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The Behrend Beacon
Doors drummer sues ex
John Densmore, formerly of The Doors
by Elaine Dutku
Los Angeles Times
John Densmore, co-founder and drummer of
the Doors, filed suit against former hand mem
bers Ray Manzarek and Robbie Kneger in Los
Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, charging
Bill Maher opens HBO show tonight
by Martic Zad
The Washington Post
The guy with all those funny views of the news
debuts a new hour-long series on HBO tonight at
11:30. The 20-episode series will be called 'Real
Time With Bill Maher" and oiler the comedian's
unique perspective on contemporary issues.
"This edgy show will give a regular, unccnsored
888-923-3238 • www.campusfundraiser.com
that a tour organized by the pair represents a
breach of contract and trademark infringe-
On the tour. Stewart Copeland, formerly of
the Police, substitutes for Densmore, and lan
Astbury, formerly of the Cult, stands in for
singer Jim Morrison, who died in 1971. The
filing cites misleading advertising and promo
tion of the new' group as the Doors without
the consent of Densmore and the estates of Jim
Morrison and his widow, Pam Courson.
"This has been brewing for a month, ever
since the first ad ... came out in the Los Ange
les Times," Densmore said. "It was identical
to our first album cover--and our original logo
appears on Stewart Copeland's bass drum,
which makes me sad and hurt. While I admire
Stew'art and lan as musicians, the Doors are
John, Ray, Robbie and Jim ... just like John,
Paul, George and Ringo are The Beatles. When
Maurice Gibb died, his tw'o brothers said
they’d continue playing--but not under the
name Bee Gees, out of respect for the band's
legacy. The only concession Ray and Robbie
are making is changing the name to the Doors:
2 I st Century, w hich is obviously not enough.
I've gotten calls for tickets from friends and
fans on the assumption that I'm playing."
A representative of the Doors: 21st Century
said Tuesday, "We have no know ledge of this
situation and we have no comment at this
time."
forum for the first time ever on TV," says HBO
Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht. Maher's co
executive producers Brad Grey ami Marc Gurvitz
consider Maher's venture with HBO as an "ideal
venue to showcase his unique talents and point of
view."
Maher was the creator and host of "Politically
Incorrect." which debuted on Comedy Central in
1993 and moved to ABC in 1997. ending its run
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Friday, February 7, 2003
bandmates
Densmore's attorney, Jerome Mandel of
Mandel & Norwood, says Densmore's reputa
tion has been harmed by the implication that
"he was not, and is not, an integral part of the
Doors," one of the classic Los Angeles rock
bands from the 1960 s whose hits include
"Light My Fire" and "Touch Me."
According to the complaint, the group
which wtts elected to the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame —had previously agreed to make joint
business decisions and share in till revenues.
Copeland and Astbury are also named in the
legal action, which seeks public clarification
and punitive damages to be determined.
Densmorc was set to perform with the tour
but backed out for health —and philosophical
-reasons. Two years ago. he injured his ears
on a TV special and lie's been suffering from
tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. Although he
had largely healed by .September, when the
band played its first gig. the drummer didn't
like the format. He was uncomfortable bas
ing one singer perform all of Morrison's songs
rather than sharing them among the band
members. And when he subsequently read a
review of the concert that quoted Manzarck
as saying that Astbury and Copeland were per
manently aboard, he said, he felt he had been,
in effect, publicly fired.
this past year.
He has laid three one-hour solo specials and a
pair of hall-hour stand-up specials on HBO.
Also debuting tonight is the new six-episode
HBO late-night comedy series "Da Ali G Show."
starring Sacha Baron Cohen (hailed as the Peter
Sellers of our generation.) in a LI.S. edition of the
hit British show.
Sunday on Showtime at X p.m. as part of its spe
dal Black History Month programming Showtime
Original Pictures presents "Deacons for Defense."
a true story of a group of African-American men
who chose to take an aggressive and armed stand
in the civil rights movement. The film stars l ores!
Whitaker, Jonathan Silverman anti Ossie Davis.
Other weekend highlights include:
"The Chindit Raiders," the story of the British
army raiding force used in the jungles of Japanese
occupied Burma to disrupt supply routes and sabo
tage railroads. The unit, named after stone creatures
that stood gutird at Burmese temples, was com
manded by dynamic and unconventional Brigadier
Orde Wingate. Sunday on the History Channel at
8 p.m.
The debut of the new series " The Point," a pro
gram designed to go behind the headlines. The first
episode. "Intimate Deception," delves into the ways
ot bigamists, usually clever con-artists wielding the
powerful weapon of love. Sunday on A&E at 10
p.m.
Together: Stop Violence Against Women." a
documentary by Rory Kennedy and Li/ Garbus
presenting four diverse stories of survivors of vio
lence including domestic abuse and sexual assault
by a stranger. Sunday on Lifetime at 11 p.m.
behrco!ls @ aol.com
Hip-hop’s
Roots have
sounds and
smarts
by Brian McCollum
Knight Ridder Newspapers
A funny thing happened to hip-hop between
new albums from the Roots.
Real instruments began creeping back onto ur
ban radio. A raw, thoughtful brand of music,
dubbed neo-soul, started getting attention from
mainstream audiences. Outkast even won a pair
of Grammys.
And the members of the Roots, who for a de
cade had quietly led the live hip-hop revolution,
looked on and gathered a sense of their place in
the world - and their sense of responsibility to
the movement they’d helped foment.
"The expectation was so high," says drummer
Ahmir (?uestlove) Thompson, "there was no w ay
we could come back with just anything."
"Things Fall Apart," released to wide acclaim
in 1999, had been regarded by many as organic
hip-hop's definitive document: an old-school rap
ethic, blended with a socially conscious mindset,
steeped and set in a mix of hot soul jamming.
But three years is a long time in the hip-hop
world. Long enough to make the Philadelphia
band - ?uestlove, DJ Scratch, MC Black Thought,
bassist Hub, keyboardist Kamal and human beat
box Rahzel - wonder if it was still relevant. (Vo
calist Malik B is now estranged from the group.)
"People's attention spans arc real short," says
?uestlove. "You have to drop a 100-ton anvil on
top of their heads."
For the Roots, "Phrenology" was that piece of
heavy metal, albeit with a shot of Philly funk.
Released in late November, the album debuted
in the top 10 and caught the attention of critics
hungry for high-quality releases as the year
wound dowm.
It's an unconventional triumph of sound and
smarts, the most eclectic collection of songs the
band has put to tape - a gumbo of simmering
R&B grooves, hotshot rock n' roll and complex
psychedelic meanderings.
"Daring" is the adjective that often gets
propped up next to the Roots' name. But the way
Juestlove sees it, his band never considered
"Phrenology" a risk.
"With us, the live show presentation and the
recorded presentation have always been differ
ent animals," he says. "There have been some
nights in which, if the right audience was in at
tendance, we'd do all jazz versions of our songs,
or all hard rock versions. If anything, we thought
it was time we transferred some of the energy of
our live show to wax."
Fans are accustomed to being startled.
?uestlove recalls the Roots' 1995 debut release
for Geffcn Records - its first big step out of the
hometown scene
"When Philadelphians got their hands on that,
they reacted the same way most people feel about
'Phrenology' now: 'What's this? You're supposed
to be jazzy!"' he says. "We shift gears with ev
ery record. I want people to understand - we're
not going to do what they expect us to do. We're
sort of a potluck dinner."
That's not to say the music on "Phrenology" -
now on display on a nationwide tour - was put
together on a whim. ?uestlove says it was, in fact,
the most carefully calculated Roots album yet.
"This is pretty much the first album where we
had a plan that we executed from A to Z," he
says.
While the Roots gamer ample respect from
their musical peers - Talib Kweli, Jill Scott, Com
mon and other hip-hop progressives - the band
hasn't been immune from criticism. For all the
cultural headway made by the group's brand of
resourceful hip-hop, this remains an era when
Nelly can sell 4 million records.
Though he won't point fingers, ?uestlove de
scribes the contemporary record industry as a
"state of emergency,"
And he says the urge for the quick, commer
cial hit hasn't always been easy to resist.
"I'm not saying we've never been tempted to
throw it all away and go for the brass ring," he
says. "I could release a platinum record on all
the songs I didn't end up recording. We've re
corded 300 or 400 songs - you just happen to get
the pick of the litter when the album comes out.
So I don't want to say we're above it. It's just
that at the end of the day, come to our senses."
?uestlove figures he’ll take 10 years of endur
ance over 10 million in sales.
"It's like when squirrels gather their nuts and
what not, preparing for hibernation," he says.
"That's what we're doing. Establishing a really
good fan base and a good live show and a good,
quality reputation. Those things are what's im
portant."