Jim Morrison’s Suede Jacket, Worn At The Doors’ New Haven Concert, To Be Auctioned
Jim Morrison’s suede jacket worn during The Doors’ infamous 1967 concert in New Haven, Connecticut, is going up for auction, starting at $50,000 through US auction house Gottahaverockandroll.com.
The Doors front man was wearing this dark brown suede jacket on stage while performing on 9 December, 1967 when he was arrested and charged with inciting a riot, indecency and public obscenity.
Buy The Doors vinyl and CDs at the Dig! store.
In his memoir, Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying & Playing Guitar With The Doors, guitarist Robby Krieger recalls the events leading up to Morrison’s New Haven arrest in detail. He wrote: “I was in our dressing room when I heard Jim screaming. We all went running out to see what happened and found Jim yelling at some cops and the cops yelling back. During the commotion we stitched together what had happened: Jim was making out with his date in a shower stall when a police officer confronted him, thinking he was a random member of the crowd who had snuck backstage. Jim allegedly mouthed off, and the cop allegedly sprayed him with Mace. I had no problem believing the story. Jim loved mouthing off to cops, and cops loved having an excuse.
He added: “The show itself—or at least the portion of it we got to play—went pretty well. As we started playing Back Door Man, Jim launched into his now-famous rant about the little blue man in the little blue suit with the little blue cap who had temporarily blinded him backstage. The crowd cheered Jim on as we jammed behind him. Like at all the best Doors shows, we were creating a moment. A specific connection with a specific audience that would exist only on that specific night. I was completely oblivious to the dozens of police officers waiting in the shadows until the house lights came up and the shadows were removed.
“Suddenly we were surrounded. A police lieutenant marched onto the stage and Jim offered him the microphone: “Say your thing, man.” Even at that point I wasn’t really nervous. What were they going to do, arrest him? Onstage? In the middle of a show? For telling a completely true story? As it turned out, yes. The police grabbed Jim and the crowd went wild. Ray, John, and I stood there in shock.”
The New Haven jacket is going up for sale at gottahaverockandroll.com. It’s estimated the garment will sell for over $100,000. It comes from the collection of Frank Lisciandro, a film maker and close friend of The Morrison’s. Lisciandro originally received this jacket personally from Jim Morrison.
With impeccable provenance, the last day for bidding on this jacket will be April 12. Visit the official Gotta Have Rock And Roll website for further information.
Buy The Doors vinyl and CDs at the Dig! store.