The Doors: Unhinged

There are some of us out there who still have principles and cannot be bought. John is one of them. He is not for sale and that is his gift to us.

–Tom Waits, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician

In the late 1960s, America was in political and cultural revolt. The Doors weren’t just a soundtrack to that revolution. Their music gave it a voice. They lived by its ideals. And in a garage in Venice, CA, the four members of the band agreed to a business relationship that was also revolutionary; each member of the band would share equal songwriting credit and equal veto power. All for one, one for all. And for almost forty years, even after the death of lead singer Jim Morrison, that progressive 60s ethos guided the former band mates in all their decisions. Until one day the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll came up against its biggest nemesis—money—and the legendarily equal relationship between the remaining members of the Doors began to splinter.

Drummer John Densmore’s The Doors: Unhinged  is the true story of the court case that put Jim Morrison’s legacy on trial and divided the former band mates in half, with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger on one side, and John Densmore and the estate of Jim Morrison on the other. 

What is the true price of upholding artistic integrity? Is it $15 million for a Cadillac commercial? For Densmore it was a total of five and a half years of litigation, including three months of trial, a month of waiting for the jury’s verdict, six months till the judge’s final ruling, and half a year before the Supreme Court of California finally rejected Manzarek and Krieger’s appeal. It was the realization that his house and his savings were on the line. It was the loss of his relationship with his former band mates and friends. 

The Doors: Unhinged is about the human and artistic cost of what happens when rock ‘n’ roll goes on trial. The book will be available April 17th on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats, in a hardcover version through Baker & Taylor, as an ebook via Kobo (through local, independent American Booksellers Association bookstores partnering Kobo) and in both paperback and hardcover formats at select independent bookstores. With previously unreleased photos of Jim Morrison, the band, the Morrison family, and the author himself, John Densmore’s second book is a touching, humorous, and often beautiful account of one unlikely hero’s fight to stand up for the spirit of music in the face of greed.

About John Densmore

An original and founding member of the musical group The Doors, John Densmore co-wrote and produced numerous gold and platinum albums and toured the United States, Europe, and Japan. His autobiography, Riders on the Storm, was on the New York Times bestseller list. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. He has written numerous articles for Rolling Stone, London’s The Guardian, the Nation, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post and the Utne Reader.

In film production, he co-produced “Road to Return,” narrated by Tim Robbins. It won several prestigious national awards and was screened for Congress, resulting in the writing of a bill. He also Executive Produced “Juvies,” narrated by Mark Wahlberg, which aired on HBO. It won numerous awards (2004 IDA for excellence, U.S. International Film Fest–creative excellence).