Top 19 -- The Doors: Morrison Hotel

On Facebook I was asked to list my top ten all-time albums that most influenced me. Since I can't list anything without a huge explanation, this is it. Not only that but I'm writing about my Top 19 instead of my Top 10. 

Here's what I wrote on Facebook today: "Here's another quick story: I give fan of Rush and Billy Joel a lot of crap. Mostly because they deserve it. But you know what they say about glass houses (other than it's a shitty Billy Joel album)? The reason why I say that is because I am an unironic, unabashed fan of the Doors. I know that Jim Morrison is a terrible singer and his lyrics aren't great. I know that before he died, Ray Manzarek was the stereotypical doofus boomer who truly believed that the rock world revolved around his band. But there's something about this goofy band and their eclectic sound that hits me where I live. As an adult, I should have outgrown them a long, long, long time ago; but the truth is, I haven't and I probably won't. Is this their best album? Probably not, but it's the one that I listened to the most while I was in college, in the process driving my roommates crazy. Sorry about that, guys. But look on the bright side, I bet you remember all the lyrics to "Peace Frog"."

Most stories of embarking on stupid quest usually begin with the same thing: it had to do with impressing a girl. Columbus wanted to show Isabella that he knew how to get to India faster than anyone else. There was a whole war (supposedly) for Helen of Troy. And I started down the road to my Doors fandom when a girl in high school asked me if I ever heard of them. I lied and said that I did, ran home to listen to the one Doors CD that was in my house (the movie soundtrack) and went back to talk to her about the band the next day. 

A funny thing happened in the ensuing years, I've completely lost touch with the girl I was trying to impress, but I still like this weirdo band. I'm not sure why. Maybe it appeals to my lust of the California lifestyle that I mentioned yesterday. Maybe I thought that Jim Morrison was cool. Maybe they just sounded different and even though they're a popular band, they were a different kind of popular band. It also didn't hurt that the rock bands that I was getting into at the time, like Pearl Jam, were influenced by the Doors (Eddie Vedder inducted the group into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame), so if they were good for them, why wouldn't they be okay for me too?

I wrote about this very same thing 11 years ago. And I'm not sure if I'll get to the bottom of it. 

Whatever the reasons are, like I wrote on Facebook, the Doors just hit me a certain way. I'm sure it's the organ combined with some really good drumming (John Densmore is better than decent) and Robby Krieger is a terrifically underrated guitarist. And yes, Morrison's voice is pretty bad. But it fits within the band's aesthetic. It would be hard to listen to the Doors with James Taylor singing. Or Robert Plant. Or John Lennon. It just wouldn't work. But Morrison does work. 

At the end of the day, the Doors are the Doors. They really did reach for something well beyond their grasp and came up short. But that's okay. What we ended up with was some pretty good music that has lasted over 50 years--which, if you think about it, is kind of amazing. 

Right now I bet that there's girl talking to some awkward dude about this band called the Doors and wondering if he has ever heard of them. The dance continues.