How a conversation with Alice Cooper inspired an iconic The Doors lyric
Although he might have reached his commercial peak within the rock scene of the early 1970s, Vincent Damon Furnier – Alice Cooper, to his friends – learnt his craft among the vibrant counterculture scene of the 1960s. The decade was so chocked full of now iconic musicians that it can often be difficult to remember that Cooper was present at all, even though he had a noticeable impact on one of the counterculture’s most prominent and celebrated groups: The Doors.
Few bands encapsulated the revolutionary qualities of the hippie counterculture age quite like Jim Morrison and The Doors. Living the archetypal rock and roll lifestyle, Morrison helped to define many of the tropes that are now viewed as being synonymous with rock stars. In addition to his defiant image and attitude, he and the band also created some truly compelling records. From their eponymous debut in 1967 to their final effort in 1978’s An American Prayer, The Doors embraced a variety of influences and explored countless groundbreaking themes within Morrisons’s songwriting.
As you might expect, Morrison was able to find inspiration in the most unlikely of places. He seemed to move through life soaking up his surroundings like a sponge, admittedly spurred on through a dizzying cocktail of drugs and alcohol. His lyricism became iconic of the counterculture age, but one of his most recognisable lyrics was actually written – inadvertently by Alice Cooper.
The raspy-voiced eyeliner enthusiast had forged something of a friendship with The Doors in the latter part of the 1960s, as Cooper began gaining traction within the rock and roll world. “You couldn’t help but get caught up in Jim [Morrison]’s mystique,” Cooper once shared with Classic Rock, “He was always this ethereal type of person.” That ethereal mystique certainly came across within the musical output of The Doors, particularly their legendary 1970 track ‘Roadhouse Blues’, which Cooper played a part in.
Recalling the production of that track, featured on the album Morrison’s Hotel, Cooper said, “I remember sitting down with Jim one time. He said: ‘So, what’s up, man?’ I replied: ‘Oh, I don’t know, man. I woke up this morning and got myself a beer.’ And that ended up being one of the lyrics in ‘Roadhouse Blues’ by The Doors.” Although the track only garnered modest commercial success, reaching number 50 in the US charts, it remains a firm favourite among the dedicated following of The Doors.
Tragically, Morrison died at the age of only 27, but according to Cooper, “The fact that Jim lived until he was 27 was a miracle.” He remembers the singer fondly, though he remains in awe of Morrison’s drug intake, “I can see how his heart gave out,” he recalled, “He’d walk into a room, there’d be a bowl full of pills – uppers, downers, acid, you name it – and he would gobble them down the way you and I would eat M&M’s. Then he’d wash them down with whisky.”
“I never caught him sober,” Cooper remembered before adding, “But then neither was I, so we were fine together.” The pair were seemingly a good fit for each other, embodying rock and roll’s exciting, revolutionary qualities. It just so happens that Cooper ended up doing so for a lot longer than Morrison ever got the chance to.
