Shaman or showman? The myths of Jim Morrison from an aesthetic anthropological perspective

Abstract

The study deals with the concepts of Jim Morrison's art from the perspective of the myths surrounding Morrison, especially his »self-made shamanism«. Morrison created a »personal shamanism« that basically determined his art and image. The study explores how and why Morrison created his own myth and built shamanistic elements into his songs, poems, and performances. The paper also touches on the connections between Morrison's ideas and show business. According to Morrison's self-definition, which is self-ironic, he was, among other roles, both a »shaman« and a »showman«. At the same time, these roles also contained one of the unresolved contradictions of his life. In his concert performances he repeatedly reproached his audience, and he repeatedly fell into conflicts within the »games« of show business, including with those who use rock music for political purposes, managers, businessmen, and even his own band-mates. His art divided audiences and critics, and it continues to divide them to this day. Whit this in mind, the study brings up examples of the »Jim Morrison myth« after his death and tries to place this myth within the meanings of the mythology of modernity.