On this day in 1971 Jim went to join the heroes. Celebrate!

Written by thehouseofvines

“People fear death even more than pain. It’s strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over.” — Jim Morrison, prophet

6 thoughts on “On this day in 1971 Jim went to join the heroes. Celebrate!”

  1. Hail to Jim Morrison on this, the anniversary of his death. Hail this hero of Dionysos. May his name be remembered forever.

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  2. I’ve got a bottle of whisky ready for tonight (since I can’t drink it, it’s all going to him), and I’m going to sit out on the porch and listen to his music as the sun sets.

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  3. I finally saw The Doors movie about a month ago. It was playing on TV and I caught it half-way through. I really enjoyed it. Tons of Dionysian themes in it. <3

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    1. It’s very much a modern hagiography, with the book it’s based on instrumental in shaping the popular conception of Morrison from the 80s on. Unfortunately it’s not a very accurate account, with lots of exaggerations and outright fabrications which Morrison’s bandmates and family have taken great pains to correct subsequently. But it’s a good fucking story, and shows the trials and tremendous pressure Neoi Dionysoi are often under. There’s also some interesting behind the scenes details which are pertinent to Neopagandom.

      The room where Jim and Patricia have their handfasting is filled with books from the personal library of Scott Cunningham. Oliver Stone wanted it to look authentic, so he paid to have part of Cunningham’s collection shipped overseas. Unfortunately because of the lighting and quick cuts you can barely see the books, and they were damaged in transit. (For which Cunningham was handsomely compensated.)

      The elder Wiccan priestess who oversaw the rite was played by Patricia herself, who has published extensively on her Celtic witchcraft tradition, as well as a series of books in which King Arthur is transported into space. (And it just gets crazier from there.)

      And the book Morrison is reading in the hallway at college is Jane Ellen Harrison’s seminal treatise on Dionysos Prolegamena to the Study of Greek religion which Morrison talks about having read at the time. (It shaped a lot of his core conceptions, and if I recall correctly was his formal introduction to the God.) Morrison also read a history of magic, which he wrote extensive notes in the margins of. A few years ago his copy actually surfaced when Morrison’s college roommate (whom he had given it to when he dropped out) had it appraised by the Antiques Roadshow team. I would put a bullet in the head of the last panda bear to read those scholia.

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