When Mick Jagger met Jim Morrison: “He’s coming across the street!”
Mick Jagger completely embodies the word frontman. Leading The Rolling Stones through over 60 years of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, Jagger has continually stunned audiences with his on-stage charm. He doesn’t just sing the songs; he gives his all to every single performance, ensuring that each show is as engaging as the last. But Jagger wasn’t always so confident in his performance abilities.
The Stones had risen to acclaim in the mid-1960s, winning audiences over with rockers like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Paint It Black’. They played far and wide during this period, completing four European tours in 1965 alone. But by the time they were gearing up to release their seventh studio record, Beggars Banquet, in 1968, their live show had gotten rusty.
After a busy few years at the midpoint of the decade, the Stones had cut down the frequency of their live performances. By the time they took Beggars Banquet out on the road, they hadn’t been on tour for over two years. Jagger seemed worried about how they might perform while they were so out of practice, so he sought advice from a fellow legendary frontman: The Doors’ Jim Morrison.
It’s easy to see why he wanted Morrison to impart some wisdom upon him. The Doors frontman had gathered a reputation for his unruly stage presence, committing to the rockstar image – he was even arrested on-stage for apparently inciting a riot. His chaotic on-stage antics had captured the attention of audiences, and Jagger wanted to know how.
In the summer of 1968, about half a year before Beggars Banquet hit record store shelves, Jagger took a trip to the States to see The Doors live. Ahead of their performance, he dropped in unannounced to see Morrison and to pick his brain. The Doors’ office staff were, expectedly, in awe when the Rolling Stones singer showed up at their door.
“The office called. They were in a panic. ‘Jagger’s here! He’s coming across the street!’” January Jansen recalled, as quoted by Stephen Davis in Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend. But Morrison had a much more measured reaction, simply responding, “That’s all right.” The two then chatted in his motel room, where they discussed all things performance.
“They talked about dancing on-stage,” Jansen told Frank Lisciandro, “Mick said he was embarrassed about his dancing. He said the one thing he couldn’t do was dance.” Morrison didn’t necessarily find the idea of dancing particularly appealing either, it seems, but he did have some advice to offer Jagger in order to take on those bigger shows.
“Jim told Mick, ‘If you fall, man, you really gotta fall,’” Jansen explained, meaning you have to completely commit to your performance, to give into the enthusiasm and exaggeration that those mammoth shows require. It was something that Morrison had certainly done with The Doors – for better or worse – and it was a reminder Jagger needed at that moment in time.
Beggars Banquet was released in the winter of the same year, but the band didn’t tour the album until the autumn of 1969. Jagger took Morrison’s advice and ran with it. Undeterred by two years spent off the road, the Stones took the record across America, playing in huge arenas, and Jagger allowed himself to really fall.
