This magnificent cemetery, the moodiest of all, is chock full of illustrious permanent Parisians, from the tragic Medieval lovers Abélard and Héloïse to Molière, Balzac, Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf – you name ‘em! These towering figures all have their share of visitors, but the most flocked-to of all is Jim. That’s all you need to say: “Jim” (or “Jeem” if addressing French people), when asking where Jim Morrison is buried. When I first came here twenty-five years ago, me and two kids, wondering how I will find his grave, I glanced at the big map on the wall of the Père-Lachaise Métro station as we were heading out, and there it was: a bold felt-tip arrow on the map and the name “Jim.” And once we were in the cemetery, graffiti arrows on tombs led us right to Jim’s grave. As you’ll see in the 1986 snapshots, there was a much-graffiti’d bust of Jim at that time (long gone), and every tomb surrounding Jim’s grave was covered with graffiti messages – “the Lizard King lives!” We’re waiting for you, Jim!” Quel bordel!
Today there’s a metal barrier and a guard to try to stop the graffiti, but I’ve been noticing lately on my Writers in Paris Walking Tours (very popular, by the way) that graffiti Jim messages are sneaking back onto the edges of the other people’s tombs.
A question that always comes up from my walkers is this: how did Jim Morrison end up here?
So here’s the story, lifted from my book Writers in Paris, Literary Lives in the City of Light.
James Morrison, Poet
On July 3, 1971, at five in the morning, Jim Morrison died in the bathtub of a borrowed fourth-floor apartment at No. 17 rue Beautrellis in the Marais. He was twenty-seven. The cause of death was undoubtedly the huge quantities of opium he was snorting, but his girlfriend Pamela Courson(or Mrs. Morrison, as she sometimes called herself) convinced the police that he was not a drug user and had a serious heart condition. The medical examiner listed cause of death as heart attack and identified him as “James Morrison, Poet,” as Pamela told him.
Rumors began flying in the American community the very morning of Morrison’s death: that he had OD’d in the toilet of a rock club and his body had been carried to the apartment; that he was offed by J. Edgar Hoover; that he was not dead, but faking it. Amazingly, none of the army of police officials and emergency rescue-squad members who saw the corpse recognized the world famous rock icon, nor did the man who came every day to keep the body packed in dry ice because of the city’s brutal heat wave.
A friend who had been walking with Jim in Père-Lachaise Cemetery a few weeks earlier told Pamela that the singer had expressed the hope of being buried there someday. She agreed with the suggestion. When Pamela and the friend went to an undertaker, he informed them that it would be almost impossible to find a plot in that very crowded burial ground. But when the friend mentioned that James Morrison was a famous young writer, the undertaker found a plot right away.
The hush-hush burial took place on July 7. The cemetery has not been the same since.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale
I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos. I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.
Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.
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