It’s Official: No Doors Without Jim Morrison

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

In 1970, The Doors got into a fight over Buick, the lumbering auto manufacturer that wanted to use the apocalyptic Los Angeles quartet’s "Light My Fire" to sell cars.
The agreement that resulted demanded that no business decision be made without approval from all the of band members. Decades after Morrison’s death, that detente has just been fortified by the California Supreme Court.

The remaining Doors have been embroiled in a rerun of that earlier dispute ever since keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger hit the road in 2002 with The Cult vocalist Ian Astbury and clumsily called themselves The Doors of the 21st Century, grossing $8 million in the process.
Drummer John Densmore complained, arguing that "of the 21st Century" was barely visible on the tour’s promotional materials and that it used Morrison’s image at length, a clear no-no. Then he sued.

On Friday, according to the Associated Press, he won.

"You can’t call yourselves The Doors because you can’t have The Doorswithout Jim Morrison," argued Densmore’s attorney S. Jerome Mandel, summing up the legal conclusion of the disagreement that has torn the already fragmented legend into further shreds.

Densmore’s rationale was simple: Jim wouldn’t have approved. Morrison was the lone holdout against the Buick deal, and it was shelved over his disapproval.
And while Densmore was originally for the Buick deal, when General Motors offered the surviving members of The Doors $15 million to use "Light My Fire" in 2001, he kept Morrison’s wishes alive by killing the offer.
He did the same for a proposed iPod campaign with Apple.

It is bizarre that nearly 40 years after its first copyfight, The Doors are still at war with each other over money.
But Manzarek and Krieger have run out of options, now that Densmore and Morrison’s estate have teamed up to convince the California Supreme Court not to take up the case.

When the music is over/Turn out the lights, the Lizard King once sang. Time to hit those halogens!


By Scott Thill, Listening Post, August 23, 2008

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Topical due to the fact Ray Manzarek continues to use Morrison for this drag act.

Now called Krieger/Manzarek or Manzarek/Krieger, as both of them do have the right to use their own names at present, Manzarek brings The Doors into this at every opportunity.
Add to that he also employs aging Morrison (once something bordering on Morrison) lookalike (but not soundalike from what I saw in 2002) Dave Brock to further drag along the illusion that this is some kind of homage to Jim Morrison instead of a way to make lots of cash.

In 2002 Ray was playing bookstores for eating money and Robby pubs for a few grand.
Then Christmas came for these two with the offer from Harley of 150 grand for one show. If they used The Doors name. Then another night to celebrate 100 years of Harley for 200 grand.
This set dreams of greatness in Ray and he set off on his decade long mooch of Jim Morrison. calling his band The Doors (not D21C as that came later) he booked a tour with expensive tickets, even going so far as to try to cast ian astbury as the reincarnation of the singer and use Jim's image for a backdrop to his concerts.

But Densmore disagreed and told Ray to stop.
Ray didn't so John sued him.
In court a judge and a jury agreed that ray was illegally using the name and ruled that this was theft and Ray should desist immediately.
But of course Ray Manzarek did nothing of the sort.
Add to that his counter suit which attempted to get rid of the Doors veto vote which was proving so troublesome to using Doors music in adverts. Densmore was blocking more and more the lucrative offers coming in.
So Ray lied in court that the famed Doors agreement that if one did not approve then none would do it was in fact a media myth.
Desperate to gain a chance of control he lied and lied until he was contradicted by the best witness for the Prosecution.
His own stupid big mouth.

After getting his arce spanked by judges and juries for theft and deception he just carried on as if nothing had happened appealing the verdict and keeping on trucking using Jim and The Doors at every opportunity.
His appeal to the Supreme court finally thrown out he had to cough up for all his arrogance and pay Morrison's family Pam's family and Densmore 50% of all he screwed out of his thievery as well as pay their legal costs.
Still he thought he was above the law continually lying in interviews about what went on and still invoking Morrison and his former band to try to give legitimacy to what has now become a joke in the rock world of a silly old man trying to relive his glory days....for a price obviously.
His 40 year commemoration of Morrison at 50 euro a shot will hit Paris in July and may or may not involve Krieger as he is ill. But Ray is not down hearted as he has replaced every member of The Doors except himself in his pathetic little tribute shows.
Dreams of new albums and more riches and fame were shattered when the Supreme Court found better things to do with their time but Ray Manzarek just keeps on keeping on with his lies and hypocrisy and his grub for that next little dollar from the back of a dead man.
It would be sad but Ray Manzarek has been living from the bones of a corpse for most of his life now so save your sympathy for Jim Morrison who has been much maligned by Manzarek's greedy sales pitch of the shamanistic, Dionysus Morrison who seems to always agree with Ray in death which was something he never did a lot of in life.