Cheap No One Here Gets Out Alive (Book) (Danny Sugerman, Jerry Hopkins) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of No One Here Gets Out Alive

This book inadvertantly reveals how merely lucky Jim Morisson was. He was certainly a charismatic singer and performer, blessed with good looks. But a great poet? At UCLA, he discovered Kurt Weill and other college-boys' idols, was smart enough to put it all together into rock n roll songs.

After reading this biography, and paying more attention to Morisson's lyrics, it seems that the Doors' success may be due just as much to Ray Manzarek's original organ sounds as to Morisson's poetry. A decent lyricist who had Ray to work out the music, Morisson perhaps relied more on his considerable bad-boy sex appeal than on any poetic genius. At times, author gives Morrison so much praise, it is embarrassing.

There is plenty of detail about Morisson's boyhood, and by ignoring the author's superlatives (which is fairly easy), reader learns about the life of a selfish man who happened to be a dynamic performer.

Probably a "must" for Doors fans, or anyone very interested in the LA music scene of the sixties.

Interesting, Well-Assembled.
"No One Here Gets Out Alive" is always signaled as the definitive biography of Jim Morrison. I see it more as a good read, a very good read. There have been some plausible accusations of serious myth-making taking place in the writing of this book (Ray Manzarek is said to have crossed out "the bad stuff"). James Riordan's "Break On Through" is a better, more-detailed and captivating book in my opinion. But "No One Here Gets Out Alive" plays like what it has been accused of being, a great myth. It is kind of appropriate, considering Morrison is essentially a myth onto himself. His image has not died and the music is still alive and well among the youth (I'm not complaining, hot chicks love "Light My Fire" whenever I put it on). The book is a must for Doors fans, it is a document of the life and times of Morrison, of the era in which he flourished and it celebrates the power and poetry of his songs. It is a neat visual experience in the descriptions of Jim's stage performances and in his primal acts we see a blue-print for the madness we so regularly see in today's rock acts. Reading the book is like reading some kind of modern legend. It is also packed with some great photos of Jim and the band (some album covers are included). The story of The Doors has always been a big epic drenched in excess, insane genius, artistic tenderness and even tragic romance. You can see where all the great songs come from. Jim Morrison was a brilliant artist, his songs are timeless and he was also a fantastic poet capable of creating very captivating images in wonderful songs like "The Crystal Ship" and "End Of The Night," he took us on dark, hypnotic journeys in "The End" and "When The Music's Over" and simply recorded some great music. "No One Here Gets Out Alive" celebrates more the image than the man, and yet is also a fascinating examination of the life. I will never tire of reading Jim's lyrics and hearing The Doors' best songs, "No One Here Gets Out Alive" is a book for fans who feel the same.

It's so awesome
I have a little story to tell.

One day I was walking down the street when I heard a mysterious noise. From under the cracked pavement beneath my feet came a sound not unlike the scraping of steel on steel. Placing a copies of The Doors' first album between my legs, I crawled into the sewer to investigate.

What I found startled me and stunned me.

Al Franken and Barry Bonds were below the street in a room lit by candles. There, they were engaging in an arm wrestling match. Bonds, who takes steroids and routinely snubs his fans, was winning the match. The power of his conservative beliefs helped him to overcome Franken's liberal arm wrestling tactics.

But that is when my experience got strange.

The Doors were playing. The End. My only friend, the end. Suddenly Val Kilmer appeared. With him was George Will, who was wearing a bow tie. They had a tag team match against Bonds and Franken.

I know, I couldn't believe it myself.

STEVEN THULEN
AUTHOR OF "JIMMY KEY: BASEBALL'S BATMAN"
STHULENCA@AOL.COM