FSU Libraries’ own Director of Archives & Manuscripts and “well-rounded Doors fan,” Rory Grennan, sat down with WCTV’s Zak Dahlheimer for an interview regarding FSU Libraries’ Jim Morrison collection.
Morrison, a music legend, famous for being the frontman of The Doors, attended FSU from 1962 to 1963. Though he did not graduate from FSU, he was engaged in both theater and in group psychology, an academic field he demonstrated considerable interest in.
Speaking to the impact of The Doors (and by extension, the value of this collection) is Dr. Barry Faulk, a Professor of English here at FSU:
The Doors were hardly the first rock band to sing about sex, but in their 1967 hit single “Light My Fire” they made a fateful connection between sex and death, Eros and Thanatos, that transformed how rock music was perceived by its popular audience. A major part of the Doors’ impact can be credited to the group’s handsome, unpredictable, and unbelievably charismatic lead singer, Jim Morrison: but the group’s other members (Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, and John Densmore) shared Morrison’s conviction that rock music could express profound philosophical ideas. Together, the group succeeded in making visionary poet Arthur Rimbaud’s call for a total “derangement of the senses” in the quest to achieve higher consciousness on the rock and roll agenda. The ability of Morrison’s collaborators to deftly incorporate elements of jazz and classical music was also key to the group’s success; even today, any musician who tries not only to entertain but to transform their audience is continuing the Doors’ legacy.
Rory, having analyzed the records himself (in this case, a Florida Flambeau article), determined that Morrison starred in a performance of Harold Pinter’s play, The Dumb Waiter, noting a person who appears to be Morrison on the cover, as well as noting the name, “Stanislous Bolislavsky.” Both of those names are derived from filmmakers which Morrison would have been a fan of at the time.
At the end of the interview, Zak surprised Rory with the revelation of Morisson’s FSU student transcripts, which were inaccessible through University Archives. His transcripts reveal the specific classes Morisson took, namely Philosophy of Protest, Race Relations, and Short Story Readings, which he received high marks in.
The Jim Morisson collection is only part of what makes FSU Libraries so special, but it is indicative of the relevant and exciting work that our faculty and staff do! For more information about Rory and the Jim Morrison collection, please visit the FSU Libraries and Special Collections homepage.
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