Frank Lisciandro was a close friend of Jim Morrison. He worked, traveled and partied with Jim for three years, photographing and filming the Doors at the height of their popularity.
Last year (1982) Frank Lisciandro wrote a book about his experiences with Jim Morrison entitled "Jim Morrison, An Hour For Magic, Photo journal" (Delilah Books) We, at the Campus Advertiser, take real pride in presenting this very special interview with Frank Lisciandro.
Q - Why don't Morrison's parents speak out about their son?
A - His father is an ex-Navy Admiral, and they tend to be rather conservative, military people. I don't think they've ever realized
Jim's greatness, and I think they've always been ashamed that he was busted in Miami, and busted in New Haven. It doesn't fit the image of a military man. In a sense, they would prefer that nothing be written about him. They don't like the way it reflects on them, believe it or not. They don't see the greatness in their son, rather they see the embarrassment it causes them. Because of that, they've been totally uncooperative with everyone. I did hear that they liked my book quite a lot. Although I didn't need their cooperation, it was nice to hear that. But, even his sister hasn't spoken up, or his brother. They would just rather cherish the kind of images they had of him rather than have a publicity thing go out. So they're not very sympathetic to the fans' needs or the people who really idolize Jim even to this day. There are young people and older people even, who find him a great innovator, a great rock singer, lyricist, poet. And these people want more and more Information about him. The parents and the family don't see that really. They just don't want the exposure, so, they haven't been generous with their information about Jim. Hopefully, that will change.
Q - Why is Jim Morrison so popular today?
A - When Jim wrote, he wrote from a
universal standpoint. That is, he dealt with themes that are universal, and they are timeless. He dealt with love, death, sex, breaking away from one's family, mysticism, breaking on through to the other side. To see a new reality, he talked about rebellion and revolution. Those are things that are a lot different than "Sixteen Candles", boy meets girl, boy loses girl. Not only were his themes meaningful, but the way he addressed those themes, the way he treated them. He read deeply into philosophy, and psychology. He was a very learned and well-read person and he was able to talk about those things in a way that people responded then, and still respond to. I think people who listen to him are attracted now both by his physical image, his voice, and also the things he wrote and talked about because those subjects are always meaningful to people.
Judy Huddleston was only 17 when she met Jim Morrison. She was a model in Los Angeles. The year was 1967. What happened after their initial meeting is chronicled in
Judy's book "This Is The End My Only Friend, Living and Dying With Jim Morrison"
We spoke with Judy Huddleston about her life and times with Jim Morrison.
Q - If Jim Morrison hadn't been a rock star, would you have put up with the kind of terrible treatment he dished out to you?
A - Probably if he had been an artist or a writer I would have. He wouldn't have had to have been a rock star. If he would have been some sort of artist or writer whose work I loved, yeah. I wasn't even interested in people who weren't.
Q - Judy, how do we know that Jim Morrison really did die on July 3rd, 1971?
Alan Graham was part of the inner circle of the Morrison family. He was married to Jim Morrison’s sister, Ann. As a member of the Morrison family, Alan was privy to information that the outside world could only guess about. Alan served as a consultant to Oliver Stone’s film "The Doors". Gary James talked with Alan Graham about one of rock’s enduring legends, Jim Morrison.
Q - If Jim died on July 3, 1971, why did we hear about it six days later, on July 9?
A - Jim Morrison died on July 3 and the next day was July 4. We only heard about it ourselves on July 6. It wasn’t reported to the press until the third day, because Pamela had kept it a secret for those 3 days so she could get her stuff in order, so she could get back to America. The day she left from Paris to America was July 6. That’s when it was reported to the press. And only at the burial.
Q - Alan, again, do you think Jim Morrison is alive?
A - Well, in this day and age, I don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, it’s possible. The only person who knows is Pamela Courson (who died of a drug overdose in 1974). Don’t forget the body was put on ice overnight. The morgues were closed. It was left on Saturday and Sunday night ‘til Monday morning and his body was really blue. She never saw it. Nobody saw that body ‘til it came from the morgue in the coffin, ready for the funeral. Pamela wouldn’t look at it. Nobody looked at it. The likelihood that it could’ve been somebody else is extremely high and Morrison could’ve seen it and went into hiding and said this is my chance to get away from all this.
Q - Get away from all of what?
A - His life and the people around him. I don’t want to be the person who says he’s alive in Africa somewhere. As sure as the Admiral is not at peace with himself, neither am I. I don’t know. I can’t say he’s dead. Nobody knows anything except the girl that put him in that coffin and that was Pamela and she’s dead. The others were junkies. It could’ve been anybody in that coffin. Nobody knew where they were, ‘cause they were all on heroin, including Pamela, smacked up at the funeral. It could have been a perfect road for escape for Morrison.
Is Jim Morrison alive? Did he fake his death? Gerald Pitts says yes to both questions. He knows Jim Morrison. He's talked to Jim Morrison. He's photographed Jim Morrison. How is this possible you ask? We'll let Gerald Pitts tell the story, a story by the way that marks the first time he's gone into such detail with any interviewer.
Q - This news that Jim Morrison is alive and working as an actor and you're his agent...
A - Whoa! Jim working as an actor.
Q - Didn't he appear in one of your films?
A - Well yeah, he did. Here's the situation: In 1999 Jim went out on a ranch. I put out a rodeo stage coach specialty together for him. See, that's online.
Q - Are you his agent?
A - Yeah.
Q - This should be a big story - that Jim Morrison is alive.
Photographer / Artist Ed Wincenten of Tulsa, Oklahoma has put together a rather unique look at Jim Morrison. Ed's book contains material on Morrison that you've never seen before. We're talking about pictures, posters and handbills. How'd he do it? Where did this material come from? We put those questions and more to Ed Wincentsen.
Q - Of all the people you could have written a book about, you chose Jim Morrison. Why? Don't you think there's already enough material out there on Morrison?
A - I wanted to do a book on Jim Morrison even though there was a lot of material coming out due to the movie, because there was one main theme I wanted to state; the theme being that I considered Jim Morrison a real poet, a poet that transcends even his fame as the rock and roll singer of The Doors. I tried to state this in the short piece I wrote for the beginning of the book. Also, I wanted the book to be meant as an artistic tribute to Morrison, like from a visual artist. Here is my tribute to Jim Morrison, poet, artist.
Q - How did you know where to turn to for material on Morrison?
A - I knew my approach to my book had a certain place that the others didn't because I also wanted to include reproductions of certain posters, handbills, and newspaper ads to try to capture a little of the times. I knew no other book was doing that and I also wanted to locate as many photos that had not been published before. Also, doing my color design work to images was going to be an exclusive for the book. Being a photographer, I knew how to track down photos for the book. I also had some sources that put me in touch with some people that had rare, unpublished items. We were able to obtain a rare Tulsa Doors concert poster for the collector Andrew Hawley, who traded us permission to use some of his collection for the book. Andrew had been approached by other publishers and had been offered cash to use his collection, but he turned many offers down. With us getting this one poster he had wanted for years, gave us that collection for the book. I used posters, handbills that did not have the copyright laws. They were public domain, the ones I used, but unpublished.
The Strange Deaths of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin
Is it just a coincidence that three of the biggest names in rock - Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin - should all die within a year? Director / writer Larry Buchanan doesn't think so. He believes Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were murdered and Jim Morrison faked his own death. Mr. Buchanan wrote and directed the film "Beyond The Doors" which explores the mysterious deaths of the three superstars. And, when it comes to movie-making, Larry Buchanan is no slouch. He's been in the business for 30 years now. Most of his work was done for American International Pictures. He gave Morgan Fairchild her first job in a picture - with Fabian. He also gave Steve McQueen his first job in a film, on a short subject, called "The Cowboy". Mr. Buchanan also knew Marilyn Monroe.
In the history of rock 'n roll only three names - Morrison, Hendrix, and Joplin - stand alongside of Elvis and The Beatles.
Did the music of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin get them killed? If so, why? And how did it happen?
Let filmmaker Larry Buchanan take you on an exploration of the seamier side of rock 'n roll - a world "Beyond The Doors".
Q - How did you first become interested in the lives of Jim, Jimi, and Janis?
A - Too many things started to line up like ducks in a row on the three rock stars. The only one I knew was Janis. We were making these films in Dallas. One of her last concerts was in Lewisville, which is just north of Dallas, near Lake Dallas. We shot movies all around there. And so, my unit went out to do this on their own. They were just being paid to shoot the concert. So, I went out. I started talking to her and some things just started to match up with what I'd heard about Morrison and Hendrix. That is, that all three of them were under surveillance and being tapped. At that time, Nixon was desperately afraid of not being re-elected. There was legislation ready for passage, which it did pass, where 18-year-olds were to get to vote. Well, these were the King and Queen of Rock and the Heir Apparent to Rock - Morrison. Hendrix, Morrison, and Janis could actually make a difference-on an 18-year-old vote, with Nixon being out of the White House. It was that simple. So, they were to be followed and discredited. They started gathering stuff on them. Their excesses with sex, their excesses with drugs. Their income tax problems. Everything you could think of. They started building up folders on these people. It got so desperate that the word came down - Exterminate with Extreme Prejudice. In other words, these people are to be, the word they used, is neutralized. Neutralized means get rid of them. And the word quote is this: "They must go in the way they are expected to go." For example, Janis must take vodka with orange juice loaded with poison. She took one of those in the motel and went on the floor. Hendrix choked on his own vomit in an ambulance on the way to a hospital. Now remember, these people are not idiots. They had dealt with drugs all their lives. The idea of Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix overdosing - they did not overdose on anything. They were fixed. They were worked through this thing. In other words, it looks so simple. All we get is a cable from London - Jimi Hendrix, overdosed on drugs, dead. Janis Joplin, overdosed on drugs, dead. That's all you hear. You start peeking into it and you find it just doesn't add up. They didn't get Morrison. He escaped. He got through the tunnel. It had to be the work of the 'Thirty-Nine Steps.' These are ex-F.B.I., ex-NSA, and ex-C.I.A. They are funded for the rest of this century. They were originally funded by Jack Kennedy's father. A very wealthy man, and a very sinister person, to make sure his boys made it. Nothing could stand in the way. These are power mad people. Like Lyndon Johnson, who was successor to the throne of the Kennedys in power. So these people had to be eliminated. And that's what happened.
Q - And Morrison?
A - My wife and I went to Paris, to visit the Pere La Chaise cemetery. Now this is where Balzac is buried, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, and Jim Morrison. The man who let us in did not want to talk to us, but because we had a friend with us, he confirmed a story about Ray Manzarek (Doors keyboard player). Manzarek has been recorded in several books as having stood on that grave and said, 'Jim is not here.' Now that is an actual quote. I didn't hear him. I'm only telling you I've seen it in print. This man told me that's true.
