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YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHTS:CALL IT COLLAGE '66 - STUDENT FILM PROJECTTHE ED SULLIVAN SHOW - IN 2-CHANNEL STEREO!INSIDE THE DREAMContributed By: Bart RammelaereThroughout one of many known notebooks filled with poetry and other writings by Jim Morrison, a selection of additional poems written on yellow paper are torn into sections and inserted into the book in various spots by Jim Morrison himself. This notebook in particular is originally in the possession of Bill Siddons following Jim Morrison's death, and is subsequently passed along to Graham Nash in the 1980's. While what remained of the yellow paper inserts are now scattered and only partially accounted for, occasionally previously unknown pieces surface amongst collectors. We're extremely pleased to feature one of these original lost yellow inserts, courtesy of collector and fan Bart Rammelaere. Upon inspection, the poem is revealed to be one of the 82 published pieces featured in Jim Morrison's original 1969 privately printed poetry compilation, The Lords - Notes On Vision!  STEVE WALKER AT HAMPTON BEACH CASINO - 1967Contributed By: Steve Walker"I was 11 years old and my family (5 kids) was in Hampton Beach for a week with my grandmother. One night my Nana and I were walking along the boardwalk and as we passed by the stairs that led up to the ballroom I heard a song, that I recognized, Light My Fire. I told my Nana to hang on a second as I raced up the stairs to face two sets of double doors, which thankfully were wide open. I walked up to the entrance and started to just listen when some gal started yelling at me, "you can't stand there"! I looked at her and quickly pleaded with my 11 year old eyes, please, just for a minute? She relented and said "OK, just stand over there." And there I was for maybe another 3 or 4 minutes listening to Light My Fire before I trudged back down the stairs to Nana and reality for me at the time." NORMAN A. SMITH AT THE SURF - 1967Contributed By: Norman A. Smith"I was in the Tidal Waves and we opened for The Doors that night. We stood off to stage right (by the door that went down the long stairs to the back parking lot) talking with Jim Morrison for about 10 minutes while the band was warming up. He bummed a cigarette from us and we shot the shit with him, he was already quite well lit. He had all his leather on and we thought he was a decent enough guy. He finally said "See ya later" and took off accross the gray plywood side of the stage to the main carpeted side and almost tripped over a mike cord on his way. Great memories from those times." LOST FILM: CALIFORNIA STATE COLLEGE - 1967 This confirmed 8mm black and white footage featuring three bands at what is reportedly California State College on October 6th, 1967 was in existence in recent decades after appearing on a now defunct memorabilia site specializing in The Doors. Featuring three bands over eight minutes with approx. three minutes solely of The Doors, the footage has since gone missing and its whereabouts are completely unknown. This footage became private property after its sale and may no longer exist at the present date. > IF YOU KNOW THE WHEREABOUTS OF THIS FILM, PLEASE CONTACT US! - WEBMASTER@MILDEQUATOR.COMTHE DOORS WRITE TO JAPAN!Contributed By: Dustin TrippIn March of 1969, Shigeko Kobayashi of Music Life magazine of Japan attempts to secure an interview with the band in Los Angeles. Manager Bill Siddons requests that his typed questions should be submitted to the group to enable them to answer at their own convenience, and their collected handwritten responses are returned to him via mail. The interview article is later published in the upcoming May 1969 issue in Japan.  TRANSLATION:We have received the response to our special interview with The Doors regarding our questionnaire. Are they coming to Japan in June? The Doors are extremely popular in America right now. Last year they appeared almost out of nowhere and quickly became heroes among university students, turning into an unprecedented debut success in the American music industry. In this respect, one might think they rival the Beatles’ emergence in Britain. However, while groups such as the Monkees and the Association were heavily promoted through enormous advertising campaigns and were launched into the world as stars from the beginning, the case of the Doors was different. Before anyone in the record industry even realized what was happening, the group had begun to gain popularity, and their records started selling almost by themselves. Their first LP, Light My Fire / The Doors, sold three times more than anyone at Elektra Records had expected. It was such good news! Ironically, Elektra was the last to realize that these four student singers, who were like washed-up hippies, had become so famous that they could no longer walk the streets. Six months later, The Doors, who had earned five gold records, opened their doors wide, and groups calling themselves art rock, led by them, finally saw the light of day. I'm sure you all are more aware of the situation than I am. The Doors are now top stars, and also famous for being a group of eccentrics and oddballs. Aside from their personal managers, virtually no one knows what they're doing, where they are, or when. Even their managers are often with them and difficult to reach, meaning you have to patiently wait months to get an interview. I finally managed to get in touch with The Doors' new personal manager, Mr. Siddons, by phone in March; they've had three others before I was brought on. Things had also changed, and I, who was initially following Mr. Schiffman (Todd Schiffman), spent a month going back and forth asking around, and realizing this was getting out of hand, I decided to wait until The Doors were going to have a concert. If something like that were to happen, I was even thinking of showing up in person. In America, it's common knowledge that every star has a spokesperson or publicity person to handle interviews, photo shoots, and so on. However, with The Doors, this aspect is unclear, which would surely make any interviewer run away with their tail between their legs. Yet, seeing their popularity continue to rise, it seems The Doors don't need any conventional publicity at all. Mr. Siddons said: "If you want to interview the four of them, you'll have to wait a little longer." And then added: "If you send me a letter of inquiry, I will take responsibility for having them write the answers." I begged them to do so, and immediately sent the questionnaire that Music Life had sent me to Mr. Siddons. A week later, a thick envelope arrived in my hands. Inside was undoubtedly a handwritten reply and biography. And there was a short letter attached that read as follows: "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you. We all wrote this together during breaks at work. Please call if you have any questions. Please excuse any blank spaces." And the other letter said: "There may be some odd parts in their answers, but that's just how they are, so there's no malice intended." — Siddons  THE INTERVIEW:The following are the answers to the questions, and unless otherwise specified, the answers were given by Jim Morrison. — Shigeko Kobayashi Q: If you were to classify The Doors' music, what genre would you put it into? Jim Morrison: "Does music have genres?" Ray Manzarek: "If I had to categorize it, I'd say it's art rock. It's not pop music." Q: What direction will The Doors take going forward? Answer: "The Doors' sound prioritizes sounds born from their own imagination rather than being dictated by the environment of the world. That's something that won't change in the future." Q: What is your message through your music? Answer: "I don't have any particular message. People who resonate with my music will simply follow me. I don't intend to persuade people with my music." Q: How do you perceive New Rock (Art Rock)? Ray Manzarek: "A collection of more mechanical sounds, plus the spirit of rock and roll, whether this is new or not is another matter." Q: How is your poetry perceived in America? Are you appreciated? Robby Krieger: "Aside from critics who try to uncover hidden meanings, young people understand it as inspiration." Jim Morrison: "Humans are sometimes reluctant to delve into the essence of things. We incorporate human instincts and weaknesses into our poetry, which most people turn away from, but young people, in particular, try to confront them head-on. I believe it's important to get those people to understand." Q: But in reality, I think young people often can't fully understand complex poetry. In the end, isn't singing hit songs the best means of communication? Answer: "We don't create hit songs to get people to understand our poetry. Hits are created externally. But it's true that music is a means of communication." Q: Who primarily writes the lyrics for The Doors' songs? Answer: "Morrison (singer), and Krieger (guitarist)" Q: Many people recognize your lyrics as excellent poems even without music; also being evaluated as poetry. Do you think there are other artists that can do that? Answer: "No" Q: Have you ever written a poem spontaneously while recording or performing on stage? Answer: "Yes" Q: To what extent do you accept the producer's opinions during recording? Answer: "About 20%" Q: To what extent have you been able to do what you wanted to do at the record company so far? Answer: "Total Freedom within limits" Q: Do you often have disagreements during recording? Answer: "Usual agreement with occasional differences" Q: What do you think about current American music? Answer: "Rock is dead." Q: What do you think about The Doors' current popularity? Answer: "O.K."  Q: Jim Morrison is considered a sex symbol, but how do you feel about that yourself? Answer: "What exactly is a sex symbol?" Q: I hear you're interested in movies. What kinds of movies are you interested in? Answer: "Authenticity." Q: What are your thoughts on the changes in the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones? Answer: "It's getting better and better." Q: Jimi Hendrix, what are your thoughts on Vanilla Fudge, Cream...? Answer: "I met Hendrix once; he's a good guy." Q: Previous LPs The Doors, Strange Days, and Waiting For The Sun. What is the theme? Answer: "Love, sex, and death." Q: What are your thoughts on Waiting For The Sun? Answer: "In a word: magnificent." Q: What are the plans for the next album? Answer: "Probably around May, 'A Thousand Magicians' will be released." Q: What are the obstacles during recording? Answer: "You can't use the stage microphone." Q: What's your favorite Doors song? Answer: "The End" Q: What kind of influence did you receive from Maharishi Yogi? How is that reflected in your work today? Answer: "I haven't been affected at all." Q: About LSD? Answer: "Love, sex, and death." Q: What do you know about Japan? Answer: "Beautiful, wonderful, and interesting." Q: What do you think of Bob Dylan? Answer: "He is original and unique." Q: A message to your Japanese fans. Answer: "Let's meet in June." NEWSPAPER ITEMS & MEMORABILIA:WHISKY A GO GO 1966 - PRINT ADS:       Contributed By: MildEquator.com FILLMORE AUDITORIUM NOV. 1967 - REVIEW: Contributed By: MildEquator.com CAL. STATE LONG BEACH 1967 - YEARBOOK PHOTOS:  Contributed By: MildEquator.com FILLMORE EAST 1968 - UNCUT HANDBILL SHEET: Contributed By: concertposterauction.com VANCOUVER 1968 - TICKET: Contributed By: VRicci BLUE NOTE A GO GO 1968 - VENUE ARTICLE: Contributed By: MildEquator.com JACKSONVILLE 1969 (CANCELLED) - ADS & ARTICLES:     Contributed By: MildEquator.com |
