From the LA Weekly, September 6-12, 2002

Calendar section, Page 63

STRANGE DAYS, INDEED     

There's something undeniably thrilling about the combined power of guitars and motorcycles, which will roar all weekend at Harley-Davidson's 100th-anniversary shindig, billed as the Open Road Tour.  

For whatever lucky reason, revving bike engines have always sounded perfectly in tune with Marshall-amp distortion.  There's also something inherently dangerous and kinda scary about mixing rock & roll with motorcycles, but maybe that's just because I watched Gimme Shelter on AMC last weekend.  

Besides, with all the recent improvements in kickstand technology, the chances of some wasted hippie accidentally knocking over a bike are much lower now than they were in 1969. 

Another difference from Altamont is that the rockers, like Melrose easy rider Billy Idol, are nowadays the bikers, cutting out the middle man.  It's worth wandering out to Fontana for the Friday-night opening just to see legendary banjo wizard Earl Scruggs, who dazzled with his deceptively effortless bluegrass flurries last year on Letterman.   Such nimble and sharply carved pluckin' won't be equaled by anyone else all weekend, or anywhere. 

The booking follows a hazy, dreamlike logic, ranging from eternal East L.A. heroes Los Lobos on Friday and Stone Temple Pilots on Saturday to Kid Rock opening for Journey and the fabulously funky George Clinton on Sunday.  And that's barely mentioning the Doobie Brothers and Nickelback.

But the strangest daze of all comes from the return of something called the Doors.  Didn't their singer die more than 30 years ago?  Does it even matter in this era of cover bands and permanent homages and endless tributes?  The surviving members -- ace guitarist Robby Krieger, drummer John Densmore (who'll be replaced by Stewart Copeland this weekend) and loquacious keyboardist Ray Manzarek -- have been trying to replace Mr. Mojo Risin' since the early '70s, when they briefly considered Jimbo's drinking buddy Iggy Pop (dubbed "Icky Pop" by Manzarek). 

The Doors have enlisted the Cult's Ian Astbury on vocals, apparently because he fits the costume so well, a la Johnny Bravo on The Brady Bunch.  It's too bad Top Jimmy, with his magnificent, bearlike presence, didn't live long enough to stand in once more for the Lizard King.  And of course we wonder how Wild Child's Dave Brock, who's prepped for this role for his entire adult life, is taking the royal snub.   Did the Doors even consider substitute-to-the-stars Brandon Cruz -- a.k.a. Mr. Eddie's father's son, who guilelessly doubled for both Will Shatter and Jello Biafra in the respective Flipper and Dead Kennedys reunions?  

What would Jim Morrison think about all this?   More important, what does Jim Ladd think about all this?

-- Falling James

Under the photo of Ray, John, & Robby,  is the caption:  

Doors!  Police!  Cult!  Delete John Densmore, middle (health reasons).  Keep Ray Manzarek, left, and Robby Krieger.  Add drummer Stewart Copeland (the Police) and singer Ian Astbury (the Cult).

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