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Love Him Madly: An Intimate Memoir of Jim Morrison
It was 1967. Judy Huddleston’s parents had just gotten divorced, and she spent her last year of high school attending Doors concerts. Transformed from a perceptive child into a rebellious teenager bent on attracting boys and fueled by psychedelics, she had lost her sense of self. Then Jim Morrison came into her life. Love Him Madly chronicles Judy’s four-year relationship with the singer. Honest and funny, written in the idealistic but jaded voice of a teenager, this intensely intimate memoir is a cautionary tale about sex, codependence, and misplaced spirituality. It also provides a direct and unprecedented view of a late-1960s Los Angeles subculture, an emotional portrayal of a sexual relationship with a man whose demons haunted everyone he knew, and a vivid portrait of Jim Morrison as a complex human being. A balanced portrait of an unbalanced relationship, Love Him Madly is an intense, moving, and poetic journey through one teenage girl’s unforgettable fall from innocence.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
21 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Judy Huddleston
4 books34 followersJudy Huddleston is an author, artist, and teacher living on the West Coast. She received a BFA from California Institute of the Arts and MFA from Eastern Washington University. Her nonfiction, fiction and poetry has appeared in The Los Angeles Review, The Collagist, Wilderness Press, Mudlark, New South, Wordriot, Flashquake, the Penwood Review, NANOFiction and other journals. Her memoir, LOVE HIM MADLY will be published this June by Chicago Review Press. Her book, This is the End, My Only Friend, was published in 1991. She has recently completed another memoir in a flash-nonfiction, OUR OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. A native of California, she currently teaches writing and integrated arts at California State University at Monterey Bay.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 23, 2021
Didn't she write this badly??? This book is truly offensive.
I really wish Judy Huddleston would've kept her bizarre sexual fantasies about Jim Morrison to herself instead of trying to present them as a "memoir" in order to make money.
So, as long as someone calls a book a "memoir" they can say whatever they please?
This reads like a kinky piece of fan fiction and I cannot stress the FICTION strongly enough.
I don't know what kind of fee the normally intelligent and honest Pamela Des Barres received for writing the foreword for this but it must have been a pretty hefty fee.
Huddleston wrote this decades after Morrison's death and had years of drug and alcohol abuse, head injuries from car accidents that were a result of driving under the influence, stints is psychiatric wards and yet she can recall her supposed time (none of the surviving Doors and none of their inner-circle seem have any memory at all of Ms. Huddleston) with absolute 110% accuracy.
Every move Jim Morrison made, everything word that came out of his mouth, the color socks he had on way back when - I mean it is amazing how clear this "wild child's" memory is.
I'm a lot younger and in better shape than she is and my memory is not that good.
Des Barres says that Huddleston "kept journals".
I don't know where Huddleston found the time to keep journals but if she did they must look like a set of encyclopedias.
Huddleston clearly hung up her soul and used the word "rape" in order to sell her book.
So, Jim Morrison "rapes" her and she spends the next four years hunting and tracking him so she can have sex with him again and again?
That is offensive.
Sorry "Judy", I'm not buying it, not for a second. You'll have to explain your ongoing attraction to and admiration for Jim Morrison to all rape survivors.
Huddleston describes what she claims took place between she Morrison as the typical 1960s rock star/fan/groupie sexual hook-up.
According to Huddleston, Morrison wanted to have anal sex with her and, and according to Huddleston herself, when she told Morrison to stop he stopped.
That does not equal rape, Ms. Huddleston. You admit that Morrison understood that no meant no
Ms. Huddleston describes Morrison then leaving with Pamela Courson with Ms. Huddleston in a calm state of mind and being physically no worse for the wear even though forceful anal sexual assault leaves a lot of physical damage on the victim.
Run out of employment options later in life or something Ms. Huddleston?
Huddleston owes sexual assault survivors everywhere a huge apology.
This is just another Aschroft/Kennealy situation, with Huddleston, Ashcroft and Kennealy not quite grasping the fact that memoirs are supposed to be about what actually happened, not what they all WISHED had happened.
Nothing to see here folks. Just a spoiled, do-nothing, drunk, drugged-up girl and her offensive, tasteless, libelous attempt at making money off of Jim Morrison, and it is very convenient for Huddleston, as it was for Ashcroft and Kennealy, that both Morrison and Pamela Courson are no longer around to defend themselves. Very convenient. (I'm absolutely thrilled that Huddleston didn't make a penny off of this.)
Again, this reads more like fan fiction and the reader is left very seriously doubting that Huddleston ever knew Jim Morrison at all.
How many serious, long-term relationships could Morrison have maintained in a short, drunken, drug-fueled five-year period?
It truly is a shame that publishers are allowed to accept these types of books for publication.
I really wish Judy Huddleston would've kept her bizarre sexual fantasies about Jim Morrison to herself instead of trying to present them as a "memoir" in order to make money.
So, as long as someone calls a book a "memoir" they can say whatever they please?
This reads like a kinky piece of fan fiction and I cannot stress the FICTION strongly enough.
I don't know what kind of fee the normally intelligent and honest Pamela Des Barres received for writing the foreword for this but it must have been a pretty hefty fee.
Huddleston wrote this decades after Morrison's death and had years of drug and alcohol abuse, head injuries from car accidents that were a result of driving under the influence, stints is psychiatric wards and yet she can recall her supposed time (none of the surviving Doors and none of their inner-circle seem have any memory at all of Ms. Huddleston) with absolute 110% accuracy.
Every move Jim Morrison made, everything word that came out of his mouth, the color socks he had on way back when - I mean it is amazing how clear this "wild child's" memory is.
I'm a lot younger and in better shape than she is and my memory is not that good.
Des Barres says that Huddleston "kept journals".
I don't know where Huddleston found the time to keep journals but if she did they must look like a set of encyclopedias.
Huddleston clearly hung up her soul and used the word "rape" in order to sell her book.
So, Jim Morrison "rapes" her and she spends the next four years hunting and tracking him so she can have sex with him again and again?
That is offensive.
Sorry "Judy", I'm not buying it, not for a second. You'll have to explain your ongoing attraction to and admiration for Jim Morrison to all rape survivors.
Huddleston describes what she claims took place between she Morrison as the typical 1960s rock star/fan/groupie sexual hook-up.
According to Huddleston, Morrison wanted to have anal sex with her and, and according to Huddleston herself, when she told Morrison to stop he stopped.
That does not equal rape, Ms. Huddleston. You admit that Morrison understood that no meant no
Ms. Huddleston describes Morrison then leaving with Pamela Courson with Ms. Huddleston in a calm state of mind and being physically no worse for the wear even though forceful anal sexual assault leaves a lot of physical damage on the victim.
Run out of employment options later in life or something Ms. Huddleston?
Huddleston owes sexual assault survivors everywhere a huge apology.
This is just another Aschroft/Kennealy situation, with Huddleston, Ashcroft and Kennealy not quite grasping the fact that memoirs are supposed to be about what actually happened, not what they all WISHED had happened.
Nothing to see here folks. Just a spoiled, do-nothing, drunk, drugged-up girl and her offensive, tasteless, libelous attempt at making money off of Jim Morrison, and it is very convenient for Huddleston, as it was for Ashcroft and Kennealy, that both Morrison and Pamela Courson are no longer around to defend themselves. Very convenient. (I'm absolutely thrilled that Huddleston didn't make a penny off of this.)
Again, this reads more like fan fiction and the reader is left very seriously doubting that Huddleston ever knew Jim Morrison at all.
How many serious, long-term relationships could Morrison have maintained in a short, drunken, drug-fueled five-year period?
It truly is a shame that publishers are allowed to accept these types of books for publication.
October 3, 2013
I didn't really care for this book. It's not really a memoir of Jim Morrison. It's more of a recounting of intimate encounters between Morrison and Huddleston. That's really all their so-called relationship turned out to be, simply sex. While there isn't anything wrong with that, I just felt that she kept wanting a meeting of the minds, but all Morrison wanted from her was a meeting of the bodies.
I also had a hard time with Huddleston herself. Granted, she is only a teen when she meets Morrison and fixates on him, which makes her actions rather forgiveable, but while other reviewers have mentioned that this is a coming-of-age memoir, I couldn't really see how she grew or matured at all throughout the book.
Rather disappointed in this book.
I also had a hard time with Huddleston herself. Granted, she is only a teen when she meets Morrison and fixates on him, which makes her actions rather forgiveable, but while other reviewers have mentioned that this is a coming-of-age memoir, I couldn't really see how she grew or matured at all throughout the book.
Rather disappointed in this book.
March 7, 2016
This book put me in mind of Peggy Caserta's "Going Down With Janis"; i.e. "I was once the lover of a famous, yet deeply troubled 60's rock star who died, aged 27. Although I survived, my life got pretty screwed up too."
It told me nothing important I didn't already know about Jim Morrison. Although it did tell me quite a bit about Judy Huddleston, I'm afraid to say, I didn't find her interesting.
It told me nothing important I didn't already know about Jim Morrison. Although it did tell me quite a bit about Judy Huddleston, I'm afraid to say, I didn't find her interesting.
December 1, 2013
I couldn't help but be interested in this story. (guilty pleasure) However, it didn't deliver for me. The author writes about her life and adds the small pieces where Jim enters to treat her like a groupie. The book feels like her cash in on the experiences that she had with a famous person. I did not love it madly.
January 25, 2018
Around five in the morning, the phone rang, breaking dawn's quiet reign. "Judy, it's for you," my mother called groggily. I staggered half-awake into the living room and picked up the receiver.
"Hullo..."
"Hi--it's Jim!" He sounded like a bright child answering an impossible algebra problem. I actually didn't recognize his voice.
"Jim who?" I asked.
"Jim!" The persistent, plaintive cry came through. "Don't you even remember me?"
"Oh yeah, I remember you," I answered. I'd hardly forgotten; it had been about a month since I saw him at the office in L.A. My heart beat wildly; I felt faint.
"You don't sound very glad to hear from me."
"I am. It's just that I was asleep."
"You gave me the wrong phone number! All I got was a gas station in Culver City. What did you do that for? Then I had to go ask Ronnie for it, and he didn't even know what it was! So I called information. There was only one Huddleston in Corona del Mar, so I figured it had to be you." Jim sounded proud of suffering through such an ordeal. "Why did you give me the wrong number?" he asked.
"I didn't do it on purpose," I said. "You must've forgotten to use the area code. There's a different one down here." It seemed like he should be able to figure this stuff out.
"Why didn't you tell me then? Will you come up and see me?" he asked in a woebegone voice.
"When?" I asked.
"Now."
"Now? Well, um, where are you?"
"Hollywood," he said, like where the hell else would he be?
"Yeah, well, where in Hollywood?" I asked.
He named the Beverly Terrace Hotel, corner of Doheny and Melrose, suite number, and floor.
"Are you going to come?"
"Yes. But I'm an hour away, you know." I felt sure he hadn't the faintest idea where Corona del Mar was. My mom came into the room, shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"But will you leave right now?"
"Well, I have to put on some clothes first," I stalled.
"How long will that take?" he asked sarcastically.
"About ten minutes, I guess."
"And then you'll leave? Are you really coming? Promise me you're coming."
"I promise. I'm coming," I repeated to my mother's smothered laughter.
"Please hurry!" he pled as if he was dying. Then he hung up.
"Hullo..."
"Hi--it's Jim!" He sounded like a bright child answering an impossible algebra problem. I actually didn't recognize his voice.
"Jim who?" I asked.
"Jim!" The persistent, plaintive cry came through. "Don't you even remember me?"
"Oh yeah, I remember you," I answered. I'd hardly forgotten; it had been about a month since I saw him at the office in L.A. My heart beat wildly; I felt faint.
"You don't sound very glad to hear from me."
"I am. It's just that I was asleep."
"You gave me the wrong phone number! All I got was a gas station in Culver City. What did you do that for? Then I had to go ask Ronnie for it, and he didn't even know what it was! So I called information. There was only one Huddleston in Corona del Mar, so I figured it had to be you." Jim sounded proud of suffering through such an ordeal. "Why did you give me the wrong number?" he asked.
"I didn't do it on purpose," I said. "You must've forgotten to use the area code. There's a different one down here." It seemed like he should be able to figure this stuff out.
"Why didn't you tell me then? Will you come up and see me?" he asked in a woebegone voice.
"When?" I asked.
"Now."
"Now? Well, um, where are you?"
"Hollywood," he said, like where the hell else would he be?
"Yeah, well, where in Hollywood?" I asked.
He named the Beverly Terrace Hotel, corner of Doheny and Melrose, suite number, and floor.
"Are you going to come?"
"Yes. But I'm an hour away, you know." I felt sure he hadn't the faintest idea where Corona del Mar was. My mom came into the room, shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"But will you leave right now?"
"Well, I have to put on some clothes first," I stalled.
"How long will that take?" he asked sarcastically.
"About ten minutes, I guess."
"And then you'll leave? Are you really coming? Promise me you're coming."
"I promise. I'm coming," I repeated to my mother's smothered laughter.
"Please hurry!" he pled as if he was dying. Then he hung up.
July 21, 2013
Having already read Judy's 'This Is The End My Only Friend', I wasn't sure how different this would be. A couple of pages in and all that is forgotten. I found 'Love Him Madly' to flow much better. The re-written sections are improved and the new text adds so much more to Judy's story. It feels richer and lends much more depth and emotion to the journey.
The book is beautifully written - poetic, even - and it picks you up and drops you slap bang into the late 60's. The language doesn't merely provide you with factual information, it carries you away and takes you to a new plane of thinking - rather like a Doors song.
On a personal level I can relate to Judy's situation with Jim so painfully well. Years ago, when I was 18, I fell in love with a drummer in a band. I know all too well that desire to have that person fall in love with you but in reality only ever experiencing a small part of their existence. I experienced those late phone calls after weeks or months of silence to say he was back from touring and would I come over and see him. I too would drop everything (including my determination NOT to see him) and fall into his arms.
Everything about the relationship seems so familiar to me. Being with someone physically and trying to find that spiritual, psychological connection. Feeling so close one minute and then have them be so disconnected with you the next. Moments of tenderness giving you false hope for the future - believing that there's something truly special between you and then moments later the two of you are lying next to each other and yet infinitely miles apart. Going from being lovers to complete strangers. The shift between tender highs and painful lows was fast and cut like a knife.
I've never known how to articulate some of the feelings I had about being in that situation, but Judy has done that in this book so accurately, it's like reading about myself sometimes.
Anyone who has experienced this, who is curious or obsessed with Jim Morrison, who was or wishes they had been around in the 60's or, indeed, anyone who just wants to read a damn fine book - this is for you. I loved it.
The book is beautifully written - poetic, even - and it picks you up and drops you slap bang into the late 60's. The language doesn't merely provide you with factual information, it carries you away and takes you to a new plane of thinking - rather like a Doors song.
On a personal level I can relate to Judy's situation with Jim so painfully well. Years ago, when I was 18, I fell in love with a drummer in a band. I know all too well that desire to have that person fall in love with you but in reality only ever experiencing a small part of their existence. I experienced those late phone calls after weeks or months of silence to say he was back from touring and would I come over and see him. I too would drop everything (including my determination NOT to see him) and fall into his arms.
Everything about the relationship seems so familiar to me. Being with someone physically and trying to find that spiritual, psychological connection. Feeling so close one minute and then have them be so disconnected with you the next. Moments of tenderness giving you false hope for the future - believing that there's something truly special between you and then moments later the two of you are lying next to each other and yet infinitely miles apart. Going from being lovers to complete strangers. The shift between tender highs and painful lows was fast and cut like a knife.
I've never known how to articulate some of the feelings I had about being in that situation, but Judy has done that in this book so accurately, it's like reading about myself sometimes.
Anyone who has experienced this, who is curious or obsessed with Jim Morrison, who was or wishes they had been around in the 60's or, indeed, anyone who just wants to read a damn fine book - this is for you. I loved it.
May 25, 2013
For the love of Jim
When the singer of a rock band steps into the spotlight, our imaginations are lit, men idolize and see the singer as a reflection of themselves and woman see themselves falling in love with him. So what happens when you cross the line from fantasy to reality? Judy Huddleston’s new book Love Him Madly answers that question and it doesn’t live up to the fantasy we all want it to be.
Love Him Madly counterpoints Huddlston’s relationship with Jim Morrison and time she spent in 1974 in a mental health facility. Huddleston met Morrison early in The Doors career and soon became infatuated with him. She saw herself and Morrison getting married while Morrison seemed intent on using her and calling her at his convenience, at first. Love Him Madly shows an evolution, although it may not have been a healthy one, and their relationship did go beyond just Morrison’s needs because Morrison wasn’t above playing whatever card he thought would get her to let him in the door or get her into bed. Love Him Madly also shows the array of emotions, insecurities and fears that drove Morrison to call her.
It’s obvious the two were looking for two different things from the relationship. Morrison more of the Rock ‘n’ Roll love ‘em and leave ‘em, or a girl in every port mentality, while Huddleston was seeking true love on a romantic, idealistic model that would end in marriage and living happily ever after with Morrison, although every indicator pointed to that not happening.
Huddleston’s prose has the stark beauty of Baudelaire’s poetry, as she unravels some ugly truths. Or, it could be a chapter out of a John Rechy novel (who provided a blurb for the book), or ironically enough, from a Doors song.
Love Him Madly does show Huddleston’s growth and coming to terms with her relationship with Morrison and what it meant. There are still plenty of women out there that imagine themselves as having a relationship with Jim Morrison. Love Him Madly sheds some light into what a relationship with a rock icon such as Jim Morrison was actually like.
When the singer of a rock band steps into the spotlight, our imaginations are lit, men idolize and see the singer as a reflection of themselves and woman see themselves falling in love with him. So what happens when you cross the line from fantasy to reality? Judy Huddleston’s new book Love Him Madly answers that question and it doesn’t live up to the fantasy we all want it to be.
Love Him Madly counterpoints Huddlston’s relationship with Jim Morrison and time she spent in 1974 in a mental health facility. Huddleston met Morrison early in The Doors career and soon became infatuated with him. She saw herself and Morrison getting married while Morrison seemed intent on using her and calling her at his convenience, at first. Love Him Madly shows an evolution, although it may not have been a healthy one, and their relationship did go beyond just Morrison’s needs because Morrison wasn’t above playing whatever card he thought would get her to let him in the door or get her into bed. Love Him Madly also shows the array of emotions, insecurities and fears that drove Morrison to call her.
It’s obvious the two were looking for two different things from the relationship. Morrison more of the Rock ‘n’ Roll love ‘em and leave ‘em, or a girl in every port mentality, while Huddleston was seeking true love on a romantic, idealistic model that would end in marriage and living happily ever after with Morrison, although every indicator pointed to that not happening.
Huddleston’s prose has the stark beauty of Baudelaire’s poetry, as she unravels some ugly truths. Or, it could be a chapter out of a John Rechy novel (who provided a blurb for the book), or ironically enough, from a Doors song.
Love Him Madly does show Huddleston’s growth and coming to terms with her relationship with Morrison and what it meant. There are still plenty of women out there that imagine themselves as having a relationship with Jim Morrison. Love Him Madly sheds some light into what a relationship with a rock icon such as Jim Morrison was actually like.
July 23, 2013
Not very much here.
February 28, 2018
It's amazing what Huddleston let Morrison do to her. This is a story about whose self-esteem is lower. Morrison's status as a 'Rock God' allowed him to do whatever he pleased. Meanwhile, Huddleston did not have enough in her to recognize the misery she was being put through. In the end I salute Judy Heddleston for publishing her memories. Morrison's brilliance and mad man tactics are highlighed in the book!
August 27, 2014
Trivial , manifest of a rockers exploits
Trivial , manifest of a rockers exploits
A whiniing tail spun through poetically charged writing. only to end abruptly. Enjoyable summer reading not to intense. Read it...
Trivial , manifest of a rockers exploits
A whiniing tail spun through poetically charged writing. only to end abruptly. Enjoyable summer reading not to intense. Read it...
October 23, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by the writing of, what I thought would be a torrid lustful account of the author's affair with Jim Morrison. Instead, I found her style eloquent and self-effacing. She hit the nail on the head in describing the obsessive wanting and inevitable torment of a young woman desiring a man she never could have. I've been there myself which might be why this was such a pleasure, and heartache to read.
Read
December 1, 2019Upon reaching the end of this book, I felt as if I had missed something important. I don't think I missed anything overt, but I wondered if maybe I had more life experience or...something, maybe it all would have clicked. Still an interesting read.
I did have to skip several parts involving explicit sex, and just as a warning I'll mention that the topic of r*pe comes up and the issue is not well resolved.
Jim Morrison was a talented musician, but he was not a very nice man.
I did have to skip several parts involving explicit sex, and just as a warning I'll mention that the topic of r*pe comes up and the issue is not well resolved.
Jim Morrison was a talented musician, but he was not a very nice man.
Read
March 25, 2020I enjoyed this book for several reasons. I learned some things that I was curious about. I just wish on some things she would of went into more detail about. But other than that it was interesting to learn yet another side of Jim
April 14, 2019
Not sure why I read this book but I stuck with it to "the end." I had mistaken the title that it was a book about the loves of Jim Morrison. In actuality it turned out to be of one woman's take on that, Judy Huddleston.
Maybe not the worst book I have ever read but pretty close. It pretty much boiled down to her hook ups with Jim when he chose and her fascinating that he actually was in love with her.
The only redeeming thing I got from it was a profile on how messed up young people were from this time, drugs and otherwise. Not much to see here folks, let's move along.
Maybe not the worst book I have ever read but pretty close. It pretty much boiled down to her hook ups with Jim when he chose and her fascinating that he actually was in love with her.
The only redeeming thing I got from it was a profile on how messed up young people were from this time, drugs and otherwise. Not much to see here folks, let's move along.
June 11, 2015
Snapshots of the author's encounters with Morrison between 1967-1970, detailed in the emotional language of a teen obsessed with an unobtainable relationship with the rock star. All the excesses of Morrison are included, including behavior fitting a borderline personality. A shorter version might have been more readable.
August 4, 2018
She's not a bad writer. I just don't know if it's believable or not. Is it a work of total fiction? How would I know , how would anyone know?
Because anyone could write a total scenario of the past that is just fiction. Perhaps this book is just pure crap. Is there some truth to it?
Who the fook knows?
Because anyone could write a total scenario of the past that is just fiction. Perhaps this book is just pure crap. Is there some truth to it?
Who the fook knows?
February 24, 2022
The story begins just like many young girls’ rock star fantasies do. Judy, a high-school senior, and soon-to-be art student, develops a fascination on a charismatic rock star. One night after a show they wind up talking, and she accepts an invitation back to his motel room. Thus begins a long, off-and-on relationship with Jim Morrison.
But this is no fairy tale: though Judy and Jim had a mutual fascination with each other, their intermittent attempts at being together often hit a little off target for one or the other. Judy’s obsession with Jim is shown in her actions: staking out his place from the parking lot, driving up and down city streets in search of him, and her continued acceptance of his often shabby treatment of her. Over the years, he gives just enough hope to fuel her continued obsession.
Love Him Madly offers plenty of insight into Jim Morrison. Here are the intimate details that only one who was close to him, who was there, can share. What was it like to be Jim’s lover? Judy knows.
Aside from the relationship drama, we get an insider’s look into the L.A. music scene and countercultures from 1967-1971: rock shows, backstage meetings, mind-altering substances, fashions, and beaches, streets and bars.
At its heart, though, Love Him Madly isn’t really about Morrison, or the L.A. scene, but rather about Judy at a critical time in her life. It’s about her growth as a young woman: her desire to love and be loved, youthful idealism and dreams, struggles with mental health, and drug use (sometimes with serious consequences). It’s about her near-deification of a man, and how she hung all her romantic hopes on him and got something baser.
Anyone who has been young and deeply infatuated with another should be able to empathize with her struggles: we’ve all been young, with dreams and lovers and hopes for the future.
I certainly remember what it was like to be a newly-independent at this age, trying to figure out the intricacies of love and relationships, and sometimes giving too much in relationships. Love Him Madly felt very relatable, as I imagine it will be on one level or another for many readers. Those wishing to read a moving coming-of-age tale and fans of Jim Morrison alike will find Love Him Madly a very engaging, moving and thought-provoking read.
But this is no fairy tale: though Judy and Jim had a mutual fascination with each other, their intermittent attempts at being together often hit a little off target for one or the other. Judy’s obsession with Jim is shown in her actions: staking out his place from the parking lot, driving up and down city streets in search of him, and her continued acceptance of his often shabby treatment of her. Over the years, he gives just enough hope to fuel her continued obsession.
Love Him Madly offers plenty of insight into Jim Morrison. Here are the intimate details that only one who was close to him, who was there, can share. What was it like to be Jim’s lover? Judy knows.
Aside from the relationship drama, we get an insider’s look into the L.A. music scene and countercultures from 1967-1971: rock shows, backstage meetings, mind-altering substances, fashions, and beaches, streets and bars.
At its heart, though, Love Him Madly isn’t really about Morrison, or the L.A. scene, but rather about Judy at a critical time in her life. It’s about her growth as a young woman: her desire to love and be loved, youthful idealism and dreams, struggles with mental health, and drug use (sometimes with serious consequences). It’s about her near-deification of a man, and how she hung all her romantic hopes on him and got something baser.
Anyone who has been young and deeply infatuated with another should be able to empathize with her struggles: we’ve all been young, with dreams and lovers and hopes for the future.
I certainly remember what it was like to be a newly-independent at this age, trying to figure out the intricacies of love and relationships, and sometimes giving too much in relationships. Love Him Madly felt very relatable, as I imagine it will be on one level or another for many readers. Those wishing to read a moving coming-of-age tale and fans of Jim Morrison alike will find Love Him Madly a very engaging, moving and thought-provoking read.
June 13, 2021
Jim Morrison continues to collect groupies, even after death. Some of them have put up spiteful reviews of this book questioning Judy Huddleston's sanity and veracity.
It's true that in the case of someone as famous and infamous as Jim Morrison, many distortions and outright fabrications have been written about him. Morrison himself may be the source of most of them.
But fabricated books don't usually quote third parties by name, thus inviting lawsuits and demands for retraction. This book does. In the middle of the book (I read it on Kindle and can't supply a page number) Judy recounts a conversation she had with Bill Siddons, former manager of the Doors. Siddons, a kind, caring man, warned Judy that there was no future to their relationship, in fact, not even a present. He was brutally clear about how Jim habitually treated women. If Siddons has had a problem with the words he is quoted as saying in this book, I haven't heard about it.
Judy owns up to her part of the relationship. It wasn't all "take take take" on Jim's part. She wanted things from him. She was as much a user as he was. The problem was that Jim couldn't give what she wanted.
Unlike the venomous Patricia Keneally, Judy makes no nasty cracks about the luckless Pam Courson. In the few interactions they had, Pam is described as sweet and somewhat addled. Nor does Judy assume to understand what kept Jim and Pam together, although I will take a crack at it: it was the mutually assured destruction of two reciprocally damaged people.
Judy's characterization of Morrison is devastating: an empty shell of a man, selfish, occasionally brutal, incapable of love, and in the final analysis, pathetic and pitiable. I suspect that what disturbs the latter-day Jim groupies is not that the book misrepresents, but that it has the unmistakable ring of truth.
If I have one slight criticism, it is that Judy doesn't describe Jim's physical decline very well. But maybe she was so blinded by infatuation she couldn't see it. Which tells us something. As long as he was other people's cash machine, no one would stand up to Jim Morrison.
We all know how that ended.
It's true that in the case of someone as famous and infamous as Jim Morrison, many distortions and outright fabrications have been written about him. Morrison himself may be the source of most of them.
But fabricated books don't usually quote third parties by name, thus inviting lawsuits and demands for retraction. This book does. In the middle of the book (I read it on Kindle and can't supply a page number) Judy recounts a conversation she had with Bill Siddons, former manager of the Doors. Siddons, a kind, caring man, warned Judy that there was no future to their relationship, in fact, not even a present. He was brutally clear about how Jim habitually treated women. If Siddons has had a problem with the words he is quoted as saying in this book, I haven't heard about it.
Judy owns up to her part of the relationship. It wasn't all "take take take" on Jim's part. She wanted things from him. She was as much a user as he was. The problem was that Jim couldn't give what she wanted.
Unlike the venomous Patricia Keneally, Judy makes no nasty cracks about the luckless Pam Courson. In the few interactions they had, Pam is described as sweet and somewhat addled. Nor does Judy assume to understand what kept Jim and Pam together, although I will take a crack at it: it was the mutually assured destruction of two reciprocally damaged people.
Judy's characterization of Morrison is devastating: an empty shell of a man, selfish, occasionally brutal, incapable of love, and in the final analysis, pathetic and pitiable. I suspect that what disturbs the latter-day Jim groupies is not that the book misrepresents, but that it has the unmistakable ring of truth.
If I have one slight criticism, it is that Judy doesn't describe Jim's physical decline very well. But maybe she was so blinded by infatuation she couldn't see it. Which tells us something. As long as he was other people's cash machine, no one would stand up to Jim Morrison.
We all know how that ended.
October 7, 2019
I read a while ago and again a few weeks ago.
This is really more about Judy then Jim, her codependency and fragile teeen age psyche. But we wouldn’t be reading about her if she had not been sleeping with a famous rock star. Would we?
That said, she has her moments of good prose and creates a consistent mood throughout the book of dread, pain, and anxiety about him, and being with Jim. Those are the feelings she conveyed of being with Jim. I never once thought they had fun together. He was seemingly only interested in her body. Their conversations seemed strained and she often came across very snotty and cross with him. I don’t think she enjoyed being together except maybe it brought her status. He rarely took her out. It’s hard to know where her diary left off and where her older self began. I don’t think their relationship was healthy for her, it was sad all the way through. They were not authentic with each other, and both were so guarded with each other. I wish there was a more developed post reflection on the experience and how it impacted her, and how she grew from it.
This is really more about Judy then Jim, her codependency and fragile teeen age psyche. But we wouldn’t be reading about her if she had not been sleeping with a famous rock star. Would we?
That said, she has her moments of good prose and creates a consistent mood throughout the book of dread, pain, and anxiety about him, and being with Jim. Those are the feelings she conveyed of being with Jim. I never once thought they had fun together. He was seemingly only interested in her body. Their conversations seemed strained and she often came across very snotty and cross with him. I don’t think she enjoyed being together except maybe it brought her status. He rarely took her out. It’s hard to know where her diary left off and where her older self began. I don’t think their relationship was healthy for her, it was sad all the way through. They were not authentic with each other, and both were so guarded with each other. I wish there was a more developed post reflection on the experience and how it impacted her, and how she grew from it.
January 15, 2021
Dreamy Memoir of a Jekyll and Hyde
The writing style is very dreamy and disjointed so quite difficult to follow at times. However this is an intriguing portrait of a very complex Jekyll and Hyde personality. Jim Morrison was highly intelligent and philosophical and a talented poet. He was extremely charismatic and wanted to be taken seriously as an intellectual and an artist. However he had deep psychological problems and when drunk or on drugs turned into a lunatic capable of cruelty towards women. Both sides of the man come across in this fascinating memoir.
The writing style is very dreamy and disjointed so quite difficult to follow at times. However this is an intriguing portrait of a very complex Jekyll and Hyde personality. Jim Morrison was highly intelligent and philosophical and a talented poet. He was extremely charismatic and wanted to be taken seriously as an intellectual and an artist. However he had deep psychological problems and when drunk or on drugs turned into a lunatic capable of cruelty towards women. Both sides of the man come across in this fascinating memoir.
May 5, 2020
Judy and jim
This is a book about the author, Judy. She had a lover affair with Jim Morrrison, singer of the doors. They had this on again, off again affair for about 4 years. She tells you all about her life through this time. I liked the book because it showed a different side of Jim. Not always so high and drunk. It is sad of course because we all know the end.
This is a book about the author, Judy. She had a lover affair with Jim Morrrison, singer of the doors. They had this on again, off again affair for about 4 years. She tells you all about her life through this time. I liked the book because it showed a different side of Jim. Not always so high and drunk. It is sad of course because we all know the end.
January 2, 2021
Interesting memoir of Jim Morrison
I do like this book . I read it & I think the Author who wrote this book did a great job giving her details about those experiences with her rockstar Jim Morrison . I actually read the whole book in one shot which i do enjoy! A fan encounters a rockstar that their relationship lasted four years until he died . Amazing!
I do like this book . I read it & I think the Author who wrote this book did a great job giving her details about those experiences with her rockstar Jim Morrison . I actually read the whole book in one shot which i do enjoy! A fan encounters a rockstar that their relationship lasted four years until he died . Amazing!
July 12, 2021
Well, I checked back into Morrison Hotel. Met someone else who was staying there. Huddleston certainly offers a different, entertaining perspective on Morrison - at least from where I'm sitting. I've never read a memoir, or any book for that matter, about a woman's obsession with a man. Just uh, not under my purview. So this was quite the ride.
April 28, 2023
this book might have read like a fanfiction but it also is so relatable in terms of how judy felt while being while jim!! regardless of if anything in this book was true or not it was still a fun read and i enjoyed inserting myself into this book and pretending i was judy in a dramatic and turbulent love affair with jim morrison
April 6, 2021
Ha ha! Someone “donated” this to the library and after having loved The Doors as a silly teen I couldn’t resist. Her prose was pretty captivating, actually, but seems more a product of imagination than memory.
February 4, 2022
After reading this it's easy to see how the author ended up in an institution, albeit temporarily.
What a complete mind f*ck.
Lots of ick factor in this book.
As a lifelong fan of the Lizard King, even I found him 100 percent reprehensible in this memoir.
What a complete mind f*ck.
Lots of ick factor in this book.
As a lifelong fan of the Lizard King, even I found him 100 percent reprehensible in this memoir.
January 31, 2020
Shows you a different light of Jim that you may not want to acknowledge. Great read.
March 24, 2021
it's great writing, but — i don't know how much of this actually happened and how much of jim's character is the truth. so i don't know what to say on it.
January 16, 2016
“Do you remember the rock star that lit your imagination with an endless stream of what ifs and I wonder......
That cloud of infatuation could fill all life's vacuums and bridge any chasm in your young life.
But the lights did come up and fantasy dissolved into the reality of the moment.
So what happens if you cross the line from fantasy to reality?
Judy Huddleston did, with the mercurial Jim Morrison.
Love Him Madly sheds light into what a relationship with icon Jim Morrison was actually like.
Her story is told with no frills honesty.
Thank you!
It's poignant, provocative, intimate, fragile....
The writing is vivid and often explicit.
Based on Judy Huddleston's journals we've a sketch that will elicit every emotion from the reader.
I guarantee that.....
As another reviewer noted: with the voice of a rebellious teenager with tortured devotion,
"It's a tale of sex, obsession, misplaced spirituality, and an unforgettable fall from innocence."
Sue William Silverman says:
"Jim Morrison's life is well documented but Love Him Madly delves into the profound personal cost
of standing too close to such an incandescent and unpredictable flame."
-----------
I can't begin to portray the intensity of Judy's story.
I just don't have the words.
You'll experience that intensity in your reading.
That cloud of infatuation could fill all life's vacuums and bridge any chasm in your young life.
But the lights did come up and fantasy dissolved into the reality of the moment.
So what happens if you cross the line from fantasy to reality?
Judy Huddleston did, with the mercurial Jim Morrison.
Love Him Madly sheds light into what a relationship with icon Jim Morrison was actually like.
Her story is told with no frills honesty.
Thank you!
It's poignant, provocative, intimate, fragile....
The writing is vivid and often explicit.
Based on Judy Huddleston's journals we've a sketch that will elicit every emotion from the reader.
I guarantee that.....
As another reviewer noted: with the voice of a rebellious teenager with tortured devotion,
"It's a tale of sex, obsession, misplaced spirituality, and an unforgettable fall from innocence."
Sue William Silverman says:
"Jim Morrison's life is well documented but Love Him Madly delves into the profound personal cost
of standing too close to such an incandescent and unpredictable flame."
-----------
I can't begin to portray the intensity of Judy's story.
I just don't have the words.
You'll experience that intensity in your reading.
July 12, 2013
I'll start by saying WOW! From the very first sentence Judy Huddleston engages her reader in a poignant story line. I found myself right there beside Judy as she tried to get Jim to notice her. Although Judy happens to be infatuated with Jim Morrison, and I'll admit I was curious too, I don't believe this story really was about Jim. It was about Judy. On a larger scale, perhaps it's about all of us and our ever-ending quest to know, do you see me? Do I matter?
Love Him Madly is an intense roller-coaster ride, chalked full of emotional twists and turns.
And even though I knew Jim's ending, I wanted so badly to be able to go back and re-write the script. If you've ever wanted something so desperately you couldn't think of anything else, if you've ever loved so obsessively it made you sick, if you've ever ached so deeply the only cure is the poison which made you sick in the first place, you are going to love this book.
I know I did!
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