People Are Strange

Future former Governor Charlie Crist is reportedly considering a posthumous pardon of Doors great Jim Morrison.  The deeper meaning eludes me, but when Josh Marshall is right, he's right.

Comments

[peter]

Doors fans have clamored for years to get Morrison’s name cleared,

Huh? Where is the clamoring taking place, at the WNEW reunion?
Jerks like Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain always seem to know that dying is the best career move

[J2]

Possibly young Charlie Crist was at the concert in question.

Proustian sentiment.

[Captain Hate]

When I returned from my first visit to Paris, a friend asked me if I'd visited Jim Morrison's grave. I told him that was probably the last place I'd ever think of going.

There was a documentary about his life somewhat recently on Pravda-TV. Once I got past the vomit-in-my-mouth standard sociological garbage about the sixties, it did a pretty good job of portraying what a pain he was like to be around. Kind of like Crist.

[Porchlight]

Some Doors music is pretty awesome, and I admit to having had a small crush on Morrison when I was around 12 or 13. As an adult I have never had the slightest interest in him or his life. Seemed like a huge jerk.

Crist is a weird guy.

[narciso]

Well compared to some of the current musical offerings nowadays, Morrison is a 'bloody
genius' like Gump's drill sgt might have said.
And he was right on that point, made even clearere by INXS's cover

[anduril]

Bad Sign, from Dave Johnson:

Tea Party Betrayed Already?

I have been writing about the Tea Party, and asking what they will do if/when the DC Republicans betray them.. CAF has set up a page for the Tea Party Getting Played series. This is the latest in the series.

So, how's that new Tea Party Congress working out for Tea Party supporters who expected that the lobbyists were going to be cleared out, the "too-big-to-fail" Wall Street banks brought under control and laws enforced?

The election was Tuesday, and on Thursday the expected new Chair of the House financial services committee warned regulators to lay of Wall Street, particularly Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, and not enforce the "Volker Rule" in the new Wall Street reform law. That's right, told them not to enforce the law.

In Financial Times, US regulators warned on new bank legislation, (Matthew Yglesias c/o Brad DeLong)

Spencer Bachus, a potential Republican chairman of the House financial services committee, has fired the first salvo in a battle with regulators – warning them against harming US banks by curbing their trading activity.

. . . Mr Bachus says that a ban on proprietary trading – known as the Volcker rule – ... in the new Dodd-Frank financial reform law will “impose substantial costs on the American economy and market participants” with “doubtful” benefits.

. . . The proprietary trading ban, named after Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman who proposed it, was opposed by most Republicans when it was passed by Congress in June. It also restricts banks’ investments in hedge funds and private equity firms.

Last week, in Tea Party Members VS Tea Party Wall Street Funders, I pointed out that Tea Party supporters expect their politicians to do something about Wall Street bailouts, lawbreaking and "too-big-to-fail" domination of the economy, but Tea Party candidates were receiving a great deal of funding from that very same Wall Street. This set up a potential conflict between Tea Party supporters and Tea Party politicians.

Now that the election is over, we're all just waiting for what we think is coming, and asking: What will Tea Party members do when their politicians betray them?

[Danube of Thought]

Well, you gotta admit he was a truly inspired poet. I mean how do you hop this:

"There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the King's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake...he's old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest
The blue bus is callin' us
The blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you taken' us

[Danube of Thought]

*top* this

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

I didn't know he was dead and I didn't know he needed pardoning. What exactly was he convicted of?

[Captain Hate]

In case I've confuse anybody, I liked the Doors but thought the screaming adulation over them was extremely over the top. Morrison was extremely self-destructive and wouldn't listen to anybody but the voices in his head. "Morrison Hotel" really rocked (I always thought their "ethereal" stuff was highly overrated) but was probably their last hurrah. The organist, Ray Manzarek, was instrumental in the formation and promotion of the LA punk group, X, whose member John Doe, reminds me a lot of the positive aspects of Morrison and was able to curb some of his self-destructive excesses. He still makes good solo recordings and I would imagine Porch is familiar with his music.

[Captain Hate]

Jane, he was arrested in Florida for something like "public lewdness" in one of his concerts.

[anduril]

Pelosi, Reid May Have Passed Their Sell-By Date: Albert Hunt

[narciso]

He's not a tea party favorite, here's why:

http://reason.com/blog/2010/11/07/why-is-ron-paul-supporting-spe

[Appalled]

DoT:

Remember that the ride on the blue bus is a rough ride, cause you have Nancy and Barry and Harry inside. The Blue bus will bounce you around. Because you have Barry's friends and blue dogs lying on the ground, lying as the blue bus drives them into the ground, into the ground..ground...

As Nancy says:

C'mon baby light my...umm...fire?

[Danube of Thought]

Exposed himself on stage, fully erect.

His dad, Steve, was a truly fine naval aviator and a prince of a guy. He was Commander, Task Force 77 when the destroyer I was in was part of that force over in 7th Fleet. When my car was stolen in D.C. In 1971 I bought an old VW from his mom for $100.

They were dear friends of my parents', and they ended up retiring in the San Diego area and my sister and I would see them socially from time to time. He was a great storyteller and a very charming guy, but he would never bring up Jim (and neither would I). I have no idea what caused Jim's pathological relationship with his parents, but they had to have been broken-hearted.

[Dave (in MA)]

Damn it, DoT, I was going to write "Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine".

[anduril]

Just in terms of style, has there ever been a more obsequious opportunist than Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina? Here is somebody who voted for the bank bailouts, the confirmation of two liberal Supreme Court nominees, national ID cards, amnesty for “illegals”, and is known and loved by the liberal media for his penchant for “reaching across the aisle” – in short, a RINO – now trying to save his own neck in the midst of a conservative upsurge. How is he doing it? By warmongering, of course.

In front of an international audience at a security conference in Halifax, Canada, Graham declared that it’s time to go to war with Iran:

And he has a reasonable chance of success.

[Captain Hate]

Just in terms of style, has there ever been a more obsequious opportunist than Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina?

Probably but that doesn't mean he's not really bad and fully deserving of a primary challenger.

DoT, the doc I mentioned earlier mentioned his father and kept the snide references of the disconnect to a minimum

[narciso]

That's like that moonbat BG columnist who was the son of the founder of the DIA, now if you want your fool quotient of weird;

[Porchlight]

Cap'n, I love John Doe and X (although I don't like Exene - I prefer the stuff where she is firmly on background vocals). He's not a bad actor either . And Ray Manzarek is very talented.

That's a sad story, DoT, about Morrison and his family. I'm sorry for his parents.

[Captain Hate]

Porch, there's an X anthology of outtakes, concert recordings and demos, called "Beyond and Back" where Exene gives a hilarious pre-song smackdown of Debbie Harry for being snotty to her; other than that I agree with you. Although when she and Doe were hitched they must've destroyed plenty of LA bars inventories before the tumultuous pairing was terminated. X's drummer, DJ Bonebrake, shows up on jazz recordings every now and then where he also plays vibes very well.

[Frau Nebenan]

"Exposed himself on stage, fully erect."
This doesn't happen if you remember to Lean Forward.

Sorry to be out of it with the man and his music. I wouldn't know it if I heard it. I could understand it if someone wanted to erase Paul Rubens's "crime." He was sitting in a darkened theater bothering no one. As a fellow fan said, "I'd rather shake Paul's hand than that of the policeman who arrested him."

[Porchlight]

Cap'n, don't forget Dave Alvin, although he wasn't in the band very long. X's version of his song "Fourth of July" is one of my all-time favorites.

[matt]

well, he was the Lizard King, so if we're all thinking with our lizard brains, as Arianna Huffenstuff, tells us, we must acknowledge his contribution.....

Having said that, their music was pretty damn good at times when one was 21 years old with ones hair on fire.

Morrison was arrested in Miami for exposing himself in concert. At that point he was just another junkie, albeit with worshipful enablers....

on the way in to work this am I listened to some hard koto (Yoshida Bros), some very nice Brazilian bossa nova/hip hop, Love will Keep Us Together, by the Captain and Tenille, and Promised Land by Master C. Berry. The random feature on my iPod is truly random. When Promised Land came on, all I could think of was that if he had written the song today, it would not have been about California.

Used to see X all over town way back when, Capt. My sis was very close with them and the Blasters.I kept my distance for the reasons you mention. Nice people but the LA music scene in general was highly volatile.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

That CT guy has gotten 4 death penalty verdicts to far. Phew, I was afraid the deliberations went on too long for that.

[Captain Hate]

Yeah Porch, I've seen Dave Alvin a couple times post X; he's a good guitarist but I'm surprised he hasn't fried his ears with how loud he plays. X's version of "Fourth of July" is the schizz.

Is Billy Zoom still alive and playing? Matt might know that....

[Sue]

Jane,

I told my husband this morning it was going to be life, they were deliberating too long and it was CT after all. I owe them a mea culpa, it seems.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

They really did a fine job.

It seems like such an obvious decision, but maybe not if you have to make it.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

Sue,

The father just invoked Christopher Hitchens in his press conference.

[macphisto]

Morrison was too drunk to be anywhere near standing at attention at the time of his arrest, according to court testimony by Manzarek and the Doors' road manager (whose mane escapes me); they tried to stop him from exposing himself but failed.

Billy Zoom is indeed still alive and playing; he posts on a forum i frequent dedicated to Gretsch guitars, the brand recently having issued a BZ signature model after his trademark Silver Jet. X occasionally do reunion gigs/short tours, and Billy is involved with a variety of other projects. he also builds his own line of amplifiers and tube reverb units, and also does amp repair/maintenance; he's known for maintaining Brian Setzer's gear, and is an expert on vintage tube gear. did you know he was once Gene Vincent's lead guitarist?

[macphisto]

NAME escapes me.

[Dave (in MA)]

It's funny that Dave Alvin and the Blasters were mentioned. I just downloaded my first two Dave Alvin tracks from iTunes and Amazon last night.

[East Bay Jay]

At San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass a month ago, John Doe was part of the Songwriter's Circle, Exene played at the Porch Stage, and Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women played the Rooster Stage (as he has been doing for at least 3 or 4 years straight). Phil Alvin, as an audience surprise, even showed up to sing and strum on Maria Maria. Practically an LA RnR reunion.

[macphisto]

i always thought it was a shame that the Alvin brothers split...Dave is a good writer, but i think Phil was way better as a front man singing the songs. together they were more than the sum of the parts.

[sbw]

But what about the Soggy Bottom Boys?

[Dave (in MA)]

macphisto, I don't disagree, but check out Dave Alvin's version of "Border Radio" from "King of California" and tell me that the lyrics aren't much more appropriate in this setting than in the uptempo Blasters version.

[Dave (in MA)]

sbw, I don't mean to be tellin' tales out of school, but there's a feller in there that'll pay you ten dollars if you sing into his can.

[macphisto]

that link doesn't work.

i'm not one to harp on the Blasters...i just think that when the inevitable artistic-growth-differences thing happens as it does with young-ish bands, it's sad that the ways in which bandmates complement each other get lost. you could look at Uncle Tupelo as a great example of this, in that IMO Farrar has never been as effective or Tweedy as likeable.

[PaulY]

Like the lawyer Rex, Morrison had a good defense
"de minimus non curat lex"
or the law does not concern itself with trifles

[Porchlight]

Practically an LA RnR reunion.

Cool. Actually thinking of "King of California," which I haven't thought of in years, maybe I like Dave's version of "Fourth of July" the best. Tough call.

[Porchlight]

you could look at Uncle Tupelo as a great example of this, in that IMO Farrar has never been as effective or Tweedy as likeable.

Good points. I initially liked Son Volt better than Wilco - I saw SV's first show ever at the 7th St. Entry in Mpls in 1995, and really liked them a lot for awhile, but eventually I realized Wilco was a lot more interesting.

Frankly at this point I can't stand either band - Tweedy's ego and arty tricksiness is just too much and Farrar's been making the same record for 15 years (longer if you count the Tupelo stuff). But my husband's band becamse the beneficiary of an ex-Wilco member so thanks, Jeff, for firing all those guys! ;)

[Captain Hate]

did you know he was once Gene Vincent's lead guitarist?

No but I'm not surprised by that because when in X he would never reveal his age which almost always means he's a *lot* older than you'd think. Thanks for the info.

While we're on the topic of Dave Alvin and Gene Vincent, are there any Sonny Burgess fans here? He was one of the original Sun artists who never made it that big but was known for his wild shows. Strangely enough, along with guitar he played trumpet which you can hear on some of his manic early sides. He then disappeared for a long time until Dave Alvin spearheaded bringing him back on "Tennessee Border", a Hightone release that Dave plays on, and also showed up on a self-titled release on Rounder, of all labels. I'm as far from a boomer-fu classic crock let's-remember-when-we-were-young-and-really-really-stupid codger reunion tours as you can get (and don't get me started on cover bands unless you want to experience the most antisocial rant ever) but these releases smoked with the freshness of the Sun releases. So I went to see him at some toilet of a club that gets cleaned annually and he was great. He had some kid from Nashville on lead that was playing jaw-dropping lines and Sonny's no slouch himself. It was a magical evening that restored my faith in rock. Of course there's no payola involved so the robber barons in "the biz" have no interest in pushing him but you'd all be well advised to seek out his stuff at the library or something just to check him out.

[Captain Hate]

One thing about Wilco: It's a great money making opportunity for guitarist Nels Cline so it can finance his more adventurous projects. I saw them with my younger Hatette when they were touring after the release of "Being There" and you could still see them in a reasonably small venue.

[daddy]

I took ">http://www.denacwilliams.com/FlatStanley.gif"> Flat Stanley to the Poet's Graveyard in Paris one inebriated evening, so we could take a photo of "Flat" on Jim Morrison's tombstone.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

[Captain Hate]

Link the image or it didn't happen, daddy. We've taken some Flat Stanley pix around Cleveburgh for one of Mrs. H's niece's kids.

[BobDenver]

PaulY, it is "de minimis non curat lex." The use of the preposition "de" dictates the use of the dative case ending "is." Sorry to fuss over a small matter (ironically enough), but this is a real pet peeve of mine.

You are all on notice.

[daddy]

DoT,

I am so impressed that you knew Morrison's family. Had always heard good stuff about the Dad. Thanks for confirming that.

I liked Door's music huge as a kid (mainly the 1st 2 albums) but always thought it unusual his Dad was the CO of I think the Ranger. Manzarik was brilliant on the keyboards.

[daddy]

Give me some time Captain and I'll see if I can get it from my partner on that long ago expedition. It was about 10 years back and it was his kid's Stanley, (my kids weren't old enuff for "Flat" at the time.

I know I posted about it about 3-4 years back because after we stopped off at the Sphinx monument to Oscar Wilde in the same graveyard, and Verner got us going on a big Oscar Wilde comment fest since she knew stuff about him.

Let me e-mail my partner in stupidity and see if he still has it somewhere.

[sbw]

"the law does not concern itself with trifles"

Self-deprecating, but please don't let me have to be the judge of that.

[Captain Hate]

No sweat daddy; I was just seeing if you still had it.

[daddy]

Captain Hate,

E-mail sent off to my co-conspirator in the matter.

Meanwhile googling JOM and Flat Stanley/Jim Morrison got me to this from this March 2009 JOM post ">http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2009/03/the-only-star-he-knows-is-pronounced-obama.html"> The Only Star He Knows Is Pronounced "Obama"

"Wow,

Thanks Clarice and Verner. What wonderful stuff I learn hanging out here. On our visit, my co-pilot and I were on a nutty mission to take a colored drawing of Flat Stanley and get a photo of him on Jim Morrison's grave for a Second Grader, and the rest was just bonus nuttiness. We had been up all night, and this spur of the moment adventure was like Otter and Bluto in Animal House at 2 am, "Road Trip!" Now I know I've got to go back. It's also fascinating how Oscar Wilde was apparently so well liked by ordinary American's on his cross country tour, when the general idea was that they would hate him. I vaguely remember that from a few years back, but suspect Verner is much more knowledgeable about it.

Posted by: daddy | March 24, 2009 at 06:01 PM"

Circumstantial evidence I know, but a P'UK sighting occured so here's his wonderful input: ""We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars".Obviuosly not Obaaamaaaa."

And that was preceded by some guy from Maryland who said the following: " I know that puts me in the same category as the jug-eared illiterate in the White House but I'm sure I spent less time putting mine together.

Posted by: Captain Hate | March 24, 2009 at 07:01 AM"

That's actually a very fun thread from all involved:)

And where the heck is Verner?

[Oh, it's Springtime in Mission Valley.]

I heard a Doors concert in San Diego in 1967 at the stadium near 14th and B. I didn't have a ticket. Later I saw OJ Simpson run third in a quarter mile relay in which USC set a world record, which still stands.
================

[Neo]

I know Jim Morrison. He's a postal worker .. and still alive.

[Dave (in MA)]

If he's a postal worker, how can you tell he's alive? At my PO you need time-lapse photography in order to detect any movement.

[daddy]

Dave in Ma,

Thought this story linked via Insty was interesting: ">http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/15764-California-state-agencies.html">
ANY WONDER WHY CALIF. IS GOING BROKE?

It is simply a listing of the more than 500 State Agencies in California that have sprouted like mushrooms in horse-dung and are strangling business and bleeding the State dry. A commenter just down a few from the top prints a list of Massachusetts agencies and say it totals more than California's, reaching 539 as opposed to California's 514 agencies. He's a little off as some of the Massachusetts Agencies are double listed under different 1st words, but it's still a hell of a lot of Bureaucracy, and certainly makes one pine for the days when the motto was "That Government is best which Governs least."

[MaryD]

LOL, Dave! It's because you live in Massachusetts! Since leaving Boston for rural New Hampshire, I've come to love our Post Office staff. Really!

[macphisto]

and every bloody one of those Califorina agencies and commissions has a staff of people making $80 or 100 thousand a year, and an executive or a supervisory board of termed-out or voted-out politician(s) staying employed at $200 thousand/yr. while waiting for the next public office to become available. if i didn't have a spouse who'll never leave California and a house bought at the tippy-top of the market...

[matt]

hey daddy;

Don't cry for me California. LUN

[Frau Nebenan]

From the WSJ comments just for Janet:
"Yes, Virginia, some conservatives do wear Birkenstocks."

Dave(MA) - I'd say "Ugh" to your music but I don't know what to call it! Just kidding about the "Ugh" but I still don't know what to call the music. I associate it with sad vibes in the continuum.

[Dave (in MA)]

Ugh, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRPyRV8aO7o>this is what I attempted to link earlier. The perils of copy/paste on unix. The still-great http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmaXdkC0zE4>Blasters version seems just too upbeat sounding for the poignant lyrics after hearing Dave Alvin's own take.

[Dave (in MA)]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii1gm9MTdbA>This is the performance that I came across over the weekend that started me looking into his music.

[PD]

I know nothing about the Blasters, but I do enjoy Blaster the Rocket Man and their offshoot, Voice of the Mysterons.

Oddly enough, I have never heard that anyone else at the Baptist congregation I attend listens to them.

[Or wish I had.]

Verner seems to have been very busy since the flood, but I'm almost sure I've seen one brief comment.
==============

[Porchlight]

I saw them with my younger Hatette when they were touring after the release of "Being There" and you could still see them in a reasonably small venue.

Cap'n, that was a good tour. Tweedy is by far the better songwriter, I just wish he was a bit more consistent and less of an egotist.

I think I have a Sonny Burgess LP somewhere. Haven't seen my LPs since I got married...time to get the belt replaced on the old turntable.

Dave (in MA), King of California is such a great record. Thanks for reminding me of it.

[Danube of Thought]

What was the gist of the father's reference to Hitchens?

[Lord Moonbatten]

Sorry, Charlie, but as you know, the future's uncertain and the end is always near.

Fortunately, your future's just a little bit more certain after last Tuesday.

::smiles::

[srp]

X's Beyond and Back disc is really great. Good for driving because it has a zillion good tracks on it (I only have a single-disc CD player in my car). I like Exene a bit more than some of you, but her main contribution was an uncanny ability to sing flat and create those weird harmonies that made the band's sound distinctive.

John Doe's Year in the Wilderness album from a few years ago is very good also. The Golden State on that (a duet with Kathleen Edwards) is a particular favorite.

[Porchlight]

create those weird harmonies

You could call them "harmonies." No, actually, I do agree with you, they (and she) are what make the band distinctive. I just like them best when she's in the mix, but a little more off to the side.

"Around My Heart" is another gem I looked up today.

[lift chair]

There is always a room to improve and patience is all we have. But what if this will be a bit hazy? AN a person, we all have our own individual differences. I am just looking forward for the best. Let us all be optimistic.

[Sam]

Because he's dead can't they just sort it out without all the problems and fuss that this sort of thing carries with it??

Sam.
free bets

[Captain Hate]

John Doe's Year in the Wilderness album from a few years ago is very good also. The Golden State on that (a duet with Kathleen Edwards) is a particular favorite.

Completely agree with this; as soon as I heard the song in my car I thought "That's Kathleen Edwards" who has a very distinctive voice (and I can almost guarantee is a complete moonbat politically; the tradeoffs we have to make..).

While we're on X, is there a better tribute to gin-joints than "The Have Nots"?

Drink at the Bar Nothing bar anything
But the bottom step of the ladder
It keeps gettin' higher and higher

chorus:

Dawn comes soon enough for the working class
It keeps getting sooner or later
This is the game that moves as you play
How does it feel to have your own bottle of booze
Behind the bar how does it feel
To play cards with the barmaids while they work
At Jocko's Rocket Ship and the One Eyed Jack
My Sin and The Lucky Star
A steady place to study and drink

bridge:

Day old days
Ancient bloody mary bastards in a hard-
Core blue collar bar
Here we sit
A shot and a beer
After another hard earned day

(repeat chorus)

At the Hi-D-Hi and the Hula Gal
Beehive Bar and the Zircon Lounge
G.G.'s Cozy Corner, The Gift of Love
Stop 'N' Drink, Sit 'N' Sip, Rest 'N Pieces
Dexter's New Approach and The Get Down Lounge
The Aorta Bar, Detroit's Main Vein...