Linda Ronstadt on the rock ‘n’ roll frontman who ruined “a good band”
When you take on the role as leader of a band, whether you like it or not, all the onus for your perception falls squarely at your feet. You need not be guilty of any particular crime, but even if your personality simply rubs people up the wrong way, it can be a recipe for disaster. Linda Ronstadt knew that dynamic all too well, having spent a lifetime watching the antics of the Eagles, and it meant she could call one specific frontman’s bluff very easily.
Of course, in many ways, this assessment was made a lot more straightforward by the fact that The Doors’ Jim Morrison was never exactly a wallflower, shy of embroiling himself in a controversy or two. But in Ronstadt’s eyes, although she was more than accustomed to the proclivities of rock and roll herself, she just could not get on board with Morrison’s brand. What was effervescent to some was transparent to her, and she could see straight through his ruse.
She was more than happy to explain this in a 1995 interview with Mojo, when she said of The Doors: “We thought they were a good band, but didn’t like the singer. He always wore these same snakeskin pants that really smelled because he never washed. You could hang out with him a little bit but then he would get real, real drunk and then you couldn’t.”
Certainly, some of her points did hold salience. Morrison, for all his world-changing approach to rock music, would never exactly have been a poster boy for clean living, and as much as this was all arguably part of the allure of the genre, there does come a point where enough is enough. Indeed, when people described the frontman’s image as ‘dirty’, they perhaps meant it in a metaphorical sense or with respect to his language. They didn’t expect him to physically take it to heart.
But alas, between raucous antics and not changing his clothes, this was the persona that Morrison became synonymous with all throughout his blazing life – and, it goes without saying, even in his death. The 1960s were, of course, a time coursing with psychedelia and bohemian free living. However, as figures like The Doors’ leader evidently pushed this to the maximum, the veil became ever more thin for those watching on in supposed awe… but maybe also disgust.
Naturally, Ronstadt could never have completely avoided the perils of the lifestyle herself when she started treading the boards of the alternative scene at the same time as acts like The Doors, and indeed touring with them. But what perhaps set her apart was that she was never stuck in one particular notion of sonic brand. Her form of effervescence was to hop between genres and styles, encompassing a whole new eclectic vision of music as she went.
As such, you can see the benefits and drawbacks to both types of persona – one that is steadfastly embodying a single image, but perhaps flying it too close to the sun, and one that may take a longer time to rise the ranks but can become more peripatetic as a result. It’s clear which one Ronstadt would be in that analogy. But nevertheless, despite her claim of Morrison ruining The Doors, there are legions of fans who are still enthralled by his enigma to this day and would strongly disagree. The conclusion? You just can’t win.
