American Legends: The Life of Jim Morrison

Name: American Legends: The Life of Jim Morrison
Brand: Charles River Editors
SKU: 41325742620842
Price: 6.99 USD
Availability: InStock

By: Charles River Editors

ISBN: 9781499293784

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Description

*Includes pictures.
*Includes Morrison's quotes about his life and career.
*Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading.
*Includes a table of contents.

"I see myself as an intelligent, sensitive human, with the soul of a clown which forces me to blow it at the most important moments.” – Jim Morrison

In the mid-1960s, an era on the cusp of change from the musical and social norms of the previous decade, the emergence of Jim Morrison, the charismatic poet/musician of The Doors, helped to transform the subgenre of rock n’ roll as a stylistic flavor to the full-fledged institution of Rock Music. Morrison accomplished this transformation by avoiding membership in any of the known categories of modern rock music during the age of protest, but at the same time, he became the general symbol of anti-authoritarianism for his generation and the next, especially as rock music began to base itself on the urge of youth to revolt. In conjunction with that, The Doors became one of the most famous bands on the planet in the late ‘60s.

Of course, Morrison accomplished all of this by being extreme, in every sense of the word. His poetry was assaultive, blatant and graphic, a sign of the times, and his voice was mystical and haunting, lacking any sense of what was previously or typically considered vocal beauty. Whether intentional or not, Morrison also led the charge of excessive defiance toward anything hierarchical or rule-laden, and the acting out of his subconscious urges on public stages around the world surpassed any of the frightening new artists that were unraveling the fabric of ‘50s behavior, including The Beatles and Elvis Presley. He took these qualities past the point that American audiences had previously experienced, and listeners were simultaneously tested, taunted and incited by the unorthodox stage performer. Such a dynamic would come to serve as the perfect outlet to one with a “lust for anything forbidden by the authority of conservative Middle America,” and for one who was endlessly “fascinated by crowd dynamics”. Morrison was aware of that trend himself, as he once put it, “Each generation wants new symbols, new people, new names. They want to divorce themselves from their predecessors.”

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