Today I thought I would write about the times when Jim got arrested. The most serious accident occurred in Miami when he exposed himself but he was also arrested in New Haven. Instead of writing about it I thought I would post some videos, here's one with Ray Manzarek telling the story. But to cut it short, During a show in New Haven, Connecticut he was arrested for attempting to incite a riot by telling the crowd that the police had sprayed him and journalist Patricia Keneally with mace backstage just before the concert.


Here's a clip from the movie The Doors when "Jim"(Val Kilmer) is arrested. I thought it would be interesting to see this. I could not post it but here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LetNvwmv8XY

And here is the real Jim Morrison.


Regarding the Miami incident. In March 1, 1969 during another concert, this time in conservative Miami, Florida, Morrison was arrested for exposing himself on stage and using profanity. The legal troubles caused the group to loose their bookings for the next several months.



This text is taken from "http://www.doors.com/miami/one.html" and it describes the incident well I think.

"When Jim finally arrived, it was obvious to everyone who knew him he was drunk, drunk beyond even Morrison standards. Jim was not a man to be reasoned with, even if his close associates hadn't been faced with thirteen thousand angry reasons why he'd better get on the stage. Morrison only needed a moment to size up the situation. While The Doors repeated the intro to Break on Through over and over, he bided his time at the side of the stage. When Jim finally crossed the stage and took the microphone, at least one tape-recorder ate up every word. You can still hear it if you want to, ask any hard-core Doors fan for an audio of the Miami concert. Just be forewarned, it wasn't Jim's finest hour. (Here's "Light My Fire", live in Miami)



"And here's Touch Me"




The following is a summary of the controversial moments of the next 65 minutes:

While the introduction repeated, now painfully patient in the background , Morrison rapped incoherently into the microphone. He eventually managed to sing a couple of verses but lost interest quickly, returning to his aimless sermon. "I'm not talking about no revolution. And I'm not talking about no demonstration. I'm talking about having a good time. I'm talking about having a good time this summer. Now you all come to L.A. You all get out there. We're going to lie down there in the sand and rub our toes in the ocean and we're going to have a good time. Are you ready? Are you ready?......Are.... you.....ahhhhh!"

"Five to One" was always a controversial call to action and Jim fell into the first few lines of the song. Hesitation. As if transported through the moment to the stage of the Living Theatre, his voice twisted with anger and condemnation. "You're all a bunch of f**kin' idiots." Sounds of shock and outrage from the audience. "Let people tell you what you're gonna do. Let people push you around. How long do you think its gonna last? How long are you gonna let it go on? How long are you gonna let them push you around. Maybe you love it. Maybe you like being pushed around. Maybe you love getting your face stuck in the shit.....You're all a bunch of slaves. Bunch of slaves. Letting everybody push you around.
What are you gonna do about it? What are you gonna do about it...What are you gonna do?

On and on it went . At some point Jim staggered over to Robby and fell to his knees, focusing his attention on Robby's guitar solo (conflicting perceptions would debate his true intentions in the months ahead). Later. "THERE ARE NO RULES"........ "Anybody here from Tallahassee?" Audience affirmation..... " Well, I lived there until I got smart and went to California." At one point Jim made a direct reference to the Living Theatre. "Hey, listen. I used to think the whole thing was a big joke. I thought it was somethin' to laugh about, and the last couple of nights I met some people who were doin' somethin'. They're trying to change the world and I wanna get on the trip. I wanna change the world."

When someone jumped on stage and drenched him with champagne, Jim took his shirt off. "Let's see a little skin, let's get naked." Damp clothing fell to the concrete floor. "I'm not talking about revolution, I'm not talking about guns and riots, I'm talking about love. Love one another. Love your brother, hug him. Man, I'd like to see a little nakedness around here....grab your friend and love him. Take your clothes off and love each other." More clothing carpeted the concrete. When Jim finally got around to talking about what was really on his mind no doubt everyone was ready. "You didn't come here for music did you? You came for something more, didn't you? You didn't come to rock'n'roll, you came for something else didn't you? You came for something else --WHAT IS IT?" The audience recovered quickly from their initial shock and shouted all sorts of options. They weren't really sure what they wanted, but Morrison was. " You want to see my c*ck, don't you? That's what you came for isn't it? YEAHHHH!" There was a long, screeching crescendo from the floor. What happened next is anyone's guess, apparently, Morrison waved his shirt in front of his crotch in bullfighter tradition, he took it away for an instant and taunted. "See it? Did you see it?" The audience proceeded to "see" exactly what they wanted to see (reality has never been defined)."
Back Door Man, Miami