JIM MORRISON - MIAMI GOVERNOR 'SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING' MORRISON PARDON

MIAMI GOVERNOR 'SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING' MORRISON PARDON

LATEST: A Florida governor is "seriously considering" pardoning dead rock star JIM MORRISON of his indecent exposure conviction. Fans of the late singer's band THE DOORS and the group's Doors Collectors Magazine (DCM) have requested Morrison's record be cleared of the 1969 charges, following his premature death in 1971 from heart failure. Miami governor Charlie Crist was challenged with a petition by the DCM last month (Mar07), and has now questioned the legality of the charges for himself - accusations fans have branded "bogus". He says, "He died when he was 27. That's really a kid, when you think about it, and obviously he was having some challenges. There's some dispute about how solid the case was." The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek yesterday (17Apr07) expressed his delight at the news and reiterated Morrison's innocence, saying he only pretended to expose himself at the 1969 concert. He adds, "(Morrison) taunted the audience. 'I'm going to show you! I'm going to show it to you!' Then he took his shirt off, held it in front of him like a bullfighter's cape, (and) wiggled it around as if there was something going on behind it. "Florida is Jim's home state. He's a Florida boy. Wouldn't it be great if Florida could finally say, 'Hey, native son, Your name is cleared. We recognise you as a young American poet." Crist's legal team is currently reviewing the case and will determine whether to clear the rocker's name in the next few weeks.