DEAD FAMOUS: Jim Morrison

Thu 5th Feb - 9:00PM

In this unique programme fusing travelogue, biography and the paranormal, cynical but curious Gail Porter and ’sensitive’ Chris Fleming take a spirited road trip through America in search of the spirits of the ’dead famous’.

Biography

Curious

Music

Quotes

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Jim Morrison
born: 08-12-1943
birth place: Melbourne, Florida
died: 03-07-1971

Jim Morrison, born James Douglas Morrison, had both Scottish and Irish ancestors, and was the son of Admiral Sir George Stephen Morrison and Clara Clarke Morrison.

His parents had met and fallen in love in Hawaii, where the future Admiral Morrison, who was at that time, a naval ensign, was stationed. Six months after Jim was born, his mother moved back to the mainland to live with her husband’s parents, Paul and Caroline Morrison, in Clearwater, Florida whilst her husband shipped out to serve on the Pacific front throughout the remaining years of World War II.

Morrison’s father rose to the rank of Admiral in the U.S. Navy, and commanded the local fleet from his flagship, USS Bon Homme Richard during the Tonkin Gulf incident. Jim’s mother remained in Florida with her baby son, and Jim did not actually meet his father until 1946, when was two years old. Jim later acquired a sister, Anne Robin, born in 1947, and a brother, Andrew “Andy” Lee, born in 1948.

According to Jim Morrison himself, one of the most important and formative events of his life occurred when he was just five years old. The family was taking a road trip in New Mexico, and when Jim and his parents and grandmother came across the scene of a road accident whilst travelling through the desert.

Jim wrote about the incident in the words of his song, “Peace Frog” and also in the song, “The Ghost Song”: “Indians scattered on dawn’s highway bleeding, Ghost’s crowd the young child’s fragile egg-shell mind.” Jim has said that he realised the Indians were bleeding to death, as there was no medical assistance available, and that he, as a small child, felt deeply afraid as he witnessed this event.

He believed that the souls of the newly-dead Indians were running around, “freaked-out”, and that one of the souls had entered his body. Curiously, Morrison’s parents have denied that the incident in the desert ever took place. Commenting about the incident, Morrison has said that he was so upset, his parents told him he was “just having a bad dream”, in order to calm him down. But regardless of his parents’ denial, Morrison referred to the incident repeatedly in song, poems and lyrics throughout his life.

Morrison’s early life was the kind of nomadic existence that’s typical of many children who grow up in military families. Being raised in such a strict and disciplinarian environment, Morrison was a dutiful and respectful child who did extremely well at school, and excelled at swimming and other outdoor pursuits. For a while, his parents hoped that he would follow his father into the Navy, and enter the United States Naval Academy at Anapolis, in Maryland.

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