The Doors of the 21st Century are at work on a new album they hope to release by the middle of this year. “We want to say something about the human condition in the twenty-first century, just like the Doors in the twentieth century said something about the human condition,” says keyboardist Ray Manzarek. “If it doesn’t have weight to it, it’s not worth doing. That’s why we’re back together.”
The band — which features Doors vets Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger, as well as former Cult frontman Ian Astbury on vocals — is enlisting poets and songwriters to take over the late Jim Morrison’s lyric-writing duties. Jim Carroll, Michael McClure, X’s John Doe and Warren Zevon have already contributed.
Last month, Manzarek and Krieger paid tribute to Morrison on what would have been his sixtieth birthday by attending a memorial for the singer at his Paris grave site. That night they played a secret show at the city’s La Scene. The set focused on material from L.A. Woman, the Doors’ final album, recorded just before Morrison’s death in 1971.
“We never got to play those live,” says Manzarek, “so we wanted to play them for Jim. It was like being back at the Whisky. It was Morrison’s birthday and a full moon. People were howling, literally howling.”
Doors drummer John Densmore, who is involved in pending litigation against his former band mates over their reunion, did not attend the events. “We were saddened Densmore didn’t come,” says Manzarek. “We wish he would have been there. We’re hoping in 2004 John will put aside his differences and come play live. We’ll see what happens.”
Source Rollingstone.com.
A German brewery has developed a beer containing vitamins and minerals it says are designed to slow the aging process.
The Neuzeller Kloster Brewery plans to introduce its “Anti-Aging-Bier” this year and sell it in grocery and drug stores, a spokesman for the company said Friday.
“It tastes like beer more than it tastes like anything else,” the spokesman told Reuters.
The brewery said the beer contained a host of added ingredients that promote good health.
But the German government may object to the brewery calling the drink “beer” since a law dating back to 1516 says beer brewed in Germany can only be made from barley, hops, yeast and water.
Source CNN.com.
