Page 39 - seniors today August issue
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unpredictable stage acts added to the group’s adaptations that I know are of Light My Fire:
mystique. The group became a symbol of the one by Ananda Shankar and the other by Isaac
counter-culture prevailing in the late 1960s. Hayes in his Live at Sahara Tahoe.
But the music itself was so absorbing, with One of the finest interpretations of The Doors
influences of jazz, blues and other genres. You music is in the album Night Divides the Day
could listen to it and dance to most of it. – The Music of The Doors by the jazz pianist
The Doors continuously entertained, provoked George Winston. It has 16 excellent jazzy
and irritated their fans by wild performances, interpretations of many well-loved and some
mostly due to the erratic and unpredictable not-so-well-known Doors songs. It is a virtuoso
behaviour of Morrison on stage. He got performance by a great solo pianist, and it will
arrested and released a few times due to bizarre make a fine addition to any collection of The
behaviour while performing. Doors music.
Morrison was also an excellent poet, having As with many artists, Morrison developed
studied film-making and arts at UCLA before alcohol dependency and also experimented with
becoming a musician. Several of his poems drugs. In 1971 he died unexpectedly in Paris
can be heard on American Prayer, which was at the age of 27. And the legend began. He was
released after his death. buried in the “Poets’ Corner” of Père Lachaise
The remaining members of his band - Cemetery in Paris on July 7. The epitaph on his
Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore - kept up the headstone bears a Greek inscription, which is
legend with various reunion gigs and rehashed usually interpreted as “True to his own spirit”.
anthologies. Weird Scenes Inside The Gold This is now a must-visit place for rock music
Mine, Full Circle, An American Prayer and a lovers and The Doors fans in particular.
series of Live recordings, rehashing their earlier So ended the life of Jim Morrison, the son of an
appearances, are all available now. Admiral of the US Navy, with whom he did not
The Doors got inducted to the Rock and Roll have a good relationship. But his music lives on
Hall of Fame in 1993. Manzarek, Krieger and even after 50 plus years.
Densmore came together along with Eddie Ray Manzarek passed away in 2013 in
Vedder substituting for Morrison, played Germany due to cancer. He held the band
Roadhouse Blues, Break on Through and Light together for several years with someone else
My Fire. occasionally filling in for Morrison. Robby
The Doors music continues to attract listeners Krieger and John Densmore are the two band
of generation after generation. It can be heard members still alive and playing the music.
in many movies and television shows. One of
the most dramatic uses was in Apocalypse Now
which features The End.
Oliver Stone made a movie by the eponymous
name in 1991, with Val Kilmer playing Jim
Morrison. It did well at the box office and the
sound track from the movie was also well
received. However, the other band members
were none too happy, as Stone concentrated on
Morrison character, to the detriment of others.
Manzarek also felt that it did not show the poetic
and human side of Morrison and concentrated
too much on his bad boy image and at times
bizarre behaviour.
The Doors cover versions and adaptations
continue unabated. Two of the earliest
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