| |
Aquarian
Weekly, April 16-23, 2003
ROBBIE KRIEGER
Rock Is Not Dead
Glyn Emmerson
Why tour now after all these years?
Robby: We said we’d never be The Doors again without Jim, but
every time I would go out with my own band that would be the first
question people would ask. We wouldn’t have thought about it
if it wasn’t for the fans. People really want to see the three
of us play but since John’s not interested Ray and I decided
to do it.
Why doesn’t Densmore want to be involved
in the new Doors?
Robby: I really don’t know. First it was his ears, he had tinnitus.
He and Ray also haven’t gotten along lately. He did the VH1
show Storytellers with us that was great. I just don’t know
why he won’t do it. If he realized how much the fans wanted
to see it he would do it. Now he’s saying that Ian is up there
aping Jim and stuff like that. I don’t know what to say to
that.
What happened to Stewart Copeland?
Robby: Stewart Copeland had some health problems and we had to let
him go and he’s suing us too (laughs).
Is it difficult playing on this tour with
these lawsuits going on?
Robby: No, it doesn’t bother me. It’s a joke to me. The
thing is nobody sues you unless you’re doing great. John didn’t
think we were going to do more than one or two more shows so he
didn’t care and now he does.
Will there be any surprises in the songs that
the band will be doing?
Robby: Just a lot of Doors songs, we might be doing a couple of
new ones. We’re working on some new material, so far we haven’t
done anything onstage yet but I’m trying to talk the other
guys into it.
Is the band working on a new album?
Robby: That’s the idea, Ray and I have been working on some
stuff and we’ve got these songs by Jim Carroll who wrote Basketball
Diaries. We’re gonna try and get some other poets to come
up with some lyrics and it could be good.
How is it different playing with Ian than
with Jim Morrison?
Robby: You can’t compare anybody to Morrison because with him
you never knew what you were gonna get, it was always a surprise
every night. With Ian you sort of know what to expect. In a way
it’s not as exciting, but in a way its better. Let’s face
it, a lot of times the audience was let down at Doors shows when
Jim wasn’t great. Sometimes he was great but that’s what
you took your chances on. This time around it’s more of a sure
thing.
How has the crowd been accepting Ian?
Robby: At the L.A. and Phoenix shows hundreds of people rushed the
stage during Soul Kitchen and we couldn’t get them off.
It seems as if the Doors courted chaos in
the old days.
Robby: Jim always loved that and he always wanted that to happen.
How was it for you?
Robby: I always dug it too! It got a little scary sometimes but
nothing bad ever happened, its just rock and roll.
Some people feel the music is sacrilegious,
that Ian is an impostor and shouldn’t really be onstage with
you guys. What do you say to that?
Robby: I’d just say, don’t come. Go see a Doors tribute
band if you think that will be better. This is the closest thing
you’ll ever see to the real thing. If you never saw the real
thing then this is as close as you’re gonna get.
What do you think Morrison would think of
you guys coming out and playing without him?
Robby: You never know what Jim Morrison was going to think (laughs)
but I think he would say, "Hey, why not, you’ve waited
thirty years, everyone else is doing it, look at the Rolling Stones."
I think he’d want the songs to be heard again.
|
|