Strange Days: Light My Fire (2011)

Source:Strange Days- performing Light My Fire, in 2011.

Source:The Daily Journal

“Los Angeles-based STRANGE DAYS performed “Light My Fire” THE DOORS classic on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. The performance was part of Galleria “LIVE!”, the free concert series hosted by the Sherman Oaks Galleria.”

From Hunter Communications

If you are interested in just looking like The Lizard King Jim Morrison, let alone playing the man and trying to make a living playing the man in public, the lead vocalist from the Strange Days Band, is the guy you want model your act after. The Strange Days Morrison cover has The Lizard King look down, with white button-down shirt, as well as the white poet shirt that he wears, and of course the American-Indian, silver concho belt, and of course Jim Morrison's famous, sexy, skin-tight black leather jeans, that he wore almost everywhere in public, at least and not just in concert, but to weddings, party's, to church, even, from 1967-69, and his leather cowboy boots.

Source:Strange Days- in concert in 2011.

Imagine Jim Morrison instead of being the frontman of the The Doors from 1967-69, when The Doors were famous and popular, before The Lizard King was overwhelmed by his alcoholism and legal battles, he was performing during the last five years and today instead and imagine what he would look like. Instead of seeing him almost exclusively in black and white (unless you were at his show) you are seeing him exclusively in color. The guy who plays Jim Morrison for Strange Days, is probably the real Jim Morrison that you would see today, perhaps a little shorter. But the whole Lizard King, rock & roll, cowboy, wardrobe and attitude, that you see from this Morrison cover, is probably what you would see from the real Lizard King, assuming Morrison stuck with the leather jeans, cowboy boots, and concho belt. 

Source:Strange Days- in concert in 2011.

The lead vocalist has the look of the Lizard King down except for maybe longer hair. And I think his skin-tight leather jeans might actually be tighter than Jim Morrison’s. Which is saying something, because it is hard to imagine a man who wore tight leather jeans and leather jeans even more skin-tight than Jim Morrison. At least from Jim Morrison’s generation.

One of the reasons why Jim Morrison was The Lizard King, because of how he dressed and his skin-tight leathers looked on him. I think Strange Days is the best Doors cover band I’ve seen at least. And there are at least a couple of others that are pretty good. But the guy who plays Jim Morrison, has The Lizard King down. And not just outfit and physical look, but the voice and charisma and how he presents himself on stage. This guy is a hell of an actor and singer.

Strange Days: Sherman Oaks Galleria (2011)

Source:Strange Days- Light my Fire, in 2011.

Source:The Daily Journal 

"Los Angeles-based STRANGE DAYS performed "Light My Fire" THE DOORS classic on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. The performance was part of Galleria "LIVE!", the free concert series hosted by the Sherman Oaks Galleria." 

From Hunter Communications

For any guy whose interested in playing The Lizard King Jim Morrison and dressing up like him and perhaps even make a living at it, perhaps you love Jim Morrison and are looking at honoring him by dressing up as him for Halloween or going to a Halloween party dressed as him, the lead vocalist in the Strange Days band is the perfect guy you should model your look after. The white long sleeve shirt, the American-Indian concho belt, of course the skin-tight black leather jeans (you'll never get cold in those pants) and the leather cowboy boots. As well as the thick, long, black, hair.

Source:Strange Days- in concert in 2011.

The lead vocalist has the look of the Lizard King down except for maybe longer hair. And I think his skin-tight leather jeans might actually be tighter than Jim Morrison’s. Which is saying something, because it is hard to imagine a man who wore tight leather jeans and leather jeans even more skin-tight than Jim Morrison. At least from Jim Morrison’s generation.

One of the reasons why he was The Lizard King, because of how he dressed and his skin-leathers looked on him. I think Strange Days is the best Doors cover band I’ve seen at least. And there are at least a couple of others that are pretty good. But the guy who plays Jim Morrison, has The Lizard King down. And not just outfit and physical look, but the voice and charisma and how he presents himself on stage. This guy is a hell of an actor and singer. 

The Doors Experience: 'L.A. Woman Live- From 2010'

Source:The Doors Experience- Zurich, Switzerland in 2010.

"Filmed by Loïc Duliscouët on Silvester Party 2009 at the Volkshaus in Zurich (Switzerland).

This song leads exactly into the new year 2010.

All rights THE DOORS EXPERIENCE... 

From The Doors Experience

My main issues with The Doors Experience as a cover band for Jim Morrison and The Doors, is that they come off as more as a punk band as far as appearance than a blues rock band. Which is what The Doors were.

The Doors weren't a classic rock band and certainly not a hard rock band, but a blues rock band that mixed in rock & roll with blues and even rhythm and blues. They were similar to Elvis Presley who came before them and Eric Clapton who came out about the same time in the late 1960s as The Doors.

Also, the Jim Morrison cover is a big tall man. Looks like an NFL quarterback or even linebacker. Jim Morrison was built more like an NFL kicker, at least a stereotypical NFL kicker. Average height (at best) and slender.

But The Doors experience does a really good job as far as sound and the music and sound like The Doors. The Jim Morrison has The Lizard King's wardrobe and act down. The tight black leather jeans, the big concho belt, the cowboy boots, a lot of black shirts. So in this sense The Doors Experience does a very good job as The Doors. 

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon: Jimmy Fallon As Jim Morrison

Source:The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon- playing a really bad Jim Morrison.

"Jimmy Fallon Does Jim Morrison=The Doors.. HD ..Reading Rainbow"

Source:The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon

The looks like a parody of Jim Morrison and The Doors performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. Except The Doors performed Light My Fire and When People Are Strange. They got the leather jacket and shirt right, as well as the boots and the black leather jeans look similar to what Jim Morrison wore for that performance as well.

But what Jimmy Fallon Tonight got wrong here, is that performance that The Doors had on Ed Sullivan was one of their best ever. Jim Morrison and the band sounded as great as they ever had. Even if Ed Sullivan and company didn't like his use of the word higher in Light My Fire. It was sill one of his best performances ever. Jimmy Fallon just doesn't look like Jim Morrison. And unless you're simply not a fan of The Doors or even Morrison, I don't understand why someone would think this performance was funny.

There was plenty to make fun of Morrison and his performance here. The fact he goes on life stage on national TV on the biggest network with the biggest audience on the most popular show on the country at the time, with a boner sticking out of his skin-tight leather jeans. Maybe they could have had a cover doing that instead. The Ed Sullivan Show made sure that Morrison's boner was shown on national TV and shown multiple times.

Or they could've made fun of Ed Sullivan and his staff trying to get Morrison to drop the word higher from Light My Fire and made fun of censorship. Instead of Morrison's performance and trying to make him look some drunk singing Reading Rainbow with a 60s blues rock band.

The Doors Experience: People are Strange- Live and In Concert

Source:The Doors Experience- As Jim Morrison & The Doors.

"A retrospective from the first concerts of THE DOORS EXPERIENCE.
Filmed in Locations in Lower Austria by Annemarie Ruf."

From The Doors Experience

People Are Strange, that could really sum up Jim Morrison and The Doors. Jim Morrison the vocalist, who for at least a 2-3 year period was almost always seen in public in his famous and stylish black leather suit. The man looked like a leather rock god in that leather suit. The black leather jacket, the lambskin and sometimes snakeskin, skin-tight, black leather jeans, that would be called skinny leathers today as far as pants. And of course black and sometimes brown cowboy boots. And his silver concho western belt.

The Lizard King wore his skin-tight leathers and concho to accentuate his crotch (and this is a direct quote) and sometimes brought too much attention because his leather jeans were so tight and he always had his shirt tucked in to his leathers so you that plus his belt sticking out and wore a short leather jacket so again women especially could check out his midsection and rear.

Expect for perhaps the concho belt which is really more a of a western cowboy and straight women look that women like to wear with their denim jeans and look western, Morrison's leather suit and boots today would be very rock and roll. But back in the late 1960s that look on anyone man or woman would look strange. But Jim Morrison being The Lizard King pulled it off to the point that his fans perhaps especially female wanted to his him in that outfit and especially performing in that outfit.

But Morrison just didn't perform in his leather suit. Most of his public appearances he was in his leather suit with concho and cowboy boots. As well as when he was out casually and seen in public. He did his interviews and traveled in that outfit. A big part of being The Lizard King for Jim Morrison was being a leather clad rock god. That seemed strange back then but is very mainstream in rock and roll today and has been for about thirty-five years now.

The Doors Alive: 'Roadhouse Blues'

Source:The Doors Alive- as Jim Morrison and The Doors, in concert.

"A Doors tribute band I filmed at Otford Kent on the 26/1/08

 Although this was put on youtube the next week, this is a better quality upload.

An excellent group and well worth seeing... 

From The Doors Alive 

I think there are a lot of good Jim Morrison (as The Lizard King) covers, but my main issue with all of them is that even though they have The Lizard King's wardrobe down with the American-Indian concho belt, the skin-tight, black leather, rocker/cowboy, leather jeans, the black cowboy boots, and in some cases even Jim Morrison's black leather jacket, all these guys who play Morrison, most of them are big, tall men. 

Source:The Doors Alive- Roadhouse Blues.

Jim Morrison in real life was maybe 5'11 and couldn't have weight more than 160 pounds (even when he was sober) and most of the Morrison covers are 6'0 or better, weighing around 200 pounds or more. And The Doors Alive Morrison cover always has a thick black beard. Morrison at least before the Miami concert in 1969, was clean shaven for the most part. 

The Doors Alive at least to me looks like the 1969 version of Jim Morrison and The Doors. Starting with the Miami concert scene where Jim Morrison shows up late and drunk, with a full-fledge beard. And that concert never really takes off because The Lizard King is drunk and short-tempered, sounds awful and not even able to remember the lyrics of the song Five To One. And stops singing all together and stars yelling and cursing at the audience.

And Morrison goes as far as asking the people there if they want to see his dick and tells them that he he'll show them it. Makes it look like he's pulling down his leather jeans, but never actually goes that far. (At least from all the available evidence we've sees so far) Jim Morrison ends up being arrested at the concert arena and charged with foul language and indecent exposure. Both with could well-argued are unconstitutional in America.

But there are a couple differences between the Jim Morrison of 1969 and the guy playing Morrison in the band The Doors Alive. One, Morrison didn't wear his concho belt with his black leather jeans when he had that thick beard. He went to denim jeans and other non-leather pants after the Miami concert with the thick beard. He also stopped wearing his leathers both black and brown after the Miami concert.

This might just be a sign of the times with thick beards coming back into style with young men. And Morrison cover in Doors Alive not believing he has to look exactly like Jim Morrison. Just as long as he has the outfit and the sound down. But I don't believe you're going to find any images of Jim Morrison with a thick beard or any beard, with him wearing his leather jeans and concho belt. The Miami concert is really and his 1969 highway film, are the only times you see Morrison wearing his leathers with a beard at any point. 

Strange Days: Light My Fire Live (2011)

Source:Strange Days- as Jim Morrison and The Doors, performing Light My Fire in Sherman Oaks, California, in 2011.

"Los Angeles-based STRANGE DAYS performed "Light My Fire" THE DOORS classic on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. The performance was part of Galleria "LIVE!", the free concert series hosted by the Sherman Oaks Galleria." 

From Strange Days

The Lizard King cover looking like the Leather King in those skin-tight, black leather jeans. I'm impressed that anyone whether it was Jim Morrison himself or anyone else like someone playing him, can move and perform so well and gracefully in skin-tight leather jeans and cowboy boots, that must have squeezing his legs and feet. 

This cover is the best I've seen so far when it comes to The Doors. They have the look, sound and act, they've studied The Doors very well.

As far as the Jim Morrison cover: the hair is too long unless you look at Jim Morrison in 1969 when his music career was basically over. His alcoholism basically took over his life and he became very angry at almost everything he saw in life. And he grew a very long thick beard which you don't see on this Jim Morrison cover. 

And in early 69 Morrison was going downhill physically and emotionally and that lead to his horrible performance in Miami where he ends up in jail for his bad behavior. He was even accused of exposing himself at that Miami concert. 

Jim Morrison in his prime had a somewhat short, but thick dark haircut. The guy you see in this video has a hairstyle has a long haircut that was common with headbangers in the 1980s. But not with a blues rocker like Jim Morrison from the 1960s. 

Mike Din NYC: Jim Morrison & The Doors- Blue Sunday: Touch Me

Source:Mike Din NYC- Jim Morrison & The Doors's cover band Blue Sunday.

"Touch Me - The Doors, As performed by "Blue Sunday: The Doors Experience."

From Mike Din NYC

In real-life Jim Morrison was maybe 5'10-5'11 and perhaps more like 5'9 and maybe weighed 160 pounds or so. Sort of an average height slightly built man. Most of the Jim Morrison covers I've seen have been at least 6'0 and generally taller than that and have been tall muscular men. The lead vocalist from the Strange Days band would be an exception if not the only exception to that.

So most of the Jim Morrison covers haven't looked like Morrison other than the dark hair, the tight leather jeans, the cowboys boots, and concho built. They have his outfit down and some of them even have his moves and sound down very well as well. So if you're looking for a Morrison cover that looks a lot like Jim Morrison, this is not Saturday Night Live where they have people who who look a lot like the men they're playing like with Phil Hartmann playing Bill Clinton back in the day.

The Morrison covers tend to be much taller and larger men, but a lot of them do a really good job playing The Lizard King as far as the wardrobe, sound and presence. 

Mike Din NYC: The Doors: Blue Sunday- Performing LA Woman

Source:Mike Din NYC- the vocalist for Blue Sunday.

"As performed by "Blue Sunday: The Doors Experience"

Source:Mike DIN NYC 

A lot of the Jim Morrison covers have been big, tall, men, 6''0 or taller, 200 pounds or so, wearing The Lizard King's, skin-tight leather jeans, concho belt, and leather cowboy boots. Generally with a white or black button-down shirt. They get The Lizard King's wardrobe correct. I mean that's all he wore in public from 1967-69, for the most part, at least when he was out in public or giving performances. But in real-life, Jim Morrison was around 5'10 (give or take) and probably didn't way more than 160 pounds. 

Source:Mike Din NYC- the vocalist for Blue Sunday.

I guess this a Doors cover band that calls themselves Blue Sunday. Which of course is one of the most famous and popular songs that was created by Jim Morrison and The Doors. Which I believe came out in 1968, but you can fact-check me on that if you want.

That is common of Doors cover bands to do which is to use the name of one of The Doors songs as the name of their band. There's a band called Peace Frog. Another band called Strange Days. Have yet to see or hear of a band called Light My Fire or The End, or Roadhouse Blues, but they may exist as well.

I mean not every Doors cover band could call themselves The Doors, for obvious reasons. Or Jim Morrison and The Doors, again for obvious reasons. Because you would have a hard time extinguishing from one to another. Or even, "this is The Doors Cover Band" as someone is introducing them. The way to tell each of these bands apart is by their name of course, but also accuracy. Who looks, sounds, and plays the part the best, or even does a good job.

Curt Ammerman: 'Roadhouse Blues- Peace Frog: Jim Morrison and The Doors Tribute Band'

Source:Curt Ammerman- Peace Frog as Jim Morrison and The Doors.

"Acclaimed Doors Tribute Band Peace Frog, covers the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" in Ventura, Ca. on 4-21-12" 

From Curt Ammerman

Another large Lizard King (otherwise known as Jim Morrison) with another cover who really other than the outfit looks nothing like Jim Morrison. 

If you're going to call yourself a cover band because you want to play the music as another band in particular, you should look and sound the part. The guy playing Jim Morrison looks like he could be a bad ass biker dude who always wears all black including leather jeans, which are very common with biker men and black leather boots. Which again are very common with biker men. As well as a big metal belt. Biker men tend to wear studded metal belts instead of Western concho belts. 

Jim Morrison wasn't a biker dude. His recreational vehicle was a Ford GTO Mustang. And he even wore his black leather jeans in the California desert. Morrison was a blues rocker and his style was based off of Western and Indian wear. Not what biker men wear which is what the guy in this video looks like.

Jim Morrison: The Doors Cover Bands

Source:The Doors Experience- As Jim Morrison and The Doors. 21st Century Lizard King. To play Jim Morrison, you need a great pair of skin-tight, black leather jeans that fits you well, an American-Indian concho belt, and a great pair of cowboy boots. Perhaps multiple pairs of leather jeans and cowboy boots, because Jim Morrison as The Lizard King (1967-69) wore those pants and cowboy boots everywhere, including to church, but weddings, everywhere in public. He should’ve been buried in his black leather suit. And the vocalist from The Doors Experience, has the look and feel for Jim Morrison down, other than being bigger and taller.  

“Acclaimed Doors Tribute band “Peace Frog” covers The Doors’ “Touch Me” in Ventura, CA. ”

Source:Curt Ammerman- Peace Frog is one of the tribute bands for Jim Morrison and The Doors.

From Curt Ammerman 

Even though The Doors lead vocalist Jim Morrison died forty years ago and would 68 today and probably still performing, had he grown up and decided to take care of himself like a lot of rockers from his generation, the genre of Jim Morrison still lives on. Sort of like Elvis Presley, except there aren’t as many of any Jim Morrison witness’s today who claimed to see him alive today forty years after he died.

Unlike of course with Elvis, there are people claiming to see Elvis alive. Practically everyday, but there’s sort of the next closest thing with the Lizard King. That’s people pretending to be him, with his classic look with the leather suit cowboy boots, the concho belt, the long thick black hair. The whole package who are lead vocalists in bands. That are basically cover bands of The Doors, playing their music.

You have a guitarist doing his version of Robby Krieger, a drummer doing his impersonation of John Densmore, a Keyboard Player, doing his impression of Ray Manzarak. But of course the guy who gets the most intention, is the person playing the Lizard King. And there are several different versions of The Doors cover bands. Even a Mexican Doors band, with Mexican Lizard King, who has the whole look down. As well as the voice, playing The Doors music, I follow them on YouTube and they do a great job.

The original Lizard King and Jim Morrison will always be the Lizard King. The man who put skin-tight leather jeans on the map, who made leather suits, cowboys boots, concho belts fashionable and mainstream to the point where a lot of rockers especially the headbangers, but classic rockers and rocker chicks like Melissa Etheridege, Meredith Brooks, Joan Jett and rocker guys, The Scorpions, Aerosmith are all now and have been wearing leather jeans with biker or cowboy boots, with metal belts.

Modern rockers wear these outfits and move very well in them, like they are wearing a basketball uniform. And to a certain extent at least Jim Morrison wasn’t afraid to look crazy on stage in concert or in public. Or when he was so drunk he couldn’t tell the difference. But he always has fans that love him so much, with YouTube channels, Facebook pages, other websites, to the point that they’ll do their best job they can being him.

Jim Morrison died at the age of 27, which is a damn shame considering his talent and brilliance. But his legacy will always live on and there will always be guys carrying on the Lizard King as if he didn’t die. To keep his memory going and which is something that’s also part of Jim Morrison’s legacy.