Patricia Butler: Angels Dance And Angels Die: The Tragic Romance Of Pamela And Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison may be dead, but his alcohol-bloated countenance will never leave the American consciousness, so long as there are necrophiliacs like Oliver Stone and Patricia Butler "keeping the legend alive." In the unfortunately titled Angels Dance And Angels Die: The Tragic Romance Of Pamela And Jim Morrison, Butler brings more facts about Morrison's life to light, thanks to the six years she spent researching the book. The relationship between Morrison and "cosmic mate" Pamela Courson is examined in as much detail as anyone could manage more than 20 years after the death of both parties. The problem is that the previously unknown facts are, for the most part, congruous with the previously known fact that Morrison was an unpredictable drunk with a huge ego. You can't fault Butler's fact-finding, but her presentation tends to paint a suspiciously rosy picture. Conversations in which Morrison and Courson were the only ones present are "reproduced," and contradictory facts can be found with little indication as to which version is true. The relationship the two shared is depicted as a glorious merging of two souls into one unit, but the anecdotes in the book belie the fact that the two were co-dependents in a destructive situation, and that both were in need of counseling. Read only if you're a Doors fan who's easily titillated by tales of substance abuse and dysfunctional-relationship antics.