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New Musical Express
'This is undeniably an excellent...history of The Doors - probably the best so far' New Musical Express
Book Description
Since his death in 1971 Jim Morrison - poet, film maker and lead singer of the Doors - has achieved cult status comparable to the likes of James Dean and Elvis Presley. Worshipped by fans, hated by the establishment and hounded by the media, Jim Morrison is still a icon to the young 28 years after his death.
Break on Through is based on exhaustive research and extensive new interviews with everyone connected with Jim Morrison providing a complete and objective portrait of his life and career. With careful sifting of the evidence, it presents the true facts of Morrison's death for the first time, conclusively disproving the official findings.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mad poet. Adored icon. Wild rocker. Alcoholic genius. Brilliant musician. Jim Morrison died in 1971, but his legend still sits among us.
With people who are brilliant and badly-behaved, as Morrison was, it's difficult to get a balanced view that seems like an actual person. But James Riordan's "Break On Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison" manages to do just that.
James Douglas Morrison was an army brat, intelligent and well-read, who began to blossom into a poet and musician in college. He went on to become the singer/frontman of the band "The Doors," adding his outstanding poetry-like songwriting to his bandmates' equally outstanding musical skills. Soon they were a massively popular rock band.
But Morrison had other facets as well: He was attracted to the bizarre, and could be cruel, sweet, loving, strange, and often drunken and loutish. He was also contradictory: He sought notice as a poet, but was still mainly known as a rock star; he slept around and handfasted a rock critic, but always stayed with girlfriend Pamela Courson. After living on the edge for years, Jim passed away in Paris, under strange circumstances.
Most biographies of Jim Morrison err on one side or another. Either they portray him as a sadistic, drunken lout, or they show him as a transcendent gentleman. The truth isn't usually that simple, and neither was Morrison. And Riordan shows us the different sides of Morrison's personality -- good and bad, together.
Like Morrison himself, the book has its contradictions: There is a somewhat fannish tone to the some of the writing. On the other hand, it's willing to acknowledge that Morrison could be lewd, weird, obnoxious and drunken. Riordan also shows us Jim's gradual flowering into a poet, his literary influences such as Nietszche, and the relationships between the Doors.
Riordan also courts controversy by studying and dissecting the various theories about Morrison's death. Don't expect wacked out conspiracy theories, or medical improbabilities -- Riordan stays calm and rational throughout the whole thing, and reveals the most likely scenarios. He also avoids outright judgements on controversial figures like Patricia Kennealy.
As the book draws to a close, Riordan keeps things dignified. He devotes the final chapters to studying the lives of Pamela Courson and the other Doors in the years following Morrison's death, as well as the creation of the "American Prayer" album. The only flaw is Kennealy's bizarre description of Morrison's "fetch," which seems more fiction than fact.
Jim Morrison's wild life and mysterious death are the stuff of which tabloid biographies are made. But James Riordan keeps things simple and smart in "Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison."
With people who are brilliant and badly-behaved, as Morrison was, it's difficult to get a balanced view that seems like an actual person. But James Riordan's "Break On Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison" manages to do just that.
James Douglas Morrison was an army brat, intelligent and well-read, who began to blossom into a poet and musician in college. He went on to become the singer/frontman of the band "The Doors," adding his outstanding poetry-like songwriting to his bandmates' equally outstanding musical skills. Soon they were a massively popular rock band.
But Morrison had other facets as well: He was attracted to the bizarre, and could be cruel, sweet, loving, strange, and often drunken and loutish. He was also contradictory: He sought notice as a poet, but was still mainly known as a rock star; he slept around and handfasted a rock critic, but always stayed with girlfriend Pamela Courson. After living on the edge for years, Jim passed away in Paris, under strange circumstances.
Most biographies of Jim Morrison err on one side or another. Either they portray him as a sadistic, drunken lout, or they show him as a transcendent gentleman. The truth isn't usually that simple, and neither was Morrison. And Riordan shows us the different sides of Morrison's personality -- good and bad, together.
Like Morrison himself, the book has its contradictions: There is a somewhat fannish tone to the some of the writing. On the other hand, it's willing to acknowledge that Morrison could be lewd, weird, obnoxious and drunken. Riordan also shows us Jim's gradual flowering into a poet, his literary influences such as Nietszche, and the relationships between the Doors.
Riordan also courts controversy by studying and dissecting the various theories about Morrison's death. Don't expect wacked out conspiracy theories, or medical improbabilities -- Riordan stays calm and rational throughout the whole thing, and reveals the most likely scenarios. He also avoids outright judgements on controversial figures like Patricia Kennealy.
As the book draws to a close, Riordan keeps things dignified. He devotes the final chapters to studying the lives of Pamela Courson and the other Doors in the years following Morrison's death, as well as the creation of the "American Prayer" album. The only flaw is Kennealy's bizarre description of Morrison's "fetch," which seems more fiction than fact.
Jim Morrison's wild life and mysterious death are the stuff of which tabloid biographies are made. But James Riordan keeps things simple and smart in "Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison."
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have now been interested in Jim Morrison and The Doors for about a year, and I've already read several books. This might be the best. As the others seem to cross out the bad parts of Morrison and the group, this book goes through every part of this amazing story without hesitating. The only thing this book lacks in comparison to "No One Here Gets Out Alive" is Morrison's childhood. I feel "Break On Through" is a better book though, because it looks at both aspects of Morrison's life. This might be the cause of the writers not being personally close to Morrison, which for instance Ray Manzarek was, and his book has proven to be very faulty. "Break On Through" also has short historical notes, where other large happenings at the time are put in between The Doors' story, and the subtle use of Morrison's poetic lines incorporated in the text is great. If you are only remotely interested in The Doors, buy this book! If you are a huge fan like me, buy this book, and read the others too, to get a larger image of what The Doors and Jim Morrison really was about.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
So many is written about Jim Morrison (a lot of noncense), this book will tell you all you want and need to know.From the beginning until the end (yes there was an end...) it will help you step through his life.I bought too many books about him I wished I bought this one in the beginning. It would have saved me so much money.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
we are always going into the end of the night
I agree with all of the other reviews.I have just finished reading Stephen Davis's book "JIM MORRISON LIFE,DEATH,LEGEND and I must say I was quite disspointed with the book on the... Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2008 by Nietzsche on the way
Honestly the Best
This book is simply amazing, from jim morrisons childhood, to Robby Krieger, Ray Manzerek and even John Densmores background. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2005 by G. N. Piette
A definite yes
After reading this book as a Morrison/Doors fan, you know there is nothing more to ad. There is still a lot of nonsense going around; if he is still alive or not. Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2001
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