It was not surprising that of the three surviving members of the band, only Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek were on hand for the February 28 ceremony. John Densmore begged off because, he said, he had a radio interview scheduled at the time of the ceremony.
Give me a break. I can tell you from experience that artists routinely blow off scheduled media interviews, usually for reasons of less import than a star on the Walk of Fame. Are we to believe that Densmore was afraid the radio station would stop playing The Doors if he rescheduled the interview? Come on.
It was Densmore and the estate of the late Jim Morrison who went to court to stop Manzarek and Krieger from using The Doors name -- they now perform as Riders On The Storm. When the band reformed as The Doors Of The 21st Century in 2002, Densmore claimed he was not invited to participate. Krieger and Manzarek claim he was.
It isn't as though a star on the Walk of Fame is that big a deal, but the band's 40th anniversary is being commemorated in a variety of ways during 2007, and it would have been nice to have seen some togetherness just for old times sake, even if it was forced.
Van Halen and the Rock Hall
What we know for sure: Van Halen -- and individual members Alex and Eddie Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth -- will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12. They will be inducted by Velvet Revolver.What is currently rumored: Alex and Eddie won't attend, Sammy and Michael will, Dave is a tossup. Velvet Revolver may or may not play a couple of VH songs, possibly depending on how many and which of the VH inductees show up.
Oh, and we do know for sure that for the first time, whatever happens will be seen live on VH1 Classic, AOL and MHD, which is MTV's high definition channel. The edited highlights version will begin airing on VH1 on March 17.
The surprise here would be if the Van Halens did show up, since that might signal some hint of sanity and/or maturity. Ah, to be an aging rock star ....
