The Doors Get Fired Up for Televised Reunion

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a rare reunion, the three surviving members of 1960s rock band the Doors teamed up with several guest vocalists Tuesday to perform their classic tunes for an upcoming television special.

The taping at a Hollywood soundstage marked the first time that keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore have performed publicly since 1993, when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Pinch-hitters for the group's late singer, Jim Morrison, included Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, Ian Astbury of the Cult and Scott Stapp of Creed, who all did their best impressions of the so-called ``lizard king.''

The results will be aired in late November on music cable network VH1's ``Storytellers'' series, coinciding with the release of a Doors tribute album, ``Stoned Immaculate.''

The Doors, one of the most influential bands of the rock era thanks to hits like Light My Fire and Hello, I Love You, broke up several years after the hard-living Morrison died of heart failure in 1971, and they have played together only a handful of times since.

While Morrison couldn't be present, he was frequently evoked during the taping, as the invited audience was regaled with the tales behind the songs.

Manzarek said Morrison's lyrics for Wild Child reflected ''the wildness in each and everyone of us.'' Krieger contradicted him to say that Morrison wrote the song about his wife, Pamela, who outlived him by three years. Both agreed Pamela contributed a few lines.

Astbury of reunited British rockers the Cult performed Wild Child as well as Alabama Song and Back Door Man. Travis Meeks of modern rock band Days of the New sang the Oedipal epic The End and former Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell did L.A. Woman.

Stone Temple Pilots' Weiland, whose drug and legal problems have mirrored Morrison's, sang Break on Through and Five To One, while Pat Monahan of San Francisco band Train opened the evening with Love Me Two Times.

Stapp and his chart-topping rock band Creed closed the affair with Riders on the Storm, Roadhouse Blues and Light My Fire.

All the acts will be featured on ``Stoned Immaculate'' (Elektra), along with such artists as Aerosmith, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley.

Doors manager Danny Sugerman told Reuters after the taping that the Doors planned to play a handful of live dates next year in both Europe and the United States as part of a project organized by English musicians Jaz Coleman and Nigel Kennedy.

Surviving Members Of The Doors Tell Their Story For VH1

The three surviving members of the Doors, with help from a multitude of guest vocalists, were reunited for a rare live performance -- their first in seven years -- on Tuesday (Sept. 26) in Los Angeles at a taping of the VH1 series Storytellers.

The group played some of their biggest and best songs, beginning with Love Me Two Times featuring singer Patrick Monahan of Train. "This is like a work in progress," keyboardist Ray Manzarek said after the somewhat sloppy version was completed.

Next, Ian Astbury of the Cult did his best to conjure memories of departed Doors frontman Jim Morrison with smoldering renditions of Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) and Willie Dixon's Backdoor Man, two of the Doors' most familiar cover tunes. "Now that's rock and roll," said Astbury.

Guitarist Billy Duffy of the Cult then came out and joined in on a smokin' take of Wild Child, featuring Doors guitarist Robbie Kreiger on bottleneck slide guitar, which Manzarek told the audience was a favorite of Morrison's.

The highlight of the taping was next, when Travis Meeks of Days of the New blew the audience away with a hard-hitting take on The End, one of the Doors' darkest songs. Extra musicians on tabla and electric upright bass decorated the song.

Up next was Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, who called his inclusion at the taping "an amazing opportunity." He led the band through Break On Through and Five to One, which Weiland said was a song that "represents both beauty and destruction."

Perry Farrell was the only singer who didn't try to ape Morrison's singing style, and so his dancing rendition of L.A. Woman was among the evening's highlights. A brief question and answer session followed, where such pressing issues as "What really happened in New Haven?" and "Will you guys do another album and tour?" were addressed. (Answers: It was the cops' fault, and a new album and tour are "not out of the realm of possibility.")

The final guest singer of the evening was Scott Stapp of Creed, who led the reunited group through three of their biggest hits, Riders on the Storm, Light My Fire, and Roadhouse Blues.

Alabama Song
Back Door Man
Wild Child