This is in response to Dan Julian’s article (“Music sellouts diminish craft,” SN 2/6).
I have been reading The State News for almost two years now and, for the most part, I feel the articles are great work.
However, it is quite obvious Julian did not do any research before submitting his piece.
Like most rock fans, I am a fan of The Doors. Jim Morrison’s lyrics are original and moving and Ray Manzarek’s bizarre organ melodies are cool. But to say the integrity of rock ’n’ roll died with a bloated drunk in 1971 is wrong.
Julian’s description of a Doors concert is misleading. He let Oliver Stone’s vision of the show influence his reality. Val Kilmer is not Morrison. He is just a pretty face from Hollywood trying to make an interesting and fun movie.
Sure, it appears The Doors blew away every audience they faced in the movie, but perhaps if Julian had read “Riders on the Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison and The Doors” by John Densmore, the band’s drummer, he would have a different opinion of them.
Densmore explains Morrison was either too drunk, or whacked out on cocaine and psychedelics, to perform on most occasions. This created two options for the band - one, let Manzarek sing the songs, or two, cancel the show and let a riot ensue. Many times, they chose the latter.
In contrast to your belief that there is no band out there today to save music, I give you Pearl Jam. The band is honest to its fans, but, more importantly, it is honest to itself. Perhaps what makes it different from most bands is that it believes in its music as well. You will never hear “Alive” or “Jeremy” in a commercial for televisions or Internet access, but you will hear The Doors’ music in this format.
This brings me to my last point. Julian cries about musicians selling out for the extra buck and how this cheapens the industry, and I admit this might be true, but to pick The Doors as an example of the opposite is delusional. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t The Doors recently appear on “VH1 Storytellers,” a program where they teamed up with some of today’s biggest pop stars to cut a record?
They may not have invited Britney, but I do believe Scott Stapp was present.
Aaron White
English senior
