Barney's Beanery: Jim Morrison peed here (on the bar)

You have to be really, really famous -- no, legendary -- to make a restaurant want to put up a memorial plaque marking the exact spot on its bar where you peed in the 1960s. You'd have to be the kind of guy who Val Kilmer played in a movie, the kind of guy who needs guards stationed to this very day -- at your grave -- to protect it from being completely covered in joints, urine and whiskey. The kind of guy whose filthy leather pants (that you never took off and probably wore without underwear) are enshrined at the Hard Rock Cafe.

In short, you'd have to be Jim Morrison, and the place that wants to make a shrine to something arguably really uncool that you did (like peeing on its bar) would have to be West Hollywood's equally legendary (well, sort of) Barney's Beanery.

Consider Barney's the ultimate L.A. roadhouse (with a menu of greasy offerings so lengthy that it shames "War and Peace") and consider this forthcoming plaque a birthday present to Morrison, who would have turned 65 on Dec. 8.

To mark the event Barney's is throwing a birthday bash for the Lizard King. The czar of classic rock DJs, KLOS's Jim Ladd, will host and broadcast live from the event. Morrison's bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger will attend, and lead Barney's owner David Houston to the spot where Morrison allegedly marked his beeritory.

"I'm hoping Ray's incredibly sharp memory will help us locate it," said Houston in a news release. "Wherever he says it happened, that's where we'll put it up."   

Barney's Beanery, 8447 Santa Monica Blvd., (310) 654-2287.

In other Barney's news, the owners are opening two new locations: One in Burbank later this month, and one in Westwood next year.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Rod]

I wasn't there that night. Don't let anyone tell you differently. I was someplace else, I swear. And I have witnesses.

[brian sweeny]

Hey great, so is BB havin a bash on the 8th r what, It said Read more about Barneys Birthday bash for the Lizard King at this site. Date time, etc. i goota call BB, huh

[thirteenburn]

Being that this article is about Jim Morrison and the commemoration of his shenannigans, I can't imagine that the ownership of Barney's is too happy with Miss Gelt's personal opinions on the quality, or lack thereof, of their food, nor do they care. Actually, I would suspect that no one cares about her personal views and opinions on anything. Her job is to report on the given subject matter, period.

I would suspect and hope that Barney's would ask for a personal apology as well as a retraction of her comments.

Once again, a "reporter" from the Times feels the need to interject their own personal and politically correct opinions when they weren't asked for. No one cares one iota on what Miss Galt thinks about anything and I suggest that in the future, she sticks to the subject matter at hand and keeps her mouth shut in regards to anything else unrelated.

As to the commemoration of the Lizard King's urination on the bar, I love the idea. In an age where meaningless acts are given statues and plaques for assinine reasons, it's about time that one of L.A.'s great icons is memorialized and I think that more of them should be given. Sort of a list of places and things he did and then fans and tourists alike can travel about the city and remember one of the greatest musical legends ever to grace the musical world.

You are missed Jim, but your legacy still lives on in our hearts, minds and stereo speakers.

As to Miss Gelt and the editors of the Times, I look forward to the immediate apology and retraction of Miss Gelt's abhorent and tasteless comments and worthless viewpoints. They didn't add to this story in any way, shape or form and actually took away from it.

Cheers!!!