Fame Music: Jim Morrison- The Bad Boy of Classic Rock

Source: The Doors- Jim Morrison

Source: This piece was originally posted at The New Democrat

Jim Morrison aka The Lizard King, is the bad boy and frontman of classic rock and blues rock. I’m not interested in heavy metal and punk rock, where I’m sure you’ll find guys who got into more trouble and perhaps had even bigger addiction problems. Curt Cobain and Axel Rose come to mind damn fast for me. But, the heavy reliance and influence of black leather that you saw at least in the 1980s and 1990s especially with the leather jeans, boots, jackets, came from Jim Morrison. Which just to my point about how big a deal The Lizard King is when it comes to rock and roll and not just classic rock and blues rock where he made his biggest impact. But again heavy metal when you’re talking about wardrobe with the leather jeans, boots and jackets. That Jim Morrison made a staple of his wardrobe in the late 1960s, when almost no one else outside of biker culture was wearing at all.

I don’t know of a frontman that meant more to his band than Jim Morrison. Not to take anything away from Ray Manzarek especially, who was great on the keyboards and also had a great singing voice. And Robby Krieger was an excellent guitarist and John Densmore could play the drums. But The Doors are famous because of Jim Morrison, but Morrison wouldn’t of needed The Doors at least the group that was put together to be famous and successful. How many other rock frontman at least from that generation, had the intelligence, the wit, the writing ability and then throw in the style that The Lizard King had. In an era where frontman looked somewhat preppy except for the long hair and looked like hippies, I mean we are talking about the late 1960s after all, Jim Morrison is wearing a black leather suit. Skin-tight black leather jeans, that would be called skinny leathers today. With a black leather suit jacket, an Indian concho belt and black suede and leather boots.

Jim Morrison not just put leather jeans on the map in rock and roll, but leather period. To the point that Elvis Presley starts wearing a black leather suit in the late 60s and early 70s. John Kay, from Steppenwolf has his own Lizard King outfit. With a leather vest, black leather jeans and an Indian belt. The hard rockers of the 1980s Kiss, Motley Crew, Guns N Roses, as well as heavy metal bands like Skid Row, are all wearing leather jackets and leather jeans. But much more casually than Jim Morrison and wore biker jackets and t-shirts with their leathers. Morrison, again was a rebel and did his own thing and did it so well that he made it so cool and had others following him. To the point that there are countless Doors cover bands and Jim Morrison covers. With the Jim Morrison figure always in his black leather and concho belt and at times with the black leather jacket.

But with The Lizard King, its not just his leather rock and roll fashion. And the fact that perhaps no other man has ever wore a black leather suit better. Or the fact that thousands of women went to Doors concerts to check the man out every night and to see what he would do on the stage next. But it was also his music and the fact that he and The Doors did their own thing and made their own music and to a certain extent sung about the times the 1960s, but did it their own way. Morrison, especially didn’t want to fit in some place, but instead create his own place that was even different from his own band members from again how he carried and presented himself on stage. And then see if others would follow him. The Baby Boom Generation, the 1960s rockers who made it big in that decade, lost three great stars. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. But I’m not sure as great as Jimi and Janis would’ve been even combined would’ve they’ve meant more to rock and roll than Jim Morrison. The Lizard King was one in a kind and great at simply being himself as an entertainer. And we haven’t seen anyone as good, or similar since.

Fame Music: Jim Morrison- The Bad Boy of Classic Rock

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.

Leather Pants Rock: Leather Jeans For Men

Source:Leather Pants Rock– Skin-tight leather jeans for men, that Jim Morrison would fall in love with.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“Tight leather pants”

From Leather Pants Rock

Every time you see a good-looking sexy man in leather jeans especially skin-tight or skinny leather jeans and you’re a straight woman or a gay man, you should thank Jim Morrison from The Doors.

Had The Lizard King been more disciplined and not an alcoholic, plus an illegal drugs addict, he would have lived through the 1970s most likely. With his patent black leather suit. With the leather jacket, skin-tight leather jeans and cowboy boots. As that look was just becoming mainstream in rock in roll culture. To the point by the late 1970s and through the 1980s, it was pretty common in rock culture especially in heavy metal.

The Lizard King, dressed up his leather jeans. And instead of wearing a tank top o t-shit, he generally wore his leathers with a button-down-shirt and western belt. With stylish boots.

Again by the late 1970s and through the 1980s, leather jeans had become fairly common in pop culture. Especially rock and roll culture, but they were no longer just pants for bikers. You saw rockers in them like Jon Bon Jovi and headbangers like Alice Cooper. Actors and actress’s, were wearing them in movies.

Like Joan Jett, whose sort of the female version of Jim Morrison. Whose made black leather jeans her staple pants, but who tends to wear them like a biker chick o rocker chick and wears them a lot less casually than The Lizard King who would dress his leathers formally like a guy would wear a cotton business suit. Instead of a cowboy lets say who would wear a denim suit. Or a biker who would wear a biker jacket with their leather jeans. But it was Morrison who made leather jeans fashionable and sexy in America.

Leather jeans, are probably more common with gay men, than straight men and you’ll probably more likely to see women wear them than straight men. Outside of rocker and biker culture. Because they’re pretty risky and make skinny jeans almost look safe, because of how revealing in them.

Fat people look obese in leather jeans and skinny people look like they’re starving in them. You have to have the perfect body fo them. Strong legs, tight round butt, the confidence to not mind people noticing your crotch and butt in them. Because those things along with your legs, because these pants hug them very tightly, become very noticeable in any skinny pant. Especially in leather jeans. And what Jim Morrison and plenty of people after him all had in common, is the right bodies for those pants.

Logan Leather: Opinion On Men in Leather Jeans

Source:Logan Leather– David Logan, talking about his leather jeans.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“Why do I cook in leather pants? Because I’m comfortable wearing them.”

From Logan Leather

First of all, I think The Lizard King Jim Morrison would’ve been proud of this guy’s leather wardrobe, especially the leather jeans. After all The Lizard King put leather jeans on the map in America.

Leather jeans are still not as popular as denim jeans for either men or women, at least outside of rocker or biker culture, and yes, gay culture. And skinny leather jeans are not as popular as skinny denim jeans even with American women. But without Jim Morrison, leather jeans might be as popular as fur coats in July in Arizona, or full-length head to toe dresses that were common in the 19th Century.

This guy also make a good practical point about wearing what makes you happy. Logan is a biker so leather jeans aren’t exactly a stretch for him. Bikers men and women wear leather jeans on a regular basis. For practical and for style reasons. They protect the biker’s legs and keeps them worn in cold weather. They have a great feel on the bike especially on long rides. And they look great on bikes similar to denim jeans for men and women.

And this guy is obviously very comfortable in them, like the look and can afford them, so why not.

Blueberry: Tight Leather Jeans

Source:Blueberry– Tight leather jeans for men.

Source:The Daily Journal

“Leather Pants 1a.

Sweet Child O’ Mine
Artist
Guns N’ Roses
Writers
Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler
Licensed to YouTube by
UMG (on behalf of Geffen); PEDL, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA – UBEM, ASCAP, LatinAutor – Warner Chappell, Warner Chappell, LatinAutor, LatinAutor – UMPG, Broma 16, Global Music Rights LLC, UMPG Publishing, CMRRA, Guns N Roses Music, UMPI, and 17 Music Rights Societies.”

From Blueberry

I love leather jeans and checking out sexy women in them and just wish more American women wore them. Especially straight women and without Jim Morrison, they might not be around at all in America. At lest not for men and perhaps women either. He put leather jeans on the map, because he was a famous entertainer obviously as the frontman for The Doors and wore them everywhere and really everyday for about two-year period from 1967-69. His famous look and outfit for that period is his black leather suit and his cowboy boots. He wore both suede boots and black leather cowboy boots with his leather jeans and a black leather suit jacket and of course his concho belt. When he performed, but in his other public appearances and in his casual life as well.

And The Lizard King inspired a lot of men and women to wear leather jeans and boots as well. And leather jackets with their jeans and boots. The 1980s with heavy metal and hard rock revolution, perfect example of that. Joan Jett in the 1970s and 80s and still today, sports her leather jeans and jacket just about wherever she goes. And of course hard rock bands like Guns N Roses from the 1980s, Motley Crew, The Scorpions, Vixen and others. You see a lot of leather, especially leather jackets, boots and leather jeans with their look. Alannah Myles from the 1990s and Melissa Etheridge from the 90s and still today, performers who wear a lot of leather. Jackets, boots and jeans. Leather jeans are just like denim jeans. They are jeans and generally very tight jeans, just made from leather instead of denim.

The only thing with leather jeans, especially the skin-tight or skinny leathers, is that you have to be careful with them. You are more exposed and out in the open with them. Most people men and women wear their leather jeans either with a short top or shirt tucked in. Similar to how women wear skinny denims. For obvious reasons, but to show how their butts, legs and tushes looks in them. But a man is pretty vulnerable up front so to speak and if he put himself out in the open upfront and if gets excited sexually, as Jim Morrison did on national TV in his leather suit on Ed Sullivan, the whole world will know about it. But if you find the right pair that looks good on you and fits and don’t leave yourself overexposed, they will be a great way for you to highlight your body.

Wet Leather Biker: Erbo Rocker Leather Jeans

Source: Wet Leather Biker– Skin-tight Leather Biker

Source:The Daily Journal 

“Erbo Rocker leather pants with wide legs from the 80´s…..sorry, have to let the legs out more – at the moment a bit short – but just bought them on ebay…. 

From Wet Leather Biker 

Rocker leather jeans? They look more like cowboy leather jeans that cowboys and other westerners wear, including cowgirls when they’ are on their horses, ranches, and involved in other western activities.

With the chain wallet that the man is wearing in the photo and video, those are very common with biker men and to some extent biker women. Who wear chain wallets both with their leather and denim jeans and they’re out on their bikes. For obvious reasons and style is one of them, but to protect their wallets when they’re on the road, as well as around other bikers and people involved in biker culture.

Leather jeans of course are very common in rock and roll culture. People in that community can thank Jim Morrison from The Doors for that. But leather jeans, leather jackets, leather boots, and other leather clothing, have been a big part of rock culture at least since the early 1980s with the heavy metal wave, if not the late 1970s.

Jim Morrison from the late 1960s was really the first famous rocker to wear a leather suit that included black leather jeans, black leather jacket and black cowboy boots.