John Densmore

I received a review copy of this from the publisher through LibraryThing not knowing that it was previously self-published to a small audience ten (I think) years ago. Partway in, I decided I had better read Mr. Densmore’s first memoir, Riders on the Storm before continuing. As he says in here, you’ll find more about The Doors in other books. This is about him suing to prevent the use of the band name and logo.

As I learned in Riders, he’s a pretty good writer. And this is largely a show more courtroom drama of his suit, and to a small extent, of the countersuit by Manzarek and Krieger. And though I knew the outcome, like watching the movie Secretariat where I also knew the outcome, it is still engaging to see into the workings of the trial (it’s not television, where things are resolved by the end of the show - this took months, followed by a five year appeal.)

Densmore does come off a bit self righteous (“But how much does it really mean? Without the huge money and venues, Ray can still get his retail therapy by shopping and Robby can still eat an expensive meal at Spago.” More than a bit of that sniping, but then, Manzarek said some unkind, and probably untruthful things about Densmore in his book and on the stand and it stung.) But he’s also funny…

“Now wait a minute here. What about the conversation we were just having about Buick? I was quickly learning that when a lawyer doesn't like an answer, he or she just ignores it and moves on. I moved on too. I had no other choice.”

So, even if you know the story, it’s a good read because you probably don’t know this version of the story.

Snippets:

[cross examination]
"Did you think you were being critical of Mr. Manzarek when you referred to him as 'the hand of greed' and other characterizations like that?"
Now I was getting pissed off. "I did not refer to Ray Manzarek as 'the hand of greed," I said. "I referred to myself as 'the hand of greed' because my hand was shaking when I wrote my 10 percent tithing checks to charity." He should have read my article more thoroughly if he intended to trap me with it.
{Densmore peppers his narrative with comments like this. I found them fun, as was this exchange of the clueless defending lawyer and Densmore on the stand:}

[a laughable embarrassment on the part of the Manzarek/Krieger attorney]
"Do you think that Steve Nicks thinks of his music as a jingle?"
"That's a woman, Stevie Nicks," I say, as the entire courtroom lets out another big laugh. "Fleetwood Mac. Woman singer." This guy should have taken a crash course in rock history before he stood up in court and tried to cross-examine me about my world.

[on losing dignity]
Jerry [Densmore’s attorney] asks [Nigel] Williamson to explain the following excerpt from my article:
All of these years on, Morrison remains implacable. And so the current incarnation is nothing more than a Doors tribute band-which just happens to include two of the original band members playing tribute to their own long-lost youth.
{That’s what I thought of the last AC/DC album, though they still had everyone. Or The Who.”}

[more from Nigel Williamson]
Lukacs [another M/K attorney] says, "My question, sir, is why are you more qualified to talk about the use of The Doors's name than someone who has reviewed the underlying evidence?"
"I have followed The Doors's career for thirty-five-plus years," says Nigel. "And I work as a professional music journalist interviewing musicians and writing about bands who have disbanded and got back together. It isn't me that regards myself as an expert. It's the people who employ me. I get asked again and again by national newspapers and magazines to write on these subjects."

[a mistake on the part of Densmore]
After attending the Naval Academy in Florida, he became a commissioner in the navy.
{With all the detail Densmore has here, this is a big gaffe. RADM Morrison had flight training in Florida (the Naval Academy is in Maryland), and was commissioned as an officer, not “commissioner”, there.}

[it’s a Republican thing]
We all know that owing money is not a good thing. And yet, both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, in the not-so-distant past, cut taxes for the rich while running up huge deficits. The truth is that, until just recently, we Americans believed that we were numero uno, omnipotent and all-powerful, but in my opinion, we are in denial, convinced that we are immune from repercussions. After all, we have "our" God on our side. So much so that He is stamped indelibly on our legal tender: In (our) God We Trust.
And yet, there's nothing like an economic collapse to make you question your religion, which for some is the Almighty $$$.

[and this truth; with lawyers not understanding why there are so many jokes about their profession]
I guess Ray's attorneys believe that when you have no case, you character-assassinate, build a conspiracy theory.
{TFG anyone?} show less

In this book, originally self-published in 2013, John Densmore tells his side of the lawsuit he filed against his fellow surviving members of the Doors in 2003. From their beginning, the Doors had an arrangement, unusual among rock groups, under which all members of the band were required to agree on major financial decisions. Densmore, having strong feelings about the negative effect of commercialism on the integrity of music, objected to an offer of $15 million from Cadillac to license show more their song "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" for a commercial. He also disagreed with his bandmates' use of the Doors name and logo during a subsequent tour. Densmore's narrative style could best be described as jazzy: he tells the story of his lawsuit chronologically while riffing on memories, philosophical and political matters, and other tangents, always coming back around to the trial. It's a little like listening to a friend get worked up over something they feel passionate about over a few too many cups of coffee. It was an ugly trial with many Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole aspects, and Densmore came out bruised but victorious. Whatever you think of Densmore's position on licensing popular rock songs to sell products (and frankly, I can see both sides), his bemusement, frustration, and disgust at the legal process is palpable and relatable. Recommended primarily for Doors fans but also anyone interested in the legal issues involved. show less

The Doors Unhinged by John Densmore is an interesting account of his legal battle with the other remaining members of The Doors (at the time) over the use of the name. That said, it went slightly off-track periodically when he would go on a bit too much about why he was waging the fight.

You'll see reviews that call him what the reviewer actually is, something about "whiny." What I think gets lost is that Densmore acknowledges that he had made a couple of missteps with regard to honoring what show more Jim Morrison wanted for the music. Would Morrison have changed his mind if he was still alive? Maybe, but it doesn't matter. The only definitive thing we have to go on is what he stated, repeatedly, while alive. To make it sound like anyone has the power to change his wishes because "maybe, perhaps, he would have changed his mind" is simply upset they either missed a show or they don't care about ethically abiding by an agreement they all made. All it takes is one veto.

As for using the name of the band in the name of the new band, that is misleading. Again, some reviewer falsely claimed Densmore called everyone who attended the shows too stupid to know what they were getting. They could have still capitalized on the Doors name by doing as Densmore suggested, billing themselves as two former members of the band. Insisting on implementing Doors into their band name was misleading, and intentionally so, or they would have used the alternative.

The writing is uneven but the story says a lot about how people will readily decide to renege on their word if it means more money. As great a keyboardist as Manzarek was, the band would not have been the smash they were without Morrison's words and his persona. Abiding by the word you gave to Morrison doesn't seem like too much to ask. If you believed you would be successful without Morrison you could have not agreed to the terms and stopped working with him, and been any one of the many wonderfully talented session musicians. Manzarek knew what would take good music into the area of iconic music, and it was Morrison. Don't break your word, especially to the one who allowed you to have a comfortable lifestyle well beyond your talent would have afforded otherwise.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing. show less

The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial is written by John Densmore.
Celebrated author and legendary Doors’ drummer John Densmore “offers a powerful exploration of the ‘Greed Gene’ - that part of the human psyche that propels us toward the accumulation of more and more wealth, even at the expense of our principles, friendships and the well-being of
society.”
“The Doors Unhinged is a very ‘gripping account of the legal battle to control the Doors’ artistic show more destiny. In it, Densmore looks at the conflict between his bandmates and him as they fought over the right to use the Doors’ name, revealing the ways in which this struggle mirrored and reflected a much larger societal issue: that no amount of money seems to be enough for even the wealthiest people.” (Press Release)
In his book, John Densmore gives us more than a dramatic, gripping trial scene, he gives us a “blueprint for an approach to life and culture that is not given to greed.”

I must admit that I am of a ‘certain age’, a ‘certain generation’ that revered the poetry, the artistry, the music of the Doors and other musicians and artists of the time - the 60s, the call to arms, to consciousness, questioning the status quo.

It was a perfect read and I would irrevocably recommend this book. 5 Stars + on every level.
*****
There is fascinating, interesting reading about the court case.
There is much philosophizing over charitable giving, crass consumerism, environmentalism and ‘crooked’ politicians. It is very well-written in a personal, self-deprecating, narrative style.
It is reflective, moralistic, and inspiring.

The Doors Unhinged is a very intense book, well-organized with a Preface, an Introduction, 3 Parts (Part I - The Setup. Part II - Trial and Tribulation. Part III - Waiting is the Hardest Part) consisting of 26 chapters, an Afterword, Acknowledgements and Permissions. All of these ‘parts’ are interspersed with photographs, poetry and song lyrics and accolades to other musicians.

I urge everyone to read this book, but if one must choose just one part or chapter to read, I would choose Chapter 26 - The Greed Gene. In it, Mr. Densmore writes to two lost brothers, Ray and Robby, and to the memory of their lost relationships.
I received this ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of The Doors Unhinged from the publisher,
Akashic Books. show less