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The Controversy Caused by the Doors of the 21st Century
We’re all getting older. We should, the three of us, be playing these songs because, hey, the end is always near. Morrison was a poet, and above all, a poet wants his words heard.
—Ray Manzarek
In 2002, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger reunited to produce a new version of the Doors called “the Doors of the 21st Century” that was surrounded with controversy and led to legal action that dragged on for years, pitting the two Doors against fellow Door John Densmore and the Morrison estate. In an interview in Classic Rock magazine (Summer 2007), Densmore remarked, “Jim Morrison was always very protective of The Doors name, and so am I.”
However, the source of Densmore’s anger with Manzarek can be traced to Manzarek’s 1998 autobiography, Light My Fire, in which the keyboardist made the claim that Morrison had wanted to kick Densmore out of the band because he “couldn’t stand him as a human being.” Manzarek later reported that Densmore sent him a copy of the book “burnt up.” After they were forced to drop the name “the Doors of the 21st Century,” the band changed their name several times and now tour under the name Manzarek-Krieger. Dedicated to performing the music of the Doors, the group has been met with mixed reactions from fans and critics alike.
First Tour
It all started in 2002 when Manzarek and Krieger recruited Ian Astbury, lead singer of the Cult, to embark on a tour as the Doors of the 21st Century. It was reported that Densmore was invited to participate but declined since he suffered from tinnitus. (Densmore later denied that he was ever invited to join the band.) Manzarek and Krieger briefly hired Stewart Copeland of the Police (who quit after breaking his arm after falling off his bicycle) and then Ty Dennis to fill in for Densmore, and even added a bass player, Angelo Barbera (who left the band in 2004 and was replaced by Phil Chen). One critic stated that even though Manzarek and Krieger looked “like a dentist and accountant, respectively,” their jams were “blistering and hypnotic.” As the Doors of the 21st Century, the band released a live DVD in 2003 titled L.A. Woman Live.
Just three years after the release of The Doors: The Complete Studio Recordings, two of the surviving band members, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger, formed the highly controversial group the Doors of the 21st Century.
Courtesy of Kerry Humpherys/doors.com
Permanent Injunction
Densmore filed an injunction in February 2003 to prevent his former band members from using the Doors name. After his injunction was denied in court, Densmore was soon joined by both Morrison’s and Courson’s families in his fight. Manzarek sarcastically remarked in an interview with the St. Petersburg Times (June 7, 2005) that the “people who Jim had completely cut out of his life have sided with the drummer who Jim wanted to fire. It’s a Florida soap opera.” In July 2005, Densmore and the Morrison/Courson estate won a permanent injunction, which led the band to rename themselves D21C and then Riders on the Storm (a real slap in the face to Densmore who had used that title for his 1990 autobiography). According to court papers, Manzarek and Krieger earned approximately $5,000 to $10,000 per show performing as solo acts but were offered anywhere from $150,000 to $200,000 for the band.
In a July 23, 2005, interview with Mike Bell of the Calgary Sun, Manzarek remarked, “I take it as a real insult for people to say, ‘Well, you’re just doing this for the money … God, can’t we do it just to play the songs? Robby and I want to play. It’s like, listen, I’m not going to be doing this for too much longer—don’t you get it?” As for his part, Densmore responded, “I’m just so happy that the legacy of the true Doors, and Jim Morrison in particular, has been preserved by this decision.”
“Not for Rent”
In an October 5, 2005, Los Angeles Times article titled “Drummer Nixes Doors Song for TV Ad,” Densmore commented, “People lost their virginity to this music, got high for the first time to this music. I’ve had people say kids died in Vietnam listening to this music, other people say they know someone who didn’t commit suicide because of this music. Onstage, when we played these songs, they felt mysterious and magic. That’s not for rent.” In 2007, Densmore remarked that he would only rejoin the Doors for the 40th Anniversary Tour if it was fronted by Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam who had performed three songs with the surviving band members during the 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. According to Densmore, “I play with Jim. If there’s someone of that level, OK. I’m not gonna join them with Ian. That’s not to diss Ian, he’s a good singer—but he’s no Jim Morrison. Eddie Vedder? My God, there’s a singer.”
Manzarek-Krieger
In August 2008, the California Supreme Court decided not to review the lower court’s decision, so the judgment against Manzarek and Krieger still stands. Meanwhile, Astbury had quit Riders on the Storm in 2007 in order to reunite with the Cult and was replaced by Brett Scallions, the former lead singer of Fuel. In 2010, Miljenko Matijevic briefly became the lead singer of the band, followed by Dave Brock of Hawkwind. Manzarek and Krieger continue to tour under the name “Manzarek-Krieger” or “Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors.” In 2011, they scheduled tour dates in Mexico, Bolivia, and Russia with a lineup that included Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad on vocals, Phil Chen on bass guitar, and Ty Dennis on drums.
The fight over the Doors’ legacy continues to this day. For example, Densmore reportedly is set to publish a new book called The Doors Unhinged: Rock ’n’ Roll on Trial in 2011. However, due to Densmore’s dispute with the publisher, it is uncertain if this new biography will ever see the light of day.