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[[Image:Fifi.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fifi La Fume]]
:''For other people named James or Jim Morrison, see [[James Morrison]]''
'''Fifi La Fume''' is a [[fictional character]], an [[anthropomorphic]] [[skunk]] featured in the [[Warner Brothers]] [[1990]]-[[1992]] [[animated series]] ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]''. She was voiced by [[Kath Soucie]] in the English version and by [[Junko Asami]] in the Japanese version.
[[Image:jimmorrison2.jpg|thumb|right|Morrison on ''The Best of the Doors'' album cover]]
'''James "Jim" Douglas Morrison''' ([[December 8]], [[1943]] - [[July 3]], [[1971]]) was an [[United States|American]] singer, [[songwriter]], [[writer]] and [[poet]]. Born in [[Melbourne, Florida]], he was the lead singer and lyricist of the popular American rock band [[The Doors]], and is considered to be one of the most [[Charisma|charismatic]] [[Frontman|frontmen]] in the history of [[rock music]]. He was also an author of several [[poetry]] books, a documentary, short film and two early [[music videos]] ("The Unknown Soldier" and "People are Strange"). Morrison's death at the age of 27 in [[Paris]] stunned his fans; the circumstances of his death and secret burial have been the subject of endless rumors and play a significant part in the mystique that continues to surround him.
Fifi is a [[teenager|teenaged]] female variation of the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' character [[Pepé Le Pew]], who occasionally, though not often, serves as her mentor in the series. Her [[fur]] is purple and white, as opposed to a normal skunk's [[black and white]], and she keeps a ribbon tied to her hair which causes it to fall over one eye, giving her a sultry, [[coquette|coquettish]] look. Fifi is also quite tall; taller than even most of the boys in her grade. She's also much stronger and more athletic than many of them, as she always seems to very easily catch and capture her would-be-boyfriends, and lifting them from the ground like they weigh nothing. She has a massive tail, nearly twice the size of her own body, which is the source of her powerful [[Skunk#Anal scent glands|odor]]. She uses her tail for a number of things, including a [[pillow]], a [[pom-pom]] and a [[snare]] to capture potential [[boyfriend]]s before they can get away.
==Biography==
===Early years===
Of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Irish people|Irish]] ancestry, Jim Morrison was the son of [[Admiral]] [[George Stephen Morrison]] and Clara Clark Morrison, who met in [[Hawaii]] in 1941 where Steve Morrison, then an ensign, was stationed.
==Character Profile and Personality==
Jim Morrison was born eleven months later in [[Melbourne, Florida]]. Six months later, Clara Morrison moved to [[Clearwater, Florida]] along with her infant son to live with her in-laws (Paul and Caroline Morrison) while her husband returned to the [[Pacific]] front for the duration of [[World War II]]. (Later he would achieve the rank of Admiral and command the local fleet from his flagship, [[USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31)]] during the [[Tonkin Gulf incident]].) She stayed in Florida with her new son; her husband would not return to see his family until the summer of 1946. The Morrisons then had a daughter, Anne Robin (born in 1947 in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]]) and a son, Andrew "Andy" Lee (born 1948 in [[Los Altos, California]]).
[[Image:FifiArt29.gif|left|200px|thumb|Fifi, ready for romance!]]
Like her [[mentor]], [[Pepé Le Pew]], Fifi is [[French people|French]], very [[flirt]]atious, and often speaks with French exclamations. She also shares the same faults as her idol: intense skunk-odor, and an inability to take "no" for an answer when pursuing the romantic object of her choice. When she falls in love, she loses all self-control, and will not allow anything to stop her from literally capturing her [[prey]]. Her putrid stench is also powerful-enough to melt solid steel.
According to Morrison, one of the most important events of his life occurred in 1949 during a family trip in [[New Mexico]]. He described the event as follows:{{fact}}
However, unlike Pepe, who reeks all the time, Fifi's [[musk]] only comes into play when she is attracted to someone, or when it would advance the plot, thus allowing her to interact with other characters when she is not the central focus of the story. Fifi's character is also taken in a somewhat sympathetic light, for she, alone, longs for a lover and many people are likely to feel sorry for her. Also, while Pepe seems oblivious of himself smelling bad, Fifi realizes she has a foul odor and often uses it to her advantage during desperate situations. For instance, in one [[Out of odor|episode]], she wielded her tail like a machine gun to fire clouds of musk. It is also shown that her smell can be erased by [[tomato juice]], but the effects are only temporary and can be reversed quickly by washing the tomato juice off.
{{cquote|The first time I discovered death ... me and my mother and father, and my grandmother and grandfather, were driving through the desert at dawn. A truckload of [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] had either hit another car or something — there were Indians scattered all over the highway, bleeding to death. I was just a kid, so I had to stay in the car while my father and grandfather went to check it out. I didn't see nothing — all I saw was funny red paint and people lying around, but I knew something was happening, because I could dig the vibrations of the people around me, and all of a sudden I realized that they didn't know what was happening any more than I did. That was the first time I tasted fear ... and I do think, at that moment, the [[soul]]s of those dead Indians — maybe one or two of them — were just running around, freaking out, and just landed in my soul, and I was like a sponge, ready to sit there and absorb it.}}
Fifi is somewhat depicted as a [[bimbo]]. Being so, she can easily be tricked into anything. For instance, in one [[Out of odor|episode]], she fell for someone pretending to be Pepe. Simultaneously, Fifi is also referred to as being something of a [[feminist]], and believes that there's nothing a boy could do that she couldn't do herself. However, her remarks toward boys are usually very affectionate and amusing. For instance, in one [[Aroma amore|episode]], Fifi affectionately remarked, "Leettle boys are such children!"
Morrison would later revisit this event in the bridge to the song "[[Peace Frog]]": "Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding / Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile egg–shell mind."
Fifi is also far more versatile than her Looney Tunes counterpart, appearing in stories that do not entirely revolve around her lust for companionship. Apart from being a lover, her many misadventures include the [[Prom-ise Her Anything|Prom]], looking for [[Love Disconnection|mature boys]], having to deal with Elmyra (eventhough winding up getting [[Out of odor|captured]] and then [[Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow|freed]]), and [[Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation|attempting to get an autograph from a famous movie star skunk hunk]].
Both of Morrison's parents claimed that this never happened. In his many comments about this episode, Morrison said that he was so upset by the incident that his parents eventually told him he was "just having a bad dream", in order to calm him down. Regardless of whether the incident was real, imagined, or fabricated, Morrison made repeated references to it in the imagery in his songs, poems, and interviews.
==Character History==
Morrison graduated from George Washington High School (now [[Alexandria City Public Schools|George Washington Middle School]]) in [[Alexandria, Virginia]] in June 1961. His father was transferred to [[Southern California]] that August. Morrison was sent to live with his paternal grandparents in [[Clearwater, Florida]], where he attended classes at [[St. Petersburg Junior College]].
===Best Friends & Family===
[[Image:FifiAmaz6.jpg|right|200px|thumb|From right to left: Shirley, Babs and Fifi. "The Amazing Three!"]]
Like the other characters in the series, Fifi attends Acme Looniversity to be properly educated in the techniques of being a successful cartoon character. Fifi's best friends in the series were fellow classmates, [[Babs Bunny]] and [[Shirley the Loon]]. The majority of Fifi's appearances were as a part of this group, and they proceeded to engage in numerous adventures.
Together, they were the [[cheerleaders]] for the Acme Looniversity Football Team, and at one point, the unofficial back-up players. Another time, in search of more mature men, Fifi, Babs and Shirley all went to a high-class dance only to find that all the boys there were stuck-up. However, most of their time together was spent just hanging out and doing "girl stuff".
He later transferred to [[Florida State University]] (1962-1963), which still afforded a favorable tuition but was too far away for a reasonable commute. Morrison thus moved close to the FSU campus where, for a time, he was a roommate of [[George Greer]], and appeared in a school recruitment film.[http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/VideoFilm2/video.cfm?VID=22]
Like [[Buster Bunny]], Fifi's family is occasionally spoken of but never seen. After capturing [[Furrball]] (whom she'd mistaken for a cute boy-skunk), she had planned to introduce him to her family. But despite having a family, she lives alone in a beat-up, red [[Cadillac]] in the Acme Acres Junkyard.
In January 1964, urged on by an FSU professor, Morrison headed for [[Los Angeles, California]] where he completed his [[undergraduate]] degree in [[UCLA]]'s film school, the Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts. Jim made two films while attending UCLA. The first one entitled "First Love " is finally released to the public, unedited at the end of the documentary about the film called "Obscura".
===TheLove DoorsInterests===
[[Image:The doors.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Jim Morrison (far left) with his bandmates in [[The Doors]]. From left to right: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore.]]
In 1965, after graduating from the School of Theater Arts at [[UCLA]], where he studied film, Morrison led a [[bohemianism|Bohemian]] lifestyle in nearby [[Venice Beach]]. Due to a regimen of little food, by 1966 the formerly pudgy Morrison had trimmed down to the chiseled rock-god immortalized in the famed series of black-and-white photos taken by photographer Joel Brodsky. Known as "The Young Lion" photo session, it included the iconic, bare-chested "[[Christ]]" pose, a shot that was featured on the ''Best of the Doors'' LP cover.
====Furrball and Calamity Coyote====
Morrison wowed fellow UCLA student [[Ray Manzarek]] with a reading of his lyrics for "Moonlight Drive", and the two then formed The Doors. They were soon joined by drummer [[John Densmore]]. Guitarist [[Robby Krieger]] auditioned at Densmore's recommendation, and was immediately added to the lineup.
Fifi once mistook [[Furrball]] for a boy skunk in [[Aroma amore|"Aroma Amore"]], and made the same mistake with [[Calamity Coyote]] in [[Love stinks|"Love Stinks"]]. The results were predictable enough, with Fifi amorously pursuing the terrified boys across Acme Acres with reckless abandon (not unlike Pepe when pursuing [[Penelope Pussycat]]), determined to make them her boyfriends. After being repeatedly captured, cuddled and kissed by the bigger and stronger skunkette, both luckless boys managed to escape a smelly fate in the same fashion: by removing their own white stripes and finding someone else (someone they did not like) for Fifi to chase (Furrball also did it because he felt bad for Fifi and thought having a new prospective boyfriend to chase would cheer her up).
====Johnny Pew====
While it is widely believed that the Doors took their name from the title of [[Aldous Huxley]]'s ''[[The Doors of Perception]]'', the name in fact comes from [[William Blake]]'s ''[[The Marriage of Heaven and Hell]]'', in which Blake wrote that "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." This, too, is the origin of Huxley's title.
In the direct-to-video Tiny Toons movie ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation|How I Spent My Vacation]]'', Fifi finds brief joy with a genuine skunk; this one being a movie-star named Johnny Pew. After waiting on him hand-and-foot in exchange for an autograph, Fifi discovers him to be an arrogant jerk when he gives her autograph away to a voluptuous female skunk named Bimbette. Fifi promptly and literally kicks him to the curb while at a movie theater where Johnny was capturerd by Elmyra and was forced to be her pet "kitty" (a fate that Fifi herself knows all too well!).
Johnny Pew was voiced by [[Rob Paulsen]].
The Doors' sound was a significant innovation, dominated by Morrison's deep, sonorous [[baritone]] voice, against the interplay of Manzarek's keyboards, Krieger's classically influenced [[flamenco]] guitar style and Densmore's crisp, fluid drumming. The Doors were unique because they didn't have a [[bass guitar]] in the lineup. Manzarek provided bass lines on his newly-released [[Fender]] keyboard bass, a small bass-scale version of the famous [[Fender Rhodes]] [[electric piano]]. Although the group did augment their studio recordings with bass players (including [[Lonnie Mack]]), The Doors appeared as a four-piece in concert, apart from occasions when they were joined by special guests such as [[John Sebastian]].
====Buster Bunny====
Lyrically, The Doors broke new ground in rock music, with Morrison's complex, [[surrealist]], [[allusion|allusive]] lyrics exploring themes of sex, mysticism, drugs, murder, madness and death. Although Morrison is known as the lyricist for the group, Krieger also made significant lyrical contributions, writing or co-writing some of the group's biggest hits, including "[[Light My Fire]]", "Love Me Two Times" and "Touch Me".
Fifi has also been known to have brief flings with other boys in Acme Acres.
In the first segment of the episode "Return to the Acme Acres Zone", titled "Real Kids Don't Eat [[Broccoli]]", Fifi meets [[Buster Bunny]] (playing an old-fashioned detective) at a club and ''insists'' that they dance. After forcing Buster to engage her in a lengthy [[tango (dance)|tango]], Fifi plants a big kiss on him. "Fifi", however, was revealed to be an evil robot clone by the episode's end.
Morrison and Manzarek's film school education was put to effective use early on in the band's career. Decades before [[music video]]s became common-place, Morrison and The Doors produced a promotional film for "Break On Through", which was to be their first [[single (music)|single]] release. The video featured the four members of the group playing the song on a darkened set with alternating views and close-ups of the performers while Morrison lip-synced the lyrics. Morrison and The Doors continued to make innovative music videos, including ones for "The Unknown Soldier" and "People Are Strange".
====Dizzy Devil====
The Doors were first noticed on the national level in the spring of 1967 after signing to the [[Elektra Records]] label. The single "[[Light My Fire]]", written by Krieger, hit number one in June 1967. Three months later, The Doors appeared on the ''[[Ed Sullivan Show]],'' a popular Sunday night variety series that had, years earlier, introduced a young, wriggling [[Elvis Presley]] and [[the Beatles]] to the United States. The incident became notorious after the censors insisted that they change the lyrics of "Light My Fire" from 'Girl we couldn't get much higher' to 'Girl we couldn't get much better', because of the reference to drugs in the original lyric. Giving assurances to host Ed Sullivan, Morrison sang the song with the original lyrics anyway on live TV. This infuriated Sullivan so much that he refused to shake their hands after their performance. To this, Jim responded, <blockquote>
In the second segment of the episode "New Class Day", titled "Sound-Off", all the Tiny Toons characters are thrown into a silent film. [[Dizzy Devil]] chases Buster and Babs into a hollow tree (or thinks he does), but when he reaches in he pulls out a swooning Fifi by her tail. Fifi sighs "What a man!" and promptly chases Dizzy down the street. Dizzy attempts to escape the love-struck Fifi on a bicycle, but after a considerable amount of pedaling discovers it to be a stationary piece of exercise equipment that she had set-up to trap him.
"So what? We ''already'' ''did'' the Ed Sullivan Show."
</blockquote> They were never invited back.
====Hamton J. Pig====
By the release of their second [[album]], ''[[Strange Days]]'', The Doors had become one of the most popular rock bands in the United States. Their blend of [[blues]] and rock tinged with [[psychedelia]] had never before been heard. The Doors' eclectic repertoire included a swag of stunning original songs and distinctive cover versions, such as the memorable rendition of "[[Alabama Song]]", from [[Bertolt Brecht]] and [[Kurt Weill]]'s [[operetta]], "[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]." The four also broke new ground in rock music with their extended concept works, including the famous epic songs, "The End" and "When The Music's Over", and the extended suite which they played in concert, "[[Celebration of the Lizard]]".
[[Image:FifiMisc20.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Fifi enthusiastically accepting a date from Hamton. Fifi wraps her tail around Hampton's body to charm him.]]
However, by the end of the series Fifi seemed to have sparked an official relationship with [[Hamton J. Pig]], one of mutual interest. It was also shown that Hamton is more than willing to ignore her stink for her attention, which he often succeeds in doing.
In 1968, The Doors released their third studio LP, ''[[Waiting for the Sun]]''. Originally, in production, Morrison convinced his bandmates and his producer into recording a concept album. For Side One, they recorded the usual staple of 3 minute rock songs, while for Side Two they recorded a full rendition of the extended suite, "Celebration of the Lizard". However, it was ultimately decided against by their label, ''[[Elektra Records]]''. Subsequently, only a short piece within "Celebration of the Lizard" entitled "[[Not To Touch The Earth]]" would make it onto the final LP. As had been customary, with an extended tour de force song ending an album, ''[[Waiting for the Sun]]'' would instead feature the 5 minute "[[Five To One]]" as the album closer.
In "[[Prom-ise Her Anything]]", Hamton asked Fifi to be his date to the Prom, and Fifi enthusiastically accepted in a heartbeat. A successful exercise in "opposites attract", Fifi and Hamton were seen together on many more occasions through the run of the show.
By this time, The Doors had all but exhausted the cache of songs that Morrison had written. Sourced from his early poetry writings and from favorite lines from his favorite books, this cache had provided all the material on their first three LPs. Meanwhile, Morrison's attitude towards rock music, the audience, and stardom per se began to take its toll. He became increasingly antagonistic towards fans and their constant howls of requests to play radio-friendly hits like "[[Light My Fire]]" or "Love Me Two Times" and not appreciating his exploration into poetry and performance-theatre.
===Arch-Enemies===
This had a major effect on Morrison, and the band, who courageously decided to break new ground with their fourth studio LP, ''[[The Soft Parade]]''. Heavy with orchestration and poetry, it was also the first album where the individual band members were given recognition on the inner-sleeve for who wrote which songs. Much of this decision had to do with Morrison wanting to divorce himself from the radio-friendly songs he did not write and attaching his name to the songs which he did write, as well as Robbie Krieger seeking credit for increased contribution to the LP during Morrison's increasing apathy and absences.
====Elmyra Duff====
Like most characters on the show, Fifi's encounters with Elmyra usually involve the latter trying to make the former a pet. In [[Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow|"Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow"]] Fifi is already one of Elmyra's "pets"; after Elmyra catches Buster, he leads Fifi and Elmyra's other captives on a daring escape. When Buster is recaptured, Fifi and the others work with Babs to rescue him and teach Elmyra a lesson.
Fifi and all her friends were once pursued by [[Elmyra Duff]] in the episode "[[The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain]]". Elmyra had disguised herself as a gruesome monster and was picking-off the Tiny Toons cast one-by-one to make them her pets. They all eventually freed themselves by the end of the episode.
''The Soft Parade'' was widely criticized in the media, both for alienating what fans had come to expect of The Doors, as well as for being considered tame compared to earlier Doors offerings. Morrison's lyrics received much of the criticism from the press, who labeled it "college standard one-line non-sequiturs". Despite these setbacks, ''[[The Soft Parade]]'' featured some of The Doors best work. The hypnotic "Wild Child", the Krieger-penned ballad "Touch Me", and the tour de force title track are among the stand-outs.
Elmyra attempted (successfully) to make Fifi her pet in [[Out of Odor|"Out of Odor"]], when Elmyra mistook her for a cat; even though she knew that Fifi is a skunk, Elmyra assumed that just meant she was a "stinky kitty". She disguised herself as Pepe Le Pew, went to her Cadillac, and Fifi fell for the ruse, after which Elmyra squished [[tomatoes]] all over Fifi, which nullified her scent. Fifi regained her odor after washing off all the tomato juice, but Elmyra's nose became clogged due to a rose allergy, because of this, Elmyra was able to make poor Fifi her pet. Because this story ended with Fifi captured by Elmyra, some fans assume that this story was meant to precede "Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow".
Morrison famously lived by an oft-repeated quote from Blake, "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." Even before the formation of The Doors, Morrison took copious amounts of LSD, but soon switched to alcohol; which he began to consume in herculean proportions. He reportedly also indulged in various [[bacchanalia]]. He would increasingly start to show up for recording sessions extremely inebriated (he can be heard hiccuping on the song "Five To One") as well as being late to arrive for live performances, which caused the band to linger on stage playing only music or occasionally forcing Ray Manzarek to take on the singing duties. Such excesses and apathy took their toll on Morrison and the band.
<!-- Please do not put "Hare Today Gone Tomorrow" after "Out of Odor", it is only a fan theory that it was meant to be in this order; while "Hare Today" aired long before "Odor", and the production numbers on the episodes suggest "Hare Today Gone Tomorrow" was supposed to be the first episode (KC-101), while "Viewer Mail Day" which includes "Out of Odor" was the 62nd (W-162). -->
====Bimbette====
By 1969, the formerly svelte singer began to balloon in size due to his rapidly escalating alcoholism. Although the cover of the 1970 ''Absolutely Live'' LP depicts a trim, clean-shaven, leather-clad Morrison on the front, this photo had in fact been taken about two years earlier. By the time of the tour on which the live album was recorded, Morrison was 20 pounds heavier (175 pounds). He made a concerted effort to distance himself from the "Lizard King" image by growing a beard and wearing regular slacks, jeans and T-shirts.
Though less of an "arch-enemy" and more along the lines of a "rival", Fifi once butted heads with a vuluptuous pink skunk named Bimbette for the affections of movie-star skunk, Johnny Pew. In the end, Fifi lost Johnny's attention to Bimbette. However, Fifi discovered it to be no total loss; Johnny was arrogant and insensitive.
Bimbette was also voiced by [[Kath Soucie]].
During a 1969 concert at The Dinner Key Auditorium in [[Miami]], an intoxicated Morrison attempted to spark a riot among those in attendance. He failed, but a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Dade County Police department for indecent exposure some three days later while the band was vacationing in Jamaica. Morrison was ultimately convicted of [[indecent exposure]] and public [[profanity]]. Fallout from that event resulted in much negative publicity and the cancellation of many of The Doors' scheduled concerts.
===Alter-Egoes===
Following Morrison's conviction and the criticism of ''[[The Soft Parade]]'', The Doors embraced their musical roots with the successful release of the ''[[Morrison Hotel]]'' LP. Featuring a much grittier Blues-based sound and lyrical content, ''[[Morrison Hotel]]'' shot The Doors back into the charts and into the hearts of their wavering fans. ''Morrison Hotel'' can also be seen as the coming of age of Morrison as a lyricist. The past tendencies towards the abstract and non-sensical mish-mash borrowings of his collected poetry had evolved into the earthy, sincere voice of an older, wiser, life-worn man who had something personal to say.{{fact}}
[[Image:FifiZat1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Fifi as "Scentanna"]]
In the first segment of the episode "New Class Day", titled "Just-Us League of Supertoons", Fifi was a member of the mighty [[superhero]] team, the Just-Us League of Supertoons. She was the team's sultry [[sorceress]], ''Scentanna the Mystical Maiden of Musk''.
An obvious parody of the [[DC Comics]] all-star superhero team, the [[Justice League of America]], Fifi's character of Scentanna was an homage to the JLA's classic magic-wielding [[sorceress]], [[Zatanna]]. The episode was written by [[Paul Dini]] with help from [[Bruce Timm]]; the two driving forces behind [[Batman]] the Animated Series, [[Superman]] the Animated Series, [[Batman Beyond]] and, the [[Justice League]] animated series. Dini and Timm were also the minds behind the many companion episodes to "Just-Us League of Supertoons", starring the alter-ego of [[Plucky Duck]]; Batduck, an obvious homage to [[Batman]].
After a lengthy break, the group reconvened in October 1970 to record what proved to be their last LP with Morrison, ''[[L.A. Woman]]''. It solidified the group's return to its musical roots, featuring songs that would quickly become not only among its most popular but also its strongest. These included the title track, the pounding "Texas Radio and the Big Beat", the guttural, angry "Been Down So Long", the evocative "The Changeling", and the album's epic masterpiece closer, "[[Riders on the Storm]]", which instantly became an [[FM]] radio staple.
===Ending Tagline===
The ''L.A. Woman'' album also saw another major change in the group's recording career. Shortly after sessions began, producer [[Paul A. Rothchild]] -- who had overseen all their previous recordings -- walked off the project, disenchanted with the band's new material, which he dismissed as "[[lounge music]]." Long-serving engineer [[Bruce Botnick]] took over. Several of Morrison's vocals were performed in the bathroom at The Doors' offices, due to the excellent [[acoustics]], particularly in relation to the reverberation quality.
In homage to [[Porky Pig]]'s classic "Th-th-th-th-that's all, folks!" each episode of ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' concluded with one or more of the characters speaking a catchy tagline.
Fifi's seldomly-used ending tagline was, "''Au revoir'', ''mon petite'' ''[[Couch potato|potato du couch]]!''" as she [[flirt]]atiously waved her tail at the [[audience]].
While most rock bands begin their careers with a Blues foundation and gradually evolve into 'pretentious' lyricists and alternatively-influenced musicians, The Doors were a complete reversal. The 'pretentious' direction of their earliest work matured steadily into a down-to-earth Blues-orientated and lyrically sincere and grounded band. This rare essence has become one of the most endearing qualities of the band over the years.
===Last Appearance===
Among Morrison's more famous [[nickname]]s are "Mr. Mojo Risin'", an [[anagram]] of his name, which he eventually used as a refrain in his final [[single (music)|single]] "L.A. Woman", and "[[The Lizard King]]" from a line in his famed [[epic poem]] "Celebration of the Lizard", part of which appeared on The Doors' 1968 album ''[[Waiting for the Sun]]'' and which was finally captured in full on the ''Absolutely Live'' double LP released in 1970. ''Absolutely Live'' was a compilation of selected live material recorded at different venues ranging from [[Detroit]], [[New York]], [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]]. The live version of "Celebration of the Lizard" was recorded in front of a sold out crowd at the Aquarius theater in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969.
Fifi's last official appearance was a brief guest-role in the season 1 (1993) episode of [[Animaniacs]], "Survey Ladies".
In that episode, she is seen working in a perfume shop and tries to help [[Yakko, Wakko, and Dot]] find the right [[cologne]] for [[Dr. Scratchansniff]]. After listing-off the names of numerous exotic French perfumes, Dot asks her "Do you have anything for beginners?" Fifi does not have the opportunity to answer Dot's query, as the Warners are immediately chased off by a pair of overly-motivated Survey Ladies who have been bombarding them with questions all afternoon.
===Solo efforts: poetry and film===
Morrison began writing in adolescence. In college, he became very interested in [[theater]], [[film]] and [[cinematography]].
==Trivia==
Even though Morrison was a well-known singer and lyricist, he encountered difficulty when searching for a publisher for his poetry. He self-published two slim volumes in 1969, ''The Lords / Notes on Vision'' and ''The New Creatures''. Both works were dedicated to "Pamela Susan" (Courson). These were the only writings to be published during Morrison's lifetime.
*Early production artwork of Fifi shows her as a standard black and white skunk, as opposed to the purple and white version seen in the final product. Why the change was made is unknown.
''The Lords'' consists primarily of brief descriptions of places, people, events and Morrison's thoughts on cinema. They often read as short, [[prose]] paragraphs strung together by what seems to be little more than the pages upon which they appear. McClure describes the work as Morrison's deconstruction of his UCLA thesis on film. ''The New Creatures'' verses are more poetic in structure, feel and appearance. These two books were later combined into a single volume titled ''The Lords and The New Creatures''.
==External links==
Much later, two [[posthumous]] volumes of poetry were published, both of them selected and arranged by Morrison's friend, photographer Frank Lisciandro, and Courson's parents, who owned the rights to his poetry. ''The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison'' Volume 1 is titled ''Wilderness,'' and, upon its release in 1988, became an instant ''[[New York Times]]'' best seller. Volume 2, ''[[American Night|The American Night]],'' released in 1990, was also a success.
*[http://www.fortunecity.com/westwood/wax/329/fifi_la_fume_index.html Fifi's background info, as taken from official Warner Bros audition material]
Morrison recorded his own poetry in a professional sound studio on two separate occasions. The first was in March 1969 in Los Angeles and the second was on [[December 8]], [[1970]], his 27th birthday. The latter recording session was attended by personal friends of Morrison and included a variety of sketch pieces. Some of the tapes from the 1969 session were later used as part of the Doors' ''[[An American Prayer]]'' album, released in 1978. The album reached number 54 on the music charts. The poetry recorded from the December 1970 session remains unreleased to this day and is in the possession of the Courson family.
Morrison's best-known but seldom seen cinematic endeavor is ''HWY,'' a project begun in 1969. Morrison financed the venture and formed his own production company in order to maintain complete independence in its making. He was assisted by Paul Ferrara, Frank Lisciandro and Babe Hill. More of an art film than a commercial endeavor, Morrison played what is essentially the sole continuing character, a hitchhiker turned killer car thief. This same or very similar character is alluded to in ''Riders On The Storm.'' Morrison asked his friend, composer/pianist Fred Myrow, to select the eclectic [[soundtrack]] for the film. The film shows the influence of other producer-directors of independent [[art film]]s, such as [[Andy Warhol]], [[Michelangelo Antonioni]], and [[Jean-Luc Godard]].
===Personal life===
====Morrison's family====
Morrison's early life was a nomadic existence typical of military families. Jerry Hopkins recorded Morrison's brother Andy explaining that his parents had determined to never use [[corporal punishment]] on their children, and instead instilled discipline and levied punishment by the military tradition known as "dressing down." This consisted of yelling at and berating the children until they were reduced to tears and acknowledged their failings. Andy said that although he could never keep from crying, his brother never shed a tear.
Biographers record that during his youth, Morrison was a dutiful and respectful son who excelled at school and greatly enjoyed swimming and other outdoor activities. His parents hoped he would follow in his father's military footsteps and, for quite some time, Morrison was happy to emulate his father, intending to study at [[United States Naval Academy]] in [[Annapolis, Maryland]].
In adolescence, however, Morrison discovered drinking and embarked on a life-long pattern of [[alcoholism]] and [[substance abuse]]. He was often disruptive in class and became a [[discipline]] problem.
Once Morrison graduated from UCLA, he broke off most of his family contact. By the time Morrison's music ascended the top of the charts in 1967, he had not been in communication with his family for more than a year and falsely claimed that his parents and siblings were dead. This misinformation was published as part of the materials distributed with the first Doors album.
Morrison's father acknowledged the breakdown in family communications but said that he could not blame his son for being reluctant to initiate contact.{{fact}}
====Romantic and sexual relationships====
Morrison met his long-term companion, [[Pamela Courson]], well before he gained any fame or fortune, and she encouraged him to develop his poetry. At times, Courson used Morrison's name with his apparent consent and Morrison referred to Courson's parents as "the in-laws."{{fact}} After Courson's death in 1974, the probate court in California decided that she and Morrison had what qualified as a common law marriage (see below, under "Estate Controversy").
Courson and Morrison's relationship was a stormy one, however, with frequent loud arguments, and periods of separation followed by tearful reunions. Doors biographer [[Danny Sugerman]] surmised that part of their difficulties may have stemmed from a conflict between their respective commitments to an [[open relationship]] and the consequences of living in such a relationship.
In 1970, Morrison participated in a [[Celtic]] [[Paganism|Pagan]] [[handfasting]] ceremony with rock critic and [[Science fiction]]/[[fantasy]] author [[Patricia Kennealy-Morrison|Patricia Kennealy]]. Before witnesses, one of them a [[Presbyterian]] [[Minister (religion)|minister]],<ref>{{cite book | first =Patricia | last =Kennealy | authorlink = | coauthors = | year =1992 | month = | title =Strange Days: My Life With And Without Jim Morrison | chapter = | editor = | others = | edition = | pages =p.63 | publisher =Dutton/Penguin | ___location =New York| id =ISBN 0-525-93419-7 | url = }}</ref> the couple signed a document declaring themselves wedded;<ref>{{cite book | first =Patricia | last =Kennealy | authorlink = | coauthors = | year =1992 | month = | title =Strange Days: My Life With And Without Jim Morrison | chapter = | editor = | others = | edition = | pages =plate 7 | publisher =Dutton/Penguin | ___location =New York| id =ISBN 0-525-93419-7 | url = }}</ref> however, none of the necessary paperwork for a legal marriage was filed with the state. Kennealy discussed her experiences with Morrison in her autobiography ''Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison'', and in an interview reported in the book ''Rock Wives''.
Morrison also regularly slept with fans and had numerous short flings with women who were celebrities in their own right, including one with [[Nico]] from [[Velvet Underground]], a [[one night stand]] with singer [[Grace Slick]] of [[Jefferson Airplane]], an on again off again relationship with [[16 magazine]]'s editor in chief [[Gloria Stavers]], and an "alleged" alcohol-fueled encounter with [[Janis Joplin]] that left Joplin in tears. Judy Huddleston also recalls her relationship with Morrison in ''Living and Dying with Jim Morrison''. At the time of his death, there were reportedly as many as 20 [[paternity]] actions pending against him, although no claims were made against his estate by any of the putative paternity claimants, and the only person making a public claim to being Morrison's son was shown to be a fraud.
It has been said by a number of Morrison's comtemparies that Jim had a liking for the 'under-aged'.Warhol is his auto-biography notes Morrison would be 'jacked-off' by seemingly under-aged girls as he got increasingly more drunk.
~
===Death===
[[Image:Jim Morrisons Grave photo by Sander Lamme.jpg |300px|thumb|Jim Morrison's grave at [[Père Lachaise]].]]
Morrison moved to [[Paris]] in March 1971 with the intention of taking a break from performing and concentrating on his writing. Hoping to get his life back on track, Morrison lost a great deal of weight and shaved off his beard.
He died on [[July 3]] [[1971]], at age 27, and was found in his bathtub by Courson. According to Stephen Davis' biography of Morrison, it was reported that he had dried blood around his mouth and nose and large bruising on his chest. This suggests Morrison might have died from a massive hemorrhage caused by [[tuberculosis]]. Many fans and [[biography|biographers]] have speculated that the cause of death was a drug overdose, but the official report listed the cause of death as heart failure. No [[autopsy]] was performed because the [[medical examiner]], pursuant to French law, found no evidence of [[foul play]]. The lack of an official autopsy left many questions unanswered and provided a fertile breeding ground for speculation and rumor.
In his autobiographical novel ''Wonderland Avenue'', Danny Sugerman recounts that he briefly met with Courson when she returned to America in the mid-1970s. According to his account, Courson told him that Morrison had in fact died of a [[heroin]] overdose when he inhaled copious amounts of the substance, believing it to be [[cocaine]]. Sugerman added that Courson had also given numerous contradictory versions of Morrison's death, but the majority of fans seem to have accepted the mistaken heroin overdose account. Courson herself died of a heroin overdose a few years later. Like Morrison, she was 27 years old at the time of her death. Morrison was quoted to say that when he returned from Paris that he was going to let "bygones be bygones" with his father. Also within weeks before his death he called bandmate John Densmore and asked how the newest album had been received, and when Densmore replied that it had been doing well in the charts, Morrison replied, "if they like this, wait'll they hear what I got in mind for the next one", implying what would have been for the next album. In Densmore's own autobiography, ''Riders On The Storm'', the drummer reasoned that Morrison had taken heroin with a strong liquor, climbed in the bathtub, and committed suicide.
Morrison is buried in "The Poets' Corner" of the famous [[Père Lachaise]] cemetery in eastern Paris. In the past, some of his fans were nuisances, leaving litter, [[graffiti]], and [[cannabis]] behind them after their visits. Well-publicized complaints by numerous families of the deceased about desecration of surrounding grave sites led many to expect that Morrison's remains would be forcibly relocated when the 30-year lease to his plot expired. Parisian authorities, however, have denied any such intention, and Morrison's family has since negotiated an agreement with the cemetery to keep him interred there in perpetuity. Indeed, Morrison's grave is the most popular grave in the cemetery and has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris, along with [[Eiffel Tower]], [[Notre Dame de Paris|Notre Dame]], and the [[Louvre]]. In 1993, his parents visited the site and made arrangements with a cleaning company to have the graffiti removed from the nearby tombstones. ([[WGS84]]: {{coor dms|48|51|33.8|N|2|23|37.2|E|scale:10000_region:France}})
Morrison's gravestone has a [[Greek language|Greek]] inscription reading Κατὰ τον δαίμονα ἑαυτοῦ, in capital letters (ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ). The meaning intended by the Morrison family when the inscription was selected is "True to his own spirit". Morrison's father either selected the phrase or drafted it himself. The literal meaning is "according to his own ''daimōn''", an [[Ancient Greek]] word that implies a minor deity, attendant spirit, luck, fortune, "guiding star" and the like, with no negative or pejorative connotations. Various erroneous interpretations of the inscription have been proposed, including, "down with his own [[demon]]s" (presumably in [[Hell]]), "burnt by his demons", "with the [[devil]] himself."
Some [[conspiracy theorist]]s contend that Morrison did not die in Paris. The fact that only two people (other than the police, emergency personnel, and mortician), admitted to the press that they had seen his body, has helped keep the rumor alive for over 30 years.
Throughout Morrison's turbulent career, there had been numerous rumors that he had been killed in an auto accident or had died of a drug overdose. Also, in the days preceding the announcement of his death, the press had been told that Morrison was simply "very tired" and resting in an unnamed French hospital, contributing to the suspicion.
In ''The Lizard King'', Jerry Hopkins recounts that, well before the Doors achieved noticeable success, Morrison had joked that he should fake his own death in order to generate publicity. According to some of Morrison's friends and bandmates, once the Doors had achieved their remarkable success, publicity was no longer seen as being so desirable. Morrison then spoke of wanting to fake his death and move to Africa in order to escape the scrutiny that surrounded his every move. He told them that if he could succeed with the ruse, he would write to them using the [[pseudonym]]/ [[anagram]] "Mr. Mojo Risin." Such a disappearing act would have paralleled the life of one of Morrison's favorite [[France|French]] poets, [[Arthur Rimbaud]]. According to Krieger and other Doors members, they have yet to receive any letters.
A 2006 French television documentary, from a series called 'Death of an Idol', included interviews with many people associated with Morrison's death, including then Doors' manager, Bill Siddons. Siddons, who was only 22 years old at the time, never actually saw the corpse, and explained that he was simply too young and overwhelmed to ask to see the body. The documentary then interviewed several Parisians who claimed that they had seen Morrison at a Paris nightclub, Cirque du Soleil, which was a known place for heroin dealers. The club's manager claimed to have seen Morrison that night. A Parisian woman, Nicole Gosselin claimed that she had seen Morrison in the club on the evening of [[July 2]], [[1971]]. Apparently, there was a shipment of heroin due that evening and Morrison was looking for some. Soon after it arrived, Gosselin claimed that she saw Morrison near the club toilets and he was passing out against the wall, completely white-faced. Gosselin claimed that the batch of heroin was particularly potent, and also that she knew the person who sold it to Morrison. Some people took him out of the club and into a taxi, presumably to return him to his apartment. This would perhaps explain why Morrison was found in the bathtub, as this is a classic way of reviving overdose victims. The documentary also spoke to the fireman who arrived at Morrison's apartment early on July 3rd. This man claimed to have seen Morrison's body, the remnants of a trickle of blood coming from his nose. The fact that Morrison was a known alcoholic meant that adding strong heroin to his already weakened constitution was a dangerous mixture (heroin and alcohol are potentially lethal when mixed in sufficient quantities).
Speculation about the cause and actuality of Morrison's death plays a large and continuing role in the Morrison mystique. Rumors still abound that Morrison committed suicide, was assassinated by the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], murdered by a witch, died in a toilet at the notorious [[Rock and Roll Circus]] (a [[nightclub]] in Paris) or any number of variations. Add to that persistent rumors that he is still alive and living in [[India]], Africa, South America, as a [[cowboy]] in [[Oregon]], above a Quik-Check in [[New Jersey]], or in [[North Dakota]] anonymously and the "Morrison legend" has taken on a life of its own.
===Estate Controversy===
In his will, made in [[Los Angeles County]] on [[February 12]] [[1969]], Morrison (who describes himself as "an unmarried person") left his entire estate to Pamela Susan Courson, also naming her co-executor with his attorney, Max Fink. She thus inherited everything upon Morrison’s death in 1971.
When Courson died herself in 1974, a battle ensued between Morrison’s parents and Courson’s parents over who had legal claim to what had been Morrison’s estate. Since Morrison left a will, the question was effectively moot. On his death, his property became Courson’s property; and on ''her'' death, '''her''' property passed to her next heirs at law, who were her parents. Morrison's parents did not accept this and contested the will under which Courson and now her parents had inherited their son’s property.
To bolster their position, Courson’s parents presented a document they claimed she had acquired in Colorado, apparently an application for a declaration that she and Morrison had contracted a common law marriage under the laws of that state. The ability to contract a common-law marriage was abolished in California in 1896, but the state's [[conflict of laws]] rules provided for recognition of [[common-law marriage]]s lawfully contracted in foreign jurisdictions - and Colorado was one of the eleven U.S. jurisdictions which still recognized common-law marriage. So, as long as a common-law marriage was lawfully contracted under Colorado law, it was recognised as a marriage under California law.
It is not known whether Courson acquired the application before or after Morrison’s death, or indeed whether it was she or her parents who acquired it. In either case, Morrison did not fill it out or sign it, may have never known about the document, and neither Morrison nor Courson appear to have ever been residents of Colorado. But those facts would not necessarily be relevant to the court’s deliberation on the validity of a common-law marriage, since the determination would be made according to Colorado law. Many of the jurisdictions which still permitted the common law contract of a marriage provide that either party may demand a declaration that a common law marriage was contracted between them, whether the other party (if living) agrees or not. The burden of proof is on the applicant, in any case, to prove that a marriage existed. What is ironic in this case is that both of the alleged applicants were dead, and it was their parents who were trying to prove or disprove that there had been a common-law marriage.
Whatever the circumstances of the unsigned document and the court case, and the controversy surrounding it, the California probate court decided that Courson and Morrison had a common-law marriage under the laws of Colorado. The effect of the court's ruling was to close probate of Morrison's and Courson's estates, and reinforce the Courson family's hold on the inheritance.
==Artistic roots==
As a naval family, the Morrisons relocated frequently. Consequently, Morrison's early [[education]] was routinely disrupted as he moved from school to school. Nonetheless, he proved to be an intelligent and capable student drawn to the study of [[literature]], [[poetry]], [[religion]], [[philosophy]], and [[psychology]], among other fields.
Biographers have consistently pointed to a number of writers and [[philosophers]] who influenced Morrison's thinking and, perhaps, behavior. While still in his teens, Morrison discovered the works of philosopher [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] (after Morrison's death, John Densmore opined that the [[nihilism]] of "Nietzsche killed Jim"). He was also drawn to the dark poets of the 18th and 19th century, notably the [[Great Britain|British]] poet [[William Blake]], and the French poets [[Charles Baudelaire]] and [[Arthur Rimbaud]]. [[Beat Generation]] writers, such as [[Jack Kerouac]], also had a strong influence on Morrison's outlook and manner of expression; Morrison was eager to experience the life described in Kerouac's ''[[On The Road]]''. He was similarly drawn to the works of the [[France|French]] writer [[Céline]]. Céline's book, ''Voyage au Bout de la Nuit'' (''[[Journey to the End of the Night]]'') and Blake's ''Auguries of Innocence'' both echo through one of Morrison's early songs, "End of the Night." Eventually Morrison got to meet and befriend [[Michael McClure]], a well known beat poet. McClure had enjoyed Morrison's lyrics but was even more impressed by his poetry and encouraged him to further develop his craft.
Morrison's vision of [[performance]] was colored by the works of 20th century French playwright [[Antonin Artaud]] (author of ''Theater and its Double'') and by Julien Beck's Living Theater, which perhaps influenced some of Jim's confrontational behaviour onstage, such as in the Miami incident. But perhaps the most influential work was a rather obscure, 19th century work by [[Charles MacKay]], '' Extraordinary Popular Delusions And The Madness Of Crowds''. Morrison began practicing MacKay's insights regarding influencing and manipulating crowds while still in college.
Other works relating to religion, [[mysticism]], ancient [[myth]] and [[symbolism]] were of lasting interest, particularly [[Joseph Campbell]]'s ''[[The Hero with a Thousand Faces]].'' [[James Frazer]]'s ''[[The Golden Bough]]'' also became a source of inspiration and is reflected in the title and lyrics of the song "Not to Touch the Earth."
He apparently borrowed some wording from the King James New Testament. Matthew 7:13-14: “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and... strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,” which speaks of death and the afterlife, one of his common themes. Their first hit single “Break On Through” includes the lines: “Gate is straight, deep and wide—break on through to the other side.” Though most of “Light My Fire” was written by Krieger, the second verse was written by Morrison and includes the line “...no time to wallow in the mire,” a wording that could have been borrowed either from 2 Peter 2:22, which reads: “The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire,” or from Socrates’ deathbed statement, as recorded in Plato’s “Phaedo”: “...They said that whoever arrives in the underworld uninitiated and unsanctified will wallow in the mire....”
Morrison was particularly attracted to the myths and religions of Native American cultures. While he was still in school, his family moved to [[New Mexico]] where he got to see some of the places and artifacts important to the Southwest Indigenous cultures. These interests appear to be the source of many references to creatures and places, such as lizards, snakes, deserts and "ancient lakes" that appear in his songs and poetry. His interpretion of the practices of a Native American "[[shaman]]" were worked into some of Morrison's stage routine, notably in his interpretation of the ''Ghost Dance'', and a song on his later poetry album, ''The Ghost Song''. The song ''Wild Child'' was also inspired by Native American rhythm and ritual, but often interpreted to be about one of Morrison's literary influences, [[Arthur Rimbaud]].
==Influence==
Morrison remains one of the most popular and influential singers/writers in rock history, as The Doors' catalog has become a staple of [[classic rock]] radio stations. To this day, he is widely regarded as the prototypical [[rock star]]: surly, sexy, scandalous and mysterious. The [[leather]] pants he was fond of wearing both onstage and off have since become stereotyped as rock star apparel.
Morrison's performances have influenced many, including [[Nick Cave]], [[Richard Ashcroft]], [[Glenn Danzig]], [[Patti Smith]], [[Ian Curtis]], [[David Gahan]], [[Henry Rollins]], [[Ian Astbury]], [[Perry Farrell]], [[Scott Weiland]], [[Trent Reznor]], [[Eddie Vedder]], [[Scott Stapp]], [[Jude Rawlins]], [[Ville Valo]], [[Sully Erna]], [[The Blood]], [[Siouxsie Sioux]], and [[Jeff Martin]].
The legendary punk prototypes [[Iggy and the Stooges]] are said to have formed after lead singer [[Iggy Pop]] was inspired by Morrison while attending a Doors concert in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]. One of his most popular songs, "The Passenger", is said to be based on one of Morrison's poems. After Morrison's death, Iggy was considered as a replacement for Morrison; the surviving Doors gave Iggy some of Morrison's belongings, and hired him as a vocalist for a series of shows.
Beat poet Michael McClure has written a poem, ''For Jim Morrison,'' in honor of their friendship. He recites this work at his poetry readings with some regularity, often to the accompaniment of Manzarek's keyboards.
On a more cerebral level, Wallace Fowlie, professor emeritus of French literature at [[Duke University]] and internationally recognized expert on the poet Arthur Rimbaud, wrote ''Rimbaud and Jim Morrison,'' subtitled ''"The Rebel as Poet – A Memoir."'' In this book, Fowlie recounts his surprise at receiving a fan letter from Morrison who, in 1968, thanked him for his latest translation of Rimbaud's verse into English. "I don't read French easily", he wrote, "...your book travels around with me." Fowlie went on to give lectures on numerous campuses comparing the lives, philosophies and poetry of Morrison and Rimbaud.
In 1999 Mets third baseman [[Robin Ventura]] took the phrase [[Mojo Risin]] from Morrison's song "L.A. Woman" as a theme for the team.
==Jim Morrison & The Doors' legacy==
Jim Morrison said he walked in the footsteps of French poet [[Arthur Rimbaud]] (1854-1891), once remarking, "I am a Rimbaud with a leather jacket". Some sources allege, although it's unverified, that while in France at the end of his life, Jim undertook a pilgrimage to Rimbaud's birthplace in northeastern France, Charleville.
This lineage between "the man with the soles of wind" (Rimbaud's nickame) and "the Lizard King" (Jim's nickname) is very fitting. Both symbolized the bravado and the rebellion of youth against a conservative society that seeks to squelch the individual through social control. Both were brilliant individuals torn between their ambition to shake things up through their art and their temptation to drift away, before being caught up and finally struck down by their inner demons. Most of all, they were both visionaries with a profound and mystical feeling that there is something "more", something "beyond", something that their poetry and music allowed us to touch, if only for a brief moment.
"If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it's to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel", Jim once said. And that is exactly what he and The Doors achieved. With their hauntingly beautiful music that stays with you long after "the music's over", they take us to uncharted territories. They let us "break on through to the other side", however briefly. They did indeed open the "doors of perception", doors that can never be shut again. And that is probably the true legacy of Jim Morrison and The Doors.
==Jim Morrison in fiction and music==
In the early 1980s, low budget filmmaker [[Larry Buchanan]] made the film ''Beyond the Doors'' aka ''Down On Us'', which advanced the theory that Morrison, along with [[Jimi Hendrix]] and [[Janis Joplin]], were killed by the government in an attempt to stamp out "[[Far left|radicals]]."
The story of Morrison's life was filmed in 1991 by [[Oliver Stone]] in his [[biopic]] ''[[The Doors (movie)|The Doors]]'', starring [[Val Kilmer]] as Morrison. The film was critically well-received, but a commercial failure. The surviving Doors were reportedly not pleased with the historical liberties that Stone took with their story. Kilmer was Stone's second choice for the role, the first being [[The Cult]] leadsinger [[Ian Astbury]] (who declined), although it was also reported that [[Kyle MacLachlan]] (who played Manzarek) had originally wanted to play the Morrison role himself. Astbury went on to join the new incarnation of The Doors (Riders On The Storm) in 2000 as lead singer. [http://www.thedoors.com/band/?fa=21stc]
Morrison was portrayed on stage in a play titled The Lizard King by the poet and playwright [[Jay Jeff Jones]]. The play was performed in New York, London and finally in 1991 in Los Angeles at The Friends & Artists Theatre. The role of Morrison was taken by the television actor [[Stephen Nichols]].
http://members.aol.com/NE1FAN/attheplays.html
http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsJ/JonesJayJeff.htm
Although it has not been confirmed, [[Bob Burden]], creator of the underground [[comic book]] series ''[[Flaming Carrot Comics]]'' has dropped several clues that the title [[superhero]] is supposed to be Morrison.
[[Steve Taylor]], a [[Christian]] [[musician]], [[Film director|director]], singer, and [[songwriter]] wrote a song titled "Jim Morrison's Grave" in his [[I Predict 1990]] album. The song tells of the vandalism around Morrison's grave, and also tells about the man Morrison was, in Taylor's eyes, as "someone who embraced the Rock-n-Roll myth." "Jim Morrison's Grave' asks the age-old question", Taylor said, "Does artistry justify being a weasel? The last line of the song is, 'The music covers like an evening mist/Like a watch still ticking on a dead man's wrist.' Morrison left the world some intriguing music. As far as I'm concerned, that's not enough."
In [[Stephen King]]'s 1990 release of ''[[The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition]]'', Stu Redman confides a story to Fran Goldsmith about meeting a sojourner with "eyes of a man who has been trying to look into the dark for a long time and has maybe begun to see what is there." He then reveals to her that he believes the man was Jim Morrison, alive but maybe not so well. Morrison subsequently appeared as an evil version of himself in King's short story ''[[You Know They Got a Hell of a Band]]''.
In ''[[Wayne's World 2]]'', [[Michael A. Nickles]] portrays Jim Morrison in one of Wayne Campbell's dreams in a desert. His famous line "If you book them, they will come" (an homage to ''[[Field of Dreams]]'') sets up the major plotline. The comedy also includes a Native American who makes mysterious appearances, another homage, this time to Stone's movie ''The Doors''.
[[Lewis Shiner]]'s 1993 novel ''Glimpses'' (winner of the [[World Fantasy Award]] for best novel), follows Ray Shackleford as he takes part in a series of [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternative universe]]s to help complete several unfinished music albums: [[The Beatles]]' ''Get Back'', [[Brian Wilson]]'s ''[[Smile (Brian Wilson album)|SMiLE]]'' (now finished), Jimi Hendrix's ''[[First Rays of the New Rising Sun]]'', and The Doors' ''[[Celebration of the Lizard]]''. Fictionalized versions of Wilson, Hendrix, and Morrison appear in the novel.
A portrayal of Jim Morrison (by David Brock of the Los Angeles-based Doors' tribute band Wild Child) appears in the movie ''[[Death Becomes Her]]''. The Morrison figure comments on Bruce Willis' death-defying leap off of a building into a pool ("Well, that was pretty neat."). Brock's character plays member to a group of death-cheating immortals.
In the television show ''[[The Simpsons]]'', Lisa yells out that she is "The Lizard Queen!" after drinking the water on a ride in Duffland. Homer hums Jim Morrison's song, [[The End (The Doors song)|The End]], when contemplating suicide, and this same song appears in a later episode when the family goes to [[India]]. In "The [[Treehouse of Horror II]]", during an opening montage of gravestones, Jim Morrison's is shown, with two hippies in front.
===2006===
Ex-[[Jane's Addiction]] frontman, [[Perry Farrell]] has unearthed a lost track featuring the vocals of [[The Doors]] Jim Morrison and will release it. [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=57441] [http://www.aolmusicnewsblog.com/2006/08/29/perry-farrell-resurrects-jim-morrison-with-lost-track/]
==Notes==
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<references/>
==Quotes==
{{wikiquote}}
*A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.
*Blake said that the body was the soul's prison unless the five senses are fully developed and open. He considered the senses the 'windows of the soul.' When sex involves all the senses intensely, it can be like a mystical experience.
*Drugs are a bet with your mind.
*Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.
*I am the lizard king. I can do anything.
==Books==
===Morrison's poetry===
*''The Lords and The New Creatures'' (1969). 1985 edition: ISBN 0-7119-0552-5.
*''An American Prayer'' (1970) privately printed by Western Lithographers, and an unauthorized version ''American Prayer'' in 1983 by now-defunct Zeppelin Publishing Company. ISBN 0-915628-46-5 (caution: the authenticity of the unauthorized edition has been disputed)
*''Wilderness The Lost Writings Of Jim Morrison'' (1988). 1990 edition: ISBN 0-14-011910-8
*''The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison'' (1990). 1991 edition: ISBN 0-670-83772-5.
===About Jim Morrison===
* John Densmore, ''Riders On The Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison and the Doors'' ISBN 0-385-30447-1.
* Dave DiMartino, ''Moonlight Drive'' (1995) ISBN 1-886894-21-3
* Wallace Fowlie, ''Rimbaud and Jim Morrison'' (1994) ISBN 0-8223-1442-8.
* Jerry Hopkins, ''The Lizard King: The Essential Jim Morrison'' (1995) ISBN 0-684-81866-3.
* Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman, ''[[No One Here Gets Out Alive]]'' (1980) ISBN 0-85965-138-X
* Patricia Kennealy, ''Strange Days: My Life With And Without Jim Morrison'' (1992) ISBN 0-525-93419-7
* Frank Lisciandro, ''Morrison -- A Feast Of Friends'' (1991) ISBN 0-446-39276-6
* Frank Lisciandro, ''Jim Morrison -- An Hour For Magic'' (A Photojournal) ISBN 0-85965-246-7
* Ray Manzarek, ''Light My Fire'' (1998) First by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman (1981). ISBN 0-446-60228-0L
* Mark Opsasnick, ''The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria, Virginia'' (2006) ISBN 1-4257-1330-0, Library of Congress Control Number: 2006903269. ([http://www.dc-rock-and-roll.org/lizardking.html Interview with the author])
* James Riordan & Jerry Prochnicky, ''Break On Through'' (1991) ISBN 0-688-11915-8.
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.thedoors.com/ The Doors Official Webpage]
*[http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/VideoFilm2/video.cfm?VID=22 Earliest film of Jim Morrison]
*[http://www.rockmine.music.co.uk/Doors/McClure.html Beat poet Michael McClure remembers his friend and fellow poet Jim Morrison]
*[http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/25/Doors/Mary_and_Jim_to_the_e.shtml Mary Werbelow talks about Morrison] in lengthy [[September 25]], [[2005]] interview in the [[St. Petersburg Times]]
*[http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/1409/quietday.htm Jim Morrison's Quiet Days In Paris]
* [http://p.landru.free.fr/chapdelaine/article.php3?id_article=602 Jim Morrison in Pere-Lachaise (in french)]
*[http://home.att.net/~chuckayoub/the_doors_sound_2.htm Jim Morrison's Grave in Paris]
*[http://www.geocities.com/joopbersee/morrison1a.html A Jim Morrison Tribute - Poetry]
*[http://features.waiting-forthe-sun.net/Pages/summers_gone.html Love Street Country Store]
*[http://www.soundboard.com/sb/jimmorrison.aspx The Jim Morrison Poetry Soundboard]- with audio clips, quotes and more.
*[http://www.subcin.com/chaos.html Investigative Findings on the Death of Jim Morrison]
*[http://www.rockmine.music.co.uk/Doors/Pamela.html Pamela Courson's Statement]
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[[Category:1943 births|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:1971 deaths|Morrison, Jim]]
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[[Category:American male singers|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:American poets|Morrison, Jim]]
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[[Category:American singer-songwriters|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Cause of death disputed|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:The Doors|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Drug-related deaths|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Florida musicians|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Florida writers|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Irish-American musicians|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Irish-American writers|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:People of Scottish descent|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Scottish-Americans|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Songwriters|Morrison, Jim]]
[[Category:Tiny Toon Adventures characters]]
[[af:Jim Morrison]]
[[Category:Fictional skunks]]
[[ast:Jim Morrison]]
[[Category:Fictional French people]]
[[bs:Jim Morrison]]
[[cs:Jim Morrison]]
[[da:Jim Morrison]]
[[de:Jim Morrison]]
[[es:Jim Morrison]]
[[eo:James Douglas Morrison]]
[[fr:Jim Morrison]]
[[gl:Jim Morrison]]
[[hr:Jim Morrison]]
[[io:Jim Morrison]]
[[it:Jim Morrison]]
[[he:ג'ים מוריסון]]
[[ka:მორისონი, ჯიმ]]
[[hu:Jim Morrison]]
[[mk:Џим Морисон]]
[[nl:Jim Morrison]]
[[ja:ジム・モリソン]]
[[no:Jim Morrison]]
[[oc:Jim Morrison]]
[[pl:Jim Morrison]]
[[pt:Jim Morrison]]
[[ro:Jim Morrison]]
[[ru:Моррисон, Джим]]
[[sk:Jim Morrison]]
[[sl:Jim Morrison]]
[[sr:Џим Морисон]]
[[fi:Jim Morrison]]
[[sv:Jim Morrison]]
[[tr:James Douglas Morrison]]
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