“I certainly am raising a provocative question, because I was countersued for not okaying the Cadillac commercial.”Īs in the book, Desnmore made it clear he doesn’t think there’s a simple black and white to the issue of commercial uses of music. How do younger-generation musicians react to Densmore’s position? That fight almost seems quaint in an era when so many musicians put considerable time and effort into negotiating advertising and other branding tie-ins with their music, the focus on “monetization” of music ever-increasing. He’s our ancestor, as Ray is now, and I wasn’t going to forget that.”

What does that mean? That the whole catalog meant a lot to him. “I just kept thinking about Jim,” Densmore said, “and how he blew up over ‘Come on, Buick, light my fire.’ And he didn’t write it. Densmore recounts Morrison’s violent objection to a similar such effort while he was still alive, when Buick sought to use their breakthrough hit “Light My Fire” (written primarily by Krieger) in a commercial for the Opel. Densmore also emerged the victor in the countersuit, when he was sued for refusing to allow the Doors’ music to be used in a Cadillac commercial, for which they were being offered $15 million.

The court eventually sided with Densmore, and Manzarek and Krieger adopted the name D21C.

The Doors is Jim, Ray, Robbie and John - it’s not Ray, Robbie, Ian, Stewart, Shirley, Fred or whatever.” PHOTOS: Best albums of 2012 | Randall RobertsĪt one point, Densmore recalls suggesting that they “call it the Windows, call it the Hinges. The core of Densmore’s action was his belief that Manzarek and Krieger should not use the Doors’ name in their reconstituted touring band, which used, at different times, Cult singer Ian Astbury, Police drummer Stewart Copeland and other musicians playing Doors’ songs as “The Doors of the 21st Century.” “It wasn’t fun,” he said of his time navigating the legal system, “but I tried to work some humor in.”

The doors unhinged by john densmore