When The Doors first formed in 1965, starting a song with a lightning crack and an apocalyptical atmosphere was out of the question. In the eternal summer of peace and love, the flowery sanguine sound that most of the mainstream music in the era propagated was in direct contrast to the iconoclasm that followed shortly after.

The music of The Doors has a timeless appeal. Born in an era of technological innovation, distant conflict, charismatic cult figures, and social transformation, the band’s enigmatic frontman, Jim Morrison, tapped into the dark underbelly of the American cultural imagination, dredging a literary and cinematic heritage that has allowed them to take on enduring universal appeal. While much is made of Morrison’s musical contribution, less is known about his initial interest in cinema.

"Hello, I Love You" more so than any other Doors song puts Jim Morrison front and centre, welcoming the continuous spotlight. Nowhere is this better seen than with Jim’s isolated vocals, take a listen below for yourself.

It would be hard to argue that alcohol contributed to the performances of Jim Morrison. A hardened alcoholic, Morrison only truly began to spin out of control in the final years of the 1960s. His once-sleek and svelt image was now slovenly, and the man himself was bearded and pudgy.

In An American Prayer, the final album from legendary bastions of the counter-culture movement, The Doors, their enigmatic lead singer Jim Morrison is laid bare for all to see. It’s one of the most explosive and exposing albums in their canon. However, there is another set of tapes that has an even deeper insight into the singer’s character—The Lost Paris Tapes.

Very few musicians in history could be legitimately classed as poets. Patti Smith and Jim Morrison, however, are two of them in a very literal sense considering, of course, that both have seen poetry anthologies published.

It goes without saying, Patti Smith is one of the true greats. Such is her undoubted stamp on the history of popular culture, it would be a struggle to find any music fan in their right mind who has nothing but the utmost regard for The Godmother of Punk.

Formed in Los Angeles, 1965, by vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore, The Doors would go on to become one the era’s most iconic rock bands. Undoubtedly, their focal point was Morrison, a mysterious poet, who quickly became one of the heroes of the countercultural movement. Then and now, he has been ascribed a demi-god-like stature—a walking, talking embodiment of the rebellion.

We’re dipping into the Far Out Magazine vault to look back at a very sad performance. During it, The Doors rattle through their subversive songs while Jim Morrison, a caricature of himself, provided some sad foreshadowing. It would be the last performance he’d ever give.