This historical icon was born in Melbourne, Florida on December 8, 1943. At the age of 4, he witnessed a horrible car accident involving Pueblo Indians and believed that one of the souls of the deceased entered his body and enchanted him. By age 15 he was a fervent reader with a tested I.Q. of 149. After high school he immediately enrolled at St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida where he lived with his grand parents. Shortly thereafter he grew weary of the school and transferred to Florida State University where he majored in theater. During his stay at FSU he took two classes on the Psychology of Crowds and the Philosophies of Protest that would later aid him in his respective profession. However, by 1964, he abandoned the theater department and relocated himself to the film school at UCLA in California. While in California, he began writing poetry and delving into drug use at Venice Beach on the weekends.
Venice Beach also provided a breeding ground for the four piece band formed by this emerging Renaissance man. In 1965 he graduated from UCLA with a Bachelors Degree is cinematography. Fresh out of college, he focused his attention entirely on his music. From 1965 until 1970, his band's fame increased as did his addiction to alcohol and drug experimentation. At first he was a tentative front man, until eventually broke on through to become the rambunctious icon that follows his modern reputation. Psychologists believe that children who have parents in the highly mobile Navy often have resentment towards authority. Many believe this is the cause of his several run-ins with the law, his band and the public. At times he would retreat to Paris to escape the stress of stardom and the burdens of responsibility.
In 1970 he was found guilty of indecent exposure at a Florida concert to which he was sentenced to 8 months of hard labor. Only an immediate appeal kept him from being taken into custody right away.
