Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties
“Smart, engaging...”—PopMatters

“Fascinating, informative, extraordinary, and essential reading for the legions of Jim Morrison fans.”—Midwest Book Review

Shrouded in mystery and the swirling psychedelic sounds of the Sixties, the Doors have captivated listeners across seven decades. Jim Morrison—haunted, beautiful, and ultimately doomed—transformed from rock god to American icon. With each successive generation of fans, the Doors become more popular and transcendent. Yet the band’s full significance is buried beneath layers of mythology and folklore.

In Roadhouse Blues, Bob Batchelor presents an epic tale of one of rock’s (and America’s) most significant periods, as the Age of Aquarius gave way to a new age of mayhem, presidential misdeeds, and murder. Batchelor combines cultural history, musical and lyrical analysis, and a broad stroke of pop-culture mythos to give fresh perspective on a pivotal time.

Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, Roadhouse Blues is a biography of a man, a band, and an era that set the tone for the contemporary world. Beyond the mythology, the hype, and the mystique around Morrison’s untimely death, this book takes readers on a roller-coaster ride, examining the impact the band had on America as the nation veered from decadence to debauchery.

“We’re gonna have a real good time!” 

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Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties
“Smart, engaging...”—PopMatters

“Fascinating, informative, extraordinary, and essential reading for the legions of Jim Morrison fans.”—Midwest Book Review

Shrouded in mystery and the swirling psychedelic sounds of the Sixties, the Doors have captivated listeners across seven decades. Jim Morrison—haunted, beautiful, and ultimately doomed—transformed from rock god to American icon. With each successive generation of fans, the Doors become more popular and transcendent. Yet the band’s full significance is buried beneath layers of mythology and folklore.

In Roadhouse Blues, Bob Batchelor presents an epic tale of one of rock’s (and America’s) most significant periods, as the Age of Aquarius gave way to a new age of mayhem, presidential misdeeds, and murder. Batchelor combines cultural history, musical and lyrical analysis, and a broad stroke of pop-culture mythos to give fresh perspective on a pivotal time.

Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, Roadhouse Blues is a biography of a man, a band, and an era that set the tone for the contemporary world. Beyond the mythology, the hype, and the mystique around Morrison’s untimely death, this book takes readers on a roller-coaster ride, examining the impact the band had on America as the nation veered from decadence to debauchery.

“We’re gonna have a real good time!” 

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Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties

Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties

Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties
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Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties

Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties

Overview

“Smart, engaging...”—PopMatters

“Fascinating, informative, extraordinary, and essential reading for the legions of Jim Morrison fans.”—Midwest Book Review

Shrouded in mystery and the swirling psychedelic sounds of the Sixties, the Doors have captivated listeners across seven decades. Jim Morrison—haunted, beautiful, and ultimately doomed—transformed from rock god to American icon. With each successive generation of fans, the Doors become more popular and transcendent. Yet the band’s full significance is buried beneath layers of mythology and folklore.

In Roadhouse Blues, Bob Batchelor presents an epic tale of one of rock’s (and America’s) most significant periods, as the Age of Aquarius gave way to a new age of mayhem, presidential misdeeds, and murder. Batchelor combines cultural history, musical and lyrical analysis, and a broad stroke of pop-culture mythos to give fresh perspective on a pivotal time.

Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, Roadhouse Blues is a biography of a man, a band, and an era that set the tone for the contemporary world. Beyond the mythology, the hype, and the mystique around Morrison’s untimely death, this book takes readers on a roller-coaster ride, examining the impact the band had on America as the nation veered from decadence to debauchery.

“We’re gonna have a real good time!” 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781949590548
Publisher: Hamilcar Publications
Publication date: 11/08/2022
Pages: 256
Sales rank: 848,418
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Hailed as “one of the greatest non-fiction writers and storytellers,” by New York Times bestselling biographer Brian Jay Jones, cultural historian Bob Batchelor is a noted expert on contemporary American culture, history, and biography. His books examine modern popular culture icons, events, and issues, from comic books and music to literary figures and history’s outlaws.

Bob wrote a concise biography of Bob Dylan, introducing the iconic music legend to a new generation of readers, and edited a collection of fiction and essays inspired by the legendary Johnny Cash. He has written about MTV, the Grunge movement, and REM for PopMatters; Aerosmith, Metallica, and the Beatles in Rock Brands; and the evolution of music history in The 1900s, The 1980s, and American Pop. Bob has talked about numerous musicians and musical influences as an on-air or quoted expert on television and in the media, including Dylan, George Michael, Hair Metal, Glam Rock, Grunge, and Michael Jackson.

Bob has also published books on Stan Lee, The Great Gatsby, Mad Men, and John Updike, among others. Rookwood: The Rediscovery and Revival of an American Icon, An Illustrated History won the 2021 Independent Publishers Book Award for Fine Art. The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius won the 2020 Independent Publishers Book Award for Historical Biography. Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel was a finalist for the 2018 Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction.

Bob’s books have been translated into a dozen languages. His work has appeared or been featured in the New York Times, Cincinnati Enquirer, Los Angeles Times, Today.com, The Guardian, and Time. Bob is also the creator and host of the podcast John Updike: American Writer, American Life. He has appeared as an on-air commentator for The National Geographic Channel, PBS NewsHour, BBC, PBS, and NPR. Bob hosted “TriState True Crime” on WCPO’s Cincy Lifestyle television show.

Bob earned a doctorate in American Literature from the University of South Florida. He has taught at universities in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as Vienna, Austria. Bob and his wife Suzette live in North Carolina and have two wonderful teenage daughters.

 

 

Table of Contents

1. Lighting America’s Fire

2. How a Sound (and a Band) are Born

3. The Doors Rule!

4. Blood in the Streets, It’s Up to My Ankles

5. Another Lost Angel

6. Death of the Lizard King

7. America’s Favorite Rock and Roll Band

8. Who Was Jim Morrison and Why does it Matter?

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