The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial

The Doors existed only for seven years, but their musical output was prolific—nine studio albums, five live albums, 21 singles, and several best-selling compilations after the band’s dissolution. Their command of different styles—from blues and jazz to flamenco, pop, and hard rock—made their music thrilling and full of wonder. Lead singer Jim Morrison’s Dionysian poetry tied everything together. So what went wrong? After Morrison’s tragic death in 1971 at age 27, the band’s popularity only grew, putting the surviving band members in charge of how their legacy would be used. The Doors drummer Densmore (author of Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison & the Doors) opposed his fellow bandmates in 2004 when they wanted to use the Doors’ music in a car commercial. That resulted in competing lawsuits. This book recounts the whole sad courtroom affair and its aftermath, but some readers may find the minutiae of the court proceedings drag the pace down a bit. But Densmore’s commitment to his principles is evident on every page, and he is unafraid to share the complex emotions he experienced and the painful encounters he had with his longtime bandmate friends.