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Mr Mojo: A Biography of Jim Morrison
______________'A perceptive and thorough examination of both the man and the music' ? NME'A highly engaging and refreshingly irreverent portrait of the Doors' frontman'? i-D______________A revealing biography of Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors and a musical iconIn Paris's Père-Lachaise cemetery, Jim Morrison's graffiti-scrawled tombstone is a place of pilgrimage for local devotees, adolescent hedonists and wayward backpackers alike. Found dead in his bathtub aged only 27 having achieved worldwide stardom as lead singer of The Doors, Morrison was quickly immortalised amongst the rock and roll deity such as Hendrix and Joplin. In death, however, this debauched 'rock poet' remained more stubbornly enigmatic than ever.Who was the real Jim Morrison? Nihilist, egoist, he was a master of self-creation. A mosaic mythology of new-age hippy rhetoric, French poetry and Nietszchean symbolism obscured a man trapped by the mythology that he had so carefully constructed around himself.In this colourful and intimate biography, Dylan Jones strips bare the skin-tight leather suit of Jim Morrison's Lizard King persona, and offers a frank and honest appraisal of a much beloved and often-romanticised counter-cultural icon. Mr Mojo is littered with little-known anecdotes from fellow stars, spurned lovers and industry moguls. It is a refreshingly honest portrait of a self-indulgent artist with a penchant for pageantry and public self-destruction.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2015
15 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Dylan Jones
23 books59 followersDylan Jones studied at Chelsea School Of Art and then St. Martin’s School of Art. He is the award-winning editor of GQ magazine, a position he has held since 1999, and has won the British Society of Magazine Editors “Editor of the Year” award a record ten times. In 2013 he was also the recipient of the prestigious Mark Boxer Award.
Under his editorship the magazine has won over 50 awards.
A former editor at i-D, The Face, Arena, the Observer and the Sunday Times, he is the author of the New York Times best seller Jim Morrison: Dark Star, the much-translated iPod, Therefore I Am and Mr. Jones’ Rules, as well as the editor of the classic collection of music writing, Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy. He edited a collection of journalism from Arena - Sex, Power & Travel - and collaborated with David Cameron on Cameron on Cameron: Conversations with Dylan Jones (shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year).
He was the Chairman of the Prince’s Trust’s Fashion Rocks Monaco, is a board member of the Norman Mailer Writers Colony and a Trustee of the Hay Festival. He is also the chairman of London Fashion Week: Men’s, London’s first men’s fashion week, launched in 2012 at the behest of the British Fashion Council.
In 2010 he spent a week in Afghanistan with the Armed Forces, collaborating on a book with the photographer David Bailey: British Heroes in Afghanistan.
In 2012 he had three books published: The Biographical Dictionary of Music; When Ziggy Played Guitar: David Bowie and Four Minutes that Shook the World, and the official book of U2’s 360 Tour, published in October. Since then he has published
The Eighties: One Day One Decade, a book about the 1980s told through the prism of Live Aid, Elvis Has Left The Building: The Day The King Died, Mr. Mojo, London Rules, a polemic about the greatest city in the world, Manxiety and London Sartorial.
In June 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to publishing and the fashion industry. In 2014 he was made an Honorary Professor of Glasgow Caledonian University.
Under his editorship the magazine has won over 50 awards.
A former editor at i-D, The Face, Arena, the Observer and the Sunday Times, he is the author of the New York Times best seller Jim Morrison: Dark Star, the much-translated iPod, Therefore I Am and Mr. Jones’ Rules, as well as the editor of the classic collection of music writing, Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy. He edited a collection of journalism from Arena - Sex, Power & Travel - and collaborated with David Cameron on Cameron on Cameron: Conversations with Dylan Jones (shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year).
He was the Chairman of the Prince’s Trust’s Fashion Rocks Monaco, is a board member of the Norman Mailer Writers Colony and a Trustee of the Hay Festival. He is also the chairman of London Fashion Week: Men’s, London’s first men’s fashion week, launched in 2012 at the behest of the British Fashion Council.
In 2010 he spent a week in Afghanistan with the Armed Forces, collaborating on a book with the photographer David Bailey: British Heroes in Afghanistan.
In 2012 he had three books published: The Biographical Dictionary of Music; When Ziggy Played Guitar: David Bowie and Four Minutes that Shook the World, and the official book of U2’s 360 Tour, published in October. Since then he has published
The Eighties: One Day One Decade, a book about the 1980s told through the prism of Live Aid, Elvis Has Left The Building: The Day The King Died, Mr. Mojo, London Rules, a polemic about the greatest city in the world, Manxiety and London Sartorial.
In June 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to publishing and the fashion industry. In 2014 he was made an Honorary Professor of Glasgow Caledonian University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 11, 2015
Dylan Jones’ new biography of Jim Morrison isn’t as sensational as his first attempt at a Morrison biography, 1990‘s “Jim Morrison: Dark Star”, but that isn’t necessarily an improvement. It seems Jones ditched the sensational for just recounting the highlights of a life.
“Jim Morrison: Mr. Mojo” which promises it “strips bare the skin-tight leather suit of Jim Morrison's Lizard King persona, and offers a frank and honest appraisal of a much beloved and often-romanticised counter-cultural icon.” reads more like a synopsis of a biography. A lot is glossed over in the name of brevity in order to fit the whole of Morrison’s biography into this short volume. If you’re looking for a new perspective or insight into Jim Morrison, you won’t find it, there’s just not enough room.
“Mr. Mojo” also suffers from the dual problems of bad information and poor interpretation. In the realm of bad information in relating where Jim Morrison came up with the idea of wearing full leathers, Jones has him coping the look from Gerard Malanga at Andy Warhol’s show The Exploding Plastic Inevitable played in L.A. Jones has Malanga in the audience and not onstage. Jones also seems to vacillate on whether Morrison exposed himself in Miami, and leaves information out to meet his ideas of Morrison’s life. In the area of poor interpretation, Jones asserts Morrison’s film “HWY” is “almost a sequel to his college film”, or that during the Oedipal section of “The End“ at the Hollywood Bowl Morrison covered his face and laughed “not wanting the crowd to see how silly he thinks it all is.” “Celebration of the Lizard” that appeared on “Absolutely Live” was “mostly unmistakable” and it justified the decision to not include it on The Doors’ third album.
It seems Morrison’s British biographers (Jones, Mick Wall) are putting very little effort into fact checking or doing original research (count Stephen Davis in this too) and rely on other books as sources. Although Jones, in his text, does say he interviewed thirty people for this book, his two main sources seem to be Elektra publicist Danny Fields (who has been getting a lot of exposure as a mentor to The Ramones) who seems to put forth an even handed picture of Morrison based on his recollections. The other main source is Patricia Kennealy. Jones is very friendly to her point of view while she espouses some incredibly self-serving ideas about Jim Morrison, their relationship and his relationship with Pam Courson.
The final example of Jones’ lackadaisical attitude toward this biography is the final chapter “Pere-Lachaise Redux” is cut and pasted from “Darkstar.” In it he mentions photographer Michelle Campbell as being in her mid-30’s and without blowing her cover she would have been in her mid-30’s in the late 80’s or early 1990 when Jones was writing “Jim Morrison: Darkstar”. Unless of course there is another Michelle Campbell living in Paris and photographing Morrison’s grave and the people who visit it.
“Jim Morrison: Mr. Mojo” which promises it “strips bare the skin-tight leather suit of Jim Morrison's Lizard King persona, and offers a frank and honest appraisal of a much beloved and often-romanticised counter-cultural icon.” reads more like a synopsis of a biography. A lot is glossed over in the name of brevity in order to fit the whole of Morrison’s biography into this short volume. If you’re looking for a new perspective or insight into Jim Morrison, you won’t find it, there’s just not enough room.
“Mr. Mojo” also suffers from the dual problems of bad information and poor interpretation. In the realm of bad information in relating where Jim Morrison came up with the idea of wearing full leathers, Jones has him coping the look from Gerard Malanga at Andy Warhol’s show The Exploding Plastic Inevitable played in L.A. Jones has Malanga in the audience and not onstage. Jones also seems to vacillate on whether Morrison exposed himself in Miami, and leaves information out to meet his ideas of Morrison’s life. In the area of poor interpretation, Jones asserts Morrison’s film “HWY” is “almost a sequel to his college film”, or that during the Oedipal section of “The End“ at the Hollywood Bowl Morrison covered his face and laughed “not wanting the crowd to see how silly he thinks it all is.” “Celebration of the Lizard” that appeared on “Absolutely Live” was “mostly unmistakable” and it justified the decision to not include it on The Doors’ third album.
It seems Morrison’s British biographers (Jones, Mick Wall) are putting very little effort into fact checking or doing original research (count Stephen Davis in this too) and rely on other books as sources. Although Jones, in his text, does say he interviewed thirty people for this book, his two main sources seem to be Elektra publicist Danny Fields (who has been getting a lot of exposure as a mentor to The Ramones) who seems to put forth an even handed picture of Morrison based on his recollections. The other main source is Patricia Kennealy. Jones is very friendly to her point of view while she espouses some incredibly self-serving ideas about Jim Morrison, their relationship and his relationship with Pam Courson.
The final example of Jones’ lackadaisical attitude toward this biography is the final chapter “Pere-Lachaise Redux” is cut and pasted from “Darkstar.” In it he mentions photographer Michelle Campbell as being in her mid-30’s and without blowing her cover she would have been in her mid-30’s in the late 80’s or early 1990 when Jones was writing “Jim Morrison: Darkstar”. Unless of course there is another Michelle Campbell living in Paris and photographing Morrison’s grave and the people who visit it.
November 3, 2018
This was a depressing, bitter work written by someone who comes across as not liking Morrison. Obviously the man was mentally ill, but the author waves that off with the alcoholic baton. Nor does the author explore Morrisons body of work. This is a slap dash effort. Sorry.
July 4, 2022
I am always interested in critical perspectives on cultural or religious figures who seem larger than life and who seem to get nothing but hagiography written about them: Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain ... John Wesley.
However, this biography goes beyond so-called criticism and straight into 'hit piece'. I am no fervent admirer of Jim Morrison, though I do appreciate his writing and music with the Doors. But I kept asking myself reading this book, 'Why is the author wasting his time and effort when he clearly despises his subject?' There seems to be something wrong with someone who clearly wishes others to share his loathing like this.
Over and over, it's clear what a pathological jerk Morrison could be, and I don't doubt that he was. Yet, there's no attempt to explore this in light of Morrison's quite self-revealing writing. Quotations are selected in order to show what a canned ham he was. It's easily one of the most one-sided, agenda-burdened books I've ever read.
For all that, it is well-written in terms of language and the fact that it is hard to put down. By the end, though, one realizes you've just read 'Jim Morrison was America's biggest a--hole of the late 60s and early 70s' over and over again, without sympathy, without attempt at analysis, and no pretense to objectivity. I think other biographers could do it better.
However, this biography goes beyond so-called criticism and straight into 'hit piece'. I am no fervent admirer of Jim Morrison, though I do appreciate his writing and music with the Doors. But I kept asking myself reading this book, 'Why is the author wasting his time and effort when he clearly despises his subject?' There seems to be something wrong with someone who clearly wishes others to share his loathing like this.
Over and over, it's clear what a pathological jerk Morrison could be, and I don't doubt that he was. Yet, there's no attempt to explore this in light of Morrison's quite self-revealing writing. Quotations are selected in order to show what a canned ham he was. It's easily one of the most one-sided, agenda-burdened books I've ever read.
For all that, it is well-written in terms of language and the fact that it is hard to put down. By the end, though, one realizes you've just read 'Jim Morrison was America's biggest a--hole of the late 60s and early 70s' over and over again, without sympathy, without attempt at analysis, and no pretense to objectivity. I think other biographers could do it better.
November 10, 2018
I’ll admit falling for the glorified versions of Morrison portrayed in the decades old (supposed) close friend narrative “No One Here Gets Out Alive” and the Oliver Stone flick “The Doors.” But I also felt they were too fictional and watered down for mass consumption (box office). This account isn’t. And if there’s one message that comes through to shut down his perceived rock god status it’s that Jim Morrison had a disease. He was an alcoholic and this book pulls no punches in making that clear.
*
The author tells it like it was. If more had been known about alcoholism, recreational drubs and rehab during the swinging ‘60s and if his band members and record company hadn’t viewed him as a money and fame machine, therefore not disrupting his “creative process” by helping him dry out, Morrison might be alive today. Then again, some people still think he is.
*
Since his life was so short and doesn’t allow for the deeper research longer living rock legends provide, a good portion of his story continues after Morrison’s demise. Though it doesn’t follow a trail of possibilities he’s making music in Africa with an also still alive Elvis, his most dedicated fans treat his Paris grave as a spiritual shrine.
*
If you prefer your JM legend to be a good looking Adonis staring down on you from half-century-old photos or plastered on t-shirts, you might not want to read this one. It’s a story of self-destruction, mental and physical illness run rampant and the ultimate “die young and…” well, he didn’t leave a good-looking corpse. Sorry. With the knowledge we have now about the disease and the perils of sudden fame, quite possibly this rock star and a few of the others wouldn’t be members of the famous “27 Club.”
*
The author tells it like it was. If more had been known about alcoholism, recreational drubs and rehab during the swinging ‘60s and if his band members and record company hadn’t viewed him as a money and fame machine, therefore not disrupting his “creative process” by helping him dry out, Morrison might be alive today. Then again, some people still think he is.
*
Since his life was so short and doesn’t allow for the deeper research longer living rock legends provide, a good portion of his story continues after Morrison’s demise. Though it doesn’t follow a trail of possibilities he’s making music in Africa with an also still alive Elvis, his most dedicated fans treat his Paris grave as a spiritual shrine.
*
If you prefer your JM legend to be a good looking Adonis staring down on you from half-century-old photos or plastered on t-shirts, you might not want to read this one. It’s a story of self-destruction, mental and physical illness run rampant and the ultimate “die young and…” well, he didn’t leave a good-looking corpse. Sorry. With the knowledge we have now about the disease and the perils of sudden fame, quite possibly this rock star and a few of the others wouldn’t be members of the famous “27 Club.”
October 3, 2024
When I was a teenager I was really into the Doors and their music. I thought Jim Morrison might have been the coolest guy who ever picked up a microphone. Then I started to find out a little bit about him and I thought that he personally might be a bit of an arsehole. Then I read “No one here gets out alive” and saw the Oliver Stone movie and thought, mmm he really does seem like an arsehole. Now more than 30 years after first getting into his music, I picked this book up on a whim (which is ok, the book I mean) to find out if he really was as bad as I thought he might be. Turns out I was completely right in my thinking. He really was just an arsehole.
June 19, 2020
Poorly written biography. The writing was lackluster. Overall it was not a very informative or enjoyable book.
September 16, 2018
I know it's taken me a while to read this book, but that's the trouble with biographies. Although I am fascinated by different people, I really have to be in the mood to read about them!
I have read a few biographies on Jim Morrision over the years, have seen the Oliver Stone film with Val Kilmer, have bought the music, and have even added Pere-Lachaise to my bucket list. After reading Dylan Jones' version, however, I am not so sure.
The Jim Morrison I was introduced to and fell in love with, my heart aching at the tragedy of his life, does not appear to be the "real" Jim Morrison.
Yes, Morrison was a genius, yes, he was beautiful, and yes, he could write lyrics that reached into your soul, but sexy?? From what I've just read, the answer would be no.
For me, there is nothing sexy about an unwashed, self indulgent alcoholic who slept with anyone and everyone, and verbally abused the fans who made him the star he was, and still is. Yes, the Jim Morrison money machine is still earning, probably more than it did whilst he was alive.
What is missing from this biography, if I am honest, is the "real" impact his abhorrent behaviour had on his band mates, his family, his girlfriend(s) and his friends (if he had any). Although it is touched upon, there is no real detail behind it. Why? Probably because all people are interested in is Morrison.
This biography has opened my eyes to the reality of Jim Morrison, against the fantasy the media (and others) would prefer him to be.
As to how true it is, well, it's as true as the biographer wants it to be...as with all his other biographies.
I have read a few biographies on Jim Morrision over the years, have seen the Oliver Stone film with Val Kilmer, have bought the music, and have even added Pere-Lachaise to my bucket list. After reading Dylan Jones' version, however, I am not so sure.
The Jim Morrison I was introduced to and fell in love with, my heart aching at the tragedy of his life, does not appear to be the "real" Jim Morrison.
Yes, Morrison was a genius, yes, he was beautiful, and yes, he could write lyrics that reached into your soul, but sexy?? From what I've just read, the answer would be no.
For me, there is nothing sexy about an unwashed, self indulgent alcoholic who slept with anyone and everyone, and verbally abused the fans who made him the star he was, and still is. Yes, the Jim Morrison money machine is still earning, probably more than it did whilst he was alive.
What is missing from this biography, if I am honest, is the "real" impact his abhorrent behaviour had on his band mates, his family, his girlfriend(s) and his friends (if he had any). Although it is touched upon, there is no real detail behind it. Why? Probably because all people are interested in is Morrison.
This biography has opened my eyes to the reality of Jim Morrison, against the fantasy the media (and others) would prefer him to be.
As to how true it is, well, it's as true as the biographer wants it to be...as with all his other biographies.
February 26, 2025
Dylan Jones (2024) MR. MOJO: A BIOGRAPHY OF JIM MORRISON (AUDIOBOOK)
BorrowBox - Audible Studios for Bloomsbury
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
BorrowBox writes, "In Paris' Pre-Lachaise cemetery, Jim Morrison's graffiti-scrawled tombstone is a place of pilgrimage for local devotees, adolescent hedonists, and wayward backpackers alike. Found dead in his bathtub aged only 27, having achieved worldwide stardom as lead singer of The Doors, Morrison was quickly immortalized among the rock and roll deities such as Hendrix and Joplin. In death, however, this debauched "rock poet" remained more stubbornly enigmatic than ever.
Who was the real Jim Morrison? Nihilist, egoist, shaman: He was a master of self-creation. A mosaic mythology of new-age hippy rhetoric, French poetry and Nietszchean symbolism obscured a man trapped by the mythology that he had so carefully constructed around himself.
In this colorful and intimate biography, Dylan Jones strips bare the skin-tight leather suit of Jim Morrison's Lizard King persona and offers a frank and honest appraisal of a much beloved and often-romanticized countercultural icon. Mr. Mojo is littered with little-known anecdotes from fellow stars, spurned lovers, and industry moguls. It is a refreshingly honest portrait of a self-indulgent artist with a penchant for pageantry and public self-destruction."
=====
A firm belief in leather pants - I'm listening!!!!
=====
#DylanJones #MrMojo #JimMorrison #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #BorrowBox
BorrowBox - Audible Studios for Bloomsbury
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
BorrowBox writes, "In Paris' Pre-Lachaise cemetery, Jim Morrison's graffiti-scrawled tombstone is a place of pilgrimage for local devotees, adolescent hedonists, and wayward backpackers alike. Found dead in his bathtub aged only 27, having achieved worldwide stardom as lead singer of The Doors, Morrison was quickly immortalized among the rock and roll deities such as Hendrix and Joplin. In death, however, this debauched "rock poet" remained more stubbornly enigmatic than ever.
Who was the real Jim Morrison? Nihilist, egoist, shaman: He was a master of self-creation. A mosaic mythology of new-age hippy rhetoric, French poetry and Nietszchean symbolism obscured a man trapped by the mythology that he had so carefully constructed around himself.
In this colorful and intimate biography, Dylan Jones strips bare the skin-tight leather suit of Jim Morrison's Lizard King persona and offers a frank and honest appraisal of a much beloved and often-romanticized countercultural icon. Mr. Mojo is littered with little-known anecdotes from fellow stars, spurned lovers, and industry moguls. It is a refreshingly honest portrait of a self-indulgent artist with a penchant for pageantry and public self-destruction."
=====
A firm belief in leather pants - I'm listening!!!!
=====
#DylanJones #MrMojo #JimMorrison #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #BorrowBox
December 24, 2020
The critical mirror to the hagiographical "No One Here Gets Out Alive" by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman (which I devoured in college as a then-infatuated Doors fan, raised on The Doors by my father in the 80's and later as a teenager enraptured by Oliver Stone's 90's cinematic tribute).
Dylan focuses less on the music (of which he seems appreciative, to some extent) and more on Morrison "the first rock and roll method actor", the petulant narcissist, "pseudo-intellectual in a snakeskin suit", "a man trapped inside his own image", the "self-obsessed drunk whose ridiculous good looks and rich baritone contributed unduly to an archetype that would define both him and every copycat that came in his wake" -- "a hero dead before his time. A hero who got out just in time."
Morrison fans are bound to hate this book, but that's not to say Morrison -- the man, the myth, the franchise -- deserves to be taken down a notch. (And yes, one can be critical of Morrison and still appreciate the music).
Dylan focuses less on the music (of which he seems appreciative, to some extent) and more on Morrison "the first rock and roll method actor", the petulant narcissist, "pseudo-intellectual in a snakeskin suit", "a man trapped inside his own image", the "self-obsessed drunk whose ridiculous good looks and rich baritone contributed unduly to an archetype that would define both him and every copycat that came in his wake" -- "a hero dead before his time. A hero who got out just in time."
Morrison fans are bound to hate this book, but that's not to say Morrison -- the man, the myth, the franchise -- deserves to be taken down a notch. (And yes, one can be critical of Morrison and still appreciate the music).
July 16, 2021
Jim Morrison is a mystery wrapped in a conundrum. And the more I read about him the more I realize that his star was never meant to shine bright for very long. An alcoholic egomaniac long before he ever made it big, it's amazing he rose to the levels of stardom that he did. This book helps the reader realize the depths of his addictions, more to alcohol than drugs and the despair behind his flight from LA to Paris for the final months of his life. Delivered in extremely long essay format, this book focuses completely on Jim and very little on the people around him. I read it all in one sitting and by the end I was ready to set it aside.
June 24, 2022
Not the best Jim Morrison biography in fact it was mostly stories about Morrison that I don’t think he really did much research on this project at all.The opinion I got was that Dylan Jones had a little crush on him especially the way he wrote some of the chapters.If you want to read a very good & real biography read NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE by Jerry Hopkins & Danny Sugerman now that Bio I give 5 Stars
December 25, 2020
I expected more on Jim Morrison's life. I expected this book to tell me what inspired Morisson to make his music, compose the songs, know more about what inspired him to become the cult figure he became. Instead, I got a whole chapter dedicated to Morisson's grave, multiple paragraphs on Morisson's junk, arguments for Morisson's drunk and vulgar acts. Deeply disappointed!
March 30, 2022
Been a fair weather fan of the Doors for a long time (by fair weather I mean I only ever bought the greatest hits collection) and this is the first time I have read anything about the Doors / Jim Morrison, barring magazine articles. Dylan Jones doesn't present Morrison in a positive way however, it will encourage to read some of the books mentioned in the bibliography at the end of this one.
June 22, 2024
It’s a big bog standard of a biography but I enjoyed its brutal honesty of how Morrison fell into his own persona. He was a complete and utter arse and that’s just the truth . He wasn’t a lizard king he was a showman with an alcohol problem and it’s a lot less glamorous but the truth never is . It was definitely a book about Jim Morrison and not much more .
April 23, 2021
Not a terrible read.. I've never read anything about The Doors or Jim Morrison but this definitely paints him in extremely poor light. There is a fair bit of writing about his vulgar, disgusting habits, such as masturbating on stage, with a few interesting facts and stories in between.
March 21, 2020
The author's contempt for Jim Morrison colored the entire book. His dislike came through on every page. It made it difficult to know what to believe.
November 11, 2020
Audiobook
November 13, 2022
“Which is why he remains a hero, a pop deity: time didn’t allow Morrison to grow old in public, and so his life is now remains a prototype of immaturity.”
September 7, 2024
Lazy and cynical writing. Seems like the book is written quickly, sole for the money.
October 18, 2025
Poor effort. Amateur psychology about pseudo-intellectualism.
March 16, 2016
Jim Morrison is one of those figures who, despite a brief life, people can't stop writing about. Books about him range from the sublime ("Break on Through") to the ridiculous ("Strange Days," Wild Child").
And Dylan Jones introduces a new kind of book: the Cliffs Notes guide to Jim Morrison. Rather than a full-length biography of the rock star, "Mr. Mojo: A Biography of Jim Morrison" is more of a skim-over of his career with the Doors and his tumultuous personal life.It's like a very long school essay that hits on most of the major points and contains most of the important information, but doesn't have the rhythms and depth of a proper biography.
For those who don't know who Jim Morrison is, he was a Navy brat who openly rejected the conservative safety of his father's lifestyle, and instead embraced a life of excess, art and rock'n'roll. He was the lead singer and creative nucleus of the Doors, a quartet who produced some of the most underrated music of the era, and despite his long-term relationship with his beautiful lover Pamela Courson, he also went wild with many a lady.
However, his behavior often leaned on the self-destructive (Jones touches on him walking over a fatal drop, merely to demonstrate to Nico that life was meaningless), and his creative impulses were strongly linked to his love of drugs and alcohol (an account of Morrison becoming drunk and violently ill, immediately after writing "The Unknown Soldier"). As a result, Morrison's public behavior often bordered on the obscene, and contributed to his early death.
It wouldn't shock me if "Mr. Mojo" was actually Dylan Jones' senior dissertation on pop culture or rock music or something, and it was well-written enough that he decided to publish it. Honestly, it feels like a dissertation. While he does touch on the conservative upbringing and education of Morrison (including that whole Indian-died-by-the-side-of-the-road story that has been told to death), Jones spends most of his time analyzing the cultural context and public touchstones of Morrison's career.
As a result, Jones doesn't go too in-depth into any one subject -- his relationship with Pamela Courson, his work with the Doors, his experiences as a rock star, or anything else. Well, he does seem rather fixated on Morrison's penis, to be fair. Uncomfortably so. As in, we're informed with a little too much graphic, down-to-the-finger-action detail that Morrison liked to masturbate onstage.
Instead, Jones skims swiftly over the course of Morrison's career, peppering it with various bits of trivia that are interesting but not terribly insightful (such as the origins and nature of his famous leather pants) and the occasional outburst of wackiness when exploring his charismatic, primally-charged performances ("All hail Morrison! He is here to cure our ills, to feed our poor and fill our souls. All hail the King! Oh lordy, the drunk King!"). Furthermore, it lacks the gradual quality of a typical biography, the analysis of a person's evolution through all stages of their life, and their interactions with all important people they met.
It's like reading a Wikipedia entry of a movie's plot and themes -- you get the idea of what it's about, but without the nuance and complexities of the characters. Were this not about such a notoriously dissolute rock star, it would make a good children's biography. It's the right length, actually.
He also lacks a certain measure of objectivity expected in professional biographies, mostly in his depiction of the notorious Patricia Kennealy -- despite conflicting reports from all others who knew Morrison (including the other Doors and her former friend Janet Erwin) and her own past interviews on the subject of Morrison (see "Rock Wives," which he cites but does not seem to have read in full), he seems to believe her infamously self-serving contradictory image as the strong, non-nonsense neopagan angel who was saving him from himself. Why? Because she was nice to him. Oddly, he does not cite her actual book in the bibliography.
For those who want a brief overview of Morrison's career, or who are just finding out about him, "Mr. Mojo" is a fairly good Cliffs Notes for Morrison's life -- but those who want more than the shallow, rather seedy angle shown here would be better off finding one of the thicker books.
And Dylan Jones introduces a new kind of book: the Cliffs Notes guide to Jim Morrison. Rather than a full-length biography of the rock star, "Mr. Mojo: A Biography of Jim Morrison" is more of a skim-over of his career with the Doors and his tumultuous personal life.It's like a very long school essay that hits on most of the major points and contains most of the important information, but doesn't have the rhythms and depth of a proper biography.
For those who don't know who Jim Morrison is, he was a Navy brat who openly rejected the conservative safety of his father's lifestyle, and instead embraced a life of excess, art and rock'n'roll. He was the lead singer and creative nucleus of the Doors, a quartet who produced some of the most underrated music of the era, and despite his long-term relationship with his beautiful lover Pamela Courson, he also went wild with many a lady.
However, his behavior often leaned on the self-destructive (Jones touches on him walking over a fatal drop, merely to demonstrate to Nico that life was meaningless), and his creative impulses were strongly linked to his love of drugs and alcohol (an account of Morrison becoming drunk and violently ill, immediately after writing "The Unknown Soldier"). As a result, Morrison's public behavior often bordered on the obscene, and contributed to his early death.
It wouldn't shock me if "Mr. Mojo" was actually Dylan Jones' senior dissertation on pop culture or rock music or something, and it was well-written enough that he decided to publish it. Honestly, it feels like a dissertation. While he does touch on the conservative upbringing and education of Morrison (including that whole Indian-died-by-the-side-of-the-road story that has been told to death), Jones spends most of his time analyzing the cultural context and public touchstones of Morrison's career.
As a result, Jones doesn't go too in-depth into any one subject -- his relationship with Pamela Courson, his work with the Doors, his experiences as a rock star, or anything else. Well, he does seem rather fixated on Morrison's penis, to be fair. Uncomfortably so. As in, we're informed with a little too much graphic, down-to-the-finger-action detail that Morrison liked to masturbate onstage.
Instead, Jones skims swiftly over the course of Morrison's career, peppering it with various bits of trivia that are interesting but not terribly insightful (such as the origins and nature of his famous leather pants) and the occasional outburst of wackiness when exploring his charismatic, primally-charged performances ("All hail Morrison! He is here to cure our ills, to feed our poor and fill our souls. All hail the King! Oh lordy, the drunk King!"). Furthermore, it lacks the gradual quality of a typical biography, the analysis of a person's evolution through all stages of their life, and their interactions with all important people they met.
It's like reading a Wikipedia entry of a movie's plot and themes -- you get the idea of what it's about, but without the nuance and complexities of the characters. Were this not about such a notoriously dissolute rock star, it would make a good children's biography. It's the right length, actually.
He also lacks a certain measure of objectivity expected in professional biographies, mostly in his depiction of the notorious Patricia Kennealy -- despite conflicting reports from all others who knew Morrison (including the other Doors and her former friend Janet Erwin) and her own past interviews on the subject of Morrison (see "Rock Wives," which he cites but does not seem to have read in full), he seems to believe her infamously self-serving contradictory image as the strong, non-nonsense neopagan angel who was saving him from himself. Why? Because she was nice to him. Oddly, he does not cite her actual book in the bibliography.
For those who want a brief overview of Morrison's career, or who are just finding out about him, "Mr. Mojo" is a fairly good Cliffs Notes for Morrison's life -- but those who want more than the shallow, rather seedy angle shown here would be better off finding one of the thicker books.
November 21, 2015
This short biography has the conversational style of a longer magazine piece, one of those where the pursuit of the subject is part of the story. That approach has been done to death, but it still occasionally works if handled with deftness and I think Dylan Jones succeeds for the most part.
Looking back it plays as a romp through Jim's life with tidbits of information like the flower power culture considered alcohol a redneck drug, but Jim liked it because he could get it easily and legally anywhere without having to ingratiate himself with people.
There is not much on the origins of each song or backgrounds on the other members of the Doors. We get to know what the critics liked and disliked, but not much else. We get a feel for what the doors were like in concert and a description of the infamous Miami appearance where Jim was arrested for indecency.
If you have never read a book about Morrison you will probably enjoy Dylan Jones talent as a writer and come away with an idea of how it was to be in the company of Mojo.
Looking back it plays as a romp through Jim's life with tidbits of information like the flower power culture considered alcohol a redneck drug, but Jim liked it because he could get it easily and legally anywhere without having to ingratiate himself with people.
There is not much on the origins of each song or backgrounds on the other members of the Doors. We get to know what the critics liked and disliked, but not much else. We get a feel for what the doors were like in concert and a description of the infamous Miami appearance where Jim was arrested for indecency.
If you have never read a book about Morrison you will probably enjoy Dylan Jones talent as a writer and come away with an idea of how it was to be in the company of Mojo.
March 10, 2016
This was a detour on my reading path I didn't need to take. If it had been a dissection of Doors--or specifically Morrison--fans, showing up at Pere Lachaise out of a sense of duty, dismayed at the grubbiness of it all, it would have been more interesting to me. The first and last chapter pointed the way to that sort of thing, not that you could go far on that concept alone. But to follow it where it leads would have provided a new viewpoint instead of this unnecessary mini-bio.
I won't go so far as to call it "flyweight" as Jones refers to the three non-Morrison Doors, but I would say it is lightweight. (I'm kind of glad he said it, but I would have said they were "not informed by creative passion." They were skilled musicians, though unfocused when not led by a strong vision.)
Also, there are many niggly errors of fact or spelling--sometimes it's not clear which.
I won't go so far as to call it "flyweight" as Jones refers to the three non-Morrison Doors, but I would say it is lightweight. (I'm kind of glad he said it, but I would have said they were "not informed by creative passion." They were skilled musicians, though unfocused when not led by a strong vision.)
Also, there are many niggly errors of fact or spelling--sometimes it's not clear which.
June 5, 2022
I have read better biographies of Jim and the Doors. Firstly, it is too short to explain the essence of the band. I like that the language is complex and rich, still more depth is needed. It is interesting that towards end of the book, the author quotes a description of another biography (No One Here Gets Out Alive No One Here Gets Out Alive, which I read twice, criticizing it, however this criticism depicts exactly what I wanted to say about Mr Mojo: A Biography of Jim Morrison.
October 9, 2015
(Audiobook) Jim Morrison died the year I was born. I had an interest in this book because later in life I enjoyed some of his songs. However while listening to this book all I heard was a man who was in deep deep pain (which was very sad to hear), that he had to medicate himself constantly. I can only assume he must've had a painful childhood that he had to also distant himself from his family. I wouldn't be surprised if he also had some type of physiological disorder, if that was induced by alcoholism/drugs or not.
December 16, 2023
The Cliff Notes version of "No One Gets Out Of Here Alive"
March 13, 2016
Why write about a man that you loathe? This author mixed up all sorts of facts and added things that were rumored and obviously impossible. Such as, he did this and that to these people ...when history shows otherwise from multiple sources. Never read a biography where the author hated the subject though.. sooo... that was different.
July 26, 2015
I'd give this 2.5 stars but there's no "half" option. I must have known more about The Doors than I thought as it wasn't a particularly insightful read. I didn't realize Morrison was SO unlikeable. Gorgeous, but unlikeable.
June 29, 2016
As a kid, Jim Morrison captivated me with his mystique and lyrics. I still like hearing the doors now and again, but man, what a sad train-wreck of a human! Grotesque, mean, immature and reckless! This is a quick, honest, somewhat engaging biography.
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