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.

 

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.

The Ed Sullivan Show: Jim Morrison and The Doors (1967)

Source:The Ed Sullivan Show– The Lizard King Jim Morrison on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

Source:The New Democrat

“In part 2 of our two part clip of the Doors 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek provides wonderful commentary on his and bandmates fateful visit to the Ed Sullilvan Show on Sunday night, September 17, 1967.

The Doors of course went on to great fame over the coming years. Truly one of the recording industries most influencial bands, the foursome of Jim Morrison (lead vocalist), Ray Manzarek (keyboardist), Robby Krieger (guitarist) and John Densmore (drums) made the Doors remarkable in their groundbreaking approach to rock and roll music in the late 1960s and early 1970s. From Light My Fire, to Riders On the Storm, the Doors were unique and one of the very best.

This video clip has been edited down to ensure we comply with any copyright requirements regarding the song ‘Light My Fire.’

This video clip is presented here on YouTube for the entertainment and informational value of the viewer, and no copyright infringement is intended.”

From Television Vanguard

“The Doors “Light My Fire” performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 17, 1967. Subscribe now to never miss an update:The Ed Sullivan Show. The full performance by The Doors is available on “Ed Sullivan’s Rock & Roll Classics”, “The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show Vol. 1” and “Rock’n’Roll Forever” DVDs at:Ed Sullivan  

Source:Ray Manzarak– The Lizard King Jim Morrison could also be called The Leather King on this night in 1967 on Ed Sullivan. His leather jeans were so tight that they could show when he was sexually excited.

From The Ed Sullivan Show

“Performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on September 17, 1967. Available on “Ed Sullivan’s Rock & Roll Classics”, “The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show Vol. 1” and “Rock’n’Roll Forever” DVDs…

Source:The Ed Sullivan Show– Jim Morrison and The Doors, on Ed Sullivan in 1967.

From The Ed Sullivan Show  

“Jim Morrison’s leather pants get much higher”

Source:Bod Mas– The Lizard King or The Leather King Jim Morrison, on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1967.

From Bod Mas

Don’t get me wrong here, because I believe Jim Morrison and The Doors gave an excellent performance here and I completely agree with The Lizard King (or Leather King) about leaving the lyric higher in the song on free speech grounds. But one of the reasons why this performance is so memorable, is because you have the lead vocalist with a big boner sticking out of his skin-tight, black pants. Apparently Jim Morrison got excited right before he went out on stage or perhaps saw a beautiful, sexy woman while he was on stage during the performance. But that is what can happen when you are a man who perhaps is not completely sober when you go out in public and you wear skin-tight, black leather jeans almost everywhere you go in public.

Source:Ed Sullivan Show– The Lizard King Jim Morrison performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. I guess he was excited to be there. After this performance Morrison should’ve been known as The Leather King, because this is the outfit that he made famous in rock and roll with his leather jacket, leather jeans, western belts, and cowboy boots, that gave him national exposure.

Good reason not to wear skin-tight leather jeans on national TV when you aren’t sober. As Jim Morrison did on a regular basis for visual effect and he wanted especially women checking him out. But the risk is you end up showing more of yourself than you perhaps intended. Especially when you get excited and you are right there for the whole world to see.

Unless no one actually saw The Lizard King go out on stage right before he went out and especially saw him up front and perhaps noticed something about his pants that his, well his thing lets saw was sticking out and he had a boner sticking out of his leather jeans. Or Morrison got excited as he was already on stage and perhaps saw a sexy woman or something.

For the life of me I can’t figure why someone didn’t walk up to Morrison and say: “uh Jim, you should go to the bathroom or back to the dressing room before you go out on national TV. Because you have a boner sticking out of your pants that everyone is going to see on national TV.”

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.