Have you been so influenced by a band that it goes beyond just the music alone? There’s only one iconic front man whose birthday I celebrate because his message resonates with my similar soul. So on December 8th I toast one more shot to the Lizard King and closest friend I never met. Jim Morrison, the fog horn voice of the Doors, would have been 69 years old on this date. This rock star of epic proportions, whose poetry and stage presence put him at the front of the pack of your average rock star class, was the epitome of what a bad ass is and forever will be. The wisest career move he did was dying forever young… he was 27.
Sometimes you know a song because you overhear it so much, or as a child who had no control of what station the radio was on. I remember the first time I ever heard the rain coming down on Riders on the Storm. It had a different affect the first time I heard it stoned. It was deeper and more sentimental from that point on. Oliver Stone’s vision in the 1991 cult classic the Doors made you picture Val Kilmer when the name Jim Morrison was mentioned and displayed a different side to the music you know so well. If you didn’t know the music, maybe this film was the culprit when you ordered CD’s from Columbia House. For me, I learned more about the man behind the music.
Mr. Mojo Risin’ (anagram of Jim Morrison) even used both sides of the border as his stomping ground many decades ago. Jim would have conversations with prostitutes when he drifted to Juarez. I can’t even begin to imagine how that scene played out, but I can speculate. Sometimes you can even feel his essence at some bars in Juarez, as they pay homage to him. Some of those bars aren’t there anymore. Maybe it’s that feeling of excess in the air that compels you to have another shot, hell maybe even another bump. It was just that feeling of excess he lived until it put him six feet under. But seriously, do you really want your rock stars getting old and doing some shit performance during the Superbowl because they won’t have a wardrobe malfunction? Mick Jagger could learn a lot from Morrison’s life lesson. Face it, Jagger looks like shit. Fish don’t have jowls that bad. Jim Morrison will always be a Rock God who died in his prime. That’s what great rock stars do. They die young.
Why does this man have so much influence on my life you ask? Writing has always been a part of me. Morrison inspired me to not just continue writing but to write more. In my opinion, he made it cool to jot down random poetry in a notepad. If you’ve ever read his words and they made you think, it’s just as if he whispered them in your ear from the other side. It’s an easy task that calms the frustration of a difficult day or just makes passing time more artistic. If you do write or stopped for whatever reason, I can only hope this article triggers you to have an epiphany. Don’t let your words become drowned and forgotten in a notebook, get them out. Pretend the Lizard King is using me as a medium to get to you. “Listen, real poetry doesn’t say anything; it just ticks off the possibilities; Opens all doors. You can walk through anyone that suits you.” Jim once said.
The quote that most sticks out in my head that really spoke to me is, “The most loving parents and relatives commit murder with smiles on their faces. They force us to destroy the person we really are: a subtle kind of murder.” I believe that everyone can attest to this one powerful quote. We all have situations in life when you experience this first hand. Morrison did not conform to conventional ways and turned his back on his family to get to where he felt most comfortable. It’s that attitude that is sometimes necessary to possess to become who you really are. Doing it is another thing. If it’s anything I learned from Mr. Mojo Risin’, it’s to get “my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.”
So on December 8th, remember whose birthday it is and have a celebration of life. Toast to the Lizard King! Take the first toke, hold it in, and exhale a “Happy Birthday Jim” with smoke in the air. Raise your glass and scream to everyone at the bar, “This one goes out to a man who’s enhanced your life throughout the years, Mr. Mojo Risin.” Don’t forget to have Roadhouse Blues in the background while you make your toast. This poet was a rock star second but lived a life none can fathom. His life should be celebrated and remembered forever while you have a moonlit drive. Now say it with me, “get me a Dos Equis would ya Dolores?”
“I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps “Oh look at that!” Then- whoosh, and I’m gone…and they’ll never see anything like it ever again… and they won’t be able to forget me- ever.” – Jim Morrison
TEXT: BOBBY D’VILLE