Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 8:12 pm
Hi Vince,
What's your view of Jim Morrison the shaman? Did Jim transform the audience? Did something magical or special happen at Door's concerts or was it just a bunch of hype to sell books and propagate the Morrison myth?
Thanks,
Chris
vince
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 4:08 pm
If ever there was a crok of fecal matter this is about it. what in hell would eve make Morrison a shaman. Whoin hell would ever concieve of such a thig. He saw and accident by the road - so have tens of thousands of other people, A Spirit ( of some illegal mexican) entered his body. Well that kind of fanaticism is not unknown but only among catholics when cmmuning with saits and other such fairy tales.
Jim dealt in the bizzar, the outrageous, the shock effect. This was promoted by people looking to inhance his "Image" and all that crap. Who started that story anyway, Ray, Jim, some idiot fan mag writer?
Nothing magical happened at a doors concert. in the context that I think you are asking. A concert was very exciting and very entertaining when Jim was relatively sober.
By the way - I have writen reasons why Jim went on stage drunk. I forgot to add one item - Jim was, in the beginning, shy of the audience. It was noted that he would trun his back so he did not have to fave a sea of people looking at him. Drinking would depress him system and let him be more calm and more easily face the audience..
It was the rhythm of the music, that unique sound of the piano bass. John's incredible drum patterns and of course, the topping by Robbie. Also you must remember that they played as an orchestra would, one instrument playimg one line the other backing up in counterpoint and the piano bass providing foundation as well as counter rhythm to John.
Think about moonlight drive, the words of crystal ship, think of Jim crying out from himself in you're lost little girl. He was that lost image.
Do you know Joni Mitchell's music. It is all about her - that is the stuff written before 1970. Aside from her incredibly beautiful music, she is tearing herself apart while she tells the sudience true stories about herself. I can tell a few about her as well but this is not the place. I merely wish to make a comparison of the lyrics and the message that they are carrying. Think about both The End and When the Music's over... This is the stuff that made the doors famous. Not shit like roadhouse blues or LA woman. They even took one piece and gave an image of Jim's preferred point of entry. Back Door man. What about whisky Bar. Isn't that prophetic? Robbie wrote some beautiful pieces, Spanish Caravan. River Flows, how sweet summers almost gone. That is the Doors and those musical patterns, the throbbing basses and precise rhythms appeal to our most primative instincts.
They did not need Morrison. They did need someone with that kind of voice. Val Kilmer could sing like Jim. When he was preparing forthe movie he wasin studio listening to tapes of Jim and then practicing. He got so that it was difficult to tell whether it was a Jim tape or a Val live.
You din't have to see the Doors. but the anticipation of what jim would do physically was an attrraction. When you listed to the first three albums and perhaps a bit of Parade. you get real Doors music. After that it is blues crap. It is Rays push to convert the group to a blues band to realize his dream of being a blues musician as he heard in his home town of Chicago. With the Doors orchestration that did not work so when other voices went on the raod the make-up of the band was changed to suit the new music and, I think it was Not so god. So did the audiences because they cancelled their final US tour for lack of ticket sales. What does that telly ou.
That they did not need any Shamens on stage was demonstrated in Amsterdam. That they could not change the orchestration and format of their music was demonstrated by the closing of the doors.
Look at the present Riders... Sure they play Doors selections, but does it sound like Doors Music???? No. It is not the same. Not so clean, so defined.
As Paul once said, Get that bass beat. It goed down from the speakers to the floor and from the floor up the legs to the crotch and, boy, it just grabs you by the balls.
that, my boy, it the real magic of the Doors. Shaman - it is a hrad on perpetuated by Stone who exploited a real Indian (Who died a few years ago) to creat a sensation for his mythical versoin of The Doors. There was not Magic in that movie.
OK - I hope I have answered your question.
_________________
Vince
Road Manager
The Doors
WTD
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 5:09 pm
Thanks for the reply. What in your opinion made a great concert? Everyone talks about the 68 Fillmore East concerts as being special, just incredible. Can you give some insight as why you thought they were incredible.
Thanks,
Chris
jim4371
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 9:51 pm
I can't remember who's most responsible for the perpetuation of the shaman bullshit... oh wait! Here he is now!
Jim Morrison man, beautiful man, a GREEK GOD, man, DIONYSUS, MAAAAAN, with shamanic powers, could make the audience see snakes, man, the ivory shaft is a myth... beautiful man.... *fallls asleep*
BallroomDays67
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 10:26 pm
Hi Vince. What direction do you feel the Doors music should have taken after the "The Soft Parade"? Weren't "Morrison Hotel" and "L.A. Woman" just as much a product of their times as the first two albums were? In your opinion, how could the Doors have remained the "real Doors" circa 1970/71? Thanks