One of a reported 500 copies of a poem by Jim Morrison, Ode to L.A. while thinking of Brian Jones, Deceased.  Printed by Western Lithograph Co.  in July 1969, Ode to L.A… was distributed to concert goers at two performances by The Doors at the Aquarius Theatre in Hollywood, on July 21, 1969, and was at least once given by Morrison to passersby on an Los Angeles street.  The poem was printed as a four page pamphlet on textured yellow paper with dark green ink, measuring 6″ x 9 1/2″.

This copy comes from the personal collection of Morrison’s close friend Alain Ronay, who met Morrison in 1964 in California, took the last photographs of him less than a week before his tragic death, arrived at Morrison’s Paris apartment shortly after his death and dealt with the French authorities, and arranged for him to be buried at Paris’ legendary Per Lachaise cemetery.

Ronay’s accompanying letter of authenticity reads: I was Jim Morrison’s best friend.  Jim and I had a pile of the poem “Ode to LA…” to distribute in the street in LA, where we attempted to give the pamphlet to passersby.  Most wanted to make contact with Jim but few wanted the poem.  I took only one pamphlet and the rest were jettisoned.  Jim was distraught.  He had written it with the purpose of promoting Norman Mailer, who was running for mayor of New York.  Jim was very proud of the poem since he was doing it for one of his favorite writers and giving it a try out before taking it East.  Fortunately, all turned out well.  Mailer read the poem and was very impressed.  (Signed) Alain C. Ronay.

This was the third of Morrison’s four self-published poetry works, issued after The Lords: Notes on Visions and The New Creatures (both 1969) and before An American Prayer (1970; all four printed by Western Lithograph Co.)  The work is a meditation on the death of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, who died on July 3, two weeks prior to the concert at which this pamphlet was distributed.  According to one account, the floor of the Aquarius was littered with copies of this pamphlet after the show, which would account for its extreme scarcity.

While we have had the good fortune to offer multiple examples of Morrison’s other published works, this is only the second copy of  Ode to L.A… we have ever had, and has exceptional provenance, having come directly from a close friend of Morrison.  In excellent condition, with a tiny stain to the front and trivial handling.

With Alain Ronay’s letter of authenticity and Recordmecca’s written lifetime guarantee of authenticity.