The rest of the story…

I got an email from Anchorage, AK from a guy who saw the article I did on Jim Morrison. It was posted on the Sun Times website, he said (in part)
“I was just checking out any of the latest articles of news on Jim Morrison, him being somebody of strong importance to me, actually the guy is my hero, and I ran across your article about the interview with the imposter. I have done my research, and I know a lot about the guy. I really appreciated your article, because you completely made that imposter you interviewed look and feel like a fool from the sound of things, and you are right, Jim would not have been speechless nor would he have cared so much about some guy’s opinion.  I like how you dealt with him and I just wanted to thank you.”
So here is the rest of the story. Billboard Magazine ran a story about that interview, the imposter claiming to be Jim Morrison and the disc jockey who exposed him on the air. Joe was furious with me the day it happened but later he was thankful that we were the station that put a stop to Jim Morrison’s big comeback. That could have been very embarrassing for the station, but luckily I wasn’t as gullible as Joe. How could he think that he could pull this off without having to sing?
About a year later after I left the station, I was looking for work and I saw an ad in the paper for a Manager of a record shop in the French Corner about a block from where I lived. The only problem was the interview would have to take place in Baton Rouge. So I drove up to do the interview with a man named Billy Casselberry. I walked into Mr. Casselberry’s office and as he looked up he didn’t recognize me, but I knew him. “Before you ask me any questions, I have one for you” I said. “It’s Jim isn’t it”? He just dropped his head and said “to some people”. I smiled and said “Well you can stop the interviewing now because I got this job!” And I did.
He had written a book by then as Jim Morrison called The Bank of America of Louisiana and was trading the throwaway book for records (even trade) through All South Distributors.
All South distributed both Records and books, so he was getting records for about 35 cents apiece. That’s what it cost to print the book; his family owned a printing company. He decided instead of just underselling everybody else, he would sell single albums for $1 and doubles for $2! At the time single disc albums were selling for around $6. So not only was he a liar and a fraud he was a bad businessman. The record store was called Zeppelin Records, trying to make people think there was some connection to Led Zeppelin. The records were selling but the book wasn’t, so once he established the record prices and he sold the opening inventory he was in trouble. When the record shop folded he owed me two weeks pay. The law in Louisiana at the time was that if you go out of business you have to pay your employees right then, if you don’t they stay on the payroll until you do. I won a judgment for $3,400. I have yet to receive a dime from that judgment. He OJ’ed me. Billy Casselberry was later sentenced to prison for fraud and embezzlement not related to the late Mr. Morrison.
That was one of the shortest and yet most satisfying interviews I ever did. Jim Morrison had gone downhill the last year or so of his life but he deserved respect and I refused to let this idiot take that away from him. That made me feel good, now if I could just get my money.
You can also see the story on John Densmore’s website. John is the drummer for the Doors. The link is http://budurl.com/b48v
If you have questions you would like answered in the column or have any comments you can reach me by email at Mitch.SunTimes@gmail.com.

(Mitch McCracken has been involved in the music business for over thirty years working in both the radio and records industries. His first book, Off the Charts, about his experiences will be released later this year.