Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre

July 15, 2015
In which the Lizard King is revealed to have been human after all. The dead-Jim Morrison industry has fallen off somewhat in recent years, but there's still lively interest in the Doors on the part of music fans around the world-and readers, too. British rock writer/biographer Wall (Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe, 2015, etc.) does a good service by removing the spotlight from Morrison and putting it on the other three members of the legendary 1960s rock group. For instance, he writes, the little-heard-from drummer John Densmore, had problems with the front guy, "becoming ever more frustrated at the increasingly over-indulgent antics of the only guy in the band who couldn't actually play an instrument." The author credits guitarist Robbie Krieger with being the chief driving force behind the creation of the band's catchiest tunes, giving Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek full props for sonic ability and hipness made all the more hip by their lack of Morrison's showy self-destruction. The usual figures, including the mystical Indian of Morrison myth, bow in, but Wall gives greater attention to the players who shaped the Doors' legacy-the engineers and producers and background figures who never get enough attention. Though the author too often writes like someone's superannuated uncle who never quite got over Woodstock ("Ray, who made the whole thing up, man. Kept the train on the tracks"), he tells a good story, and his attention to both the musical and business parts of the equation is a welcome addition to the usual fawning over Morrison's Adonis-like qualities. Furthermore, the author has talked to the right people, at least those of them left alive, from producer and guiding light Jac Holzman to scene-maker Pamela Des Barres, who only faintly protests that Jim wasn't anything but straight. Solid overall, as we have come to expect from Wall, though some readers might prefer Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarmen's canonical No One Here Gets Out Alive (1980) for sheer rock-'n'-roll esprit.

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August 1, 2015

Journalist and author Wall (When Giants Walked the Earth; Lou Reed) creates an in-depth portrait of the Doors, with singer Jim Morrison serving as the lodestar in a tumultuous story of one of the most enduring Sixties bands. Wall interviewed the three other group members as well as associates, friends, producers, music executives, and former loves of Morrison to create a fully formed history of the band from its beginnings to worldwide fame and fortune and ultimately to a dizzying and tragic end for Morrison, who died in Paris in 1971. The author discusses the genesis of the band, its early live performances in L.A. clubs, the albums and increasingly riotous live shows with Morrison walking a tightrope between performance and chaos, in a cohesive and informative narrative. This is certainly not a hagiography as Morrison's descent into ever increasing drink and drug abuse and erratic behavior is examined bluntly, and Wall also offers critical evaluations of the band's work. VERDICT A thorough look at the Doors' career, this book is a musical, cultural, and legacy-examining history of one of the most important bands in rock and roll.--James Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2015
From respected British rock journalist Wall comes this fine biography of the Doors. Incorporating interviews with members of the band and people close to the Doors, the book charts the course of the group from its early days as the house band in a grimy L.A. nightclub, through its debut album, its hugely popular hit single Light My Fire, appearances on Ed Sullivan and American Bandstand, lead singer Jim Morrison's legendary decline into alcoholism and drug abuse, Morrison's death, and beyond. The book feels comprehensive without being encyclopedic, and Wall's tone is respectful and compassionate but not hagiographic. He gives equal weight to each of the band's members: Ray Manzarek, the artistic, gifted keyboardist; John Densmore, the earthy, reliable drummer; Robby Krieger, the guitarist who soaked up musical styles like a sponge; and Morrison, of course, the boy who never grew up, the dreamer who revised his own life story so many times it's possible not even he knew what was true and what he had made up. For Doors fans, and readers of rock biographies in general, this should be considered a must-read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)