No One Here Gets Out Alive

Rating:
Summary: The Real Jim
Review: Great book!!! If you believe that Jim Morrison is how he was showed in Oliver Stone's movie, You should read this book. It shows the real Jim, not a perfect man, but a fascinating man, with his problems, crisis, thoughts, weaknesses and brightness.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book...Even After 40+ Reads!
Review: I first read "No One Here Gets Out Alive", in 1984, when I was 19 years old. I thought 'Wow, what a way to live! The quintessential live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse story.' The first time I read it I read in it straight through in a near 24 hour marathon..., I was completely enthralled. I have re-read this book at least 40 times now, and am on my third copy. However the more often I read it (and granted as my perspective on life changes as I 'mature') I see that a lot of what is written (particularly the parts written by Daniel Sugerman...thinly disguised as the adolescent character Denny Sullivan in the book) definitely glorifies the self destructive, out of control lifestyle that Jim lead. While he may have been a musical genius, I can see now that if even 3/4 of what is written in this book is true, he was also a self centered, thoughtless, callous a**hole much of the time. (Most alcoholics are.) Don't get me wrong however. Doesn't mean he wasn't interesting as hell. It is a great read (otherwise would I have purchased three copies?), just keep in mind that Jim Morrison was as human as the next person. He was not a 'god', or even a 'lord' as Sugerman refers to him in the foreword of the book, he was human. Good points, bad points, and all points in between. Definitely one of the best ones out there though. Try "Riders On The Storm", written by Jim's Doors bandmate John Densmore, for a different perspective, or David Crosby's autobiography 'Long Time Gone' for a glimpse in to what spending an evening with Jim Morrison was like. Another suggestion would be "Break On Through; The Life & Death Of Jim Morrison" by James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky, for a less 'worshipy', more analytical look at Jim's life (and death). I would like to hear personally from others who have read 'No One Here Gets Out Alive', to see what they think of it.

Rating:
Summary: Great book about the "Lizard King"
Review: This is a must read for any person that is a Doors fan. It gives a good look at one of the most important entertainers of the last 40 years. It will help you understand why Morrison wrote what he did. It is good for beginners interested in Jim Morrison. For more of an in-depth look, read Break On Through

Rating:
Summary: Jim Morrison:Beyond Rock
Review: The book in question is the definitive work on Jim Morrison,according to most Door's fans I polled. I agree,because it doesn't idolize Jim,but teaches us an invaluable lesson that self-destructive behavior,such as drugs and alcohol,must not be glamorized as a stimuli for artistic creativity,but is the precursor of creative decline and physical immolation. Jim,by his excesses,not only deprived himself of future fame,but,more important,deprived his admirerers of his genius and future creativity.The book amply illustrates an artist who selfishly went mad,not unprecedented among artists. Still,despite Morrison's shortcomings,he is a literary genius of near mythical proportions who still hasn't reached his zenith of fame.His music and poetry is timeless and the quality,uniqueness,and imagery of his literary creations are unparalleled in the Rock pantheon.His renown has yet to be realized and his music currently is not dated,but will be with us eternally.Morrison is a force of nature and perhaps it was "Destiny" that took him so prematurely.

Rating:
Summary: No one here gets out alive from the opinion of a 15 year old
Review: Well I must say that after watching the movie The Doors with Val Kilmer as the legendary Jim Morrison I got interseted in the Doors. THis may be a bit unusual for a 15 year old boy but I was intrigued by the man- Jim Morrison. I was even more intrigued and curious when I started buying the rock groups records and found it hard to find any info on this mysterious man. Then I found NO ONE HERE GETS OUT ALIVE by JERRY HOPKINS and I must say I now know all I needed to Know about this legendary figurehead. This book takes the reader from Jims boyhood antics on the holidaying ski slopes thru to his troublede youth, his first girl friends, his first LSD outings and most importantly his life as a poet and a rock star. The book details his trouble with the law and his alcohol problems. Some of the less controversial people in his life are also described excellently- Pamela his lifelong girlfriend, Patricia his mysterios witch lover and his band mates and most importantly his relationships with these people. The book finishes with sadly- the most cntroversial part of his life- his 'death' in Paris in 1971. The facts are outlined well and the reader can make his/her own mind up about weather he really died how he was described to have. Also included is a discography and some rare photos. All you wanted to know about the poet of a generation can be found here. The man, The myth, The Legend- Jim Morrison. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. The only downer is the saddness and pitty I garruntee you will feel reading of Jims self Destructive demise

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but is it all true?
Review: Yes, this is one of the best books on or about Jim Morrison, but some of the material is questionable. This is a great starter book for people who wish to know more about Jim Morrison and The Doors. But those who wish to read more about the subject should check out John Densmore's book "Riders on the Storm," Danny Sugerman's other book, "The Doors an Illistrated History," and any book by Jim Morrison, his poetry and other finished or unfinished works. Read on to learn more about the Lizard King, he is a great and interesting subject to learn about. I have read many books about Jim and you can never know enough! By Micheal J. Groetken, Bloomington, Illinois

Rating:
Summary: Greatest book on Jim Morrison of all time!
Review: In my opinion this is the greatest book on Jim Morrison of all time, and there will never be a greater book to expand your knowledge of what really happened back in the 60's/70's with the doors. This book is a definate for all doors lovers

Rating:
Summary: It's so awesome
Review: 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"
[e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Superb Biography!
Review: Other reviewers have written that Jerry Hopkin's biography of Jim Morrison is a good "rock biography", but I believe this book is much more than just a rock bio(when I think of a rock bio, I think of same lame book about a boy band). "No one Here gets out alive" is a story about the greatest poet, and songwriter of the twentieth cetury. It is a story so immensely interesting that no other book that I have read even "rivals" it's quality.

Now many may wonder why a book about "some rock n' roll" guy should be of interest. Well, it should be of interest, because Jim Morrison lived through an era of immense upheaval(mid to late 1960's), and was a true artistical genius. The six studio albums released by "The Doors", is truly not indicative of the genius of Jim Morrison. The only way a person could get a sense of how intellectually and artistically advanced to the rest of us Jim Morrison truly was, they must read "this" book.

By reading this book, you will understand why a relatively educated person such as myself, would claim that Jim Morrison was the preeminent artistical genius of the twentieth cetury(over people such as Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol). The potential reader will come accross Jim Morrison's encounter at the age of four or five, with an automobile accident, where one of the occupants soul's apparently entered his body. Many question the validity of this story, but I feel that it could be true. Why else would he have been such a bizarre person, who comes around maybe once every millenium? He was raised in the same atmosphere as Arizona senator John McCain(McCain and Morrison's fathers were both Admirals in the Navy), and John McCain seems absolutely nothing like Jim Morrison. In addition, the reader will discover the truly strange lifestyle Jim Morrison led in High School. While other students were partying amd going to dances, he was reading the works of Arthur Rimbaud, Jack Kerouac, Friedrich Nietzsche, and James Joyce. Simultaneously, he had very few "real" friends in High School, the people who he did hang out with, said that sometimes, while they were driving around Arlington, Virginia, he would ask to be let out of the car, and would just dissappear thereafter. Now these are just a few of the interesting stories presented in "No One Here Gets Out Alive", there is such a multitude of interesting points in the Lizard King's life(such as Jim's meeting with Ray Manzarek on Venice beach), that I'm absolutely certain Hopkins overlooked many of them in his book. If you must read one book this fall, I would recommend that you read this one, because it is extraordinary, to say the least.

Rating:
Summary: *STILL ALVIE*
Review: I am a young reader and havent read many books in my day but my love for the Doors and Jim Morrison have brought me to this book! I was held by the intensity of the chapters of his life. This man was wild but also soft. I have read many things about Jim Morrison and the Doors, but nothin i have yet read has compared at all to this book. The time Danny Sugarman and Jerry Hopkins took to research and study these people are AMAZING! a MUST read for anyone...

*Still Alive*