Jim Morrison: The Bad Boy of Classic Rock

Source: The New Democrat– The Lizard King Jim Morrison.

Source:The New Democrat

“Flashback Friday, this week brings the story of famous American singer and poet James Douglas ‘Jim’ Morrison. Known widely as the lead vocalist of psychedelic rock band ‘The Doors’, Jim was a charismatic singer and regarded as the most iconic figures of popular rock music history. He is remembered today for his outrageous stage performances and rebellious lifestyle other than his unforgettable songs and lyrics.

Jim Morrison was born on December 8, 1949 in Melbourne, Florida. Jim was a dutiful and intelligent child, a voracious reader and a passionate diarist. Morrison joined University of California at Los Angeles after graduating from high school to study film. It was here at UCLA that he developed an avid interest in poetry.

Ray Manzarek, a former classmate from UCLA and Jim came with an idea of putting together a band for which they recruited Robbie Krieger as the guitarist and John Densomore as the drummer and began calling themselves ‘The Doors’. Elektra Records signed the Doors in 1966-67 for a recording contract. After the modest success of their first single, “Break on Through” it was their second single, “Light My Fire,” which catapulted the band to the forefront of the rock and roll world, reaching No. 1 on music charts. The group became known for its charismatic stage personality and its hypnotic music and Jim gained a reputation for erratic public behaviour.

In a small but inspiring journey, Jim Morrison led a bohemian life and remained infamous for alcohol dependency, drug use, violent temper and infidelity which led him into many troubles and life long depression.

In an attempt to get his life back in order, he took time off The Doors and moved to Paris where he departed at the age of 27, on July 3 1971, allegedly due to heroine overdose. His early death deprived the world of beautiful music and poetry. However, the most legendary and mysterious rockstar of all time, Jim Morrison continues to inspire many disaffected people around the world, who in his words find the expression of their hopes and frustration!

His legacy and popularity can be best testified in the fact that his grave located at Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris is one of the world’s most visited resting place to this day.

From Fame Music

Jim Morrison aka The Lizard King, is the bad boy and frontman of classic rock and blues rock.

I’m not interested in heavy metal and punk rock, where I’m sure you’ll find guys who got into more trouble and perhaps had even bigger addiction problems. Curt Cobain and Axel Rose come to mind damn fast for me.

But, the heavy reliance and influence of black leather that you saw at least in the 1980s and 1990s especially with the leather jeans, boots, jackets, came from Jim Morrison. Which just to my point about how big a deal The Lizard King is when it comes to rock and roll and not just classic rock and blues rock where he made his biggest impact. But again heavy metal when you’re talking about wardrobe with the leather jeans, boots and jackets. That Jim Morrison made a staple of his wardrobe in the late 1960s, when almost no one else outside biker culture was wearing at all.

I don’t know of a frontman that meant more to his band than Jim Morrison. Not to take anything away from Ray Manzarek especially, who was great on the keyboards and also had a great singing voice. And Robby Krieger was an excellent guitarist and John Densmore could play the drums.

But The Doors are famous because of Jim Morrison, but Morrison wouldn’t have needed The Doors at least the group that was put together to be famous and successful. How many other rock frontman at least from that generation, had the intelligence, the wit, the writing ability and then throw in the style that The Lizard King had.

In an era where frontman looked somewhat preppy except for the long hair and looked like hippies, I mean we are talking about the late 1960s after all, Jim Morrison is wearing a black leather suit, skin-tight black leather jeans, that would be called skinny leathers today. With a black leather suit jacket, an Indian concho belt and black suede and leather boots.

Jim Morrison not just put leather jeans on the map in rock and roll, but leather period. To the point that Elvis Presley starts wearing a black leather suit in the late 60s and early 70s. John Kay, from Steppenwolf has his own Lizard King outfit. With a leather vest, black leather jeans and an Indian belt.

The hard rockers of the 1980s Kiss, Motley Crew, Guns N Roses, as well as heavy metal bands like Skid Row, are all wearing leather jackets and leather jeans. But much more casually than Jim Morrison and wore biker jackets and t-shirts with their leathers.

Morrison, again was a rebel and did his own thing and did it so well that he made it so cool and had others following him. To the point that there are countless Doors cover bands and Jim Morrison covers. With the Jim Morrison figure always in his black leathers and concho belt and at times with the black leather jacket.

But with The Lizard King, it’s not just his leather rock and roll fashion. And the fact that perhaps no other man has ever wore a black leather suit better. Or the fact that thousands of women went to Doors concerts to check the man out every night and to see what he would do on the stage next. But it was also his music and the fact that he and The Doors did their own thing and made their own music and to a certain extent sung about the times the 1960s, but did it their own way.

Morrison, especially didn’t want to fit in some place, but instead create his own place that was even different from his own band members from again how he carried and presented himself on stage. And then see if others would follow him.

The Baby Boom Generation, the 1960s rockers who made it big in that decade, lost three great stars. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. But I’m not sure as great as Jimi and Janis would’ve been even combined would’ve they’ve meant more to rock and roll than Jim Morrison. The Lizard King was one in a kind and great at simply being himself as an entertainer. And we haven’t seen anyone as good, or similar since.

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The Lizard King: The Doors Live in London, 1968

The Lizard King

Source: This piece was originally posted at The New Democrat

At least the early part of this concert sounds like the Oliver Stone version of The Doors from 1991 with Val Kilmer playing Jim Morrison. With The Lizard King drunk and wasted and barely being able to stand up and move around without losing his balance. And giving an awful performance in Miami, Florida and finally getting frustrated and starts cursing at the audience. Which is a true story and one of the few things that the Oliver Stone movie portrayed accurately. The New Haven concert would be another one.

The actual Live in London concert was very good and you get to Jim Morrison and The Doors (as I call them) at their best. With The Lizard King at his best in his classic rock and roll uniform the black leather suit, concho belt and cowboy boots that he put on the rock and roll map himself. Which is about an hour-long that I have on DVD. They play everything and Morrison is brilliant on the vocals and very entertaining as well.
The Lizard King: The Doors Full Concert Live in London 1968

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The Doors: Live at The Roadhouse (1968)

Source:The Doors– Jim Morrison and The Doors, Live at The London Roadhouse, in 1968.

“Rare color footage of The Doors performing at the Roundhouse, London, 1968-09-06. Not the same show filmed for “The Doors Are Open” documentary. An awesome close-up of Jim Morrison singing When The Music’s Over.”

From The Doors

I’m thinking the cameraman, or perhaps the camerawomen, really liked Jim Morrison and was really attracted to him. Because in the first two minutes of this show alone, you see several closeups on Jim Morrison’s leather legs and leather suit, sitting on the stool with his legs sticking out in his skin-tight black leather jeans and black leather jacket, with his concho belt. And that’s exactly the reaction that The Lizard King (also known as Jim Morrison) wanted. Of course he wanted to be known for his music, but he was playing a character as well which was The Lizard King, a cowboy, rock and roll hero, where his superhero uniform was his skin-tight, black leather suit, where he wanted people to listen to his music, but also bring attention to his skin-tight leather legs and butt. For about two years, the man must have smelled like a luxury car, being in head-toe black leather almost everywhere he went, including to church, weddings, airplanes, the beach, even, etc.

Source:The Doors– Live at The London Roadhouse, in 1968.

It has been said that Morrison, wore the skin-tight leather pants, (leather jeans. really) with the concho belt, because he wanted to highlight his crotch. Which makes a hell of a lot of sense, because if you watch this show, or Live at The Hollywood Bowl, or The Doors in Copenhagen, or The Doors in London, The Doors on Ed Sullivan, just to use as examples, there are several closeups upfront of Morrison in his leather suit and right on his legs, butt and crotch. I mean if you’re actually attracted to the man, watching all of this footage is a great way to see him.

As far as this show, I think it’s The Lizard King as it his best. Just wish this show was in color and since it was done in 1968, that would’ve been a fairly easy thing to do. But with Morrison, you get great vocals and his role-playing and acting and moving around and the dancing.

And Ray Manzarek, if anything who had a better singing voice than Morrison, at least singing blues, doing a great job on the keyboards. When The Music is Over, and Love Me Two Times, I think are their best songs in this show.

Love Me Two Times, comes with a great music video as well. And you have Morrison going off the cuff and doing a little story telling as well. And they finish with, well The End, what else. Which is their great war song, even though it wasn’t written directly for the Vietnam War. But considering this was 1968, the timing of this song was simply perfect.

As what can be said about a lot of The Doors performances, I just wish they were shot in color. Which is one reason why Oliver Stone’s version of The Doors, whatever you think of the movie, is actually very important. Because it gives you a very good idea of what The Lizard King was like in color. Even with Val Kilmer, being a much larger and taller man than Jim Morrison.

But it would be nice to see a colorized version of a lot of these performances. But the sound of these performances and how Morrison sounded and how the band played, is very good, even in black and white. Which doesn’t affect the sound of these shows. But the shows would’ve been better had they been done in color. Like with The Hollywood Bowl, Ed Sullivan, Smothers Brothers, Jonathan Winters. And maybe a colorized version of this show, will be available at some point.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on WordPress.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on Blogger.

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Mary Queen of Shops: ‘Designer Jeans Advice From Mary Portas’

Source:Mary Queen of Shops– designer jeans advice.

Source:The Daily Journal

“Mary Portas takes Diana, the owner of fashion store 117, to find a high end designer jeans market for her shop. A great pair of jeans is the staple of any fashionable womans wardrobe.”

From Mary Queen of Shops 

I found this photo on Flickr or Photobucket. It’s not directly related to the Mary Portas video, except for the designer jeans. It also adds the jeans in boots look that’s been with us for the last 5-6 years with so many sexy women in and out of America tucking their skin-tight or skinny jeans into their long boots. And the jeans over boots looks is still with us and very popular as well where women now are wearing their skinny jeans over their boots even to work not and when they out to dinner and dress up their denim that way.

Source:The Daily Journal– jeans in boots, the classic women’s fashion look that hopefully never goes away. As well as tight jeans over boots which is another sexy, fashionable classic for American women.

This photo is also not directly related to Mary Portas’s video about designer jeans. But you do see a beautiful, sexy woman, with great curves, in her 21st Century designer denim jeans, that’s she’s wearing in her black, leather boots. Which is a look that came back in 2005-06 and has been around with us ever since. Designer jeans or skinny jeans aren’t designed for skinny girls or women, but for women with meat on their bones who like to show off their legs and butts. As you see with this woman on the left.

Source:The Daily Journal– jeans in boots on the left.

The jeans denim explosion especially since the late 1990s and which went even further in the last decade and has probably gotten even bigger in the first two years of this decade especially with skinny denim and leather jeans for women. And with skinny jeans for women that have been around since 2005 or 06 which as guy I gotta admit I think it’s great checking out sexy women who love their tight jeans. Especially checking out sexy female celebrity’s in their tight jeans. And now that even tight jeans have become such a versatile pant for women, no longer considered just a casual pant. It has completely changed how sexy women dress in and out of work.

With women now wearing skinny jeans to the office, not just on Casual Friday, as well as out on the weekend and at night. And wearing them in all-weather not just in the fall or winter. But during hot humid summers, like in the Mid-West, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Wearing tight jeans not just with t-shirts and tank tops, but with sweaters, blouses, suit jackets it’s become very important for women to make sure that when they are out in tight jeans or shopping for tight jeans, that they are wearing the tight jeans and buying the tight jeans that show off their bodies as best as possible.

That they don’t wear tight jeans that make them look fat, skinny or look like hookers. Like with the famous ass crack jeans of 2001-02. Where if a woman sat down or bended over, she was at risk of revealing her ass crack and perhaps seeing it on TV or the internet or both. Especially with the camcorder revolution and people being able to record video on their cell phones. Low-rise jeans, skinny jeans good. Ass crack jeans bad, women should find the balance that makes them look sexy in them. And shows off their figures but doesn’t make them look like prostitutes looking for a man to pay their bills.

Perhaps this video can help women find that right balance. Also for me anyway, not a fan of trouser jeans, they might be stylish for a women and make them feel like they can wear jeans to work and still look dressy or professional. But the office far as I’m concern might be the only good place for them. I’m not going to get the feeling to check out a woman, I don’t care how sexy she is physically, just because she’s wearing trouser jeans. I would get the same satisfaction checking out a woman wearing baggy sweatpants or slacks.

Denim to me on women anyway, like leather are meant to be tight. One reason why there are both denim jeans and leather jeans and a lot of women and men shopping for both denim and leather jeans that are the tightest possible without sucking the blood from their legs so they can no longer walk. Sort of like that Seinfeld episode (sorry I watched the show a lot) where Kramer was wearing designer jeans from like 1982 or something that were so tight that he literally couldn’t move his legs in them.

So low-rise and skinny jeans great, jeans with boots, whether they are under or over the jeans are great. The tight dark wash designer jeans explosion for women in the late 1970s, the greatest advancement in style for women I believe ever. As far as Sex Appeal goes but women should where the jeans that are best for their body and don’t buy jeans that are for another body. That just causes problems.

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