July 3, 2013 - On this date in 1971 Jim Morrison died in Paris.
It's no secret that the inspiration for the name of my program 'City of Night' came howling from the throat of Jim Morrison in the song 'L.A. Woman'.
"Are you a lucky little lady in The City of Light
or just another lost angel...City of Night"
I was fortunate to be able to tour Europe recently by hitching a ride with the LA band Gliss and the last stop was in the 'City of Light', Paris France. As fate would have it we were staying just down the street from Père Lachaise Cemetery, the resting place of dozens of historical luminaries including Chopin, Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Balzac, Modigliani and our own Jim Morrison. I had to pay a visit.
As I stood at the foot of his grave paying homage I reflected on the life of Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek who we had just recently lost. So much of their music was about 'the other side' and now they were there. It was a somber and humbling reflection which was only broken when the dark clouds let loose with a low rolling thunder. As if on cue, the sound of approaching rainfall found me without an umbrella. Standing soaking wet under the thunder and among the smell of wet dirt and concrete, in my head I could hear Ray's first keyboard notes from "Riders on the Storm". An unforgettable moment that could not have been scripted better.
Bless you Jim and Ray. Thanks for the soundtrack.
Shovel
