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Jim Morrison's Essay: How Truthful Is A Tribute?

Decent Essays

How Truthful is a Tribute?
An invitation was extended one evening for an opportunity to see a well respected Grateful Dead tribute band playing at a local venue in Los Angeles. The interpretation of cover bands I understood was lacking in seriousness. My perception of a superior concert experience being groups that had composed and performed their own music. The audience would be expected to have a melancholy air, refusing to confront a reality that members they idolized no longer performed. They would have some nostalgic attachment to the music being shared that night which would surpass any faint childhood memory I might have had listening to Ripple in the car with my father.
Tribute bands thrive knowing they offer attendees an experience that is out of their reach. The …show more content…

He is remembered to have revolutionized the sound of music, injecting his ambiguous poetry and strange yet melodic singing style. He was admired by fans of all genders and famous future musicians like Joy Division and Iggy Pop. Morrison is remembered for his contributions to hippie counterculture and influence on modern music, however, his undesirable behavior is spoken about far less often. His prominent alcohol addiction was as much a part of his public persona as the sainted, inspirational version of himself. He would commonly attend his own shows tardy and intoxicated. One incident in Florida resulted in him being taken to court by the city of Miami, Florida for his display of public indecency and inebriation (CBS News). He was notably unfaithful to his partner Pamela Courson, even involving himself with female rock critic, Patricia Kennealy, who supposedly bound the two of them in a Wiccan Handfasting ceremony (Hopkins). Jim Morrison never lived a life looking to be accepted by a respectable audience, so why the insistence of this perfected ideal

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