Jim Morrison

Today, One year and one day after his birthday, Dec. 8, 1943 Jim Morrison, the lead singer and lyricist of the band The Doors, was given a posthumous pardon by the Governor of Florida for a conviction of ‘indecent exposure’ for an act he allegedly committed in 1969.

I mentioned this news story today because it struck me that Morrison was born the same year I was, 1943, and convicted of a crime the same year I as convicted of a crime,Milwaukee 14.

I have always felt a dark attraction to the music of The Doors and maybe having these two years in common is part of the reason why.

Morrison died a year after his conviction while he was out an appeal. If he had lived we would now be the same age. But the despite these common links our lives before 1969 took radically different paths. While Morrison life was full of music, popularity, sex, alcohol and drugs, my life till that time had been very conservative and quiet.

I remember hearing The Doors at the time but my interest was not really awakened until my deceased son, Peter, reintroduced me to the music of The Doors in his adult life. The dark poetic sound of the music reminds me of how I feel these days with the loss of my son.

Peter, like Jim Morrison, was an aspiring film maker, musician and artist. He never had the fame of Jim Morrison, but liked to think of himself living on the wild side.

However, the other side of my son was more like me, serious, compassion and concerned. He struggled with living with both sides of himself until the day he died. He and Jim Morrison are now together somewhere enjoying their music while I am here on earth struggling with the dark side of life.

Comments

(:commentboxchrono:)