The Doors respond to Florida's pardon of Jim Morrison: 'We don't feel Jim needs to be pardoned for anything'

 
The surviving members of the Doors and members of singer Jim Morrison's family are saying "Thanks, but no thanks" to Florida officials for their recent pardon of Morrison for his actions during a 1969 concert in Miami for which he was convicted of indecent exposure.

Outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist arranged for the pardon early this month from the state's Office of Executive Clemency, but Wednesday, band members Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore said in a statement, "We don't feel Jim needs to be pardoned for anything."

"Accounts vary as to what actually happened on stage that night," the statement continued. "His performance in Miami that night was certainly provocative, and entirely in the insurrectionary spirit of The Doors' music and message.

"Whatever took place that night ended with The Doors sharing beers and laughter in the dressing room with the Miami police, who acted as security at the venue that evening. No arrests were made. The next day we flew off to Jamaica for a few days’ vacation before our planned 20-city tour of America.

"That tour never materialized. Four days later, warrants were issued in Miami for the arrest of Morrison on trumped-up charges of indecency, public obscenity, and general rock-and-roll revelry," according to the statement. "Every city The Doors were booked into canceled their engagement.

"A circus of fire-and-brimstone 'decency' rallies, grand jury investigations and apocalyptic editorials followed -– not to mention allegations ranging from the unsubstantiated (he exposed himself) to the fantastic (the Doors were 'inciting a riot' but also 'hypnotizing' the crowd)," the band's statement said. "The charges against him were largely an opportunity for grandstanding by ambitious politicians -- not to mention an affront to free speech and a massive waste of time and taxpayer dollars."

The statement noted that Morrison died in Paris in 1971 in the midst of his appeal of the conviction on two misdemeanor charges for which he had been sentenced to six months' hard labor in Raiford Penitentiary.

"Four decades after the fact, with Jim an icon for multiple generations -- and those who railed against him now a laughingstock -- Florida has seen fit to issue a pardon.

"If the State of Florida and the City of Miami want to make amends for the travesty of Jim Morrison's arrest and prosecution 40 years after the fact, an apology would be more appropriate -- and expunging the whole sorry matter from the record," the statement said. "And how about a promise to stop letting culture-war hysteria trump our First Amendment rights? Freedom of Speech must be held sacred, especially in these reactionary times."

-- Randy Lewis

Photo: Jim Morrison. Credit: Paul Ferrara

Comments

[gypsysoul]

Expunging a person's record is a LEGAL process, as both the remaining members of The Doors and JM's family well know, and they have had 40+ yrs to initiate it...if it was so important to them as they now suddenly claim. Seeking a pardon might not have been the best remedy for the injustice perpetrated by the FL courts long ago...but it WAS the only remedy possible for was is a small group of fans....fans who unselfishly gave many yrs' worth of effort to accomplish this much. The Doors, AND the family, have been well aware of this effort (14 yrs in the making!) and at no point did a thing to further it, or to help bump it up to seeking an expunging. It shows incredible arrogance and total disregard for these fans' efforts, for them to "diss" their accomplishment in this fashion....So, remaining members of The Doors...JM's family....talk is cheap: are YOU now going to pick up the mantle, and start the expunging process???? If not, I suggest you give both the fans and Gov Crist (who went out on a limb for this cause) a huge and well deserved apology. Shame on you!!!!

[bobfrombob]

Maybe The Doors can get a pardon for "Full Circle"?

[Gerri Moses]

Leave it to Old CHARLIE. He lets people like this go, when others are incarcerated for charges of lessor crimes. I have nothing against Jim, but aren't all entertainers subject to such charges? It makes me sick to read about all of the entertainers, ball players etc. being charged with sex crimes. One thing about it, even our President (who was set up) was charged with the same type of crime. What is the world coming to, when all people think of is type of slander. Money and noterity I guess!!!

[hotrodandy]

I'm saddened by this statement, which reflects pure legal ignorance on the part of the Doors. If, in fact, this statement is for real and not a fake statement from The Onion, then the Doors have been exposed for being ingrates and spitting in the face of their fans who lobbied for fifteen years on getting corrective measures taken on Morrison's behalf. I've read a lot of stories about this case and I'm puzzled that the Doors waited until after the pardon was issued. I don't recall seeing the Doors, the Morrison family or any of their lawyers present at the clemency meeting trying to fight or block this pardon? I find the timing of their statement very suspect? Why did they wait until now, rather than in the weeks and months prior to this ruling? It seems to me they've had since 1971 to have this case dismissed, but having this case unresolved somehow contributed to their "notoriety," and I doubt it hurt record sales? This statement from them is ludicrous, in my opinion.