Prior News

The lawsuits which were filed early last year by John and the Morrison and Courson families, against Ray, Robby and others, began their jury trial this week. I have attended two half-days so far during jury selection, and plan to attend many other days of the trial. I will provide a general outline of proceedings and witnesses called, and you can follow along by checking into the above link called Diary of a Doors Drama

The Doors of the 21st Century played Sunset Station Arena in Henderson (Las Vegas), Nevada on Saturday night. For a review and link to photos, go here

June 28, 2004 unconfirmed show in Wisconsin <> D21C will return to NYC <> Robby interview in Las Vegas City Life <> Doors music on AOL

The Doors of the 21st Century will play Oneida, Wisconsin's Oneida Casino on Thursday, August 19th, according to that venue's website. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, July 1st at 10:00 a.m.. While this show is likely, it is not "firm" until contracts are signed and the information is first posted on The Doors 21st Century Tour page on Robby Krieger's website, at http://robbykrieger.com/doors/tour.htm more info

The Doors of the 21st Century are rumored to be making a return to New York City in mid-September. This is going to be a B-I-G show. Official announcement and details should be made public later this week, before the band leaves for Chicago and Europe.

An interview with Robby was published in the June 24-30 issue of Las Vegas City Life prior to their Saturday night concert. read it

AOL Radio for Broadband offers Doors music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ... according to information provided by a fan. Word is that rare cuts are played, as well. (thanks, Tony)

Ian Astbury is one of the celebrities who will play soccer on Sunday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California as part of the 2004 WUSA Festival. The charity celebrity soccer game includes film and television participants, as well as musicians including Ian, Billy Duffy from The Cult, Steve Jones from Sex Pistols, and Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains, and will benefit GrassRoots Soccer, an AIDS awareness charity. more info (thanks, Daphne)

Robby Krieger is interviewed in the July issue of Total Guitar magazine (cover: Slipknot). According to the blurb: The Doors are touring without Jim Morrison. Guitarist Robby Krieger talks of life without the lizard king. (thanks, Alex)

June 23, 2004 D21C show in Montreal is now confirmed <> D21C show in Toronto is now confirmed

The Doors of the 21st Century will play Montreal's Bell Centre on Wednesday, August 4th, according to that venue's website. There is no on-sale date indicated yet. While this show is likely, it is not "firm" until contracts are signed and the information is first posted on The Doors 21st Century Tour page on Robby Krieger's website, at http://robbykrieger.com/doors/tour.htm more info

John Densmore will soon release a CD with Iranian musician Reza Derakshani, according to news on the Hen House Studios website.

Adapt plays their fourth-ever show on Thursday night, July 1st at the Whisky on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Show time is 9:30 p.m. Adapt has Waylon Krieger on guitar & lead vocals, James Beasley on drums, and Julian Plascencia on bass & vocals. For more info or to sign up to receive band updates, visit their website at www.adaptband.com

Robby, Ray, and Ian visited Denver radio station KQMT 99.5 on Friday before their show that evening at Universal Lending Pavilion. In addition to being interviewed, they performed three songs: Crystal Ship, People Are Strange and Love Me Two Times. D21C's webmaster has a brief "On The Road" segment that includes some photos from that radio station visit. go here Also, check out show photos here

The new Stephen Davis book, "Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend" is excerpted in the July 8 issue of Rolling Stone magazine (cover: Ray Charles). On page 68 is the article entitled: "The Last Days of Jim Morrison." (thanks, Lorie) read excerpt book info

Ray Manzarek is one of the many musicians who have joined forces in the "Musicians for John Kerry" organization. Other notable musicians involved include Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Rodney Crowell, and many more. read it

June 17, 2004 D21C's Denver show will be downloadable <> Adapt played their third show last night <> another new book coming about Jim in high school

The Doors of the 21st Century play Denver's Universal Lending Pavilion tomorrow night, June 18th. more info According to the D21C website this morning: "The June 18th show at the Pepsi Center in Denver will be made available for exclusive download through DiscLive using Netburn Technology! This is the first time this technology has been utilized in the US. To read more, visit the below link: http://www.robbykrieger.com/doors/disclive.htm"

Adapt played their third-ever show last night at The Gig on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Included in the crowd were Mr. and Mrs. Robby Krieger, and Mr. and Mrs. D21C Manager, Tom Vitorino. Keep up with the activities of this burgeoning band by visiting their website at www.adaptband.com and join their mailing list for news and updates on future shows.

"The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria, Virginia" is the title of a book underway by Mark Opsasnick which will focus on Jim's high school era spent in Alexandria, Virginia. A story about this forthcoming book appears in tomorrow's issue of Washington City Paper, and is reprinted here. The fan who passed this story on to me is personally involved in helping the author with some of the research. This ought to be a good one! (thanks, Rich) read it

June 16, 2004 D21C may be playing Iowa <> Jim is portrayed in oddball movie just released on DVD

The Doors of the 21st Century are listed to play Star Arena at Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Tickets are already on sale. While this show is likely, it is not "firm" until contracts are signed and the information is first posted on The Doors 21st Century Tour page on Robby Krieger's website, at http://robbykrieger.com/doors/tour.htm (thanks, Mat) more info

Jim Morrison is one of the characters in a movie from 2003 just released on DVD called 'Ultrachrist!'. This movie is described as an irreverent comedy featuring an eclectic cast of characters, including Jim Morrison played by someone named Ryan V. McCallum. Jesus Christ as 'Ultrachrist" is an urban sin-fighter, portrayed as 'kind, compassionate, hot, bothered, and dressed in spandex.' I've never heard of this movie or anyone in the cast, but to find out more, check out www.imdb.com

June 15, 2004 L.A. Woman DVD is mentioned in new ICE Magazine <> 'Live In Europe' DVD <> "Straight Whisky" book

The soon-to-be released "L.A. Woman Live" DVD from The Doors of the 21st Century gets a mention in the latest ICE, July 2004 issue (cover: Alejandro Escovedo) in their "high-res cubes" column (page 10), as follows: "While last year's much-talked-about Doors reunion -- with The Cult's Ian Astbury filling the shoes of Jim Morrison, Ty Dennis on drums and Angelo Barbera on bass -- did not render any CD material, a DVD of the shindigs arises July 20 on Image. L.A. Woman Live, credited to a tactfully renamed Doors of the 21st Century, sports the "tour that never was," according to keyboard Ray Manzarek: the classic 1971 album, performed in its entirety, which was originally to have transpired before Morrison's death."

The Doors "Live In Europe" DVD is listed in the same ICE Magazine with a July 27th release date from Eagle Rock.

"Straight Whisky" is a book that came out about a year ago from Bonus Books, chock full of anecdotes and stories about Jim Morrison and The Doors, as well as other bands that played the Whisky including Janis, The Mothers, Van Halen, Guns n' Roses, Byrds. The person recommending the book says it is written in a very accessible style, with humor. (thanks, Jim C.) read more

June 14, 2004 Adapt plays The Gig this Wednesday <> take the BBC 'Mastermind' quiz on-line

Reminder: Adapt plays their third-ever show this Wednesday night, June 16th at The Gig at 7302 Melrose in Hollywood. Show time is 9:00 p.m. Adapt has Waylon Krieger on guitar & lead vocals, James Beasley on drums, and Julian Plascencia on bass & vocals. For more info or to sign up to receive band updates, visit their website at www.adaptband.com

BBC's 'Mastermind' TV program selected "The Life and Work of Jim Morrison" as one of their show challenges awhile back. You can take the Mastermind challenge yourself in this on-line quiz, and see how much you know! [note: unless the program gets corrected, it will be impossible to get a perfect score because one of their answers is incomplete, & registers as an error]. (thanks, Alex) take the quiz

June 13, 2004 John will be at Boston's screening of 'Juvies' tomorrow <> Edmund Teske photo exhibit opens at Getty Museum

John Densmore will be one of the attendees at tomorrow night's screening of 'Juvies' at The Sander Theatre at Boston's Harvard University, along with actor Mark Wahlberg, the film's narrator, and Mos Def. more info

Edmund Teske was an American photographer with wide-ranging subjects, but his significance to Doors fans is for his series of photos taken of a bearded Jim Morrison, along with Pam Courson, at Hollywood's Bronson Caves, as well as the back cover of the "13" LP. L. A.'s Getty Museum begins an exhibition of Teske photography, opening on June 15th and running through September 26, 2004. There are numerous Teske-related events scheduled during the course of the exhibition. read more

June 12, 2004 correction to translation of Italian story <> Robby will be playing in a celebrity charity golf tourney <> Philippines story about Legacy CD <> Jim mentioned in Anne Frank story <> new info about ordering tix for Paris show

Several Doors fans from Italy who visit this website have written me to advise that the English translation of the story about the Genoa Poetry Festival is at fault in the mis-translation, resulting in the curious statement: "...former drummer with The Doors Ray Manzarek". According to both of them, the original Italian text does correctly refer to Ray as the keyboard player, not the drummer. (thanks, Faith and Marco)

Robby Krieger is one of the celebrity golfers participating in Oakland Raiders Jeremy Brigham's 'Make A Difference' annual Celebrity Golf Tournament in Livermore, CA on Friday, June 25th. more info

There is no limit to the far-reaching influence of this band! An on-line story from The Philippines discusses the Legacy 2-CD compilation. read it

Jim Morrison even gets mentioned in a totally unrelated story about Holocaust victim Anne Frank's 75th birthday. read it

July 15th is the date The Doors of the 21st Century return to Paris, playing the Palais des Congres. I just received some useful info from a helpful fan about ordering tickets from outside of the country. (thanks, Shannon) go here

June 11, 2004 Jim ranked high in another magazine list, & includes Robby interview <> Italy story thinks Ray is the drummer <> French performer was influenced by The Doors

Jim Morrison ranked #11 in U.K.'s Classic Rock Magazine, July 2004 issue, in their listing of the '100 Best Ever Frontmen' according to www.blabbermouth.net. I also understand that Robby is interviewed in their 'Survivors' section on the last page. (thanks, Daphne and Alex)

"...former drummer with The Doors Ray Manzarek" is an intriguing and confusing quote from an online story from Italy about the Genoa International Poetry Festival from June 17 to June 30. If this is really Ray that is appearing, he's going to have a very busy month sandwiching this in between D21C dates in Denver and Las Vegas later this month. On the other hand, John Densmore has worked with several poets and participated in poetry events over the years, so maybe this is intended to reference him, instead. I guess time will tell. (thanks, Beverly) read it

The Doors were a major influence on a French performer named Arthur H, who appears this weekend in St. Petersburg, Russia. read it

The Doors of the 21st Century will play Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre on Tuesday, August 3rd, according to that venue's website. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, June 11th at 10:00 a.m. (east coast time). While this show is likely, it is not "firm" until contracts are signed and the information is first posted on The Doors 21st Century Tour page on Robby Krieger's website, at http://robbykrieger.com/doors/tour.htm more info

June 9, 2004 Paul Ferrara & wife are releasing an album <> U.K. show on paranormal events <> hanging at Amsterdam's The Doors Coffee Shop <> story includes Alta Cienega's claim to fame

Paul and Georgia Ferrara have announced the release of their debut album, a compilation of songs written and recorded during the 60s: folksy tunes intertwined with blues, country, and rock & roll of The Doors' era. Paul was the official photographer for The Doors, co-wrote the band's "Waiting For The Sun" album, and was one of Jim Morrison's closest friends. His photos are some of the most famous shots. His work has been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone and in numerous Doors videos. Paul directed and filmed Jim's film "HWY" which features Paul and Georgia's song, "Bald Mountain". more info & order page (thanks, Dave)

'Dead Famous' is the name of a U.K. television series that debuts there on Tuesday, June 15 at 9:00 p.m. on LIVINGtv. The premise is that the two hosts (a supposed paranormal and her partner, a skeptic) investigate America's 'Dead Famous' such as Al Capone, Marilyn Monroe, Jim Morrison, Lucille Ball, James Dean, and Frank Sinatra. To learn more, check out: http://www.livingtv.co.uk/deadfamous/ (thanks, Alex)

D21C's Webmaster Artski just uploaded a story and some photos taken during a recent visit to The Doors Coffee Shop in Amsterdam. read it

Alta Cienega Motel in West Hollywood is one of those discussed (and, the only one pictured) in an ABC News on-line story about the notoriety of hotels and motels where celebrities have stayed. read it (thanks, Michael)

"Obscene on the Sunset Strip" is one of Rolling Stone's '50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock & Roll' in their June 24th issue #951. The full page story chronicles the well-known tale of the night in August 1966 when Jim's performance of "The End" resulted in them being fired on the spot. (thanks, Mark and Michael) read it

"Jim Morrison Life, Death, Legend" is a forthcoming book by Stephen Davis that previously had a U.S. release date listed of June 21st. According to www.amazon.com, the release date is now listed as June 17th. An unabridged audio CD is also listed for release on the same date. An unabridged audiocassette has no firm date shown yet. more info

June 3, 2004 This day in Doors history ... <> Jim's name was code name for Saddam Hussein <> update on downtown L.A. redevelopment

'Light My Fire' was released 37 years ago today. It would become #1 in two months. It's a good day to reflect on how that solitary event started the ball rolling to change some peoples' lives, whether it was immediate or not until many years later. If you are on this website reading this anniversary reminder, then that event affected you in some way, as it did me.

Jim Morrison was the code word for Saddam Hussein, according to a story by a young soldier who was a U.S. Army cavalry scout home from the middle east and visiting family in Madison, Wisconsin. According to the story, his unit was one of those providing security around the perimeter where Saddam was thought to be hiding: "Jim Morrison (former lead singer of the 1960s band "The Doors") was the code word. I heard them say, 'Jim Morrison has been taken into custody." read it

Today's L.A. Times business section had an article about the proposed developments in downtown L.A. in the Staples Center neighborhood, which includes the Morrison Hotel property. There are big plans to build along Figueroa (restaurants, hotels, condos, etc.) and the article mentioned something about condos at the corner of 11th and Grand. If they start projects like that a few blocks in from Figueroa, it will eventually rule out the rumored possibility of that land being leveled to put up a new baseball or football stadium which would involve the property that Morrison Hotel is on. That property was put 'on the market' back in January, and there was no mention of it being sold yet. Maybe one day it will be sold, renovated and turned into luxury penthouse suites or something...and keep the name and signage intact!! (thanks, Mark)

June 1, 2004 Ray argued to raise minimum voting age <> Ian attended PlayStation 2 party in L.A. last month <> John attended Topanga festival over the weekend

Ray Manzarek argued to raise the minimum voting age to 35, according to today's Santa Cruz Sentinel in a story about a Bed & Breakfast there. The story says Ray was a guest recently at the Compassion Flower Inn in Santa Cruz. Undoubtedly he was there for the screening of his films on closing night of the Santa Cruz Film Festival. According to the story, it sounds like the discussion occurred during breakfast! (thanks Beverly) read it

Ian Astbury was one of the celebrity guests - along with Billy Duffy and Iggy Pop - a few weeks ago at the PlayStation 2 party at Belasco Theater in LA. according to www.blabbermouth.net

John Densmore attended the Topanga Days Country Faire in Topanga Canyon over this past holiday weekend. He was spotted with a friend at a vegetarian food stand, and was wearing sunglasses, straw hat and bandana. (thanks, Gerry)