim Morrison. The Lizard King was one in a kind and great at simply being himself as an entertainer. And we haven’t seen anyone as good, or similar since.

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Jim Morrison: 1967 Shelby Mustang- 'Best Quality'

Source:The New Democrat- The Lizard King Jim Morrison.

Source:The New Democrat

"Jim Morrison driving his 1967 Shelby G.T. 500. The clip is from the film "When You're Strange" (directed by Tom DiCillo) which is in turn borrowed from the movie "HWY: An American Pastoral" which Jim made in 1969 with some friends (Paul Ferrara, Babe Hill, and Frank Lisciandro). This footage is considerably clearer than my previous post of Jim driving the car. Go full screen with this clip, the resolution is killer. You can even see dust on the car it's so crisp and clear." 

Source:Toodlem- The Lizard King Jim Morrison, driving his Shelby Mustang.

From Toodlem

This video was part of a 2010 PBS film about The Doors, really about Jim Morrison and The Doors, which what really drew my interest to the film that I have on dvd. And this is how the film starts off, with The Lizard King taking to the highway I believe in Southern California desert. And he starts off hitchhiking and someone in a Shelby Mustang, great car by the way, picks him up and somehow which is not shown in film, The Lizard King ends up with the car and driving the car.

Only The Lizard King would wear skin-tight black leather jeans in the California desert, but that is one thing that made him The Lizard King. And the original film I believe from 1969 I believe was part of Morrison needing a break from the music business and perhaps The Doors as a whole. And that is what they show with Lizard King hitting the road and seeing what life if like outside of his world. And its a good little film, the 1969 version and the 2010 PBS version Strange Days is even better and it shows this part in that film.

Jim Morrison Project: Blog: The Doors, Crawling King Snake: Jim Morrison The Leather King

Jim Morrison Project: Blog: The Doors, Crawling King Snake

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

I think the Crawling King Snake video from The Doors with Jim Morrison perfectly sums up the style and career of Jim Morrison. The man made leather jeans and rock and roll culture and why it looks the way it does today, at least with hard rockers and headbangers. The Lizard King obviously wasn’t a hard rocker or a headbanger, but he put his signature black snake skin leather jeans on the map and made them cool. To the point by the 1980s they were standard for rockers male and female. And probably a big reason why Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett got into them and why you saw rock and roll bands like Guns N Roses and Kiss get into them and of course the metal bands like Skid Row and Motley Crew.

And that is what you see in this video. The Lizard King moving so smoothly in his snake skin’s and cowboy boots and the concho belt. He combined rock and roll culture and lifestyle, with Western and American-Indian culture with the leather jeans, cowboy boots and concho belt and the leather jacket as well. He put these looks on the map in rock and roll, because of how often he wore this outfit in public and all the images that have come from those appearances. That were famous then and if anything now more popular forty-five years later. And without the Lizard King, rock and roll probably looks a lot different in the 1970s, 80s, 90s and today.

Leather in general wasn’t very popular in America when it came to wardrobes pre-late 1960s or so, except for perhaps biker and to a certain extent Western culture. So Jim Morrison in his full leather suit and then throw in the cowboys boots and the concho belt, that if anything even highlighted his leather jeans even more, especially in front, he was taking a risk. But he had the style, the look, the moves to make it work to the point that he became a rock and roll and perhaps even style icon in America and not just in rock and roll. And all of this is part of legacy that is still alive and well today.

Oliver Stone: The Doors (1991) The Miami Incident: Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison

Source:Zobba Zoo- Val Kilmer, as The Lizard King Jim Morrison, in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991)

"Best scene in the movie, a perfect recreation of the night of Jim Morrison's indecent exposure arrest, features "Touch Me," "Five To One," "Dead Cats, Dead Rats," and, of course, "Break On Through"

From Zobba Zoo

As I mentioned yesterday, The Doors is a very entertaining movie and in at least one sense is accurate as portraying Jim Morrison as a very wild and perhaps immature young man. Who fit in very perfectly in the 1960s generation and the time he grew up in and came of age. But the Miami concert scene is one of the few accurate scenes in the movie. The Lizard King did show up to the 1969 Miami concert, not high, but drunk and was a few hours late.

Morrison was noticeably off and did an awful job and even had a hard time standing up because he was so drunk from the plane ride and from the bar before the flight. Morrison did stop singing all together, got frustrated and started cussing at the audience. And they did boo him and security had a hell of a hard time trying to secure the arena because it was so hot, wild and overcrowded. Sort of like an American prison actually. But the Miami scene and the New Haven scene might be the only two accurate scenes in the movie.

If you are simply just looking for a good fictional movie about a rock and roll band, The Doors is probably a good movie for you. But if you are really interested in the life of Jim Morrison and perhaps the run that The Doors had, I suggest you go the documentary route that is just as entertaining about The Lizard King and The Doors band. But you'll actually learn some things about them as well.

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Oliver Stone: The Doors (1991) Val Kilmer As Jim Morrison

Source:The Daily Journal

The Oliver Stone 1991 The Doors movie was a very entertaining movie and worth watching and Val Kilmer did a very good job of playing an entertaining Jim Morrison aka the Lizard King. But other than the Miami concert and perhaps the New Haven concert and maybe the New Haven jail scene and the Lizard King's outfits, this wasn't a very accurate movie. And this is according to Doors band member guitarist Robby Krieger. First of all Val Kilmer is around 6'1 and 200 pounds, he's a big tall man. Where according to The Doors themselves, the real Lizard King was around 5'10 and slender. The Miami concert was crazy as it should've been with Morrison trying to perform drunk and getting frustrated and taking it out on the audience.

Jim Morrison trying to make it look like he pulled down his leather jeans (black or brown?) and exposed himself which according to the real Doors band, he never did, but wanted to make people believe he did. And the New Haven scene was fairly accurate, with the Lizard King getting maced in a hall closet before the concert when he was fooling around with a girl, by a cop. And then going out on stage and doing a good job, but then slowing down and getting frustrated and telling the audience about what happened to him in the closet.

And the jail scene was accurate too, with Morrison getting stripped down. And the movie nailed the Lizard King's outfit down, with over an hour of coverage with Val Kilmer wearing the Lizard King's go to skin-tight lambskin black leather jeans, which Val Kilmer pulled off very well. But the rest of the movie was an entertaining fiction novel with moving pictures. The Doors movie is very entertaining and if you're looking for an entertaining fictional rock and roll movie, then I suggest you watch Oliver Stone's The Doors. But if you want an accurate picture of Jim Morrison and The Doors, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Ed Sullivan Show; Jim Morrison & The Doors- Light My Fire (1967)

Source:Ed Sullivan Show- Jim Morrison and The Doors on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967.

"On this day in 1967, The Doors were banned from The Ed Sullivan Show for breaking an agreement with the show’s producers...

From The Mad Music Asylum

"The Doors Light My Fire Ed Sullivan 1967. I do not own this video."

Source:Kill Matic  

The Lizard King (or The Leather King) Jim Morrison and The Doors, on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. This performance is memorable for a couple of reasons: Jim Morrison standing up for the First Amendment and refusing to be censored and leaving in the lyric higher. But also because he really put out there, stuck it out there really, with the big boner sticking out of his skin-tight leather jeans. I guess he was just too excited to be on Ed Sullivan. There was a rumor that the producers stuck the camera on Morrison so people could see his erection, just to embarrass him. I can believe that. 

Source:Ed Sullivan Show- Jim Morrison and The Doors on the Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

"In July 1967, The Doors scored their first No. 1 on the US singles chart with an edited version of Light My Fire, which spent three weeks in the top spot. The country loved the song so much that even the full six-minute and fifty-second album cut eventually made its way to the radio airwaves. 

As a testament to their success, a few months later the psychedelic rockers were invited to perform the single live on The Ed Sullivan Show – a right of passage for any up-and-coming artist of the era. It would be a legendary appearance, and their only appearance when it ended with the Doors’ infamous banning from The Ed Sullivan. 

The incident was ignited by Jim Morrison’s refusal to change the lyric “Girl we couldn't get much higher” despite producers’ requests due to the word “higher” being deemed inappropriate for a family show. Forever the rebel poet, Morrison defied the advice, concluding, “we’re not changing a word.” 

Just 22 seconds into the performance, Morrison delivered the offending lyric without hesitation, eliciting a telling smirk from guitarist Robby Krieger. But Sullivan wasn’t smiling. The show’s stoic host was equally unwavering in his post, with a producer delivering the news directly after the band’s performance that “Mr Sullivan wanted you for six more shows, but you’ll never work The Ed Sullivan Show again.” To which Morrison famously replied, “Hey, man. We just did the Sullivan show.” 

Source:Ed Sullivan- The Lizard King Jim Morrison, on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

From I Likey Old Stuff

"Up Close and Personal With The Lizard King Jim Morrison, on Ed Sullivan in 1967", is what the title of these photos should be. I guess The Leather King was simply too excited before he went out on stage that night and The Ed Sullivan Show made sure the world got to see that up close on national TV.

Before I make Jim Morrison look real bad here I'll say that this was one of The Doors best performances ever even as short as it was. The Lizard King (and I say that for a reason) was at the top of his game with the vocals and everyone played very well.

But if you watch the video (and you are not blind) you see something real obvious and may get to thinking: "What the hell" (Or something stronger than that) Because you see Morrison in his classic black leather suit. Nothing strange there from him, but with a big fact erection sticking out of his leather jeans.

I don't know how you go out on stage with that sticking out and that is assuming you are sober. And perhaps The Lizard King wasn't and this was one of the reasons why he was The Lizard King because he was so out there and not just wore the black leather jeans at most of his performances, but his leathers were so skin-tight and revealing that anything that got him excited sexually was going to be seen by a lot of people and this case being on Sullivan by millions of people.

And this  happened to The Lizard King in one of the most public places possible on Ed Sullivan on national TV on Sunday night in 1967.

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Kanaal Van Datruiktumeneer: The Doors at The Roadhouse 1968

Source: Kanaal Van Datruiktumeneer- Jim Morrison-

Source: Kanaal Van Datruiktumeneer: The Doors at The Roadhouse 1968

At least the early part of this concert sounds like the Oliver Stone version of The Doors from 1991 with Val Kilmer playing Jim Morrison. With The Lizard King drunk and wasted and barely being able to stand up and move around without losing his balance. And giving an awful performance in Miami, Florida and finally getting frustrated and starts cursing at the audience. Which is a true story and one of the few things that the Oliver Stone movie portrayed accurately. The New Haven concert would be another one. The actual Live in London concert was very good and you get to Jim Morrison and The Doors (as I call them) at their best. With The Lizard King at his best in his classic rock and roll uniform the black leather suit, concho belt and cowboy boots that he put on the rock and roll map himself. Which is about an hour long that I have on DVD. They play everything and Morrison is brilliant on the vocals and very entertaining as well.

The Ed Sullivan Show: Jim Morrison and The Doors (1967)

Source:The Ed Sullivan Show- The Lizard King Jim Morrison on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

"In part 2 of our two part clip of the Doors 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek provides wonderful commentary on his and bandmates fateful visit to the Ed Sullilvan Show on Sunday night, September 17, 1967.

The Doors of course went on to great fame over the coming years.  Truly one of the recording industries most influencial bands, the foursome of Jim Morrison (lead vocalist), Ray Manzarek (keyboardist), Robby Krieger (guitarist) and John Densmore (drums) made the Doors remarkable in their groundbreaking approach to rock and roll music in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  From Light My Fire, to Riders On the Storm, the Doors were unique and one of the very best.

This video clip has been edited down to ensure we comply with any copyright requirements regarding the song 'Light My Fire.'

This video clip is presented here on YouTube for the entertainment and informational value of the viewer, and no copyright infringement is intended." 

From Television Vanguard

"The Doors "Light My Fire" performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 17, 1967. Subscribe now to never miss an update:The Ed Sullivan Show. The full performance by The Doors is available on "Ed Sullivan's Rock & Roll Classics", "The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show Vol. 1" and "Rock'n'Roll Forever" DVDs at:Ed Sullivan...

Source:The Ed Sullivan Show- Jim Morrison and The Doors, on Ed Sullivan in 1967.

From The Ed Sullivan Show  

“The Doors Light My Fire Ed Sullivan 1967. I do not own this video.”

Source:Ed Sullivan Show- The Lizard King (also known as The Leather King) Jim Morrison, on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967.

From Kill Matic

"Jim Morrison's leather pants get much higher"  

Source:Bod Mas- The Lizard King or The Leather King Jim Morrison, on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

From Bod Mas

Don’t get me wrong here, because I believe Jim Morrison and The Doors gave an excellent performance here and I completely agree with The Lizard King (or Leather King) about leaving the lyric higher in the song on free speech grounds. But one of the reasons why this performance is so memorable, is because you have the lead vocalist with a big boner sticking out of his skin-tight, black pants. Apparently Jim Morrison got excited right before he went out on stage or perhaps saw a beautiful, sexy woman while he was on stage during the performance. But that is what can happen when you are a man who perhaps is not completely sober when you go out in public and you wear skin-tight, black leather jeans almost everywhere you go in public.

Source:Ed Sullivan Show- The Lizard King Jim Morrison performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. I guess he was excited to be there. After this performance Morrison should've been known as The Leather King, because this is the outfit that he made famous in rock and roll with his leather jacket, leather jeans, western belts, and cowboy boots, that gave him national exposure.

Good reason not to wear skin-tight leather jeans on national TV when you aren’t sober, as Jim Morrison did on a regular basis for visual effect and he wanted especially women checking him out. But the risk is you end up showing more of yourself than you perhaps intended. Especially when you get excited and you are right there for the whole world to see.

Unless no one actually saw The Lizard King go out on stage right before he went out and especially saw him up front and perhaps noticed something about his pants that his, well his thing lets saw was sticking out and he had a boner sticking out of his leather jeans. Or Morrison got excited as he was already on stage and perhaps saw a sexy woman or something. 

For the life of me I can’t figure why someone didn’t walk up to Morrison and say: “Uh Jim, you should go to the bathroom or back to the dressing room before you go out on national TV. Because you have a boner sticking out of your pants that everyone is going to see on national TV." 

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Strange Days: Riders of The Storm Performance

Source:The Daily Journal

The lead vocalist has the look of the Lizard King down except for maybe longer hair. And I think his skin-tight leather jeans might actually be tighter than Jim Morrison’s. Which is saying something, because it is hard to imagine a man who wore tight leather jeans and leather jeans even more skin-tight than Jim Morrison. At least from Jim Morrison’s generation. One of the reasons why he was The Lizard King, because of how he dressed and his skin-leathers looked on him. I think Strange Days is the best Doors cover band I’ve seen at least. And there are at least a couple of others that are pretty good. But the guy who plays Jim Morrison, has The Lizard King down. And not just outfit and physical look, but the voice and charisma and how he presents himself on stage. This guy is a hell of an actor and singer.

The Doors Live in Copenhagen (1968)

Source:The Daily Journal

Had this concert been in color and the Hollywood Bowl concert in black and white, then The Doors in Copenhagen would’ve definitely been The Doors best concert ever in the 3-4 years they were in concert. This concert had The Doors best sound and The Lizard King at his best on the vocals. But the Hollywood Bowl concert was The Doors especially Jim Morrison looking his best especially being in color. It would be nice to get the Copenhagen concert in color, colorized even so you could see how The Lizard King looked and sounded at his best. In the his leather suit, the leather jeans, the cowboy boots, the jacket, the concho belt and how he moved around on stage in this concert. And he sounded, but all in color. But unfortunately even though The Doors were big in the late 1960s when color TV, color movies and everything else was shown in color for the most part, a lot of The Doors footage and even their photos were still shown in black and white.

Catarina Troiano: The Doors Live (1968)

Source:The Daily Journal

I’m thinking the cameraman, or perhaps the camerawomen, really liked Jim Morrison and was really attracted to him. Because in the first two minutes of this show alone, you see several closeups on Jim Morrison’s leather legs and leather suit, sitting on the stool with his legs sticking out in his skin-tight black leather jeans and black leather jacket, with his concho belt. It has been said that Morrison, wore the skin-tight leather pants, leather jeans really, with the concho belt, because he wanted to highlight his crotch. Which makes a hell of a lot of sense, because if you watch this show, or Live at The Hollywood Bowl, or The Doors in Copenhagen, or The Doors in London, The Doors on Ed Sullivan, just to use as examples, there are several closeups upfront of Morrison in his leather suit and right on his legs, butt and crotch. I mean if you’re actually attracted to the man, watching all of this footage is a great way to see him.

As far as this show, I think it’s The Lizard King as it his best. Just wish this show was in color and since it was done in 1968, that would’ve been a fairly easy thing to do. But with Morrison, you get great vocals and his role-playing and acting and moving around and the dancing. And Ray Manzarek, if anything who had a better singing voice than Morrison, at least singing blues, doing a great job on the keyboards. When The Music is Over, and Love Me Two Times, I think are their best songs in this show. Love Me Two Times, comes with a great music video as well. And you have Morrison going off the cuff and doing a little story telling as well. And they finish with, well The End, what else. Which is their great war song, even though it wasn’t written directly for the Vietnam War. But considering this was 1968, the timing of this song was simply perfect.

As what can be said about a lot of The Doors performances, I just wish they were shot in color. Which is one reason why Oliver Stone’s version of The Doors, whatever you think of the movie, is actually very important. Because it gives you a very good idea of what The Lizard King was like in color. Even with Val Kilmer, being a much larger and taller man than Jim Morrison. But it would be nice to see a colorized version of a lot of these performances. But the sound of these performances and how Morrison sounded and how the band played, is very good, even in black and white. Which doesn’t affect the sound of these shows. But the shows would’ve been better had they been done in color. Like with The Hollywood Bowl, Ed Sullivan, Smothers Brothers, Jonathan Winters. And maybe a colorized version of this show, will be available at some point.

Jim Morrison & The Doors: Live at The Hollywood Bowl (1968)

Source:The Daily Journal

I’ve seen this concert several times and I’m no music expert, but I am a pretty big fan of The Doors especially Jim Morrison and I disagree with the critics about this concert at least to this degree. I don’t believe Morrison was as off as the critics believe he was. I think he did a great job with the vocals and how he entertained the audience in general especially the women. With how he danced and moved around and played around with his leather jeans.

If you watch the PBS film from 2010 about The Lizard King there is this line in it about how Morrison picked out his clothes. That his skin-tight leather pants which were leather jeans and concho belt were about showing off and showcasing his crotch. And you see him messing around with his pants all through the concert and the camera zooming in on his crotch, butt and legs in those skin-tight jeans throughout the concert.

Not the best Doors concert and not Morrison at his best. But it was classic Lizard King on the vocals dancing around and showing himself off. And a great chance to see Jim Morrison and The Doors live and in color and I just wish there were more opportunities for that. Especially since they were big in the late 1960s when color TV and movies were very common if not expected by then. It would’ve been nice had they filmed more of their concerts in color.

Curt Ammerman: Touch Me by Peace Frog

Source:The Daily Journal

Even though The Doors lead vocalist Jim Morrison died forty years ago and would 68 today and probably still performing, had he grown up and decided to take care of himself like a lot of rockers from his generation, the ora or genre of Jim Morrison still lives on. Sort of like Elvis Presley, except there aren’t as many of any Jim Morrison witness’s today who claimed to see him alive today forty years after he died. 

Unlike of course with Elvis, there people claiming to see Elvis alive. Practically everyday, but there’s sort of the next closest thing with the Lizard King. That's people pretending to be him, with his classic look. The leather suit cowboy Boots, the concho belt, the long thick black hair. The whole package who are lead vocalists in bands. That are basically cover bands of The Doors, playing their music. 

You have a guitarist doing his version of Robby Krieger, a drummer doing his impersonation of John Densmore, a Keyboard Player, doing his impression of Ray Manzarak. But of course the guy who gets the most intention, is the person playing the Lizard King. And there several different versions of The Doors cover bands. Even a Mexican Doors band, with Mexican Lizard King, who has the whole look down. As well as the voice, playing The Doors music, I follow them on YouTube and they do a great job.

The original Lizard King and Jim Morrison will always be the Lizard King. The man who put skin-tight leather jeans on the map, who made leather suits, cowboys boots, concho belts fashionable and mainstream. To the point where a lot of rockers especially the headbangers, but classic rockers and rocker chicks like Melissa Etheridege, Meredith Brooks, Joan Jett and rocker guys, The Scorpions, Aerosmith are all now and have been wearing leather jeans with Biker or cowboy boots, with metal belts. 

Modern rockers wear these outfits and move very well in them, like they are wearing a basketball uniform. And to a certain extent at least Jim Morrison wasn't afraid to look crazy on stage in concert or in public. Or when he was so drunk he couldn’t tell the difference. But he always has fans that love him so much, with YouTube channels, Facebook pages, other websites, to the point that they’ll do their best job they can being him.

Jim Morrison died at the age of 27, which is a damn shame considering his talent and brilliance. But his legacy will always live on and there will always be guys carrying on the Lizard King as if he didn’t die. To keep his memory going and which is something that’s also part of Jim Morrison’s legacy.

Jim Morrison & The Doors: When The Music's Over

Source:The Daily Journal

The 1960s was an incredible decade for the Boomer Generation and everyone else. With the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war movement and all other political movements on the left-wing in America. And also a great decade for pop culture and Rock and Roll. Especially with Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, but one band that stood out for me, The Doors.

The Doors I believe represented the Boomer Generation as well as it could be represented. The Doors who became famous in the late 1960s after being together for a few years. And one member of that band that stood out the most was Jim Morrison. Who was what he called himself, a Rock and Roll Poet. Who use his music to communicate how he felt about life and what was going on in his life. 

As well as being called the Lizard King, for the way Morrison moved and his wardrobe. With his go to black snakeskin leather suits. With the snakeskin leather suit jackets. And his black snakeskin skin-tight leather jeans. That would definitely be called leather jeans today. There’s only one Jim Morrison. Morrison put leather pants on the map in Rock and Roll. Leather pants weren’t common back then with Rockers. 

Even denim pants probably weren’t that common either. As they both are today with male and female Rockers. Jim Morrison put leather on the map in Rock and Roll. But also changed what a lead vocalist is supposed to be, which is the leader of the band. Jim Morrison was a lot of things both good and bad. He had a lot of talent and ability as a singer and writer. The ability to be honest about himself and how he saw the World. Who put everything on the line whether everyone liked it or not. 

The Lizard King had a lot of intelligence and could communicate exactly how he felt. But he was also an alcoholic, fit the drunk Irishman stereotype like a glove. Who didn’t seem to be able to tell himself he had enough. And would even perform drunk and drink on stage and do crazy things. Like crash to the floor, but was so good of a performer, if anything the alcohol made his performances even better. He picked out his own outfits like the leather suits. Where from 1967-69, was his main outfit on stage and in public as well. 

He wore his leathers, cowboy boots, concho Belt  everywhere. As a way to draw attention from women on himself and it worked perfectly. So The Doors had this crazy, but brilliant lead bocalist. But with an excellent supporting cast around him. Ray Manzarak on keyboard, Robby Kryger on guitar and John Densmore on drums.

The Doors were like a great football team, with a clear leader. And supporting cast that backed the leader up and all doing their parts to make the team as good as it cane be. So they can be as successful as they can be. And had Jim Morrison not died prematurely in 1970 at the age on 27, they are might still be in business today. Like some other bands from their generation headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Jim Morrison & The Doors

Source:The Daily Journal

When I see Oliver Stone’s movie The Doors from 1991, I see a pretty entertaining movie. Where Val Kilmer plays Jim Morrison, the vocalist of The Doors, does a pretty good job of playing the Lizard King. Sings all of the lyrics himself, with no lip syncing. Except that he’s three inches taller and a bigger man physically than Jim Morrison. 

From what I know about The Doors, the only scenes that were accurate, were the Concert in New Haven from 1967. Where Morrison gets arrested in concert for being vulgar to New Haven police. And the Miami concert, where Morrison again gets arrest for in descent exposure and trying to incite violence. It’s a very entertaining movie, funny even, but a fantasy of what happened with that band and especially Jim Morrison in the late 60s. 

Oliver Stone is a big fan of Morrison, but I think he directed the movie, the way he thought Morrison was and his experiences of The Doors. Instead of the way they actually were. Val Kilmer who plays Jim Morrison in the movie, is in I believe all the scenes. The movie looks more like a fictional portrayal of Jim Morrison. Rather than an autobiographical movie of The Doors. Robbie Krieger who was the guitarist in the real band The Doors said that the only scene that happened in real life, was the Miami concert scene. 

The Miami concert wasn’t much of anything other than an improv. With Morrison showing up two hours late for the concert, more drunk than even usual. Jim Morrison didn’t drink like a fish, but a see of fish. He’s too drunk to sing, paranoid and a few minutes into the concert once it finally starts, Jim Morrison stops singing or giving his pathetic personation of singing. And starts cursing at the audience and insulting them. Actually accusing Miami of hiding Adolph Hitler of all people. The concert turned into Amateur Night at the Improv real fast.

One thing that Oliver Stone got correct besides Miami, was the Jim Morrison’s wardrobe. With over an hour of footage of the Lizard King wearing his famous skin-tight lambskin black Leather jeans. Silver concho belt, brown suede cowboy boots and black leather cowboy boots. There’s over an hour footage of Morrison wearing his black leathers the pants that he made stylish on his own. There's a great line in the movie where Pam, Jim's girlfriend tells to change those stinky leathers that he's been wearing the last three weeks. Classic Jim Morrison. 

The black skin-tight leather jeans you now see a lot of rockers wearing, I know this only because I’m a big fan of the Lizard King, I love blues rock, The Doors sound. And I own several books and movies about The Doors. So watching this movie was like reading a great fiction. Very entertaining, but you don’t learn anything knew about the subject that your watching. The real Lizard King is in this video.