JIM MORRISON AND R. KRIEGER DUO PERFORMANCE IN MAY 1969
In May 1969, Jim Morrison was invited to participate
in a series of performance art shows in Hollywood, the proceeds of which were
to finance Norman Mailer's campaign.
The latter wss an interesting and eccentric figure who
was exploring various aspects of American society through various forms of
expression since the 1940s.
Best known as a writer, he decided to run in the
Democratic Party primary for mayor of New York City in '69.
Using a pacifist and libertarian political platform,
Mailer was supported by a number of artists, including Jim Morrison.
The promotion of personal freedoms and ideas that were
still taboo in the United States at that time could only appeal to The Doors'
lead singer.
In fact, Jim Morrison had long been an outspoken
opponent of conformity and the dominant culture in U.S. society, advocating
instead complete freedom of expression, which, by the way, got him into no
small amount of trouble with the law.
The event in support of Mailer, who by the way was not
elected, took place on May 30 and 31, 1969, at a time when The Doors frontman
had relatively distanced himself from the other members of the group.
Different artistic points of view within the band
and disillusionment with his own musical career had led Morrison to seek other
avenues for his talents.
Accompanying the singer on both nights was Robby
Krieger, guitarist for the Doors themselves. On the second of the two occasions
(on 31 May), part of their performance was recorded: six minutes in total.
It consisted of two songs sung by Morrison accompanied
by Krieger's undistorted electric guitar (link here).
In the first, the duo performs a decidedly bluesy
version of "I Will Never Be Untrue" (a detailed article on this song
and its genesis can be found here).
It is one of the earliest recordings of this tune,
which was dear to Morrison (and which he composed), but which will not find a
place on any of the band's LPs or singles.
The second episode consists of a cover of a country
blues composition by Robert Johnson ("Me And The Devil Blues"). This wonderful song was first recorded in 1937, but written by the famous
Mississippi bluesman several years earlier.
In his performance of May 31, 1969, Jim Morrison
replaced the original words with his own lyrics, which nevertheless remained inside
the blues tradition, rather than delving into the innovative and mysterious
poetics typical of the singer/poet.
The event also featured the film/documentary "A
Feast Of Friends," produced by The Doors themselves and based on footage
shot during the band's concerts and related road trips over the past year.
An Andy Warhol film ("I, A Man") was also
part of the two-night program.
Several poetry readings by Californian authors rounded
off an event where The Doors' music does not shine particularly brightly, but
in which the unprecedented duo format of Morrison and Krieger can be heard in
an informal, relaxed setting.
This was a positive exception to the grueling and
ill-tolerated recordings of "The Soft Parade" album, which were a
thorn in Morrison's side in those months.
However, the most relevant aspect that emerges from
this particular occasion is closely related to Jim Morrison's artistic and
personal life.
In fact, in a state of partial detachment from the
rest of The Doors, the singer is here in search of a new artistic identity.
This painful inner process projects its artistic
reflection through the musical and emotional minimalism that the blues genre
allows.
A path that the singer will continue to follow for the
next two years, without ever reaching a new personal equilibrium.
This short, unofficial recording, in its subdued and
expressive intimacy, shows how well-suited blues music was to Morrison's state
of mind in the spring of 1969.
A kind of shelter to escape from the problems and
discomforts that were crowding around him as a result of his growing popularity
as a frontman and member of a successful band.
The blues, which he interprets here with obvious
pleasure in an enthusiastic surrender to the ongoing experience, would remain a
central component of his musical expression as well as one of several elements
present in the Doors' music.
P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is out and available on Amazon.com!
Here’s the link:
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