Jim Morrison's childhood home in Albuquerque, NM is the latest musician's residence to gather the attention of fans who have the hopes of preserving it as a piece of history. Fans of The Doors are pushing for the city to designate the home a historic site and turn it into a tourist attraction for the city (from Billboard).
One issue with that plan is that people still live in the home. Thelma Lue, the current owner, says that Doors fan frequently swing by to pay remembrance to the vocalist, and that she doesn't mind ("They've always been very thoughtful and nice," she said. Apparently Morrison's childhood home receives more respect than his final resting place). She may change her mind if an influx of tourist's begin stopping by.
Morrison's fascination with the desert landscape is well-reported, both in his music and his biographies, although that influence could just have easily stemmed from the band's time living in Los Angeles during its rise to fame. He also spent time living in Florida and Virginia, spending his final days in Paris.
This is just one of many projects that would use the former residence of a famous musician that has gathered steam in recent years. Music Times has already reported on efforts to preserve the final home of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis (also the residence where he took his own life by hanging) and the family farm of Oscar Hammerstein, which fans are hoping to convert to a museum and performance center to honor the legacy of the Broadway composer.
Stay tuned for more details as they develop. Your correspondent needs to get back to punching holes in his walls to give it more personality for when it becomes a historical site due to his having lived there.
