November 6: The Doors celebration on the fabulous Sunset Strip on Wednesday night is shaping up this way:
All venues will be open at 6pm. (Remember, books can be purchased at any of them, but pre-orders through Book Soup MUST be picked up at their main store at 8818 Sunset.)
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony bestowing the Landmark plaque on the Whisky, occurs at the Whisky at 8pm. This is apparently going to be inside the Whisky. I could be wrong, but don't expect this to be open to the general public.
Immediately following that, all Doors will be at their respective venues from then (shortly after 8pm) until 11:00. They will be pretty much signing books the whole time except for an occasional absence for interviews (and also nature calls, I suppose).
The Densmore poetry reading at Book Soup (I believe at the Annex, next door) is at 9pm with Perry Farrell and whoever else. John will be doing book signings before and after that performance.
A very informed source who requests anonymity, tells me that there MAY be a BIG surprise at the end of the evening at 11pm, onstage at the Whisky. But before you get your hopes up, that source also assures me that NO, it will NOT be all three Doors together. :=( I don't know myself exactly WHAT that big surprise is, but I'll certainly be there to find out. (There is no point in emailing me for more info on that so please, do NOT ... I don't have more.)
I hope to see lots of you at Benvenuto earlier that day, in the afternoon. Beat the rush hour traffic, meet up and relax with your Doors cyber-friends and old and new friends, and work off lots of pre-event anxiety and chatter.
Final suggestions: If you already have your book, consider leaving that fragile dust cover at home. It sounds like we are in for a lot of standing in line, waiting, and walking, and some of the sidewalks between Book Soup and the Whisky are narrow and uneven, so wear sensible shoes (do I sound like a mother?) And lastly, remember that the wonderful Tower Records is right there across from Book Soup, going through its sad final weeks of existence with everything discounted. Be patient, keep a good attitude and relish the opportunity to spend many hours in the company of other Doors fan-atics like you and me! See you Wednesday.
November 3: Some more details are emerging about Wednesday's events on the Sunset Strip. All pre-orders must be picked up at Book Soup's main store at 8818 Sunset (not Cat Club or Whisky).
John's performance along with Perry Farrell may also include John Doe, and will occur around 9 to 10pm at the Book Soup Annex. He will be signing before and after.
There will be a limit to how much a fan can get signed, but I don't know exactly what that is. Common sense dictates that anything in excess of 2 or 3 items will be refused; that is not official, just an educated guess. Bottom line: don't abuse the privilege. Pick one or two primo pieces from your collection, and hope that those will be signed. That may vary by band member and will probably depend on the flow of the evening and the crowds. This is all I know at this time. If I get more info, I will share it.
If fans find themselves with extra time on their hands that evening or arrive extra early, that iconic Tower Sunset store is RIGHT THERE in the midst of the Wednesday night festivities. Last time I checked, their liquidation discounts were 20% to 40% but I know that keeps increasing. There are also tattoo parlors, the Hustler store, some small restaurants, and the Rainbow (half a block west of the Whisky) for food & drink.
October 25: Suggestions for visitors arriving from out of town: hotel accommodations Benvenuto for fan meet-ups Doors landmarks
October 23: Benvenuto Caffe at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard WILL BE OPEN for meeting up and hanging out on the afternoon of November 8th. This location, which I consider Ground Zero for Doors fans, is an ideal location for fans to meet up for lunch, drinks, or early dinner before heading up to the Sunset Strip. It is central to many Doors-related landmarks, including across the street from Alta Cienega Motel and Ramada Inn (on the site of the former Tropicana Motel) at 8585 Santa Monica Boulevard. It is at the southwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Cienega, between Al & Ed's Autosound and Koo Koo Roo. go to Mapquest of Benvenuto
October 19: Benvenuto Caffe at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard might be open for lunch and hanging out on the afternoon of November 8th to accommodate the out-of-town fans who would like to visit the site. Normally the restaurant does not open until 5:00 p.m. for dinner. I will report it on this site about the availability of the restaurant that day; it would be a perfect place for fans to meet up with each other prior to the evening's festivities a few blocks away on the Sunset Strip.
October 9: According to Book Soup, the band members will not be selling any 'signed stock' that can be ordered and shipped to faraway fans. If this changes, I will report on that here. Also, the current plan is that the band will sign only one book per person. I do not yet know about a limit on the amount of memorabilia that a fan can ask to get signed, but I imagine there will be one. More details when available!
Book Soup will be issuing a 'ticket' when fans buy the book there which will insure them of getting it signed. Surely all fans with books will get them signed, but perhaps the ticket gives priority to those folks holding Book Soup's tickets. Stay tuned for more details as they filter in!
THE DOORS’ 40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
KICKS OFF NOVEMBER 8th ON THE SUNSET STRIP
Event Includes Historic Landmark Dedication Of The Whisky A Go Go,
Previews Of The Doors’ Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Exhibit,
New CD/DVD Box Set Perception, and
Release Of The First Band Autobiography, The Doors By The Doors
LOS ANGELES, CA – October 13th 2006 - The launch of a yearlong celebration of the 40th anniversary of The Doors, one of the most important and influential American groups in the history of rock, is set for the famed Sunset Strip on Wednesday, November 8, 2006.
Along with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum conferring historic landmark status on the Whisky A Go Go (the nightclub where The Doors first gained notoriety) and unveiling a teaser version of a Doors exhibit that will be the museum’s major presentation of 2007, the evening will feature a memorial reading of Jim Morrison’s poetry, by Perry Farrell and others, the debut of a retrospective coffee table book and a preview of a massive boxed set of their music.
The various activities will take place between 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Numerous invitation-only celebrity guests will be in attendance in special VIP areas, along with many key figures from The Doors’ illustrious history. The evening will be emceed by Ben Fong-Torres, noted journalist, former Rolling Stone editor and co-author of upcoming book The Doors By The Doors. Radio’s 95.5 KLOS will broadcast live from the event with DJ Jim Ladd as host.
With the band’s Jim Morrison omnipresent in spirit, the remaining Doors--Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore--will be honored by a plaque-unveiling ceremony at the Whisky A Go Go (8901 Sunset Blvd.), scheduled for 8 p.m. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum will honor The Whisky A Go-Go with a “Landmark Plaque” to commemorate its contribution to Rock And Roll history. Significantly, this is the first such dedication of an historic locale by the Hall of Fame outside of the museum’s home city of Cleveland.
Throughout the evening, each band member will also be available at three Doors-significant locations along a one-block long stretch of the Sunset Strip.
Krieger will be at the Whisky A Go Go for a listening party previewing the November 21st release of Perception from Rhino/Elektra Records. The 12-disc (6-CD/6-DVD) boxed set presents all six of The Doors’ classic studio albums expanded and remastered for the first time ever on CD; the DVDs supplement the albums with a 5.1 Surround Sound mix, a brand-new “40th Anniversary” stereo remix by original Doors co-producer/mixer Bruce Botnick, rare and unreleased audio and video tracks, a photo gallery, lyrics and discography. Inside the Whisky, the celebration will continue, all of the digitally remastered Doors music in DTS 5.1 Surround Sound will be playing for the public’s listening pleasure.
Next door to the Whisky A Go Go, at The Cat Club (8911 Sunset Blvd., former home of The London Fog, where The Doors debuted), Manzarek will host a mini-version of Break On Through - The Lasting Legacy Of The Doors, The Doors’ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit that opens May 25, 2007 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The exhibit will examine the career and impact of The Doors through a display of one-of-a-kind artifacts, original manuscripts, rare concert posters, photographs and video. This is the first time the surviving members of The Doors, along with the Morrison and Courson families, have given their full blessing and cooperation to an event of this kind. Previous exhibits have headlined artists such as Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Bob Dylan.
Densmore will be at Book Soup (8818 Sunset Blvd., formerly the site of the Cinematheque 16 movie house where Morrison read poetry and performed Doors songs acoustically with Robby Krieger) to facilitate a memorial tribute reading of Jim Morrison’s poetry by Perry Farrell and others. Densmore will also be signing copies of The Doors By The Doors, set for release the previous day (November 7) by Hyperion. The Doors By The Doors, the first authorized autobiography by the band, includes never-before-seen photos and exclusive interviews, co-authored by renowned rock reporter and former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres. Book sale tables will also be at the Whisky and Cat Club, making it possible for purchasers to easily walk to the other locations to have all of the surviving Doors sign the book -- and make what will certainly be an historic event in rock even more memorable.
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