Humanities & Classics 3270
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Sixties Forum
Humanities & Classics 3270 |
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I read the book "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by J. Hopkins and D. Sugarman, and it gave me a whole new perspective on this wonderful and talented man, and what he was really all about. It is Morrison in his complexity- singer, philosopher, poet, delinquient-- the brilliant, charismatic, and obsessed seeker who rejected all authority in any form. An explorer who, in his own words, "tested the bounds of reality. I was curious to see what would happen. That's all it was: just curiosity.
Jerry Hopkins is an experinced rock writer, (He also wrote Elvis- the Final Years) and Daniel Sugarman, a good friend of Morrison. Together they piece together the life, loves, deeds, and drugs of this complex and reckless individual. The book maps out Morrison's life in three distinct phases: "The Bow is Drawn"is about his childhood, about his parents, his father serving in the American Navy, and his mother a secratary. It profiles him through his college career which brought him to film school in California. The main part that begins the profile of his life is the story about when he was four, him and his family were traveling through Albaqurque, and came across an overturned truck with dying Pueblo Indians scattered throughout the road. Jim became very upset, screaming and crying hysterically about how he wanted to help them. His mother told him it was a dream, but Jim swears that as they pulled away from the intersection, an indian died and his soul passed into Jim's body. This was the beginning of the Jim Morrison we all know of. Next, "The Arrow Flies," describes this shadowy figure that prowled the strets of L.A. as The Lizard King and, the meeting of Ray Manzerak, Robby Krieger, John Densmore, and the forming of The Doors, which was the beginning of Jim's new status. The final "The Arrow Falls," portrays Morrison as the more quiet, bearded poet of his later life. It deals with a long chain of events starting with "The Miami Incident" (in which Jim was accused of exposing himself onstage in front of millions of fans) and led eventually to his mysterious death in Paris. The authors have been able to dispell many of the myths about Morrison, but at the same time create new ones. Much of the book is disjointed and confusing, but these were the qualities that typified Morrison's life. The book is enthralling reading. It tells of a world that many of us are not even close to knowing anytheng about, and the trajedy of Morrison's life becomes almost appealing in it's forbidden excitement. But be warned-- this book can seriously challenge your views on life.