Projected Rumour
"One word leads into another
until they all add up to make a sentence."
In 1970 Jim Morrison was sentenced
to three years in Raiford Prison in Dade County
Florida, for misusing his words during a Doors'
concert there in 1969.
Although no photography was produced at his trial
showing genital exposure, Jim had threatened theatrically
to do so, and the power of suggestion and hysteria
that followed convicted him of a crime he did not
actually commit.
Was it lewd and lascivious behavior in public?
Perhaps yes, if you consider bad language to be detrimental
to the health and well being of an audience populated
primarily by teenagers.
But do you really suppose he exposed himself
and nobody took a picture?
Hundreds of flesh-seeking flash cubes signified
the use of myriad instamatics that evening,
yet none recorded a single inch of evidence
revealing Morrison's prick at posterity.
.
Time past future oppotunity...
.
Months later Jim and I had lunch together
weeks before his flight to Paris where he eventually
disappeared.
We talked about his trial of tribulaton
and the probability of his serving several years
behind bars in the slammer.
During the conversation he touched lightly
on his thoughts for the future and mentioned
the possibility of a change in identity.
We joked about his putting on blackface and going
underground 'incognegro," but that was just because
we couldn't resist the play on words and it had
absolutely nothing to do with anything racial - just facial.
He expressed a desire to drop the role of
"teen idol" and so-called "SuperStar" performer
altogether - and, having had it with Hollywood hype
he wanted to get on with perfecting his life
by performing his art; anonymously,
if necessary, incognito for freedom and survival.
When lunch and conversation were over
we parted as friends sometimes do when they sense
they may never again see each other;
after shaking my hand, warmly, he saunterd his way...
and I went mine.
But before departure he gave me one final choice
of napkin-scribbled words which I shall now write
and ask that you recite distinctly:
"The man who travels cross-country
in a caravan of One,
is always alone in unfamilar places
where he is no longer a general
to anyone in particular."
to be continued...
Morrison Moments Voice Recordings
