When people talk about Paris, they mean French architecture and world famous paintings. But just behind these tourist attractions is a grave site that may be the least-talked about, most-visited place in Paris.

Established in 1804 by Napoléon Bonaparte, the Pére-Lachaise cemetery contains the remains of thousands of celebrated artists, writers and musicians, including Edith Piaf, Max Ernst and Oscar Wilde.

Another famous artist who is also buried at Pére-Lachaise is Jim Morrison the notorious Rock artist who died in Paris on July 3, 1971 at the age of 27. Jim was buried in Division 6 in Père Lachaise cemetery on July 7. In attendance at the burial were Jim’s girlfriend Pamela Courson, Doors manager Bill Siddons, Jim’s friends, Agnès Varda and Alain Ronay, and Jim’s secretary, Robin Wertle.

Although the grave brings many visitors to Père Lachaise Cemetery, officials have perceived the grave mostly as an inconvenience. Many people enter the cemetery illegally over fences at night and host parties at Morrison’s grave (leaving behind litter of wine bottles, drug needles and graffiti). A stone block was also placed over Morrison’s sealed grave after many attempts by fans to unearth his body. Fans and visitors have destroyed two of his headstones, left graffiti on nearby headstones as well as left marijuana at his grave site. A commemorative bust of Morrison was sculpted to honor the 10th anniversary of his death, but was stolen in 1988. The latest headstone to grace Morrison’s final resting place is flat-stone with the Greek inscription “ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ,” which means “True To His Own Spirit” and is rumored to have been selected by Morrison’s father.

If you are a Jim Morrison and a music fan, Père Lachaise Cemetery is a great way to spend a few hours.

Jim Morrison was part of one of the most famous bands of his generation. Morrison was an unique person with an uncommon view of life. Here are some of his most shocking interview quotes.

Number One: "Some of the worst mistakes in my life were haircuts."
Even though this sounds funny, maybe it’s more serious than that. Perhaps Jim Morrison could be more narcissistic than appeared to.

Number Two: "Where's your will to be weird?"
Probably one of Morrison's most famous quotes, this sentence defines very well Jim Morrison, and the fact that he loved to be different.

Number Three: "You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act…"
In this quote, Jim is explicitly calling out people for not being genuine. People trade “A walk on part in the war, For a lead role in a cage” ;)

Number Four: "The future is uncertain but the end is always near."
This quote can be interpreted as Jim’s thinking that he could not predict the future, but he was always close to death by living dangerously.

Number Five: "People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bulls–t…"
Maybe people are afraid of their emotions because they are in some way uncontrollable, emotions are powerful but scary.

Number Six: "Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free."
Freedom can be very scary. Freedom provokes existential angst, but for Jim Morrison, if you expose yourself to your most powerful fear, the fear goes away and then you are truly free.

​1-On being The Lizard King
“I used to see the universe as a mammoth snake, and all the people and objects, landscapes, as little pictures in the facets of their scales. I think peristaltic motion is the basic life movement.

2-On his place in history
“I see myself as a huge fiery comet, a shooting star. Everyone stops, points up and gasps, “Oh, look at that!” Then – whoosh, and I’m gone… and they’ll never see anything like it ever again – ever.”

3-Onstage in LA
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames”

4-On rebellion
“When you make your peace with authority, you become authority.”

5-On drinking
“Being drunk is a good disguise. I drink so I can talk to assholes. This includes me.”

6-On drugs
“I was testing the bounds of reality. I was curious to see what would happen. That’s all it was: curiosity.”

7-About his birth
“I don’t remember. It must have happened during one of my blackouts.”

8-On his life philosophy 
“I believe in a long, prolonged derangement of the senses in order to obtain the unknown.”

9-On how he wrote ‘The End’
“I had this magic formula to break into the subconscious. I’d lay there and say over and over, ‘Fuck the mother, kill the father.”

10-On describing The Doors
“Think of us as erotic politicians.”

Jim Morrison was one of the most charismatic singers of the 60’s. Sadly he was one of the most troubled too. Morrison’s problems were publicly known, his addiction to alcohol and drugs often led to his repeated problems with justice. Namely, the one that happened on Nov. 11, 1969, in Arizona. While drunk, Jim Morrison and one of his friends, interrupted a flight crew on a commercial airliner.
Jim Morrison and his friend were on the plane to go to a Rolling Stones concert at the Veterans Coliseum in Phoenix, ironically a venue that had banned Jim due to his performance there that almost caused a riot.

?While waiting for the delayed flight Jim Morrison and actor Tom Baker, started drinking, and once the flight started they begun to harass the flight attendants. They caused so much trouble that the plane’s captain warned them he would turn around and have them arrested.
But the flight advanced to Phoenix, however, once they got to the destination, FBI agents entered the plane and got Jim and Baker into custody. The drunken pair were charged of drunk and disorderly conduct, but also with the charge of interfering with the flight of an aircraft. At the time, the charge could have been 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Eventually, Jim Morrison never went to jail, but that was the starting point of an inevitable downward trajectory until the end of his career.

​Pamela Courson met Jim Morrison on Sunset Boulevard Club in 1965, when she was nineteen years old. The couple remained together for six years, until Jim’s death in Paris.

After Jim’s death, Pamela went back to Los Angeles and avoided all publicity, becoming isolated from the world. She become an heroin addict and allegedly began working as a prostitute in order to maintain her addiction. Pamela often told that she wanted to see Jim Morrison again, and on April 25, 1974, she got her wish. She died with an overdose of heroin in the apartment she shared with two friends.

Pamela’s parents tried to get her buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, but the legal issues of transporting the body prevented that from happening. She was buried in Santa Ana, California, even though her death certificate lists Pére Lachaise Cemetery.

After her death, her parents inherited the remains of Jim Morrison’s fortune. Jim’s parents contested the legal union of the couple, but eventually the Coursons won the the case in court as it recognised that Pamela and Jim had a common-law marriage.

​1. “If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it's to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel."

2. "I get my best ideas when the
    telephone rings & rings. It’s no fun
    To feel like a fool-when your
    baby’s gone."
    “The American Night”

?3. “It hurts to set you free, but you’ll never follow me.”
    "The End"

?4. “how can we hate or love or judge     in the sea-swarm world of atoms”
    "Horse Latitudes"

5. “A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself – and especially to feel. Or not feel. (…) That's what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is… Most       people love you for who you pretend to be….To keep their love, you keep pretending – performing.”
    “Jim Morrison: Ten Years Gone” 

6. “If they say I never loved you     You know they are a liar”
    "LA Woman"

7. “People are afraid of themselves – or their own reality – their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel?”
    “Jim Morrison: Ten Years Gone"

8. “You’re too young to be old.     You don’t need to be told     You want to see things as they are."
    “The Opening of the Trunk”

​“Not to Touch the Earth” The starting lyrics of the song, “Not to touch the earth, not to see the sun, Nothing left to do but, Run, run, run” could be a metaphor for Jim Morrison believing that himself is quite not a human and quite not a god, that he is somewhere in the middle. The lyric could mean that he is quite not human, because he doesn’t “touch the earth”, but is also not a Godly being because he can’t “see the sun”, as the sun could possibly mean the absolute truth available only to godly beings. Therefore he is somewhere in the middle, and that’s a curse, so he has “Nothing left to do but, Run, run, run”, in other words, keep moving in order to forget the pain.

“The End” Some say it's about chaos and change, the war and the apocalypse and certainly the Oedipus complex. “The blue bus" can be interpreted as a metaphorical vehicle that takes you to the road of life and love as opposed to the “ride the snake” as an hedonist, destructive lifestyle.

“Waiting for the Sun” This song is thought to be about the ongoing Vietnam war. The lyrics, "they got the guns, but we got the numbers" echoes this sentiment of the five to one ratio to the ratio of Viet Cong to American troops during the Vietnam War.
Others thought it represented the amount of free-spirited hippies and rebels versus government and corporate-consumer society in the sixties.

“When the Music’s Over” Morrison starts off by singing, "when the music's over, turn out the lights." This can be taken as a symbolism for when the “music” is over, death is the only option. This may sound dramatic, but is supported by other lyrics, such as "music is your only friend until the end" this could mean that, until your death, music is the only one friend who never turns the back on you.

“Indian Summer” Some say this song was dedicated to Jim's girlfriend Pamela Courson, while others think Jim was just describing a vibe from a southern California desert in the middle of an Indian summer autumn.

“Crystal Ship” This track was initially a poem in one of Jim Morrison’s notebooks, the title which he took from a Celtic legend in The Book of the Dun Cow. "Before you slip into unconsciousness, I'd like to have another kiss / Another flashing chance at bliss…" this could be viewed as having sex before going to sleep - “slip into unconsciousness”. And “another flashing chance at bliss”  can be interpreted as one of the maximums pleasures a hedonist person can have, that is sex.

“Break on Through” Perhaps what the song symbolises the most is breaking through to the unknown, with the use of drugs. It's well-known that at the time Morrison was using LSD and other intoxicants to expand his mind.

​Jim Morrison's genitals - The 'Miami Incident'
On March 1, 1969, The Doors frontman Jim Morrison allegedly exposed his genitals to an awed audience at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami. According to the Miami Herald reporter Larry Mahoney there were "hundreds of unescorted junior and senior high school girls" for whom "…Morrison appeared to masturbate in full view of the audience, screamed obscenities, and exposed himself."
There are many varying accounts of that night, but what is known for sure is that the show was a complete chaos. The incident marked the beginning of the end for the Doors, and the night ended with Jim Morrison, facing jail time for allegedly showing his genitals to the crowd of 12,000 people.
Before we discuss wether Morrison did or not show his genitalia, let’s focus on the events that led to that night.
?1969 was an year that Jim Morrison was increasingly having an erratic behaviour. Jim’s drinking problems and the unwillingness to cooperate in the studio, led to the recording of The Soft Parade to a near halt.

Jim’s problems could be seen throughout the Soft Parade tour, were he often showed up too drunk or high to properly sing or remember his lyrics.
At the time Jim Morrison was attending an experimental play, The Living Theatre, who were known for provoking the audience as part of their show.
?
On the ‘Miami Incident’ night, Morrison showed up very drunk and couldn’t finish the song "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" before starting to mumble rants about "revolution" and "having a good time."
After that Morrison started taunting and teasing the audience, by saying, "Love me! I can't take it no more without no good love. I want some lovin'! Ain't nobody gonna love my ass?”, then an audience member got onstage and offered Morrison a live lamb, and Jim Morrison said: "I'd fuck her but she's too young."
Through the concert Jim Morrison paused and stared for a few moments, and out of nowhere screams into the mic, "YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF FUCKING IDIOTS! Let people tell you what you're gonna do. Let people push you around. How long do you think it's gonna last? How long are you gonna let it go on? How long are you gonna let them push you around? Maybe you love it. Maybe you like being pushed around...You're all a bunch of slaves! BUNCH OF SLAVES!”
During one of Robby Krieger's guitar solos, Morrison fell to his knees right in front of him, some say to praise his guitar, others say, to give him a bit of pleasure.
Later in the night a fan runs into the stage and poured champagne over Morrison’s shirt, who then took it off and said, "Let's see a little skin, let's get naked.”. This moment was key for what happened next, The ‘Miami Incident’. Jim Morrison said, "You didn't come here for music, did you?" Morrison asked the riled-up crowd, "You came for something more, didn't you...You didn't come for rock n' roll, you came for something else, didn't you? WHAT IS IT?" After cheers and incoherent screams from the crowd, Morrison continued, "You wanna see my cock, don't you? THAT'S what ya came here for!”. And that was it, Morrison then put his champagne-soaked shirt in front of his crotch, and supposedly pulled out his genitals. There are no pictures of such an event taking place, but everyone on the venue rushed to the stage to touch Jim Morrison and it almost collapsed.
Eventually police forced Jim out of the crowd, and contrary to what many believe, no effort was made to arrest Morrison that night.
The consequences of Jim Morrison’s acts that night came March 5, 1969, when he was charged with six arrest warrants, even the FBI issued an investigation reporting "Morrison's effort to provoke chaos among a huge crowd of young people." Morrison was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail, alone with hard labor and a $500 fine.
The band lawyers filled an appeal which allowed Morrison free during the time the appeal was pending. In the meantime his vices got worst and persisted. On July 3, 1970, while still waiting for the appeals process, Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub while on vacation in Paris. He was 27.
The rest of the band deny that Jim Morrison Showed his privates, and in 2010, the State of Florida seemed to agree with the band, as Morrison was pardoned from all charges due to lack of evidence.

​Jim Morrison, music star that got ill and died of cardiac arrest on his bathtub by the age of 27.

But the rumours always told a different story, and 36 years later, a Paris nightclub manager tells his side of the story. In a new book, Sam Bernett tells Jim died from an overdose of heroin in the bathroom of it's club.
Bernett, that was in it's twenties at the time, has become a prominent radio broadcaster and a rock biographer.

Patrick Chauvel, a notable photographer and writter, says he has helped carry Jim Morrison's body in a bar. He said that at the time Morrison was already dead. 
 
According to Bernett, Jim Morrison spend a lot of time in Rock and Roll Circus Club, a place where stars like Roman Polansky and Marianne Faithfull were often seen.

?On July 3, 1971 at around 1 AM Morrison went to the club and joined two drug dealers. At one point Bernett realized that Jim had disappeared. Later that night a bouncer broke the door of locked shower cabine where they found Jim unconscious.

Bernett says he asked a Doctor, a club client, to examine the singer.

The Doctor said that when Jim was found he was already dead and had blood and foam on his nose. He recognized it as an heroin overdose.

Different stories..

Bernett says the two drug dealers insisted that Morrison was only unconscious. Bernett wanted to call an ambulance but the owner of the club said that that would generate a lot of scandal, an ambulance was never requested.

According to Bernett, the owners of the club brought Jim Morrison's body to his home and put him on the bathtub, in a last chance to bring him alive.

Morrison's girlfriend Pamela Courson, told a different story. She said that the couple went out to have dinner and then to the movies. According to her testimony in Police records, Morrison woke up in the middle of the night and went to take a shower, Courson said that later she found Jim on the bathtub.

Paris Prosecutors office said that it was very unlikely that Jim's death would be investigated, or that anyone could be prosecuted, beacuse the time on legal proceedings had run out.

Jim Morrison died at the age of 27, in Paris. An autopsy was never performed.

​1-He spent his childhood in several military bases. James Douglas Morrison, better known as Jim Morrison, was born on December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida. His father, George Morrison, was an admiral of the US Navy, which is why he spent his childhood in several military bases in the United States.

2-Jim preferred to buy books than clothes. His love for reading was born while he was on high school. Among his favorite writers were Kerouac, Nietzsche, Rimbaud, Baudelaire and Ginsberg.
He could use the same shirt day after day, since he preferred to spend money on books. He moved to Los Angeles where he began film studies, a time he also started writing poetry.

?3-The 60's, a bad time. Once he achieved fame. Jim Morrison had several problems with the authorities. More than once he appeared under the influence of alcohol and drugs at his concerts. His image was associated with rebellion.

4-He left music at its best. In 1971, faced with the risk of being sentenced to prison, he decided to abandon music and take refuge in Paris, where he would devote himself completely to his greatest inclination: poetry. He has three books of poems: The lords, The new creatures and An american prayer.