Althouse: "As I listened to that song, I kept thinking about the Texas church shooter, Dylan Roof, Las Vegas."

November 10, 2017

"As I listened to that song, I kept thinking about the Texas church shooter, Dylan Roof, Las Vegas."

Wrote Annie C in the comments to the first post of the day, which was about Roy Moore but ended by taking an off ramp into the old Doors song "People Are Strange."

I had a similar response. Jim Morrison experienced intense love from his fans. He was perhaps the most sexually attractive man on earth as you see him in that old video. But the words were the words of the complete social outcast, utterly unsuccessful with women and taking his loserdom to a dark place.

There's the repeated line that resonates with today's sexual harassment stories: "Women seem wicked when you're unwanted...."

By the way, I've never been a Doors fan, but I've always liked that one song, "People Are Strange."

Here's the Echo & the Bunnyman version that was used in the 1987 movie "The Lost Boys":

Speaking of today's sexual harassment stories, did you notice Corey Haim and Corey Feldman in that "Lost Boys" footage?

26 comments:

Laslo Spatula said...: From the internets:

"But a reporter for the Miami Herald, Larry Mahoney, told a different story. In an article headlined ‘Rock Group Fails to Stir a Riot,’ he wrote, "Many of the nearly twelve thousand youths said they found the bearded singer’s exhibition disgusting. Included in the audience were hundreds of unescorted junior and senior high school girls. ... Morrison appeared to masturbate in full view of the audience, screamed obscenities, and exposed himself."

But he IS better looking than Louis CK.

Mute Masturbation Agony is no longer mute.

I am Laslo.; 11/10/17, 10:01 AM
Fernandinande said...: "Women seem wicked when you're unwanted...."

Women ARE wicked when you ARE wanted - the "Hell hath no fury" stuff is quite real.

I never liked the Doors much (mediocre backup band), but their version of "Stairway to Heaven" was bombastic, unexpected, sneakily potent and barreling ahead. By that I mean "cartoonish".; 11/10/17, 10:01 AM
traditionalguy said...: Funny, I kept thinking about the GOP Senate desperate to stop the Swamp Drainer in Chief from having any success while, Theresa May postpones Brexit another 2 years in hopes of any excuse to do nothing like the GOP Senate does it.; 11/10/17, 10:07 AM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Many years ago, I recall reading a article by a woman who had known Morrison pretty well back in the '60's, both before and after he became famous. I still remember her description of sleeping with him: "It was like getting into bed with an animated copy of Michelangelo's David."

But she also remembered Morrison had told her he had been fat in high school and that lithe body was achieved by basically giving up food for alcohol and drugs. The booze diet worked until it didn't - Morrison was pretty bloated by the time he died.

He was a ugly duckling who had a few brief years as a swan. She thought that gave him a vulnerability - and a sense of forever being on the outside looking in - that young people who have always been beautiful don't have.; 11/10/17, 10:11 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: I'm a big fan of The Doors.

I read a biography of Jim Morrison. He was an extreme alcoholic. The quantities of alcohol that he drank were amazing.

Keep that in mind when considering his conduct.; 11/10/17, 10:12 AM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Traditionalguy said...
Funny, I kept thinking about the GOP Senate desperate to stop the Swamp Drainer in Chief from having any success while, Theresa May postpones Brexit another 2 years in hopes of any excuse to do nothing like the GOP Senate does it."

Remember, 1848 was another Year of Revolutions. Most came to naught. The elites made sure of it then, and they are doing their damndest to kill the revolution of 2016 as well.; 11/10/17, 10:14 AM
Ann Althouse said...: The line in the song that appealed to me was "When you're strange, faces come out of the rain."

I liked the impressionism of describing how people look to you when you're walking in the rain and feeling alienated. The faces are disembodied and seem to originate from the rain, which blurs the entire field of vision, so that you don't see people until they are ominously close to you.

He knows he's the one with the problem. He doesn't say women are wicked, but only that they seem wicked to him because he is unloved.

He's not threatening violence. He understands the nature of his problem, and he doesn't have any idea of want to do about it other than to recognize that it is his problem. I don't know if he ever got medical help for his depression (or whatever it was). But putting the material into poetry is something else you can do. There's also — in the Louis CK case — comedy. Get on stage and expose yourself.; 11/10/17, 10:18 AM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: I do like the Doors. I love Morrison's voice. But people who consider him a poet have not read much poetry.; 11/10/17, 10:18 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "It was like getting into bed with an animated copy of Michelangelo's David."

Young women were very taken by curls in those days. That's the Michelangelo's David comparison. Look at the statue and the photographs of Morrison's naked torso and you will see a big difference. Morrison is very slender and not muscular.; 11/10/17, 10:20 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "But people who consider him a poet have not read much poetry."

The ancients sang their poetry. You might want to reflect on your use of the word "read."

Consult Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize speech.; 11/10/17, 10:21 AM
Ann Althouse said...: But Morrison also published written poems. And I'm not saying his sung poetry is good, but he had a few great lines.

"We want the world and we want it... now."; 11/10/17, 10:22 AM
Karen said...: That clip of the lost boys was terrifying to watch. Is that what it’s like inside the heads of those kids that have fallen prey to postmodernist nihilism?; 11/10/17, 10:30 AM
Greg said...: Speaking of the Corey's, I haven't seen too much coverage of the Charlie Sheen rape of Haim accusation. Only the Daily Mail original story, Twitchy, and 1 or 2 blogs. I wonder why, since Charlie is a bigger name than even Weinstein?; 11/10/17, 10:31 AM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Morrison is very slender and not muscular.

11/10/17, 10:20 AM

No, he wasn't, but neither were any other 60's rock stars. The Stones, the Beatles, the Who - the ideal male body of the time was slender. You '60's kids weren't into fitness yet and I imagine that at the time muscular male bodies were associated with the military and the military wasn't cool.; 11/10/17, 10:32 AM
William said...: I wonder if The Lost Boys has gotten a sudden increase in viewers. I'm still not interested. The Louis C.K. Movie has been shelved, but I'd like to see it. I'm sure it's much more interesting than that Jerry Lewis movie about the the sad clown in Auschwitz. When you stop to think about it, aren't we all sad clowns in Auschwitz.......Maybe in about five years, they'll release the Kevin Spacey version of the movie All The Money In The World, and we can compare his performance with that of Christopher Plummer. They say that the meat packing houses packaged everything on the pig except the squeal. Hollywood will find a way to package the squeal.; 11/10/17, 10:51 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "No, he wasn't..."

At first I thought you were disagreeing with me.

"... but neither were any other 60's rock stars. The Stones, the Beatles, the Who - the ideal male body of the time was slender."

Yes. That was the thing: Don't be fat. Thin was good, for men and women. We didn't care about women being curvaceous — hips, breasts, whatever — that seemed like the taste of the previous generation. Mod clothes, hiphuggers... these were for the thin.

"You '60's kids weren't into fitness yet and I imagine that at the time muscular male bodies were associated with the military and the military wasn't cool."

That's right. Fitness was very square. No sports, no competition. Peace and love.; 11/10/17, 10:52 AM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: "And I'm not saying his sung poetry is good, but he had a few great lines."

Oh, I think he had a certain gift as an imagist.

But Ray Manzarek (who was classically trained) and his talent as a keyboardist had as much to do with the Door's success as Morrison's word salads did. I barely noticed that when teenage me watched old clips of the Doors because I couldn't take my eyes off of Morrison and his black leather pants.; 11/10/17, 10:56 AM
William said...: I liked The Doors when. I was young, but the music hasn't carried forward. It's no longer Wagnerian, just excessive... ..I've lived long enough to see posterity. The Beach Boys are more endurable and enjoyable than The Doors. I didn't see that coming.; 11/10/17, 10:57 AM
mccullough said...: Never liked the androgynous look of guys like Morrison and Jagger. I was born in the 70s so I never understood the appeal of the counterculture look. The college hippie types looked like we lost World War II and all our best men were executed.; 11/10/17, 11:39 AM
Pinandpuller said...: Roadhouse Blues is great in the best movie ever.; 11/10/17, 11:48 AM
Lovernios said...: Exiled,

"But Ray Manzarek (who was classically trained) and his talent as a keyboardist had as much to do with the Door's success as Morrison's word salads did."

I found a You-tube version of Albinoni's famous adagio in G minor by the Doors. No Morrison (unless he's playing an instrument). It's interesting, but I still prefer to hear it played by organ and strings.; 11/10/17, 2:28 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Ooof. If we're going to consider them poets then I'd go Morrison over Dylan, easy.

I'm not sure I can fully trust anyone who doesn't like "LA Woman" at least a bit. I mean, I love it--it's one of the best songs ever recorded--but I don't expect everyone to agree to that extent. Someone who didn't like, or hated, that song, though? Suspicious.

Doors: LA Woman (Jim driving video); 11/10/17, 2:38 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Kids In Hall: Doors Fan; 11/10/17, 2:41 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: William said...The Beach Boys are more endurable and enjoyable than The Doors. I didn't see that coming.

Interesting. I like the Beach Boys a lot more now than when I was a kid but I like the Door about the same as I did back then. It's ok to still like both.; 11/10/17, 2:51 PM
Michael K said...: "The Beach Boys are more endurable and enjoyable than The Doors. I didn't see that coming."

I always like the Beach Boys. I never got into Rock and Roll when I was a kid.; 11/10/17, 3:26 PM
Assistant Village Idiot said...: I think strange is better understood as a combo for "stranger" + "stoned." Happens when you're on the road.; 11/10/17, 9:30 PM