Jim Morrison: The angst-ridden legend

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors”—attributed to Jim Morrison, legendary frontman of The Doors, described as one of the best rock groups in history.
Debates still rage about whether the self-proclaimed “King of Orgasmic Rock” Morrison actually penned those famous lines, or lifted them from famous writer Aldous Huxley's “The Doors of Perception”. Another theory, based on a 1967 Newsweek interview, quotes co-founder of The Doors, Ray Manzarek as saying “There are things you know about and things you don't, the known and the unknown, and in between are the doors--that's us.”
Whatever be the truth, Jim Morrison, the enfant terrible of the 1960s, became a cult figure whose influence can still be felt on today's rock music scene. And apparently, he has ardent fans in the world of palaeontology as well. A giant lizard “Barbaturex morrisoni” that lived 40 million years ago was recently named in honour of the rock star -- an obvious reference to Morrison's sobriquet “Lizard King” and The Doors' musical imagery that included reptiles and ancient places.
The angst-ridden Morrison lived just as dangerously as he died at the age of 28. According to the charismatic singer, his first traumatic experience was a road accident that he witnessed at the age of five when he, his parents and grandmother were taking a road trip in New Mexico. On the way they came across what he later said were Indians left to bleed on the road because there was no medical assistance available.
While his parents later denied that the incident ever occurred, Morrison said that the images of the accident were to haunt him all his life--reflected in his songs, poems and lyrics, as in “Peace Frog” and “The Ghost Song”.
Graduating from UCLA, Morrison used to hang out in Venice Beach, an LA suburb where bohemian artists and musicians milled around. Soon he had won over ex-UCLA student Ray Manzarek who was impressed with Morrison's writing and lyrics. They were joined by drummer John Desmore soon and guitarist John Densmore. So The Doors came into being.
The Doors were known for their innovative sound which matched with Morrison's baritone voice used to drive audiences wild. Their most famous numbers were “Touch Me”, “Love Me Two Times”, and of course the controversial anthem of the youth at that time -- “Light My Fire”. There were also “Strange Days”, “The End”, “When The Music's Over” along with “Celebration of The Lizard”, “Waiting For The Sun”, “L.A Woman” and “Break On Through”.
From the late 1960s on, Morrison became heavily dependent on drugs. In the spring of 1971, Morrison moved to Paris to focus on his writing. On July 3, 1971, he was found dead in his bath by Pamela Courson, ostensibly from a drug overdose. His oft-visited grave can be found Pere Lachaise cemetery, Paris.
Long after his death, Morrison still rocks the world. He was ranked number 47 on Rolling Stone's list of “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and number 22 on Classic Rock Magazine's “50 Greatest Singers In Rock”.