Florida Governor Pondering Jim Morrison Pardon
Charlie Crist, the Governor of Florida, recently revealed that he is considering a pardon of Jim Morrison, famed singer of the seminal rock band, The Doors. The Florida convictions stem from a questionable indecent exposure and profanity incident during a Miami concert in 1970. The matter was brought to his attention by Dave Diamond, a Doors fan from Dayton, Ohio who wrote the governor last month.
Crist said he has his legal team reviewing the case and determining the procedure for granting a posthumous pardon. Morrison’s arrest generated a lot of attention at the time and is still a part of the Morrison legend. He was drunk at the concert and police said he exposed himself, which Morrison denied. Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek said Tuesday that he never saw Morrison expose himself and none of the more than 100 photos entered into evidence showed Morrison’s genitals.
“He taunted the audience. ‘I’m going to show you! I’m going to show it to you!’ Then he took his shirt off, held it in front of him like a bullfighter’s cape, wiggled it around as if there was something going on behind it,” Manzarek said. Morrison appealed the convictions, but was found dead in a Paris bathtub before it could be heard.
