THE DOORS (Documental)

some bands think of rock is daytime music others consider it a roadmap 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 story during the early 1960s California is a hotbed of rock and roll the Beach Boys set the tone for a lifestyle of fun fun fun by mid decade San Francisco is a haven for the hippies and they're smiling and brother attitude but in Los Angeles the doors left flower power to rot on the vine they look 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 these days especially in the States you have to be 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 Morrison's emotions were extreme - he could be cerebral it could be derelict potentially 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 when we muster will turn to to no one not even the other doors knew what he would do next James Douglas Morrison was born in 1943 in Florida his father a captain in the Navy was fighting in World War two and 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 but chubby kid Jim had a wild streak he taunted his siblings and an Andy and got attention by throwing fits and when that didn't work he drew treat 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 as an adult 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 it 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 Morrison stopped to help and Jim couldn't take his eyes off the scene years later he said that an Indian spirit took possession of his neck day Indian scattered on highway bleeding ghosts drowsy young child's fragile eggshell mine in high school in Virginia Jim shunned hobbies and 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 Kerouac s' on the road was a favorite book Morrison was attracted to an anything-goes kind of freedom soon Nietzsche was also on his reading list he often rebelled against the middle-class life his family lived Jim relish the chance to be on his own in college first he went to school in Florida where he read incessantly he was intrigued by text that dealt with the psychology of crowds at one point Morrison urged some friends to help me start a riot just to see what the outcome became they decline against his parents wishes he transferred to UCLA to study film he told his friends a film was where the unconscious part of life was most eloquently expressed Morrison was taken with two kinds of motion pictures surrealism and cinema verite 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 the several students 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 Manzarek gray like Jim he thought Morrison was witty devilish and smart man's Eric's group Rick and the Ravens was a bar band they did tunes like Lily Lou 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 his own verse he told one friend he wanted to start a band I never went to concerts and 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 Ray Manzarek on the beach changed both of their lives school was finished we had nothing to do and Jim was going to New York I was gonna stay in Los Angeles about a month into the summer vacation who comes walking down the beach for Jim Morrison and I asked him what he up to man I thought sure going to New York he said now 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 he shot Jim needed someone to believe in him and help him set his words to music he moved in with ray and began to work on songs they called themselves the doors after Aldous 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 infant at first the doors had no drummer that changed when Manzarek met John Densmore at a meditation class John was an inventive drummer without a regular gig he was playing fraternity parties for pocket money when he met the doors together with a bass player Morrison Densmore and the Manzarek Brothers cut a demo tape and included moonlight drive hello I love you and it seemed called go insane Columbia Records signed the group but then dragged their feet about recording sessions it was clear the band was not a priority disheartened Ray Manzarek Brothers went back to their day jobs had reflect the doors were finished in fact he had not yet started in the next remarkable year the doors would bring Jim Morrison's vision to life Jim Morrison Ray Manzarek and John Densmore wanted to keep the doors together but they had lost two members from getting no support from the record company against war setting you a good guitarist Robby Krieger when I first heard about the doors John Densmore who had known in school was telling me about this group that he was in called the doors and made this wild crazy guy Jim Morrison who was gonna be the lead singer even though he couldn't sing at the time but I knew that they were gonna be good because they have these great songs the first time Robbie rehearsed with the doors and played the snaky bottleneck guitar lines that are the signature of moonlight drive everyone knew he was perfect the doors were fully formed Robby figure-eight 22 years old occupation guitar named John Densmore plays 23 organization percussionist named know Raymond Daniel dancer e8 born to 12:39 occupation musician Jim application some of those who came to hear the doors rehearse thought they were too weird Jim went through periods of self-doubt as a singer sometimes he would stand 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 bands sounded like or acted like the doors we were all acid heads looking for another way to get high said Manzarek we found it in the music the songs made plenty of room for poetic and musical improvisation if an interesting tangent popped up they'd follow it till it reached an emotional crescendo this gave them an unusual sound loose but explosive the music was subtle into a client hypnotic of river of sound which would leave me free to kind of make up anything that came into my head at the time you see my brass off at first the doors were considered Outsiders on the la scene but finally they got a gig in a cheesy Hollywood club called the London Fog Jim grew more confident on stage and his singing improved his blend of insolence and vulnerability seduced many listeners before long The Doors became the house band at the prestigious whisky a go-go gyms improvised passages included lots of sexual innuendo often stoned he hurl himself around stage writhing with the rhythms other times he remained motionless with his head hung whispering to the mic the other doors reacted to Jim's moods 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 cover so it's sort of golden feeling here like like of someone not quite at home or I'm not quite quite relaxed the booking agent at The Whisky said Morris and his dirty street clothes weren't right for the stage she helped him choose a skin-tight leather outfit to wear already dangerous-looking Jim took on the regal air he was a young Adonis with a sexual magnetism of early Elvis women made up much of the band's audience Pam Courson made a point of being at every doors gate it wasn't long before she became Morrison's girlfriend but it was not just the female fans who are captivated by Jim's performances crowds gathered each night at The Whisky to see what kind of crazed 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 oedipal references father yes I want to kill you the doors were fired as soon as they left the stage but the Sunset Strip buzzed about the performance for weeks Columbia let the band go without ever releasing an album Elektra Records moved in in September of 66 Morrison Manzarek Krieger and Densmore went into the studio with producer Paul Rothchild Manzarek called the creative process a sort of a seance the result was one of rock's most electrifying albums one of the most eerie - 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 to take they want 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 son the doors the confidence they needed to go further into theatrical territory they wanted their music to roam through the listeners psyche what do you really puzzled it's a good word but puzzled and lacking you are puzzled in disliking that's part of the puzzlement today break on through was the doors first single it was a local hit in LA but struggled to get on the national shots Elektra put up adores billboard 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 Fillmore auditorium and Avalon Ballroom they shared Bills of bands is different as the Young Rascals and the Grateful Dead when they got to New York the press was waiting for them critics held that the band is a great underground group The Doors went back to California triumphant for their second single Elektra suggested that the doors release light my fire the first song robby krieger had ever written at six 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 1967 light my fire was the number one symbol in the country ah in a matter of weeks the doors were rock stars the Wild Ride had begun in the middle of 1967 the doors were a hot new band with a number one single they didn't waste time following out 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 Moog synthesizer backwards piano harpsichord and bits of electronic processing Kriegers guitar lines were increasingly graceful but they had a sting dense Moore's drumming was always invented success surrounded the band but the second album's title lived up to the doors mysterious image strange days the doors open for simon and garfunkel in new york at the end of the summer the crowd didn't buy Jimmy's dramatic moves some of them even left Jim operated on impulse at his best he was captivated and his worst he was a clown after the Simon Garfunkel show he knew everybody wasn't going to swim into his antics that didn't mean Morrison was gonna change for anyone when the doors performed light my fire on the Ed Sullivan Show the producer demanded that the line girl we couldn't get much higher be removed it was too blatant to drug reference in the dressing room The Doors agreed but on stage Jim sang the original line that was their last Sullivan appearance on stage and off Morrison's mischief was becoming obnoxious drunken stone one night he tried to rip apart the apartment of Electra's president he and Pam began to have heated squabbles - Jim visit a 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 Howl's ray compared Jim to a shame it he took the audience on a mystical journey what do you think the role of a a rock shaming is a time to say social turn turmoil I don't think the shaming for what I've read is really to interested in defining his role in societies just more interesting pursuing his own fantasies Morrison said performing for people is like presiding over a crisis situation she often left and fell off the stage the music and the action became increasingly cathartic some writers suggested Jim was possessed in New Haven Connecticut Morrison demonstrated his defiance Jim was making out with the fan before a show on 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 would it happen backstage and was viciously teasing the police the cops do on the house lights and drag 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 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 state companion for the singer occasionally his writing was incoherent the trappings of Puff started hey Jim wonder about his effectiveness as an artist John Densmore lost patience with The Doors lack of focus in the studio one night in the studio I said that's it goodbye you set the whole band on my left and I came back next day because I give up my art but that was my way of saying we got to stop this you know distraction dinsmoor's action send a message to the others jim was veering out of control the band hired a bodyguard to keep him away from whiskey keeping Morrison straight was impossible a doors became increasingly frustrated with working on celebration of the lizard the piece 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 mind being shot dead a martyr some radio stations played the song but many thought it was too controversial were just too strange to be commercial music can help with reflecting things that are happening around you 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 doors conscious began to generate Wyatt's the gym could not Desna as the huge crowds as he had club audiences he will instead drive them into a frenzy I love jumping 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 its simplicity cause many fans to wonder about the band's direction in all honesty hello I love you was released because we felt this chance of 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 four-minute song called not to touch the earth it contained the line I am The Lizard King I can do anything Jim Smith continued to grow 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 in 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 staged Falls a showbiz move teenyboppers filled the shows and Morrison believed they were missing the depth of his lyrics he was frustrated one day Jim announced he was quitting they talked him into staying for another six months we definitely generate an atmosphere our mood which might be characterized as rebellion chaos disorder and activity that appears to have no meaning on stage morrison sexual overtones became more and more graphic local police began to monitor the door shows for decent 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 ah whether next single the doors added nor castra touch me at a las vegas tinge to it at the LA forum with the orchestra in tow the band didn't go over Morrison asked the crowd what they wanted light my fire they roared celebration doctor see I there's been a slacker yeah everything exploded in Miami at a packed concert hall an inebriated Morrison railed about revolution Miami was chaos audience members brought a lamb up to the stage Jim took the head off a cup and threw it into the crowd it was more of a circus in a concert Jim started a striptease 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 jand exposed himself other said he didn't that is 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 this performance dinner key Saturday night Morrison turned himself in to the authorities when he got back to LA he was charged with a felony sixteen states banned the group from ever appearing again and in Miami a conservative group staged a decency rally the doors are out to make their own scene it was a bad scene on like I say 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 been being brought into Miami I've heard that the doors they got kicked out of other places because of the riots and there indecent exposure and they're uh they're talking and I feel that uh we have to do something about this this is this is real disgusting and how my children I thought when I grow up and have children don't want them in a varmint like this I mean is this progress or how we decaying in a way in the months following Miami Jim's constant drinking made him look heavy you are thick beard and sunglasses the counterculture sex symbol is turning into a haunted Rekluse 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 Gemma has 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 old in 1970 the doors were suffering from the 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 your new record Morrison Hotel was a return to stripped-down rock-and-roll it avoided cosmic lyrics and jazz chords instead it featured Bo Diddley rhythms blues riffs and lots of Morrison wailing the cover photo was shot in the Skid Row Hotel in LA the picture on the back was of a raunchy barroom the message was clear the doors were dumping their pretenses the band was concentrating on down and dirty rock some of the group's teenybopper fans drifted away but The Doors hardcore audience liked 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 a doors live record was released Morrison dwelled on the pending Miami trial he had caused to be worried well the realm of art and theater I do think that there should be complete freedom for the artist and performer uh I'm not personally that convinced that nudity is always you know a necessary part of you know a play or film but the artist should feel free to use it if he feels like it Jim hope 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 sentenced to six months of hard labor his lawyers filed an appeal toward the end of the trial Jimi Hendrix and Janis 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 fit of prison wounded his interest in music makers and 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 tape sounded like cocktail jazz Rothchilds departure shook the doors and forced them to work harder along with their engineer Bruce Botnick the band produced themselves they enjoyed the new freedom the result was LA woman it was eloquent in his description of apprehension and fear riders on the storm was a dreamy tale of a serial and set the mood for the danger that was lurking ahead rise of the stall later 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 mice choose to choose the sign of your day the day's gravity first then you see the doors went off to Dallas in New Orleans to do shows the first was fine the second was awful drunken drowsy morrison continuously smashed the mic stand into the stage mumbling to himself dense more walked away from his drum set the tour was canceled the doors were disintegrating Jim Morrison was burned out and facing jail the doors had completed their obligation to Elektra Records Morrison told his bandmates and friends at he and Pam were going to Paris to be a woman he wanted to spend time reading and writing he had to get away from the trappings of rock - hi la woman was released and the song love her madly was a hit the gym 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 then 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 is no autopsy that prompted endless speculation did morrison faked his death and disappear to get away from the courts and 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 Ray Manzarek robby krieger and john densmore decided to continue as a trio they released two records after Morrison's death great say most of the songs yeah 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 imagined she'd faked her death to join him in 1978 The Doors 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 Elektra as an American prayer the legacy of The Doors continues in 1979 Francis Ford Coppola 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 turbulent career directed by Oliver Stone door songs became fixtures on classic rock radio in 1987 ray Robbie and John went into a Los Angeles studio to put music to a newly discovered Morrison song called Orange County sweet so my okay and then I'm very pleased with the music very proud to have made the music with Densmore Krieger and Morrison and those guys are they were great to work with and I think we I think we captured something captured a moment in time and captured also a timeless moment that'll perhaps 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's exactly what the music should do entranced by the hostility of modern life Jim Morris you used hysteria 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 and passionate dangerous era for those too young to know of the songs felt when they renew the doors offer a glimpse into the emotional complexities of a time to often reduce to nostalgic simplicity's 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

Channel: MANUEL DE CASAS

Views: 1,335,845

Rating: 4.8559585 out of 5

Keywords: ROCK

Id: gtE7TTMz9is

Length: 41min 34sec (2494 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 21 2012