Prior News

Prior News & Reviews

February 2006

February 28, 2006 John's '68 truck on display

John Densmore's 1968 Ford F-250 Camper Special is currently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Encore! Cars & Guitars of Rock 'n Roll II will be on view through June 4, 2006. (thanks, Michael) see photos

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February 27, 2006 Fillmore ROTS posters

When Riders On The Storm played the Fillmore in San Francisco in December, there were flyers distributed that explained that due to production problems, the posters were not available and would be at a later date. The website now indicates that posters are available for pickup at the Fillmore box office. Although the timeframe has passed, it may still be possible to get them. (thanks, Malena) more info

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February 25, 2006 Doors rehearsal space update <> Ian & Cult on Late Late Show <> Robby guest appearance with Particle <> photos of Doors rehearsal space renovation

First and foremost: good news about The Doors rehearsal space demolition. Yes, there is a front loader there and the concrete patio is all ripped up and in a dumpster, the address is surrounded by cyclone fence, and the open-air stairs on the right side are gone. I spoke with several of the workers and then with one of the owners, who explained to me that the building is being totally re-modeled inside, but the structure itself is not going to be demolished. The work began earlier this week. The concrete patio will be replaced by a new patio that will extend all the way to the sidewalk. I was shown an artist rendering of the re-model and told that it will take about 8 weeks until completion. The upstairs is also being renovated. I learned that the staircase on the left side, which was enclosed and was not in use (except as an emergency exit) is the original. The owner fully understands the significance of that building to Doors fans, and told me about fans from all over the world who have come to visit that site, take photos and video, and visit that famous bathroom. The bathroom will stay right where it is!!! I was given the contact info for the main owner, and plan to follow-up on this next week. Stay tuned! (thanks again, Michael)

Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy as The Cult were the musical guests on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS last night. The show is taped late in the afternoon for broadcast late that night (actually, early the next morning). The band performed two songs: Wildflower and Love Removal Machine. In addition to Ian and Billy, there was another guitarist, a bass player and a drummer ... sorry, I do not know their names. When the show was broadcast, Wildflower was the song used for the show.

Robby Krieger was one of the special guests tonight at the Fonda Music Box Theater in Hollywood, appearing with the jam-band Particle. The show was being filmed for a forthcoming DVD. The ground floor is all standing and upstairs is open seating. I moved upstairs when it was almost time for Robby to join Particle onstage, about 45 minutes into their set. Robby joined the band onstage without an introduction, but was wearing a shirt with DOORS written vertically on the front and back, along with Jim's face. The first number with Robby was an instrumental (as they almost all are) Particle song, possibly called Metropolis. When the band next began playing L. A. Woman, the crowd on the floor below went wild with appreciation and recognition, and the fans seated in the balcony rose to their feet to dance. One of the Particle guitarists did the singing. I didn't know if Robby was going to stick around to join the band for the encore, which was estimated to be about 1:00 or 1:15 a.m., but I did not.

I have added a page with photos taken yesterday at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard. Click on each thumbnail photo to enlarge. go here

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February 24, 2006 Doors rehearsal space is being demolished <> another dance hit for a Doors song

The Doors rehearsal space at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard is being demolished. Right now!! For many years it has been an apparently successful Italian restaurant called Benvenuto, and was a mandatory stop on any Doors tour of Hollywood and environs. It was our Mecca, a holy shrine for Doors fans where they could get a damn fine Italian meal, and use the unisex bathroom to say "they were there". As of this morning, the interior is gutted, the upstairs porch is gone, the staircase is destroyed. The bathroom where Jim did the vocals for L.A. Woman is gone. This is startling and sad news. It so happens I will be in Hollywood later today, and plan to do a drive-by and see what I can find out! (thank you, Michael)

Hello I Love You has been turned into a dance floor hit by U.K. mixer Adam Freeland, according to an item on www.dailyrecord.co.uk

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February 18, 2006 official Doors site re new projects

The official Doors website at www.thedoors.com has been revamped again. On the home page, there is news that production has begun on a theatrical film that will document the true, entire story of The Doors, to include previously unseen footage and interviews, as well as commentary filmed in December 2005 of Jim's father and other members of his family. There is also news about the coffee table book titled "Anthology" which is due to hit stores in fall 2006. "Anthology" is being created with the assistance of rock journalist Ben Fong-Torres and published by Hyperion Books. Lastly, there are lots of new shirt designs on the Merchandise link.

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February 17, 2006 Robby will guest in a DVD

Robby Krieger's appearance next Friday night in Hollywood as one of Particle's "special guests" will end up in the DVD that is being filmed that night, according to an on-line story from JamBase today. read it

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February 15, 2006 Doors make another list

The Doors were named #5 on a list of The Greatest American Rock Bands Of All Time, according to Mote Magazine at http://www.moregoatthangoose.com/blog/index.php?id=trent060214 (thanks, Beverly)

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February 12, 2006 happy birthday to Ray <> Japanese 'Touch Me' <> no 2006 calendars <> fan's calendar <> Cult in high-def

Ray Manzarek turns an energetic 67 today. Hard to believe, isn't it?? With no signs of slowing down, Ray has a busy 2006 taking shape. In March he does six tour dates with slide-guitarist Roy Rogers in northern California and Oregon. In April, Ray will play about a dozen tour dates in Europe with Riders On The Storm. Later this year he has a CD release with Bal planned. And, Amazon.com still shows an April 15th release date for a forthcoming novel titled "Snake Moon." Thanks for keeping it going, Ray ... happy birthday and many more!

"Touch Me" has gotten itself a new cover, sung in Japanese. Last month an album of covers titled 'Kings Road' was released by a Japanese popular musical unit called "Original Love." This link will take you to a Japanese Amazon.com site, where the full track list is available: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000CEK5D6/250-3468520-6125816 (thanks, George)

I began collecting Doors calendars in 1987. Most years there were two different ones, and in the years 2000, '01, '02 and '03 there were actually 3 different calendars. They may not all have been licensed merchandise, but at least they were Doors calendars! In 2004 I only found two, and I found only one 2005 calendar. I couldn't believe it when I could find NO 2006 Doors calendars. Rumor has it that Doors manager Jeff Jampol told a fan that there were several designs received but they did not come up to their standards, hence ... no 2006 Doors calendar! They have decided to wait, and do a really great one for 2007.

To compensate for the absence of any 2006 Doors calendars, some of the members of Ray's forum got together and made their own! Go to: http://members.ispwest.com/jdbob/ROTS2006/RAYCAL2006.html (thanks, Mary-Beth)

Ian Astbury and The Cult can be seen on HDNet tomorrow, February 13th, according to news posted on The Cult forum. The show is scheduled for 5:00 pm ET, 2:00 pm PT. The fans who discussed it think it may be "Music Without Fear." (thanks, Doop)

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February 10, 2006 more Riders On The Storm tour dates added <> Ray and Bal collaboration <> email problem

Riders On The Storm have added five more dates to their April tour of Europe, this time including Germany and Spain. The new shows in Germany are April 13 in Berlin, April 15 in Dortmund, and April 17 in Frankfurt. The new shows in Spain are April 20 in Madrid and April 21 in Barcelona.

Ray Manzarek and single-name musician Bal have a release called "Atonal Head" planned for 2006, according to an announcement at http://www.raymanzarek.com/atonal_head_cd.html The roots of this project began in December 2000, and at that time was going to be a release called "RayBal." I did a brief bio about Bal back in July 2002. That link is probably buried deep in the Ray Manzarek news page, so here it is again. read it

I recently discovered that some emails sent to me through this website have been going into the Bulk Mail folder and may have been deleted before I noticed them. If you have emailed me recently and were expecting a reply but got none, please re-send.

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February 9, 2006 Jim in another magazine poll <> The Cult on late night TV

Jim Morrison finished at #11 in another magazine poll, this one from Blender Magazine's March 2006 issue (cover: Black Eyed Peas). This dubious distinction is in its list of "The 50 Most Awesomely Dead Rock Stars." Topping this poll at #1 is Johnny Cash. There are several paragraphs about #11. read it

Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy perform as The Cult on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS on February 24th (west coast air time: 12:35 to 1:35 a.m. on the 25th). more info

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February 7, 2006 new Riders On The Storm tour dates added

Riders On The Storm have added two new dates to their April tour of Europe. The new shows are April 9 in ~~Copenhagen~~ Aarhus, Denmark and April 14 in Amsterdam.

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February 6, 2006 John Densmore interview <> Doors Cafe in Amsterdam

A John Densmore interview appeared a few weeks ago on JamBase. This is a continuation of a briefer one that appeared there in November. read it

The Doors Cafe in Amsterdam was one of the stops a friend of mine made in December while he was on tour in Europe. He sent me two photos to share. By the way, Lord Carrett is a terrific stand-up comic who is extremely easy on the eyes, too. Check out his tour schedule and website (where else can you get pompadour tips) at: http://www.lordoflaughs.com/ (thanks, Lord) Doors Cafe photos

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February 3, 2006 Robby interview in guitar mag <> on-sale info for The Cult in L.A. <> Morongo on-sale <> Robby's interview

The Robby Krieger interview mentioned a few days ago is in the February 2006 issue of 20th Century Guitar Magazine (cover: Muriel Anderson, Robby, and Gene Bertoncini). The 2-page interview titled "The Doors Are Open" was conducted on December 21st with Robert Silverstein, and includes a story intro page plus a full-page photo of Robby. If I get ambitious later on, I'll re-type the interview or excerpts from it.

Tickets for Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy performing as The Cult go on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood on March 7th through Ticketmaster. There is a full page ad in current L.A. Weekly for "A Return To The Wild" tour. Tickets for the show on March 5th at the new Key Club at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California are not on sale yet, and the venue was unable to say when they would be, except for "maybe tomorrow."

The Robby Krieger interview mentioned above has been typed in full. In it, Robby talks about Riders On The Storm, new music, old music, his favorite live DVDs, his guitars, the last two albums, and lots more. read it

The Cult on March 5th at Key Club at Morongo Casino will go on sale tomorrow, according to their box office this evening. When I asked what time, I was told to "try back at noon." Good luck!

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February 1, 2006 The Cult reunion story <> Blondie VS. The Doors <> Dragonfly clothing <> Robby to make guest appearance <> Ian and UNKLE project

The Cult reunion got a nice write-up in an on-line story yesterday. To read it, go to: http://www.livedaily.com/news/The_Cult_rises_again_for_US_tour-9529.html?t=98

Blondie VS. The Doors, the mash-up of 'Rapture' and 'Riders On The Storm' that has been making the rounds for awhile, will be available on March 7th on the forthcoming Blondie CD/DVD entitled "Greatest Hits - Sound & Vision." A new music video for that mash-up is included on the DVD.

Dragonfly has been a source for some terrific and unique Doors clothes items in recent years. There were two retail stores in the L.A. area as well as an outlet store. Their website at www.dragonfly.com no longer offers that Doors merchandise. The company informed me that their contract with The Doors was not renewed. What a shame!!! That being said, they did tell me that in a few weeks there will be new tee-shirt designs of Old Posters, and two of those will include The Doors.

Robby Krieger is one of the special guests confirmed for Particle's 'Transformations' show on February 24th at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theatre, according to http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=7901

Ian Astbury has recorded vocals for three songs for the third studio album from James Lavelle's UNKLE project. This is presently being mixed in London and expected for a summer release. read more

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