Digging (up) Jim Morrison
Ryan Irelan notes re the Times article about relocating graves in Charlotte that burial in Germany is often a temporary arrangement. Plots have to be paid for generation after generation, or else someone else is moved in.
The same applies in France, especially at fancy boneyards like Pere LaChaise in Paris, although exceptions are often made for famous names from Balzac to Oscar Wilde. There has been talk of removing from this posh address the remains of Jim Morrison, because his grave brings unruly visitors who trash the place and leave graffiti on neighboring tombs – even writing “Jim” with little arrows pointing toward his resting place on tombs far across the massive cemetery.
Once I watched a French cop trying to eject a drunk German fan from Pere LaChaise. The German had been sitting by Morrison’s grave strumming his guitar, and the cop didn’t like it. They got into a shouting match. The cop was yelling “vas dehors,” meaning “get out,” as in "take it outside, buddy," stressing the second word and pronouncing it very much like “door.” The lank-haired bare-chested-but-leather-jacketed drunk-at-noon German fan was nose to nose with him, responding, “Doors.”
“Door!”
“Doors!”
“Door!”
“Doors!”….
For all I know, they’re still there, yelling.
6:29:10 PM 
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