Before the End: Jim Morrison Comes of Age
Greetings. This is Jeff Finn, director-at-large, hoping this update finds you well, whomever or wherever you may happen to be.
My wife and Z-Machine partner, Jess, and I now have a title for our forthcoming documentary: Before the End: Jim Morrison Comes of Age. In addition, we have created an official Facebook page and Twitter account.
Over the past four months, Z-Machine has been in contact with over 300 people who are connected to Jim Morrison. From California to Oregon, and Virginia to Florida, I’ve personally conducted dozens of interviews with Jim’s childhood, high school, and college friends and classmates. It’s been an amazing ride, and we’ve just shifted into second gear. We hope you’ll join us as BTE explores Morrison in all his mystery.
I greatly enjoyed my interview with Jim’s oldest friend, Jeff Morehouse, whose family knew the Morrisons from the time Jeff and Jim were six-year-olds. And Jim’s Doors-era friend, trusted confidant, and editor of his poetry, Frank Lisciandro, gave a fascinating interview and has been most helpful with the project. Also, the wonderful Bill “Shoot First, Ask Questions Later!” Adams, Jim’s 95-year-old UCLA film instructor, kindly granted his first-ever on-camera interview. Additionally, Bob Delack of the Clearwater Historical Society turned out to have known Morrison during his Florida college years and offered unique insight into that particular window of Jim’s life. Most of all, I was honored to obtain an exclusive interview with Jim’s brother, Andy Morrison. The occasion marked the first time Andy agreed to be interviewed for a documentary film. And thankfully, Jim’s first serious girlfriends, Tandy Martin and Mary Werbelow, shared hours of illuminating off-the-record conversations. Finally, Alain Ronay, Jim’s good friend who visited him in Paris just prior to July 3, 1971, has been very generous with his personal memories.
Jess and I half-joke that making this doc is like playing Sherlock Holmes, in terms of attempting to sleuth out the truly real Jim Morrison. As our tagline stresses: “Everyone has heard of Jim Morrison, the rock star, but who was James Douglas Morrison, the human being?”
The plot thickens never thins,
~Jeff
Tags: Alain Ronay, Andy Morrison, Before the End: Jim Morrison Comes of Age, Bill Adams, Bob Delack, Facebook, Frank Lisciandro, James Douglas Morrison, Jeff Finn, Jeff Morehouse, Jess Finn, Kickstarter, Mary Werbelow, new Jim Morrison documentary, Tandy Martin, The Doors, Z-Machine