Burn Down the Night

My mother passed away a couple of years ago. I found this book at my grandmother's house, it had been my mom's when she was a teenager. From the cover I figured it would be an uninteresting and out of date book about Jim Morrison. Boy, was I wrong. I'm glad I didn't judge this book by it's cover, and went ahead and read it. After the first two pages I was hooked. This book is about drugs, evading the law, rape, and more drugs. I wasn't able to put this book down, I finished it in under a day. Although it might not be true, it's still a fascinating look at what might have happened in the drug life in the seventies.

Just don't be fooled by the association with Jim Morrison; although it ostensibly conveys the "spirit" of Jim Morrison, the book is fictional."Burn Down The Night" is a fictionalized account of a homeless teenager in the heady days of the mid to late 1960s, and his life doing drugs and traveling as a roadie with a rock group (after accidentally committing a murder in the course of a robbery, the group takes him in). The main character bumps into Jim Morrison at a party, and they start hanging together and acting crazy. Sounds silly, but it's all in the writing style; Strete is wonderfully poetic and humorous, and the story moves with the easy flow of a 1960's friday night keg party. Very depressing in parts, very funny in others, it's a fast and easy read with a high re-readability factor. It's kind of sad to see books like this out of print these days -- I suppose people think it glamorizes the drugging/partying lifestyle, and in a way it does. Yet Strete's talent as a writer and poet cannot be denied. The trouble is that there's no clear target audience for a book of this nature. If you bump into a copy of this book somewhere and appreciate quirky titles lacking in modern market appeal, give it a shot. I've got a copy of it myself, and it's one of those personally valued books I'd never sell or give away (along with "Auschwitz," "This Perfect Day" and other OOP but fascinating reads).

Without doubt this is the most insightful Jim Morrison biography in print. The authors portray Morrison unlike any of the other writers who have attempted to tackle the subject. The narrative is intertwined with fragments of Morrison's own poetry, which illustrates how life affected him, and helps unlock the mysteries hidden in the verse. The authors don't get caught up in their own egos like Densmore, Manzarek, and Sugerman did -- they show a real person, a poet, suffocating in his own fame and the persona he created. If you ever want to know how this artist suffered, this is the book for you.

Although the author tries to be a copy of Morrison himself, he does a good job in describing the emotional chaos within himself. The philosophical ideas in it, make one wonder whether a little bit of the 60's spirit would be something missing in our era. A very inspiring book, if you are about to break some rules, in order to have some interesting memories. Partly very funny, although always with a taste of bitterness. It's a little rougher than Sugerman's 'Wonderland Avenue', but with a similar plot. Should not be mistaken as a permission for a serious drug habit, though. Remember kids, it doesn't have a happy end! Read it on the beach, with a beer and a cigarette and go have a party afterwards.

This book is fictional guys so don't be fooled by the cover.However, it is a good book and a mad story (Another Day In Paradise by a guy called Eddie Little is quite similar) and well worth the read.I loved the character Tamara.You pays your money you take your choice.