HOW JIM MORRISON EVOLVED INTO THE LIZARD KING: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY MARTIN KIELTY AND PUBLISHED BY ULTIMATE CLASSIC ROCK ON MARCH 16, 2018.
Robby Krieger and John Densmore of the Doors recalled witnessing their shy and retiring singer Jim Morrison's transformation into his dynamic Lizard King frontman character as the band solidified in its early days.
You can watch the discussion in an exclusive clip from The Big Interview With Dan Rather below. The full show airs on AXS TV on March 20 at 9PM ET.
“[Morrison] had never sung before,” Densmore told Rather. “He'd said he heard a concert in his head, but he had never done this. So it's just a gift. ... But, in the beginning, he would face us … he couldn't even look out at the audience. But he gradually evolved into the Lizard King.”
Asked about Morrison's evolution, which turned him into one of rock's most charismatic and enduring singers, Krieger said it was probably always there. “I think he always had that in him – he was just waiting to let it out," he explained. "As he said, it was like a bowstring being drawn back for 21 years and then let go.”
