Myth-Busting: How To Assess Jim Morrison’s Toxic Legacy In 2021
- by CLASHMUSIC
PAST BEHAVIOURS MUST BE RECKONED WITH TO HIGHLIGHT PRESENT CRIMES
On this day 51 years ago, The Doors released Morrison Hotel, an album that stands as another piece in the puzzle that secured Jim Morrison’s place in legend as arguably the archetype of an envelope pushing rock star. Including tracks penned for his on-off girlfriend Pamela Courson like "The Spy" and "Queen Of The Highway," the album has become the soundtrack to the popular memory of Morrison as a tortured romantic and sex symbol.
But for some reason, history has allowed us forget that around this time in 1970, Jim Morrison was also busy setting fire to the apartment that Pamela was locked inside.
Read anything about Morrison and you’ll see him described as wild and erratic. His place in recollection of the 60s is as a beloved antagonist, rock ‘n’ roll’s Number One most wanted thanks to his numerous arrests, FBI involvement and the regular riots that The Doors concerts would incite. While his fame has endured as one of pop culture’s most rebellious icons, the corner of his legacy that deals with his violence and abuse has been erased to nothing more than another bullet point in the list of antics he got up to.
