The poet William Blake once said "If the Doors of perception were purified, all would appear to man as it is, infinite" (Gilmore 34). From this quote a band was born that, even more than 20 years after its dissolution, is still played and remembered. The Doors began as a small garage band in California in the early 1960s. They were extremely popular thanks to their lead singer, Jim Morrison. Morrison himself was a real character. Morrison is considered by many critics to be a modern poet. Others see him in a different light, George Will wrote “Morrison resembled Byron in one respect, they were both mad, evil and dangerous to know” (Will 64). Still others see him as a “counterculture” hero. He was a sort of 'Peter Pan', one of those kids who never grew up. Morrison was basically the Doors. His blatant disregard for law and order made him a well-known figure. He was arrested on a few occasions on charges ranging from inciting a riot to indecent exposure. He was also known for his drug use and alcohol abuse. His poetry, however, justified his lifestyle. There were also three other band members: Ray Manzarak (keyboards), John Densmore (drummer) and Robby Krieger (guitarist). They all formed the Doors, but after the death of singer Jim Morrison, the band's popularity declined significantly. However they produced three albums after Morrison's untimely death (they were not all very popular). Jim Morrison died on July 4, 1971 in Paris, France. He was 27 at the time of his death (the same age that Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin also died). He was found in his bathtub with a cute smile on his face. He had finally “broke through to the other side” (Gilmore 35). The Doors were known for their style of rebellious, psychedelic rock. Their music is poetry (written by Jim Morrison) set to music. Morrison also published many books dedicated exclusively to his poetry. While not all of the Doors' music was written by Morrison, ninety percent of it was. The band was considered a guru by the youth of the sixties and a pest by the public. The band seemed to fuse music, drugs, and idealism as a way to reform and even redeem a troubled society (Gilmore 34). They were very similar to the other bands that were emerging in the sixties, but they differed in one important way.