That's why, although I don't like the Doors, I'm not as hard on them as others (Eagles, etc). I just chalk it up to not aging well, like Ornette Coleman or Cecil Taylor.
Or Farrah Fawcett. Think of them as a museum piece that captures the essence of a time in the past. Or just don't think about the message at all because some of their music rocks.
1) The Black Keys should be co-Tsars of something....that's how much they rule. 2) My theory on why the Doors have not aged well: The Oliver Stone movie about them made them seem silly and one interview with Ray Manzerak (what a pretentious twat) confirms this. On the other hand, they *were* a great band and Jim Morrison was an honest to God rock star with a fantastic voice. Think back to 1967....other than the Velvet Underground no white pop act brought this kind of darkness to the table. The fact that they were huge pop stars with this kind of music tells you just how great the sixties were.
The bass player from my old band in LA was in that movie. He was in the airport scene, wearing purple velvet bellbottoms with peace signs embroidered on them. He wore the pants to the audition, and got the part immediately. You can see him for all of about two seconds in that scene.
