In The Middle of The Sun: VH1 Legends- Jim Morrison and The Doors: The Lizard King

Source:In The Middle of The Sun– The Lizard King Jim Morrison

Source:Action 

“Here’s a very rare documentary without the annoying subtitles, narrated by Henry Rollins. I recorded it on VHS back in something like 1997, then recorded it onto a recordable DVD-R. The tape it was oiginally on stopped working right after I burned it to DVD. Enjoy it. I know I did.”

From In The Middle of The Sun

The Lizard King, ( which he’ll always be known as, at least with me ) Jim Morrison’s birthday was last Saturday, but he’s The Lizard King so he gets a 4 day birthday celebration from me at least. He would’ve been 75 today had he not died at the age of 27 in 1971 and without his alcoholism and other drug abuse and had he lived a natural life in years he would not only probably still be alive today, but probably still performing. The Rolling Stones, same generation as The Doors are still playing. Aerosmith, same generation as The Doors and in their 70s still playing. Bruce Springsteen, same generation as well, late 60s if not already 70 is still playing. So losing Jim Morrison at 27 was a huge tragedy that still affects his fans and the broader rock industry today.

Source:John Dewey Stewart– The Lizard King Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger, Live at The Roadhouse in London, England in 1968

You would have to be familiar with not just the NFL, but NFL history ( meaning you’re not a Millennial, LOL ) to understand this reference, but Jim Morrison had a Gayle Sayers affect on the rock industry. He was there for such a short period of time, really only 3-4 years as an active performer before he went to Paris for good in 1970 and never came back and died in 1971. Whether he gave himself the nickname The Lizard King or someone else gave him that nickname stuck, he was The Lizard King. He moved like a lizard and you could argue even dressed like one with his snakeskin skin-tight black leather suit, cowboy boots, and concho belt. He also patent skin-tight brown leather jeans which might be more popular than is black leathers, but he didn’t wear as often.

Source:Ceoniric– The Lizard King Jim Morrison

The way Jim Morrison moved and how he dressed when he moved, the way he danced, crashed to the stage he really put on a show all by himself every time he performed on stage and some could argue a sex show performing in his skin-tight leather suit almost every time he was on stage. Leather jeans especially black leathers, are popular in rock & roll today and have been really since the late 1970s and early 80s, because of The Lizard King Jim Morrison. His impact on rock & roll including blues rock, is not just because of his music and writing, but rock & roll fashion. He was the rock & roll leather cowboy whose impact on rock & roll was huge 50 years ago and still felt today and he will always be missed especially with the internet being as big as it is and people always having the ability to research Morrison and check him out.

 

Michael Jenson: Aerosmith- Love Me Two Times: Cover For Jim Morrison and The Doors

Source: Michael Jenson– Aerosmith, playing Love Me Two Times, from Jim Morrison & The Doors

Source: Action 

Just another example of why Aerosmith, is the best classic rock band ever, if not rock & roll band ( including The Doors ) with their cover for Love Me Two Times. Jim Morrison and The Doors, were a blues rock band, similar to Eric Clapton today, Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley from back in the day. Aerosmith is almost purely a classic rock band. Not a punk band, sure as hell not a metal band, but a pure rock & roll band the way the music is played in it’s classic form. And yet they’re playing Love Me Two Times here from The Doors, which is a great blues rock song. Along with Roadhouse Blues, perhaps the best Doors song.

But all great rock bands not only have their own sound down, but they can improvise and be really creative and play other people’s songs as well. You see singers performing other artists music all the time and even showing up at other artists concerts and they’ll play the music together. Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, have played Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life together live and in concert. Something you should check out on YouTube if you’re a fan, with Bruce both on guitar and singing along with Jon, Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life. One of the reasons why Aerosmith is the best classic rock band, ever is because they got their sound down and can play other’s people’s music as well very well.

Source: The Doors– Jim Morrison & John Densmore

If you listen to this performance from Aerosmith, I believe the drummer especially has sound of Love Me Two Times down. It sounds just like John Densmore’s ( from The Doors ) version of Love Me Two Times. Not to take anything away from Jo Perry ( my personal favorite guitarist ) who does a great job here as well. Steven Tyler, is Steven Tyler and would never get mistaken for Jim Morrison and sings Love Me Two Times the way Tyler sings anything where he’s almost yelling, but doesn’t go quite that far. What really impresses me most about this performance is the music, not so much the vocals where they sound just like The Doors here and do a great job.

Source: FRS FreeState via Flickr– Jim Morrison & John Densmore

As great as covers can be, they generally don’t beat the original if the original is great. Jim Morrison and The Doors, own this song and video. Where a lot it was shot in 1968 when I believe they were performing at The Roadhouse in London. It’s a great video where you have The Lizard King ( Jim Morrison, who else ) on a stool the entire video at least the footage from London and yet he seems to be struggling to sit still and is moving around the whole time and practically dancing while he’s on his stool and he’s completely leathered up in his full skin-tight black leather suit and concho belt. He was a true performer was born to always be entertaining.

Source: The Doors– Jim Morrison & John Densmore

Aerosmith is still a great classic rock band and if they’re not the best rock & roll band ever, they’re certainly the best blues rock band who has ever played. But The Doors were a great blues rock band even though they’re were only together with Morrison at least for about four years. And they still own this song and are the best at playing it. Jim Morrison is still the best at delivering the song. Aerosmith does a great job here, but there is only one band called The Doors and they’ll always own Love Me Two Times.

Michael Jenson: Aerosmith- Love Me Two Times

American International Pictures: Glory Stompers (1967) Outlaw Biker Film: Featuring Dennis Hopper & Sandra Bettin

Source: Alchetron– Dennis Hopper & Sandra Bettin.

Source:The Action Blog

“Helping old man over the street in traffic rush with motorcycle. Dennis Hooper of later Easy rider fame as a bad ass biker who stomps a rival and kidnaps his old lady to sell on the white.

Otra película de finales de los sesenta, si alguien cree que estoy infringiendo el copyright que me lo notifique antes de denunciarme al YouTube para quitar el video, más que nada por que.

promotional trailer 1967.”

Source:Nadia Emerson– The cute blonde.

From Nadia Emerson

Source:Edward Patterson– Dennis Hopper and Sandra Bettin. 

“The Glory Stompers (1967) Movie – Dennis Hopper – Glder Pro.” Originally from Edward Patterson, but the video has since been deleted or blocked on YouTube.

I’m a big fan of films from the 1960s and 1970s including b-movies or movies that seem like b-movies at the time ( like Glory Stompers ) and movies that become cult classics and cult favorites. Like Glory Stompers, because these are movies that take a lot of risks and chances. They take risks by using actors and actresses that people probably have never even seen before, let alone heard of. Dennis Hopper ( one of my favorite actors ) was not a rookie at this point, but he wasn’t a star either. Easy Rider is the movie that gave him a name and made him a star.

Source: Rock Shop Pop– Sandra Bettin

What I talked about last week with Broken Badges is that movies and shows like this take a lot of chances. A lot of that having to do with the fact that they almost have too, because they’re low budget and underfunded. So they have to work with people who don’t have deep resumes, but they have to find people without the names who are talented and could become stars at some point. Glory Stompers has a lot of people who aren’t names in it and never became names, but who play big roles.

Source: DVD Talk– The Outlaws, with Dennis Hopper & Sandra Bettin

Like Chis Noel who plays the kidnap victim in the movie. Sandra Bettin who plays Chino’s ( played by Dennis Hopper ) mamma in the movie. Jody McCrea plays Chris’s ( played by Chris Noel ) boyfriend who naturally comes back and saves his girlfriend from this biker gang. The fact is Chris was never in any real danger in this movie. Other than by one guy who came close to committing sexual assault against her, before Chino of all people rescued her from that guy.

Source: Greasy Culture– Dennis Hopper & Sandra Bettin

But then this movie has key players in it that did become stars later on. Dennis Hopper who I believe is one of the best actors of his generation at least. Robert Tessier who played tough guys generally bad guys on TV a lot of the 1970s and 1980s, but was also in Burt Reynold’s The Longest Yard from 1974. Casey Kasem ( the famous disk jockey ) has a small role in the movie.

Source: Chop Cult– Chino’s Gang, including Sandra Bettin & Dennis Hopper

The movie has a creative plot. It’s basically about two rival biker gangs with one gang led by Chino, which is an outlaw gang who makes their money in narcotics trade and other illegal enterprises. And the other gang led by Darryl ( Chris’s boyfriend ) that I guess are the good guys at least in this battle. Bikers who are basically just looking to have a good time. That go to a lot of parties, get drunk a lot, do a lot riding, but aren’t criminals for the most part.

Source: Angel Morrow– Dennis Hopper & Sandra Bettin

Chino doesn’t like Darryl and has his gang attack him when they find Darryl away from his gang and they attack him and think they killed him after they beat him up. Which is why they kidnapped Chris because they didn’t want to leave any witnesses. If any of them knew anything about just basic CPR and paramedics, they would’ve seen that Darryl was beat up and unconscious but not dead. And wakes up shortly after Chino’s gang takes off with Chris.

Source: Chop Cult– Dennis Hopper, kicking ass

As I mentioned before Chris was never in any real danger when she was being held by the Outlaws ( for lack of a better term ) other than that one guy who tried to sexually assault her, but she was rescued almost as soon as Magoo ( played by Robert Tessier ) tried to attack her. The Outlaws were simply looking to get out of dodge and haul ass down to Mexico to collect money from a score. And then release Chris in Mexico. There really isn’t a dull scene in Glory Stompers, it does have some cheesy writing, which can come from having cheap writers. And is a very entertaining look at life in outlaw biker culture from the late 1960s.

The Doors: Jim Morrison and The Doors- Hello, I Love You: From 1968 In Color

Source:Action– Jim Morrison and The Doors: Live in Frankfurt, Germany in 1968.

Source:The Daily Review 

“The Doors – Hello, I Love You (Subtitulos Español – Ingles) Gran canción de una gran banda! Suscribanse.”

From The Doors

It’s a rare treat that you get to see Jim Morrison and The Doors perform in color. Even though they came out and became a hit in the late 1960s most of their concert footage and music videos were done in black and white. Almost like watching music performances from 1955 or something even though color video and footage for both TV and movies was pretty common if not expected by 1968 when this video in Frankfurt Germany came out.

But since this video was shot in color, you get to see Jim Morrison and The Doors the best blues rock band I believe of the 1960s playing in color. With Jim Morrison performing in his go to black leather suit and suede cowboy boots. And you get to see parts of downtown Frankfurt, Germany as well.

The song Hello I don’t think is that great of song. But it has a great guitar and drums beat to it and with the Lizard King and his great voice and with the timing down can make ordinary lyrics like “hello, I love you”, sound better than they actually are. And then you throw in Morrison’s skin-tight black leather jeans and concho belt that almost made him look like his crotch was sticking out (and that is as graphic as I’ll get) and you had women who simply were in love with him especially when they got to see him perform up close and wanting to touch him. A big reason why you would see women jump up on the stage trying touch and grab him while her performed in the 1960s. So you put all of these things together and you have a pretty good video here.

 

 

Jim Morrison Project: ‘Jim Morrison’s 1967 Shelby Mustang’

Source:The FreeState MD– Jim Morrison, in 1969.

Source:The New Democrat

“Jim Morrison driving his 1967 Shelby G.T. 500. The clip is from the film “When You’re Strange” (directed by Tom DiCillo) which is in turn borrowed from the movie “HWY: An American Pastoral” which Jim made in 1969 with some friends (Paul Ferrara, Babe Hill, and Frank Lisciandro). This footage is considerably clearer than my previous post of Jim driving the car. Go full screen with this clip, the resolution is killer. You can even see dust on the car it’s so crisp and clear.”

“I did a lot of research on the Shelby and all indications are it was trashed after Jim hit a telephone pole when he was drunk. He had clipped it before, but on that occasion he bent the frame, ending his time with The Blue Lady (his name for the car). Jim met the same fate as the Shelby two years later, though some think he’s still alive. It’s kind of fitting as some people are convinced this car still exists. Maybe he’s still driving it?”

“Shelby fans, note the car has no front grille emblem, no trunk emblem, small lettered Speedway 350 tires, uneven, hammered rear exhaust outlets, comfortweave seats, fender mounted antenna, and half the molding on the driver’s side taillight is missing. LOL. Best of all, it’s a 4-speed nightmist blue car with parchment interior and 10-spoke wheels. He knew how to pick ’em, huh? That’s the way I would have ordered it. If only you could go back in time!”

“I posted an almost identical clip about 4 years ago but something eventually happened with the formatting and as a result it looked like garbage. I deleted it after posting this newer, better, and even clearer clip even though the old one had about 225,000 views and 300 comments. This clip should be formatted correctly and in HD and will undoubtedly be ripped off by others just as my previous post was. So much for ingenuity. I’ve kept another post up which also features the car and includes the stock audio from “HWY” but the video quality lacks. Regardless, a nightmist blue parchment interior ’67 G.T. 500 4-speed car just like Jim’s sold at Barrett-Jackson auctions for $440,000 in January, 2015. Who would have ever believed it?”

From Toddlem

Source:Toodlem– Jim Morrison, going for a ride in his 1969 Shelby Mustang. 

This video was part of a 2010 PBS film about The Doors, really about Jim Morrison and The Doors, which what really drew my interest to the film that I have on dvd. And this is how the film starts off, with The Lizard King taking to the highway I believe in Southern California desert. And he starts off hitchhiking and someone in a Shelby Mustang, great car by the way, picks him up and somehow which is not shown in film, The Lizard King ends up with the car and driving the car. Only The Lizard King would wear skin-tight black leather jeans in the California desert, but that is one thing that made him The Lizard King. And the original film I believe from 1969 I believe was part of Morrison needing a break from the music business and perhaps The Doors as a whole. And that is what they show with Lizard King hitting the road and seeing what life if like outside of his world. And its a good little film, the 1969 version and the 2010 PBS version Strange Days is even better and it shows this part in that film.”

 

Jim Morrison & The Doors: Live in Frankfurt, Germany (1968)

Source:Getty Images– Jim Morrison and The Doors, Live in Frankfurt, Germany in 1968.

From Getty Images

Source:The New Democrat

“The Doors truly are one of the all-time greatest and one of the most iconic rock bands in history. Jim Morrison was without a doubt one of the most prolific and charismatic frontman in all of rock, and his influence is still regarded as such even to this day. The Doors were one of the best, pure and simple.”

Source:Society of Rock– Jim Morrison and The Doors: Live in Frankfurt, Germany in 1968.

From Society of Rock

I think the Crawling King Snake video from The Doors with Jim Morrison perfectly sums up the style and career of Jim Morrison. The man made leather jeans and rock and roll culture and why it looks the way it does today, at least with hard rockers and headbangers. The Lizard King obviously wasn’t a hard rocker or a headbanger, but he put his signature black snake skin leather jeans on the map and made them cool. To the point by the 1980s they were standard for rockers male and female. And probably a big reason why Melissa Etheridge and Joan Jett got into them and why you saw rock and roll bands like Guns N Roses and Kiss get into them and of course the metal bands like Skid Row and Motley Crew.

And that is what you see in this video. The Lizard King moving so smoothly in his snake skin’s and cowboy boots and the concho belt. He combined rock and roll culture and lifestyle, with Western and American-Indian culture with the leather jeans, cowboy boots and concho belt and the leather jacket as well. He put these looks on the map in rock and roll, because of how often he wore this outfit in public and all the images that have come from those appearances. That were famous then and if anything now more popular forty-five years later. And without the Lizard King, rock and roll probably looks a lot different in the 1970s, 80s, 90s and today.

Leather in general wasn’t very popular in America when it came to wardrobes pre-late 1960s or so, except for perhaps biker and to a certain extent Western culture. So Jim Morrison in his full leather suit and then throw in the cowboys boots and the concho belt, that if anything even highlighted his leather jeans even more, especially in front, he was taking a risk. But he had the style, the look, the moves to make it work to the point that he became a rock and roll and perhaps even style icon in America and not just in rock and roll. And all of this is part of legacy that is still alive and well today.

Oliver Stone: The Doors (1991)

Source:The Daily Journal– Val Kilmer as The Lizard King Jim Morrison, during the Miami concert scene.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“The Doors movie trailer. Oliver Stone’s movie trailer.”

From Sophie T

The Oliver Stone 1991 The Doors movie was a very entertaining movie and worth watching and Val Kilmer did a very good job of playing an entertaining Jim Morrison (Aka the Lizard King)

But other than the Miami concert and perhaps the New Haven concert and maybe the New Haven jail scene and the Lizard King’s outfits, this wasn’t a very accurate movie. And this is according to Doors band member guitarist Robby Krieger.

First of all, Val Kilmer is around 6’1 and 200 pounds, he’s a big tall man. Where according to The Doors themselves, the real Lizard King was around 5’10 and slender. The Miami concert was crazy as it should’ve been with Morrison trying to perform drunk and getting frustrated and taking it out on the audience.

Jim Morrison trying to make it look like he pulled down his leather jeans (black or brown?) and exposed himself which according to the real Doors band, he never did, but wanted to make people believe he did.

And the New Haven scene was fairly accurate, with the Lizard King getting maced in a hall closet before the concert when he was fooling around with a girl, by a cop. And then going out on stage and doing a good job, but then slowing down and getting frustrated and telling the audience about what happened to him in the closet.

And the jail scene was accurate too, with Morrison getting stripped down. And the movie nailed the Lizard King’s outfit down, with over an hour of coverage with Val Kilmer wearing the Lizard King’s go to, skin-tight, lambskin black leather jeans, which Val Kilmer pulled off very well.

But the rest of the movie was an entertaining fiction novel with moving pictures. The Doors movie is very entertaining and if you’re looking for an entertaining fictional rock and roll movie, then I suggest you watch Oliver Stone’s The Doors. But if you want an accurate picture of Jim Morrison and The Doors, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Kanaal Van Datruiktumeneer: The Doors at The Roadhouse 1968

Source: Kanaal Van Datruiktumeneer- Jim Morrison 

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.

Kanaal Van Datruiktumeneer: The Doors at The Roadhouse 1968

The Doors: When The Music’s Over – Live at The Hollywood Bowl, 1968

Source: The Doors

Source:The Daily Journal

I believe the most memorable performance from The Doors, at least for Jim Morrison. Live at The Hollywood Bowl from 1968, in Los Angeles, 90 minute performance and in color. Perhaps not even half of the footage of Jim Morrison and The Doors was shot in color. Which is a damn shame considering how great and creative of a performer that Jim Morrison was and how popular he was. And probably was not The Lizard King’s best performance as far as delivering the vocals, but it was still an excellent job as far as acting out the scenes in the songs which was mostly off from improv from Morrison. Like with song The Unknown Solider where he crashes to the ground. He gets distracted with seeing a caterpillar on the stage floor and gets down and picks the insect up and makes a comedic scene out of it. Also a very sexy performance on his part with the brown skin-tight leather jeans and all the closeups of The Lizard King, especially in his crotch section and with Morison playing that to the hilt with the dancing and even inviting the closeups of his midsection.

The Doors: Live At The Hollywood Bowl- When The Music’s Over

The Doors: Live in Copenhagen- 1968

Source: Wikipedia– The Lizard King Jim Morrison, in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1968. 

Source:The Daily Journal 

“The doors – the unknown soldier live in Copenhagen (Denmark) 1968. HQ audio. If there is a problem with this video let me know…”

Source:The Doors– Jim Morrison and The Doors: Live in Copenhagen, 1968.

From The Doors

Had this concert been in color and the Hollywood Bowl concert in black and white, then The Doors in Copenhagen would’ve definitely been The Doors best concert ever in the 3-4 years they were in concert.

This concert had The Doors best sound and The Lizard King at his best on the vocals. But the Hollywood Bowl concert was The Doors especially Jim Morrison looking his best especially being in color. It would be nice to get the Copenhagen concert in color, colorized even so you could see how The Lizard King looked and sounded at his best. In the his leather suit, the leather jeans, the cowboy boots, the jacket, the concho belt and how he moved around on stage in this concert. And he sounded, but all in color.

But unfortunately even though The Doors were big in the late 1960s when color TV, color movies and everything else was shown in color for the most part, a lot of The Doors footage and even their photos were still shown in black and white.