The Doors With Ben Fong-Torres…

The Doors, from open to close

Attempting to create a more complete picture of The Doors, the group’s remaining members—John Densmore, Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek—and veteran rock journalist Ben Fong-Torres have written a book that claims to deliver “the first presentation of the band’s story—not just Jim Morrison’s.”

The book does what it promises and supplies an exhaustive, generally satisfying account of the The Doors’ tumultuous biography. As a rock ’n’ roll documentary on paper, it certainly makes the cut. But as entertainment, this un-romanticized combination of narrative and interview excerpts often fails to ignite; many times the book comes close to recreating the feeling of a night with The Doors at The Whisky but, just as often, it stalls, reading more like a history text than a hi-octane rock bio.

But, in fairness, The Doors faces an uphill battle—it’s doomed from the get-go to fall short of the legend, mystery and mystique created around Morrison and the band after decades of mythologizing.