This essay is written for a string that I started on the Doors Website, "If you were able to get time with the band, what would you discuss? That was the first thought I had when I started to study The Doors material. I had the feeling that most of what I asked would be covered in the books that the members written. Maybe the fact that I so got into studying Jim Morrison's singing that prompted a dream that I had about Jim teaching me his singing technique.

What surprised me was that it wasn't vocal training, but his thoughts and philosophy behind the voice. My feeling after this is, I would have to detail the dream and ask them, "Was Jim really like that? Was the crowd that he sang for that very important, not only for the performance but also the following inspirations? Why was his sense so keen on getting out his experiences?"

Probably the first question would take up any time available that any band member would have, but after the dream I would have to tie in each of the members and the supporting staff into the big picture. What were each like, their contributions and how it all fit together to create this unique band. Also, how each's life changes fitted into the changes of their music and Psyche."

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In real life it isn't The Doors music that haunts me, it's Ray Manzarek's CD, "Love Her Madly." Many a morning after a couple of hours sleep, I lie in bed paralyzed in a hypnoghogic state as the organ and guitar goes through me to the point that I hear them as if they are on the stereo. One night, I started to get perplexed over Jim's singing and that morning I had a dream that I was walking the streets of Los Angeles.

Off to the side, standing against a building was Jim Morrison and at first he had that deer in the headlights look, "Oh Shit! I've been recognized." But he seemed confused, as I was studying him and not approaching. I assumed that this was during his early band days as he was not skinned in leathers, but has a simple white shirt and jeans. The boots weren't outrageous either. He started to study me. -I understand and respect that deer in the headights looks of celebrates, if by their reaction, I am unimpressed, I refuse to approach them.

I walked up and introduced myself and let him know that I enjoy his singing and the band and felt that they did some wonderful stuff. He simply said, "Thank you," and hesitated. -I haven't been a celebrity too much, but one of the problems when you're recognized is that time after time, you are told the same thing and afraid to say something as a prolonged conversation will start. In my wanderings it was delightful to be given accolades, but there was a fifty foot area between the display and lecture halls that I dreaded going through. That was where I was constantly stopped and engaged in conversations, missing the lectures that I wanted to attend.

Then I up and told him my plans to learn and sing his material. This perked him up and he thought about it and asked why, I told him that I plan to use his style for my Spirit Woman project. He asked, "Why?" and had me explain things. He seemed both honored and impressed, saying that he will help me out after meeting some friends of his.

I think this area was near the beach as the other band members were sitting on a low wall, just talking amonst themselves. What surprised me was they seemed almost irritated to see Jim walking up. It was as if they were thinking about an idea and they all had the thought, "Come on Jim, we aren't done thinking about things." He introduced everybody to me and I had a distracted courteous handshake and a, "How are you doing?" Jim then told then the I wanted to learn how to sing like him and he plans to walk around and teach me. They seemed to be suddenly happy and encouraged him to do just that, wishing me luck. I thought they were cool and it seemed that they felt the same about me.

As we walked, I was expecting, this is how I do this, that is how you should do that. Voice and music lessons so to speak. Instead, Jim started to talk about the philosophy behind his singing. During this, he asked question, after question about myself. He sort of skipped over the, "I write poetry," but stopped dead in his tracks when he found out that I was a professionally trained photographer. For quite a while both of us would look at a scene or person on the street and I explained how I would capture it in a photo and he then said how he would write it in a song. Scene after scene, after scene... We were each other's entertainer, if not teacher.

We passed a street musician playing a song that we both recognized. He then would lend a lesson, "I feel that imitation is flattery, but only the first step. You can only truly honor that person, when you have taken that gift that he gave you and made it yours, using it for your own material, a gift for someone else." -I would have loved to know if he ever said that to someone else, as in a piece removed from my portfolio about citicism, I mentioned this about my photography and learning rules and taking from other photographers, whether technique or character traits and incorporating them into your own works.

We continued on and he said the singing was only a small part, what he had learned to love is the power in the reaction of the audience. ("Crowds," as he put it). He told me that he has gotten so much out of that, that it became his true inspiration and guide. He had me singingly scream, "Hey! Aaaaaa!" That wasn't so impressive or explosive. Then he let one out and boy! Did it turn heads. We walked into a new crowd and he had me do it time and time again. This got me riled up and I finally busted one out, "It was a thrill to see that reaction in people." His view was, there is always one person that you can sing to that will make you that performer and keep you going.

We parted company under very good terms and with a very great opinion about each other. In the Doors movies, they portrayed many things that he did as stunts, but his joy was bringing the audience in to him. He loved performing. After this dream, the dimensions of Jim Morrison not only increased, but it also sorted pointed the way. In the bonus material on the CDs (studio takes), I could hear his imitating other singers. He didn't do a good job of singing like a black person one bit, but it was a progression to the final piece that had the power of his voice, yet conformed to that style of music. I have come to really enjoy and appreciate the breadth that his singing has and covers.

Unfortunately I was informed that there are no cover bands in the area that does Doors music, however every band seems to do, "Riders of the Storm" and "LA Woman." I have heard many and the voice work is poor. I have a friend that reviews Cd's for Progression Magazine and I get his finished Cd's. One was of a local band that did a live recording that had little mastering. The singer was touted as the Mexican Jim Morrison. I regret that screaming into a microphone, falls way short of being Jim Morrison. In my listening, he seems to enjoy bringing the note to the breaking point and then slyly releasing it into a lower one without cracking. It is also the interaction of the vocals with the music and the audience. That added sense of emotion and drama.

With no band, my project most likely won't be able to come to fruition for some time to come. To incorporate a song into a Doors set, I need to weave my repertoire into their material. Or in working with a recording project, such as Spirit Woman/ The Rope Swing I need to be able to find someone with that same sense of composing and that requires intimate knowledge of band material.