Post by darkstar on Feb 2, 2005 14:16:55 GMT
THE DOORS REVISITED
Heavy Metal Thunder Magazine
May 1991
It’s been almost twenty years since Jim Morrison’s untimely and mysterious demise in Paris in 1971, yet his complex, eerie and eternally misunderstood presence still reverberates through the world of rock music like a band hangover. Although the Doors never attained mass appeal or commercial success of the Beatles, Stones, or Bob Dylan, their influence has never been more keenly felt, and it shows no signs of waning.
Remember the Doors craze of the early 80s? Supposedly, the Doors sold more records in 1980 alone than they did in their active recording career. And what about bands like the Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Cult? They owe much of their sound and success to the alternative trails that the Doors blazed, and the public’s hunger for something dark, brooding and defiant.
More recently, Glenn Danzig has borrowed a line or two from the Jim Morrison book of style and sailed the Crystal Ship down to hell in a handbasket. If Morrison could have an evil twin Danzig would be it. Of course, that would imply Jimbo was angelic. Ha!
Now, a new chapter is about to open up in the Doors’s saga as Oliver Stone’s new movie, The Doors is set to premiere in March. It’s certainly an ambitious task to try to recreate the flavor of the ‘60’s and portray Jim Morrison and the Doors, one of rock’s greatest and most enigmatic groups, but Stone brings experience to the job that should prove to be helpful. For one thing, he came of age in the 60’s and fought in the Vietnam war, where soldiers thought to relate heavily to the Doors music. And secondly, he’s made several movies that were based in the ‘60s and early 70s. most notably Platoon, a film about the war.
But one has to wonder about certain aspects of the production. The casting of Val Kilmer in the lead role of The Lizard King comes to mind. Many people got their first glimpse of Kilmer in a minor role he played in Top Gun, a gung-ho, Reagan era film that bordered on cold war propaganda. As most Morrison fans will remember, Jim grew up an army brat, and he hated the services. The association goes a bit further: In his new book about his life and times with the Doors, drummer John Densmore cities Top Gun as an example of a recent trend in film that glamorizes was as a metaphor for rock ‘n roll. Kilmer does however bear a strong resemblance to Morrison, and this should be a great advantage. And Stone’s hiring of Densmore as a consultant to the production won’t hurt, either.
There are more, interesting subplots: Rocker Billy Idol was rumored to be a favorite for the role of Morrison, but a serious motorcycle accident hampered his involvement in the film. He will appear in a supporting role as Jim’s “best friend” (did Jim have a best friend?), but one can imagine the pressure he might create for Val Kilmer by forcing him to share the screen with a real rock star. And the casting of Kyle McLachan of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks fame as Ray Manzarek lends an odd twist.
Heavy Metal Thunder Magazine
May 1991
It’s been almost twenty years since Jim Morrison’s untimely and mysterious demise in Paris in 1971, yet his complex, eerie and eternally misunderstood presence still reverberates through the world of rock music like a band hangover. Although the Doors never attained mass appeal or commercial success of the Beatles, Stones, or Bob Dylan, their influence has never been more keenly felt, and it shows no signs of waning.
Remember the Doors craze of the early 80s? Supposedly, the Doors sold more records in 1980 alone than they did in their active recording career. And what about bands like the Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Cult? They owe much of their sound and success to the alternative trails that the Doors blazed, and the public’s hunger for something dark, brooding and defiant.
More recently, Glenn Danzig has borrowed a line or two from the Jim Morrison book of style and sailed the Crystal Ship down to hell in a handbasket. If Morrison could have an evil twin Danzig would be it. Of course, that would imply Jimbo was angelic. Ha!
Now, a new chapter is about to open up in the Doors’s saga as Oliver Stone’s new movie, The Doors is set to premiere in March. It’s certainly an ambitious task to try to recreate the flavor of the ‘60’s and portray Jim Morrison and the Doors, one of rock’s greatest and most enigmatic groups, but Stone brings experience to the job that should prove to be helpful. For one thing, he came of age in the 60’s and fought in the Vietnam war, where soldiers thought to relate heavily to the Doors music. And secondly, he’s made several movies that were based in the ‘60s and early 70s. most notably Platoon, a film about the war.
But one has to wonder about certain aspects of the production. The casting of Val Kilmer in the lead role of The Lizard King comes to mind. Many people got their first glimpse of Kilmer in a minor role he played in Top Gun, a gung-ho, Reagan era film that bordered on cold war propaganda. As most Morrison fans will remember, Jim grew up an army brat, and he hated the services. The association goes a bit further: In his new book about his life and times with the Doors, drummer John Densmore cities Top Gun as an example of a recent trend in film that glamorizes was as a metaphor for rock ‘n roll. Kilmer does however bear a strong resemblance to Morrison, and this should be a great advantage. And Stone’s hiring of Densmore as a consultant to the production won’t hurt, either.
There are more, interesting subplots: Rocker Billy Idol was rumored to be a favorite for the role of Morrison, but a serious motorcycle accident hampered his involvement in the film. He will appear in a supporting role as Jim’s “best friend” (did Jim have a best friend?), but one can imagine the pressure he might create for Val Kilmer by forcing him to share the screen with a real rock star. And the casting of Kyle McLachan of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks fame as Ray Manzarek lends an odd twist.