The king is dead, long live the king! 

Ben Franklin said that some people die at age 25 and aren’t buried until they are 75. Jim, on the contrary, was buried at age 27 yet his legend lives on. You may know Jim Morrison as the lead vocalist of The Doors, a historical figure, or a rock’n’roll icon. I know him as a poet.

“Riders on the storm

Riders on the storm

Into this house, we’re born

Into this world, we’re thrown”

The Doors, Riders on the storm (1971)

The Doors, a reference to Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception, was born as a result of Jim’s poetic creation and the fantastic work of the great musicians Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore.

Morrison, also known as the Lizard King, was inspired by artists and thinkers such as Jack Kerouac, Franz Kafka, Jean Cocteau, the French existentialists, and last but not least, American folklore.

He was a dauntless adventurer and a mystic who would write all of his hermetic poems in the desert, inspired by nature and the native American spirit.

Was it because of his charm or his good art, he quickly became one of the most popular rock stars in the world. By the age of 27, though, he found fame too exhausting and decided to shift… to Paris! Where else do real artists go, after all? 

“Can you picture what will be?

So limitless and free

Desperately in need of some stranger’s hand

In a desperate land”

Jim Morrison

Jim’s death in Paris was as mysterious as his life. Today, his grave is the easiest to find among the graves of famous artists in the Père Lachaise cemetery. It’s the grave that has the most visitors, flowers, and cigarettes.

Morrison’s bohemian lifestyle was an act of rebellion and, as one of his favorite literary gurus once said, the only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. 

Did you appreciate this post? Follow @art_of_saudade on Instagram for more travel-related posts!

Want to support the blog?