This afternoon I stumbled across the topic created by 'Spirit' last month, and I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to hear someone talking so openly about the Doors...about anything. I came across this forum by visiting the Ray Manzarek website, and though I have never been to one of his concerts, just reading the post put down by 'spirit' told me that if there was place for me to say something, this was it.

I dont really know what I am saying, or what I even want to say, so please bear with me guys, and hopefully by the end this will have got somewhere.

There is something about The Doors that strikes a nerve in me. I don’t think I could describe it in words, I have repeatedly tried to explain to my friends, nobody seems to get it, and I guess what I am writing now is my attempt to finally establish what is that happened to me when I was on the way to school at the age of around 12, when my mother started playing 'People are Strange' on the CD player. I listened to that song for a while at a young age, but quickly got bored of it as a kid. then two years ago when I got to university, I came across 'The End', and since then I no longer fit in this world of ours.

As Jim Morrison once said, "I am sick of doubt", I no longer want to simply observe this world of ours, I want to put my thoughts to use, I want people to wake up and feel something real. Ultimately, that is what the music does to me, it gives me a quick blast of raw emotions. Could you ever hear something more real than hearing the lyric "I love you"-Indian Summer? I made my a few of my friends listen to this a while back, and they simply laughed. These were smart worldly guys who I can relate with, yet none could look past the perceived cheeziness of someone declaring their love for something or someone, (I do not no what Morrison was referring to, and do wish to know, for that is the essence of that song). Indian Summer is by no means my favourite song, but it is perhaps the one that best reflects what is so special about the music The Doors produced. It goes deep inside you, and somehow sparks real emotions, real feelings. I recently came across a quote by Napoleon to his troops, something along the lines of : “pain is your friend because it lets you know your still alive”. What the music does for me, is let me know I’m still alive in a world which is trying so hard to suppress our emotions. All you have to do is turn on the t.v. and we are instantly bombarded with adverts, crap music (if you can call it music these days), and mostly uninspiring shows…all which serves only to numb our minds.

There are a lot of people listening to The Doors, young and old, everyone has heard of them in one shape or another. The problem I think, is most of these people are attracted to the ‘hippy/drug’ image which is so often associated with The Doors and especially Jim Morrison. Olive Stones movie is a perfect example, I loved the movie and the music etc, but there is barely no attention given to the message The Doors were trying to put out. It was a huge chance to make a film with a message, that would leave you thinking about things, but instead it became simply a peace of entertainment. For most people, The Doors are just a classical rock group with a few catch tunes, and often the reaction I get from people, is that I’m stuck in the past, a wanabee hippy if you like. But this is what annoys me the most! If anything, the music has even more of a role to play nowadays then it did in the sixties. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any present band that inspires me in any meaningful way, I’m sure there are some (please suggest a few if you know of any), but everything just seems so sterile these days. Nobody seems willing to put up a fight, and its just in music, but in every walk of life, we are just becoming more and more docile, refusing to challenge society in any way or form. And when people to rise up, they are labelled as hippies, bums, etc. I mean, is Jim Morrison remembered as an intellectual poet, a man with who understood our world and therefore struggled to live in it? Of course he’s not, he’s simply known as a rock poster boy for the majority of people, a sex symbol from the past. However, ideas never die, and “the streets are fields that never die” and I really think our societies are reaching saturation point. Eventually, something has got to give, and whether it is in our time or not, the message that can be found in The Doors music will have a huge role to play.

I’m sorry for babbling on, its just there is nobody who seems to see this world in the way I do around here, The Doors have opened my eyes and now I can’t close them. I want nothing more than to go to a ‘Riders on the Storm’ gig, and hopefully one day I will. Until then, I will continue to listen to The Doors, and I will continue challenge everything, not just for the sake of it, but in the belief that there is chance for change, somewhere, somehow. Is now the hour for magic? I don’t know, but there must be more of you out there who are thinking the same things I am, who are experiencing the same frustration, and who just want to stand-up and scream, as Jim Morrison did: “Wake up!”

Hi and welcome to the bords Hour For Magic.

Good to be here!

Hi Bluebus and welcome "Hour for Magic"...good to see you both
Peace,
M-B