Prior News

Prior News & Reviews

May 2007

May 31, 2007 Morrison Hotel ‘cover storyâ€™ <> Jim's poetry in auction <> Ray appearance <> Ray & Bal podcast <> rock & roll tribute house <> Doors song in t.v. trailer <> Ian update
The Morrison Hotel in L.A.â€™s downtown got the cover story, called ‘Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine,â€™ in todayâ€™s L.A. City Beat newspaper. The lengthy story gives a thorough history of the building and its slow decline to its current wretched condition, which I have been documenting with photos for the last year or two. The most recent photos I took earlier this month are linked at the bottom of the story. read Morrison Hotel story (thanks, Pat and David my son)

Jim Morrison's last notebook of poetry, said to have been completed two weeks before his death, will be auctioned on Saturday, June 2nd. For more info, go to: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070530/law053a.html?.v=1 or watch it on eBay #140120648913 (thanks, Simone)

Ray Manzarek makes an appearance at the Summer of Love 40th Anniversary Celebration in San Francisco's Speedway Meadow at Golden Gate Park, according to Pollstar.com. Others on the bill include Michael McClure, Canned Heat, Country Joe McDonald, Dan Hicks, Fishbone, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and many others.

Ray Manzarek and trumpet player Bal released 'Atonal Head' last year. Listen to a Podcast interview with both of them at: http://blog.tunecore.com/ (thanks, Bal)

Last July I wrote about the "Rock and Roll Tribute House" in Encinitas, California, a hilariously garish building decorated with tributes to rock heroes through the years. A friend did a drive-by yesterday while returning from San Diego, and sadly reports that the building is gone, and a backhoe is sitting in the middle of the lot which is surrounded by green netting. To re-visit that which is now past history, go here. (thanks, Beverly)

"Touch Me" is being played on the USA channel in its commercials for the t.v. show "The Dead Zone". (thanks, Bobby)

Ian Astbury fans will be glad to learn that The Cult is apparently in the studio recording a new album. They will be touring throughout Europe extensively in June and early July. Read story at: http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=2201 or visit their website at: www.thecult.us

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May 30, 2007 Cleveland rocks!
Last weekâ€™s events at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland started off with a private preview of the exhibit and a VIP reception, attended by museum members and invited guests. read about Rock Hall exhibit

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May 28, 2007 Cleveland set list <> Michael Doman <> Robby and Ray on NPR <> rare film clip to be auctioned <> Robby & Jackson Browne
The set list from Thursday night's Riders On The Storm at Cleveland's House of Blues included a few songs that I had not heard the band play in a long time, including Blue Sunday which (new to this tour). Cleveland set list

Fans who attended the recent Riders On The Storm shows in the U.S., saw a solo performer as the opening act, and some have asked what his name was. His name is Michael Doman. Check him out at: http://www.myspace.com/michaeldoman

Last Thursday afternoon after Ray and Robby previewed the exhibit that honored The Doors, they were interviewed by NPR station WCPN. I do not know when this will be broadcast and could not find it yet in an upcoming schedule. If anyone gets a lead on that, please let me know so I can share that info with other fans. The station website is: http://www.wcpn.org/

It'sOnlyRockNRoll.com has two minutes of 8mm silent color film of The Doors doing parts of 'Light My Fire' and 'Love Me Two Times' shot ten rows from the stage on March 15, 1968 at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. The catalog auction will be held on June 2nd. Also on that film clip are 2 minutes of Linda Ronstadt & the Stone Poneys. For more info, go to: http://www.news-antique.com/?id=782540&keys=RollingStones-TheDoors-TheWho

Robby Krieger and Jackson Browne recorded a cover of The Beatles' "Across The Universe" about two years ago. It was released on April 24, 2007. I have not had time to chase this down myself, but it is available on itunes and emusic. (thanks, JC)

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May 27, 2007 more Riders shows <> ROTS slideshow <> Robbyâ€™s painted guitar for charity <> Cleveland stories coming
Riders On The Storm have added more shows to their upcoming European tour in June and July, according to the latest tour schedule on Rayâ€™s and Robbyâ€™s official websites. New shows include Sheffield, England; Norway, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, and Netherlands. For all the dates coming up, see calendar below.

A slideshow of recent Riders On The Storm photos, along with audio of Strange Days with Brett Scallions on vocals, has been added to Robbyâ€™s website. To check it out, go to: http://www.robbykrieger.com/riders2/riders.html

9-foot tall Fender guitars are all over the city of Cleveland, with several dozen of them placed around the front of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. They were painted, sculpted and otherwise cleverly adorned by artists and celebrities. This is an annual event with the guitars displayed from June to November, at which time they are auctioned off to benefit the United Way and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museumâ€™s education fund. Robby Krieger participated in this event with a yellow guitar decorated with polka dots and a catâ€™s face and whiskers. To see a photo of Robbyâ€™s untitled guitar, go here. To read more about Guitarmania and to see this yearâ€™s and previous yearâ€™s guitars created for this charity event, go to: http://www.cleveland.com/guitarmania/

Over the next few days I will be writing about my trip to Cleveland for the opening of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum exhibit honoring The Doors. The exhibit includes almost 40 items from my own collection which are on loan to the Rock Hall. I was at the VIP event the evening before it opened, and I also attended the Riders On The Storm show at the House of Blues later that night. It was a fun-packed couple of days, capped off by my two sisters flying into Cleveland to visit the museum and see the exhibit on the day it opened to the public.

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May 23, 2007 Guildhall cancelled? <> Cleveland, here I come
The Riders On The Storm show scheduled for Southampton, England on June 19 may be cancelled, according to information a fan received by Ticketmaster. Watch for this to be confirmed on Robby’s and Ray’s official websites. (thanks, Kurt)

There will be no more news updates for a few days until I return from Cleveland!

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May 20, 2007 Cleveland exhibit write-up
This Friday’s opening of the major exhibit honoring The Doors at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame got the full front page treatment in the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s entertainment section today, as well as a full page inside. read it (thanks, Jackie)

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May 19, 2007 ROTS interview <> ROTS in The Netherlands
Riders On The Storm played Philadelphia’s Keswick Theater on Wednesday night and did an interview with Classic Rock Central. According to the story, the Dick Wolf-produced Doors documentary now has a 2008 theatrical release date. Riders On The Storm have a target of later this year for a new CD release. Classic Rock Central will make the officially authorized 20^th Anniversary of The Doors radio special available on its site at ClassicRockCentral.com in July. read full story

Riders On The Storm make a tour stop at De Effenaar in Eindhoven in The Netherlands on July 2. The venue link is: http://www.effenaar.nl/event.php?e_id=753 This show has not yet been officially confirmed. (thanks, Jan)

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May 17, 2007 patience, please! <> Toronto show cancellation <> ROTS in Helsinki <> pre-order Boston CDs <> Robby interview <> DCM interview on Rock Hall exhibit <> Doors reference on Entourage <> Boston 70 preview story
I am having website / software problems up the wazoo, so please be patient. Some of the formatting may be weird and some of the links may not work, but you can still copy/paste to get to them. Updates may be sporadic until I either get this fixed, or totally give up on the website!

According to a Toronto Sun news story, the Tuesday, May 22 Riders On The Storm show at Toronto’s Kool Haus has been cancelled due to scheduling difficulties. Watch for this to be confirmed on Ray’s and Robby’s official websites.

Riders On The Storm will play in Helsinki, Finland on June 26^th, according to a link sent to me by a fan. Tickets will be available on May 22. I do not read the language, but if you do, here is the link: http://www.kulttuuritalo.fi/ (thanks, Jaakko)

The Doors Live in Boston 3-CD set recorded April 10, 1970 at Boston Arena is not set for release until July 24, but you can pre-order it now through The Doors official website. Follow the link on the home page at at http://www.thedoors.com/ (thanks, Gene, Simone, and Bobby)

Robby Krieger did a phone-in interview yesterday morning with Philadelphia’s WGMK 102.9 station prior to their show their last evening. You can listen to the podcast by going to this link and scrolling down a little. http://www.gmppodcast.com/WMGK/JohnDeBella/tabid/57/Default.aspx (thanks, sister Bobbie)

Doors Collectors Magazine has a nice interview with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Director of Curatorial Howard Kramer about the major Doors exhibit that opens next week. To read it, go to: http://www.doors.com/magazine/rrhallfame.html

It’s always fun to catch a Doors reference. In this week’s episode of Entourage, Kevin Dillon was driving through the desert with ‘When The Music’s Over’ playing over the scene. Of course, Kevin played Densmore in The Doors movie. (thanks, Jeannette)

The Doors Boston 1970 set is already generating excitement and buzz. A website called SoHood ran a piece on the upcoming release. read it By the way, if you pre-order the box set through The Doors website, there is a limited edition tee shirt that you can also order at the same time.

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May 13, 2007 Danny’s home for sale <> Keswick show preview
The Hollywood Hills home shared by Danny Sugerman and his wife Fawn Hall, has been put on the market for $2.1 million. According to the write-up, the 2,800 square foot house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a fireplace in the master bedroom suite, and a spectacular view of Catalina Island. Danny died of lung cancer in early January 2005.

Riders On The Storm continue on their current tour with Monday night in Chicago their next stop. On Wednesday, May 16 they play Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pennsylvania. A preview interview with Ray appears in a local newspaper. read it (thanks, Mary-Beth)

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May 12, 2007 Brett Scallions interview <> UCLA profile of Jim <> progress re Jim's pardon
Brett Scallions, the new front man and singer for Riders On The Storm, was interviewed by The Morning Call, an on-line publication from his home state of Pennsylvania. read it

The profile of UCLA alumnus Jim Morrison that appears in the latest 'Point Of View' publication from that school, can be seen here. (thanks for the scan, David my son)

The campaign by Doors fan Dave Diamond to get Jim Morrison pardoned by the State of Florida is moving right along, and has certainly been getting a lot of press. Dave advised me that the Application For Clemency Form 501 has been completed and mailed to Florida's Office of Executive Clemency. A recent media story can be found at: http://www.nbc6.net/news/13298972/detail.html?rss=ami&psp=news (thanks, Dave)

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May 11, 2007 Tribaljazz show in July
John Densmore's Tribaljazz will play the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 26. For more info, go to the venue website at: http://www.skirball.org/index.php or else the band's MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/tribaljazzdensmore (thanks, David)

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May 9, 2007 UCLA 1966 cartoon <> Brett Scallions schedule
A few days ago I wrote about a UCLA publication that includes a profile of Jim Morrison and a cartoon that was done in 1966 by Richard Blackburn. I do not have a scan of the full page yet with the profile, but I do have the cartoon which is titled "A Perfect Day at the Gypsy Wagon" (a UCLA hangout area). As I said, included in this drawing are Jim Morrison, Ray and Dorothy, Paul Ferrara, Phil Oleno, John Da Bella and Felix Venable. see cartoon (thanks, Paul)

Brett Scallions is scheduled to be out on the road touring with Circus Diablo from July 12th to August 30th, according to that band's website. I guess that means that Riders On The Storm will be off the road for those six weeks.

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May 7, 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit <> custom guitar pick for Jim? <> pix from Vancouver
The major exhibit honoring The Doors is set to open in Cleveland in just a few more weeks, on May 25th. I am honored that some items from my own collection will be included. A story about the exhibit ran today in the Port Clinton News Herald. read it

A Pennsylvania guitar pick manufacturer is licensing and selling customized guitar picks bearing the thumbprints and fingerprints of famed rockers. Under consideration is a customized pick for Jim Morrison, replicating his thumbprint from the police blotter ink indentation from the Miami bust. What's wrong with this picture? Shouldn't it be Robby Krieger who gets a custom guitar pick? To read the full story, go here

Riders On The Storm kicked off their latest tour last Friday night in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. A fan took some great shots which are posted on Ray's website at: http://www.raymanzarek.us/vancouver07/index.html (thanks, Danny)

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May 6, 2007 Morrison Hotel update <> UCLA magazine profile <> Doors vinyl box set
I made a stop at Morrison Hotel in downtown L.A. last evening. The last time I was there in August, the street level was boarded up and plastered with posters. While the building is still standing, the scaffolding and posters are gone. The neon Morrison Hotel signage has been removed from over the hotel entrance and from the corner of the building at Hope and Pico. see photos

The UCLA Spring 2007 issue of 'Point of View' contains a full-page alumni profile of Jim Morrison. Also included is a cartoon drawn in 1966 by Richard Blackburn, in lieu of a month's rent, for his classmate and landlord John Ptak. Included in the cartoon are Jim Morrison, Ray and Dorothy, Paul Ferrara, Phil Oleno, John Da Bella and Felix Venable. I will try to get this page scanned to share on this site, but that won't happen today. I am not an alumnus of the UCLA Film School; I get this publication because I have made donations in past years to the scholarship fund for the Jim Morrison Film Award.

The Doors official website is accepting pre-orders for the seven LP box set of 180-gram HQ vinyl reissues of the six studio albums, plus a mono version of the debut album. According to the website, the box set is available for a short time in a limited edition, serial numbered run of 7,500 sets. This box set is also being offered along with 'The Doors By The Doors' book, in case you haven't gotten that yet! For info or to pre-order, go to: http://thedoorsvinyl.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=1234_10585

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May 4, 2007 Riders On The Storm tour changes
The Riders On The Storm concert scheduled for May 12 in Kansas City, Missouri has been cancelled, according to information posted yesterday on http://www.raymanzarek.us and http://robbykrieger.com In addition, the May 14 show in Chicago has been moved from Vic Theater to Park West.

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May 1, 2007 Singer Bowl remembrance <> Robby radio interview
A 'remembrance' of The Doors and The Who at New York's Singer Bowl on August 2, 1968 appeared on-line today in 'American Chronicle'. read it

Robby Krieger did a phone interview in advance of the latest Riders On The Storm that kicks off on Friday night in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It runs just under 17 minutes. Listen to it at: http://fuelcalgary.com/images/content/interview/doors.m3u

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