Jim Morrison: Vita e parole del re lucertola

by Jerry Hopkins, Alessandro Achilli (Traduttore)

A più di trent'anni dalla sua morte James Douglas Morrison continua a essere l'incarnazione dell'artista rock maledetto. Frontman dei Doors, poeta, sciamano occidentale, icona lisergica: il mito di Morrison solca i decenni e le generazioni senza invecchiare. Rockstar votata al fascino del binomio Amore e Morte, alla provocazione, alla visione dionisiaca dell'esistenza come alla spiritualità degli indiani d'America, ma anche personaggio articolato, arguto, e geniale creatore di un'indelebile immagine pubblica. Questo libro non è una semplice biografia: Jerry Hopkins descrive Morrison nel suo talento e nei suoi diversi e spesso nascosti aspetti di uomo e di artista, riportando il tutto alle giuste proporzioni, nel tentativo di "andare oltre il mito", di catturarne - e cercare di spiegarne - il mistero e la mistica": nuove notizie sulla famiglia Morrison, sul celeberrimo processo di Miami, e soprattutto sulla morte dell'artista - rimasta sempre avvolta nell'ombra - smentendo le voci sulla possibilità, paventata da alcuni, che sia ancora vivo.
Arricchito da una serie di interviste allo stesso Jim, tra cui quella che Hopkins realizzò nel 1969 per Rolling Stone, e dalla descrizione del "making of" del film The Doors di Oliver Stone, Jim Morrison. Vita e parole del re lucertola è il ritratto definitivo di una delle più controverse e al tempo stesso ammalianti icone del rock di tutti i tempi.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Rock N Roll, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

258 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Jerry Hopkins was an American journalist and author best known for writing the first biographies of Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison of The Doors, as well as serving for 20 years as a correspondent and contributing editor of Rolling Stone magazine.

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Hopkins was the man that put "No One Here Gets Out Alive" though Denny Sugarman is generally accepted as the main author. Here in this book, Hopkins goes into detail of his personal friendship with Morrison and explains the sort of ending he wanted to go in 50% of the published books of "No One Here Gets Out Alive" but the publisher wouldn't go for it at the time. What is amazing here in this book are some of the conversations that Hopkins/Morrison have on things like "Elvis" and other areas of Pop Culture. I read the 1994 edition of this book so I have no idea what the most recent 2006 edition would have that could be updated since then. Of course, sex, booze, and drugs are a part of the story line as one can expect but are not the main purpose of the book. I read this book just as my Junior year in college was starting up so the date is the best estimate of time that I can recollect here in 2013.

Doors fans will find this book to be an interesting part of slightly a different side of The Doors and other band members.

[Herman brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

dude was a superfreak y'all.

[Hachi ◇♡◇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biografía bien documentada, narrada cronológicamente. Incluye buenas fotografías en las distintas etapas de vida de Jim. La narrativa es ligera y cuenta con datos interesantes sobre su vida y obra; además desmitifica a Jim haciéndolo ver más humano.
Al final cuenta con algunas entrevistas en orden cronológico que hacen más rica la experiencia.

[Biblio Curious · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few bios of his. This by far was the best one. It seemed the most accurate and things were not blown out of proportion. There are some biases, escpecially relating to one 'lady friend' of his. But for the most part, it's a great book.

One day, it would be cool to see a detailed bio of the entire band into a volume, even better if it can go into the creative process between Jim and Ray. Or extensive bio/series of the artists' of that era.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jerry Hopkins should stop getting paid for writing "biographies" about people he clearly hates.

If you are a Doors or a Jim Morrison fan do waste time with this book.

I purchased this thinking that Jerry Hopkins was going to clarify some things and do some penance for his first deliberately shocking, smear-job masquerading as a biography "No One Here Get's Out Alive" that he, and Morrison's "friend", the skanky little junkie "Jim is still alive!!!" Danny Sugerman, did. (It's understandable why "No One Here" was rejected by more than 100 publishers on both sides of the Atlantic. But, hey, in the end, Hopkins and Sugermans bank accounts sure made it out alive, didn't they?)

Lizard King: The Essential Jim Morrison is just an ugly, depressing rehash of "No One Here Get's Out Alive" and it is a waste of money.

Mr. Hopkins - please try and land some legitimate writing gigs besides "Jim Morrison was so handsome and had a unique talent but he was sure a terrible person!!!" books.

Jim Morrison was a difficult person to deal with - to put it very politely - but how long are you going to go on picking your teeth with the bones of a kid who some very serious, painful psychological and horrible, horrible drug and alcohol problems with no one to turn to for any real help. There was no help for Jim Morrison then and these issues are even difficult for people to deal with in this day and age.

Jerry, has your resentment of Jim Morrison always gone this deep? You once said you write about him because you "didn't know how his death would affect me." What'd you do? Have a big 4th of July celebration when you heard he had finally done himself in? Is that what you meant by "affect"? You and Sugerman had to have jumped for joy when "Apocalypse Now" re-popularized the song "The End". (A couple of leeches, both of you.)

Jim Morrison was a broken and humiliated man and died a lonely, painful death all at the age of 27. Is that enough for Mr. Hopkins or are you going to continue to ply the public with tales about every wrong, obnoxious thing Jim Morrison ever did? (Sad. Very sad.)

For some reason Morrison is the only deceased rock star who never got his revisionist history, or treated with respect by those who claimed to care about or who have made money off of him. There are plenty of "beloved" rock figures who make Jim Morrison look like a prince.

Jim Morrison was into Paganism? First I've heard. Maybe Jerry Hopkins has spent too much time getting drunk with Patricia "Kennely" ("Kennealy", as well as "Morrison", is one of two fake names that the woman who stalked and harassed Jim Morrison and Pamela Courson walks around with and who Hopkins was kind enough to give credibility to even though the treatment Morrison and Courson received at her hands towards the end of Jim Morrison's life was common knowledge. Anything to sell a book, right Jerr'?)

If you are a Jim Morrison fan or a fan of The Doors just disregard anything Jerry Hopkins has to say. Only Jerry knows what his beef was with Jim Morrison.

[Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always get sad when I read shit like this, musician biographies, I read them because of the sex, drugs, rock n' roll, it's a culture I'll never be apart of, and it's interesting, but that's all most people see upfront, the fun of it, and that's what's sad about it; I'm always traumatized by the drugs, especially heroin, actually, mainly heroin, heroin and cocaine scare the shit out of me, and of course, Kurt had troubles with it [heroin], Layne died of it, Janis died of it, and apparently it plays a major role in Jim Morrison's death; Jim Morrison, he was so fucking bizarre, I mean, reading this, his genius outbursts and his erratic infidelity, god the sixties were a crazy, free time; I always think, "what if this, what if that," but then they wouldn't be as immortalized, would they.

--

That review is a total blur. I'm tired. I'm sad.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damn this guy loves Jim Morrison. This book is definitely one of those quick addictive rock and roll reads. You can't put it down. Loved getting a bit of the history behind No One Here Gets Out Alive. The interviews were a highlight for me.

[୨♡୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

that’s my baby fr

[Tricia. · Rating 3 out of 5]

En algunos aspectos la lectura se volvía pesada y tediosa, sin embargo, la aparición de imágenes y entrevistas le agregó un plus al libro.
Me gustó la forma en la que se retrató a Jim de forma objetiva, quizá porque el autor lo trató y fue testigo de la forma en la que otros lo etiquetaban de forma errónea y equivoca.

[mats eaton · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a pretty good book. I loved learning about Jim Morrison more and I enjoyed all the theories and speculations about his death,but I got a little bored at certain parts just discussing producers and things of that nature. I guess that’ll always be the case with books written about musicians.

[D. D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halfway through I realised that the person who wrote this book wrote one about Elvis Presley as well and that one as well was mostly mean and not worth your time.
If I had realised from the start I wouldn't have bought this book in the first place.
However, if you read a great book about Jim Morrison, like Break On Through The Life and Death of Jim Morrison by James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky and then read this one then you don't have to rely on the way Jim Morrison's life is portrayed in this book.
What made me give it 3/5 stars are the many photos and mostly the interviews which make up for almost half of this book.
You'd expect a much better book by a man supposedly a friend or good acquaintance of Jim Morrison but probably the writer isn't able to provide that. Maybe he's able to write only short articles? Anyway.
If you're only going to read one book about Jim Morrison make it the Break On Through The Life and Death of Jim Morrison by James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky. If you decide to read several then by all means give this one a go but don't expect too much and you might not be too disappointed.

[Carolina Lopez Tello Araiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desde que vi The Lost Boys a la edad de 6 años (gracias Mamá), me enamoré de The Doors, desde ese entonces mis papás, mis tíos, mis abuelos, todo el mundo sabe que me encantaría retroceder en el tiempo para ver a The Doors en vivo.
Este libro lo leí fácil como 5 veces por que me encantaba conocer a Jim Morrison, aunque fuera a través de palabras, no hablaré de Jim Morrison porque pues, claramente es una figura que es muy reconocida actualmente, así que el libro en sí te da detalles de su personalidad, de sus gustos literarios, musicales... y bueno de lo que le gustaba hacer, hasta el día de su 'muerte'.
Si bien no creo que el libro contenga 100 % la verdad, creo que te abre una muy buena percepción de cómo era él y te ayuda a comprender un poco sus acciones y en sí su vida.

Y finalmente pues este libro igual me abrió las puertas para leer a Aldous Huxley, así que, lo considero como una pieza importante en mi vida.

“Each person is at each moment capable of remembering all that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe.”
- Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell

[Buzz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings back a lot of vivid memories for me. I read it a few years ago dring a crazy time. Now I look at it as a great time and associate this with it in particular.

The main part of the book isn't muh different then No One here Gets Out Alive. This book gets interesting when it delves into the theories of how Jim Morrison died. Those really boggle the mind and you are left thinking about them for days.

The best part of this book are the magazine interviews at the end of it. The interviews are very insightful of the state of the world at the times, the status of the doors, and Morrison's views and opinions of life. These are some of his best interviews and that's why they are worth your time. This is hands down my favorite book about The Doors that I have ever came across.

[Bas Evers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts with a solid walkthrough of Morrison’s life and delivers an interesting debate on the mystery of his death. Then the book continues with a series of unrelated interviews, which is unfortunate because it gives the feeling the author was chasing an easy sell with this publication.

Favourite passage is around Jim’s thoughts on modern society’s loss of the freedom to feel: “Imprisonment begins with birth. Society - parents - they refuse to allow you to keep the freedom you are born with (…) you imitate what you see. Our culture mocks ‘primitive cultures’ and prides itself on suppression of natural instincts and impulses.(…) Look at how other cultures live, peacefully, in harmony with the earth. They don’t build war machines and invest millions of dollars in attacking other countries whose political ideals don’t happen to agree with their own.”

[Cameo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wellwritten and rounded bio about the most boring rockstar who's been glorified after his death, because he made some good songs and otherwise wasted his time drinking, doing drugs, sleeping around and thinking about life without ever really saying anything significant on the matter.
I've never been a Doors or Morrison fan, haven't listened to all that much of their music, so I started this with an open mind about the man and the band, and ended up with an ugly image of a cruel and self centered man and a band that doesn't feel like a band.
Utterly boring but can't fault the writing for the lack of substance.

[Tiina Mahlamäki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Morrisonin kuoleman 50-vuotispäivänä julkaistiin teoksen suomennos, Kesytön Jim Morrison. Kirja toistaa No one here gets out alive -elämäkerran faktoja, mutta tarjoaa Morrisonin kuolemanjälkeisiin tapahtumiin vähän lisäselvitystä, jos ne eivät olleet ennestään tuttuja Mitä hänen perinnölleen tapahtui? Miten Oliver Stonen Doors-elokuva syntyi? Kirjan lopussa on hyvin toisteisia litteraatioita Morrisonin haastatteluista.

[Sharise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Jim Morrison's poems in high school and couldn't put the book down. This review will apply to all his books. I never enjoyed poetry or lyrics until I read this and the way he used language to describe life was so incredible. I hungered for more of his literature. Unfortunately, I lost my book and writing this review reminds me of how I need to go buy it again.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up and couldn't put it down, it was a very good book to read for someone (like me at the time) who didn't know much about The Doors and Jim Morrison. It was a quick read because it was so interesting you just wanted to learn more

[Brian H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopkins definitely knows the ins and outs of Jim Morrison's life. He even seems to get into the mind of Morrison on several topics and shows us the human and extremely vulnerable side of Morrison. Great read.

[Hans Kerrinckx · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee."
-Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

[Russellmacphailcomcast.Net · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite line from the book:
" Jim Morrison was one of the most intelligent and articulate performers I have ever met:"

[CosmicDancer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Morrison on varmasti yksi tunnetuimmista populaarikulttuurin henkilöistä paitsi musiikkinsa myös 27-vuotiaana kuolleiden kerhoon kuulumisen vuoksi. Itselläni ei ole erityistä suhdetta Doorsiin, joskin suurin osa heidän radiosoitossa olevista kappaleista ovat oikein hyviä ja muutaman vuoden takaisella Pariisin reissulla oli käytävä Morrisonin haudalla, koska se tuntui vähän niin kuin kuuluvan asiaan.

Hopkins on aikaisemmin kirjoittanut No One Here Gets Out Alive-elämäkerran Morrisonista ja kyseisen opuksen pohjalta on tehty myös Oliver Stonen ohjaama varsin keskinkertainen elokuva. Tästä syystä en täysin ymmärrä, miksi kirjoittaja on kokenut tarpeelliseksi tämän toisen kirjan kirjoittamisen samasta aiheesta. Varsinkin kun tässä Morrisonin elämän vaiheet käydään läpi melko nopeasti ja pintapuolisesti.

Kirjan parasta antia onkin useammasta eri lähteestä kootut haastattelut, joille on annettu tilaa noin 100 sivua kirjan lopusta. Näiden haastattelujen kautta Jim Morrisonista välittyy kuva älykkäänä ja nokkelana ihmisenä, joka ei päästä haastattelijoitaan helpolla.

Paikoitellen kirjasta paistaa läpi Hopkinsin ihailu kohdettaan kohtaan, jolloin objektiivisuus jää hieman taka-alalle. Pelkkää hehkutusta ei kirja kuitenkaan ole, vaan Hopkins tuo esille myös Morrisonin hankalan suhteen vanhempiinsa ja epäonnistumiset parisuhteissa.

Morrisonin kuolemaan liittyviä hämäriä yksityiskohtia pyöritellään ja spekuloidaan, olisiko Jim voinut mahdollisesti jopa lavastaa oman kuolemansa. Mitään aukotonta vastausta ei Hopkins pysty tarjoamaan, mutta ehkäpä osa Morrisonin myyttiä onkin siinä, että aina voi miettiä entä jos sittenkin.

[Jani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jotenkin käsittämätön teos. Pitkäaikaisesta fanituksesta huolimatta en ole aiemmin lukenut Morrison-elämäkertaa, mutta tartuin tähän, joka osoittautui huonosti kirjoitetuksi teokseksi, jossa Morrisonin tarina juostaan läpi 170:ssä sivussa. Piti ihan jälkeenpäin lukea johdanto uudestaan, sillä en oikein tajunnut, oliko tämä olevinaan jatko-osa Hopkinsin aiemmalle Morrison-kirjalle ja vain lisäystä siihen, sillä mukana oli kirjan pituuteen nähden monia täysin tarpeettomia anekdootteja. En usko, että oikein ketään kiinnostaa, kuka "sai naiset", sen jälkeen, kun Jim sammui: tämän kirjan kohdalla tarina tulisi päättyä Morrisonin sammumiseen; mitä jollekin satunnaiselle sivuhenkilölle sen jälkeen tapahtui, ei ole kiinnostavaa.

Olisi tehnyt mieli vähentää kokonainen tähti siitä, että kääntäjä/kustantaja koko teoksen ajan (paitsi sivulla 83!) kirjoittaa bändin nimen väärin eli muotoon Doors, kun oikea nimi on The Doors. Pieni papukaijamerkki siitä, että kyseessä on johdonmukainen linja, sillä myös The Beatles, The Byrds ja The Rolling Stones on kirjoitettu väärin. Saakoon kirja kuitenkin kaksi tähteä, sillä haastatteluosuudessa oli ihan kiinnostavia juttuja eikä lyhyt elämäkertaosuuskaan täysin ansioton ole. Mutta huvittaa kyllä, että kirjan päätteeksi on kattava listaus Jim Morrisonin musiikki- ja kirjatuotannosta: jotenkin sellainen kuuluu ennemmin definitiivisiin historiikkeihin eikä tällaiseen pikakertaukseen, jossa painotus on vieläpä enemmän yksityiselämässä kuin työssä.

[Castles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always had a warm corner in my heart for the doors, reminded of my time as a teenager, putting their records on on endless sleepless and lonely nights, playing them on my guitar. only today I realize that the doors were as much a reality for 90’s kids like me as they were to older generations, even though the strongest feeling of my generation was something like "we’ve missed missed the party by 20 years or so".

All of that was just teenage dreams, warm and nice, old nostalgia, but I wasn’t reading it for those reasons. but what really rekindled my interest in Morrison this time around was actually reading all of the books by and about Eve Babitz. her take on Jim was interesting enough to try to remember what he was all about again…

I wasn’t disappointed, this book was hard to put down, and it’s just great music journalism reading. The interviews added in the end of the book - great bonus.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the general facts were correct, the details were not always true, determined by other accounts I’ve read. This made me take the new accounts I read here with a grain of salt.
I found the writing to be awkward and choppy at times, even sloppy getting details wrong, really giving it a thrown together feel. There were some things I hadn’t read about before, and I appreciated those sprinkled in there, particularly, his discussion on theories about Jim Morrison's death. It was the most believable I've read.
Overall, it was a very one-sided negative view of Jim even though it claimed not to be, not getting a full picture of the man. Mostly, it seems like gossip and playing both sides to me, but nonetheless, I did come out with some information that helped round out the picture in the rear view mirror.

[Samwise Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, baby, the story on Jimmy and Pam. Who was Jim? Jim was just a guy, with a deep voice, an ego set in stone, and a poetry book that'll leave you saying, "Wow man, I have no idea what the hell you're trying to tell me." Apparently, the doors were just practicing their music, and Jim came in drunk on bourbon and started singing his poetry over it like some sort of moony weirdo wearing sunglasses inside. And history was made.

So yeah, Jim and the Doors started touring, Jim was still drinking heavily; saying weird shit like he was the lizard king; sleeping around on his pregnant soul-mate; doing coke; telling people he had the spirit of a dead Native American Shaman inside of him; and willing to do any other drugs people supplied to him for free... except heroin, because... think of the children? I don't know.

But this book makes it pretty clear that he may have died from snorting heroin whilst thinking it was cocaine. He was 'just say no' when it came to opioids, probably because whiskey and opium in combo are the devil's lozenges... and he wasn't about to quit drinking... or he faked his death and is living in an abandoned toll booth outside of Reno, Nevada. Who knows!? Who can say?!

I can't.
I wasn't there.

But his grave and/or cenotaph is available for viewing in the Paris cemetery because fuck it, why not?

His family was rich and they paid the tab,

always room for one more.

Don't get me wrong, i still love their music, but to say this guy is anything to aspire to is a joke. This is the end....

The amount of "trust me, I was cool once" from the author is endearing. Hence, 3 stars, I was entertained.

[Jakub Brudny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ciężko powiedzieć czy 4 gwiazdki to dobra ocena dla tej książki. Czuję się jednocześnie oszukany i znudzony (mało tutaj o twórczości Jima, no i te wywiady na końcu nie były za bardzo „wartością dodaną”), ale z drugiej strony momentami czytało się to bardzo dobrze i wiele się dowiedziałem od osób które rzeczywiście znały Morrisona. Sam początek wiele obiecuje, a rozdział z teoriami na temat jego śmierci czytałem z zapartym tchem. Ostatecznie myślę, że na 4 zasługuje właśnie to, co napisała autorka, wywiady dają pewien kontekst ale nie wiem czy były tu konieczne.

[Buitron David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim vivió 100 vidas en 27 años! Sin su legado no existiría el concepto del "Rockstar". Una vida que todos los exponentes de la música quieren alcanzar; buena música, ríos de dinero, mujeres, alcohol, drogas, anarquía, fama y buenas anécdotas. Ray Manzarek y Robbie Kriegger hubieran sido solo 2 buenos músicos sin la presencia de Jim. Los Doors eran más que Rock-Blues, eran un estilo de vida, con Jim como su profeta. Los "Rockstars" de hoy en día dan ternura al compararlos con el Rey Lagarto. Qué vida de este grandioso hijo de puta! Inigualable, único.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only for the staunchest of Doors fans, of which I am definitely one. This book serves as an appendix/continuation of the biography No One Here Gets Out Alive, which was, along with Hammer of the Gods, mandatory reading when I was in middle school back in the early 1980s. The interviews in the second half of the book are worth the price of admission alone.

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

ihan turhan päivänen kirja koska tää kirjailia koko ajan viittaa sen aikasempaan teokseen Jim Morrisonista. Tää on niin turha kirja, kaikki tiedot mitä kerrottiin ois ihan hyvin voinu googlettaa. Eipä siinä jos jotakin kovasti kiinnostaa Jimin julkisella paikalla kusemiset yms. Jim oli freaky , kenelle se tuli yllätyksenä?????