Lord Byron, Jim Morrison Commonalities

Counter-culture Heroes Attract Graffiti

Romantic poet Lord G.G. Byron (1788-1824) had a reputation for lust, incest, and adultery, according to Northrop Frye.

But to some extent this resulted from assumptions about the poet based upon his poetry. Nevertheless, the man and his actions are very interesting, especially considering how much he resembles a hippie.

Lord Byron was a Rebel with Many Causes

Byron's life was hobbled by a painful clubfoot, so he became well-read. Perhaps precocious, he soon began to campaign for societal reform. His hair grew long and his inclinations ranged wide. He ended up writing things like Juvenile Poems (1806) and Hours of Idleness (1807).

On Feb 27, 1812, Byron spoke in the House of Lords, defending workers in London who were protesting by sabotaging the machinery in plants. Later he campaigned to bring relief to Catholics in Ireland.

In his private life he pursued his own ends. Poetry was his life, it would seem, judging by the sheer volume of it. But there were other interests as well. Shenanigans, not unlike those associated with musical celebrity today, were in fact the order of the day for the leaders of the Romantic Rebellion.

Shades of Jim Morrison's Headstone

In his poem "And Thou Art Dead, As Young And Fair" Byron spoke of soft charms and a bed. But this is no standard love poem. As with the songs of Mr. Mojo Risin, Eros quickly and inevitably slithers into Thanatos. Is this indicative of some sort of love-hate relationship with life?

H.A.Taine's works develop the "Byronic Hero", a "saturnine, passionate, moody, and remorse-torn but unrepentant sinner." Sounds a bit like Jim Morrison, who comes to mind anyway because he and Byron, both great rebels, in the end are associated with one last emblem of the counter-culture: graffiti! Not only did their lives imitate art, so did their deaths.

Perhaps Lord Byron was quite unlike Morrison in that the former was a powerful political figure whereas the later was more interested in breaking "on through to the other side." But in the history of popular culture they have something in common.

Stone monuments dedicated to both Byron and Morrison have become etched by the scratchings of passers-by, as if these monoliths were some sort of guestbook registering homage to the great men. In this way their memories help perpetuate the notion that we should not pass through this life without leaving our mark.

See Byron Website for biography, poems, etc