Interviews

Jeff Finn seeks the truth in new Jim Morrison documentary – Interview

Published

3 months ago

12/20/2024

Jeff Finn is a documentary filmmaker who has set out to uncover the real story surrounding the death of Jim Morrison of The Doors. Before the End: Searching for Jim Morrison is a first of its kind “documystery” series that will make its global TVOD/Digital release on January 13, 2025, following Morrison’s 81st birthday, and will be available on all the major platforms of Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube TV, with more to follow.

A dozen years in the making, Before the End’s cryptic tagline encapsulates its investigative approach: “One Man. Countless Myths. And in between lies the truth.” Z-Machine founder, Jeff Finn’s extraordinary detail work breaks the decades long hermetic seal on the traumatic formative years that forged a brief hellacious life, through Morrison’s controversial career as lead singer of legendary 1960s rock band, The Doors, to his reported 1971 death by “heart failure” in Paris at age 27. Morrison’s ostensible demise, technically an unsolved cold case, formed its own rabbit hole of reasonable doubt, which inspired Finn to consult with private investigators and forensic analysts.

Before the End transcends “rock doc” in the same sense that Jim Morrison was more than a rock star. Featuring unprecedented content, from shocking corroboration about Morrison’s early life, to harrowing revelations about his stardom, and fresh evidence that contradicts his professed death, Before the End: Searching for Jim Morrisonisproudly unauthorized because it “seeks the unvarnished truth.” The documystery reverse-engineers long-controlled narratives while it explores the notion of Morrison the nonconformist as neurodivergent, and deconstructs – through on-camera interviews with family, friends, lovers, classmates, and associates – key distinctions between Jim Morrison, “rock god,” and James Douglas Morrison, introverted outsider.

Among those interviewed and/or featured are Morrison’s cousins, Ellen Edwards and David Backer, lovers, Anne Moore, Gayle Enochs, Judy Huddleston, and Suzanne Roady-Ross, friends, Mirandi Babitz and Salli Stevenson, Elektra Records founder, Jac Holzman, The Doors booking agent, Todd Schiffman, The Doors roadie, Gareth Blyth, screenwriter, Randall Jahnson, rock critics, Ellen Sander and Richard Meltzer, UCLA classmates, Philip Oleno and Richard Blackburn, UCLA roommate, Ron Cohen, UCLA professor, Dick Adams, Florida State University roommates, Bryan Gates and John McQueen, FSU professor, Ralph Turner, Alameda High School swim coach, Ash Jones, childhood friend, Jeff Morehouse, Paris-era acquaintances, Philippe Dalecky and Gilles Yepremian, and exclusives via Jim’s brother, Andy Morrison, Robyn Wurtele, Morrison’s enigmatic Paris-era assistant, and “Mr. X,” a mind-blowing anonymous source.

Z-Machine is a truly independent production company helmed by writer and filmmaker, Jeff Finn, whose tie-in book, 127 Fascination: Jim Morrison Decoded, is forthcoming.

Related Topics:documentary interview jim morrison

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Ted (Steady)

Ted aka Steady is a film critic and the managing editor forCountdownCityGeeks.com. He has covered some of the largest pop culture events in the world including SXSW and San Diego Comic-Con. He has also hosted a variety of events such as eSports Tourneys, film festivals, to moderating panels for some of the biggest names in entertainment including Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson and Giancarlo Esposito.

Interviews

Releasing today is ‘Lifeline’, the mystery thriller starring Josh Stewart – Interview

Published

2 weeks ago

02/21/2025

Ted (Steady)

Releasing today in select theaters and Apple TV is LIFELINE, a gripping mystery thriller about a Lifeline operator who receives the most unexpected call he could’ve imagined. The film deals with some heavy themes, captures the gravity of what it must be like to work as a hotline crisis counselor, and you will never guess how the film ends. See my interview with director Feras Alfuqaha and checkout LIFELINE today.

Official Film Synopsis:

A late-night suicide hotline operator receives a disturbing call from someone claiming to be him, knowing personal details only he would know. The caller threatens to end his life within the hour, forcing the operator into a tense, emotional race against time. As the clock ticks down, he must confront his deepest fears and uncover the truth before it’s too late to save “himself”.

Interviews

The SuperX apparel brand has some new exciting collabs on the way

Published

4 weeks ago

02/11/2025

Ted (Steady)

Steady and Retro Ray have a chat with entrepreneur and CEO of SuperX Apparel, the geekiest athletic line on the market, Austin Gayne. Hear about the origins of the company, the challenges Austin had to overcome, and the amount of work and effort that goes into every epic design.

SUPERX™ Is the Premier Athletic Clothing Store for Superhero Workout Clothes Worldwide. Your Source for the World’s Most Unique Superhero Workout Clothing & Fitness Apparel. Designed for Athletes. 3,000+ Verified Reviews. Shop Now, Pay Later. Premium Fitness Gear.

Visit their website to see what’s in stock and use code “Austin” for 20% off your first purchase.

Interviews

Releasing Friday is a documentary for horror fans to enter the mind of their favorite authors – Interview

Published

1 month ago

02/06/2025

Ted (Steady)

FIRST WORD ON HORROR is a fifteen-part documentary series directed by Philip Gelatt, that profiles five of the finest horror writers working today. Across multiple episodes, each author discusses their life, their inspirations, their philosophies, and their writing techniques while reading one of their short stories. The first episodes will premiere February 7th exclusively on Substack.

FIRST WORD ON HORROR – Full Episode Release Dates:
– February 7: Stephen Graham Jones
– February 21st: Paul Tremblay
– March 14th: Elizabeth Hand
– April 4th: Laird Barron
– April 24th: Mariana Enriquez

As fact and fiction blend, secrets are revealed and the delicate alchemy that turns human experience into creative expression begins to emerge. The series is a love letter to writers of all ilk, to the primacy of the human experience, and to the simple act of reading a damned good story. The authors profiled are New York Times bestsellers, multi-award winners, and cult favorites.

In this first season, they are Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Elizabeth Hand, Laird Barron, and Mariana Enriquez. Through the authors’ lives the series takes viewers from a harrowing Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska to the lurking terror of growing up under the Argentinian dictatorship, from the unbridled energy of the early DC punk scene to an ill-fated hunting expedition on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana.

FIRST WORD ON HORROR is directed by Emmy and WGA winning writer and filmmaker Philip Gelatt, whose credits include: The Spine of Night, Europa Report, They Remain, The Bleeding House and Love Death + Robots. The project is produced by Will Battersby (The Spine of Night, They Remain, Trumbo) and other key crew include Director of Photography Sean Kirby, Composer Peter Scartabello, Editor April Merl and Sound Designer Ben Cheah.

For more information visit EtchFilm.com.