Glimpses of Jim

In the late 1950s and 1960s there were a number of journalists who wrote about the rock scene, the protest movement, and the literary underground--that maelstrom of social unrest that later became known as "the counterculture." Some of these journalists became pop (or semi-pop) idols themselves: Tom Wolfe (of New York magazine), Esquire's Gay Talese, and Jann Wenner, cofounder and editor of Rolling Stone. Far lesser known (as well as under appreciated) was a working reporter for the New York Post named Al Aronowitz.

Back in the 1950s Aronowitz tracked down and interviewed Jack Kerouac in a small Long Island town called Northport where the author had gone to live with his mother, Memere, to escape the hullabaloo following the publication of On the Road; the interview has been quoted by legions of Kerouac biographers. In 1960 Aronowitz did another seminal interview with Neal Cassady when the latter was in San Quentin for marijuana smuggling.
Until the 1960s faded into the Age of Reagan, Aronowitz followed them all--Dylan, Mailer, the Stones--through the ups and downs of their careers. One legendary figure the reporter knew--but never formally interviewed--was Jim Morrison. Here, in an exclusive interview with American Legends--conducted over a period of several months via e-mail--Al Aronowitz recalls glimpses of Jim.
This interview was posted shortly after AL went on-line in 1996. Al Aronowitz later became a strong friend and supporter. He died in 2005, leaving behind many friends and admirers.