Doors documentary will be "anti-Oliver Stone" film

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The surviving members of the Doors plan to release a documentary film in about six months, a project that former member Ray Manzarek describes as "the anti-Oliver Stone" film.

The keyboardist has long been upset about Stone's 1991 biopic "The Doors," which starred Val Kilmer as ill-fated frontman Jim Morrison. Manzarek argued that the film made the rock band look too serious.

He said he saw a first cut of the untitled documentary recently, but declined to go into detail about the content other than to confirm that it would feature a large amount of rare footage.

"Absolutely -- that's the whole point of it. Never before seen! This is the anti-Oliver Stone. This will be the true story of the Doors."

Already out is a "Classic Albums" DVD that dissects the Doors' self-titled 1967 debut, which features their best-known song "Light My Fire."

"Everybody's there -- (drummer John) Densmore, Manzarek, (guitarist Robbie) Krieger, (road manager) Bill Siddons, (engineer) Bruce Botnick. It's very insightful," Manzarek said. Also interviewed for the DVD are longtime Doors fans Henry Rollins and Perry Farrell.

Another just-issued Doors release is the 16-track live CD, "Live in Pittsburgh 1970," via Rhino. Recorded on May 7, 1970, the album captures the group during its final U.S. tour with Morrison.

Manzarek is getting ready to hit the road for a European tour in July as part of Riders On The Storm, a group that also features Krieger and former Fuel singer Brett Scallions.

The keyboardist also recently issued a collaborative CD with guitarist Roy Rogers, "Ballads Before the Rain," via Friday Music. "It's all-instrumental -- me playing the piano, and Roy playing some absolutely beautiful guitar. It's lovemaking music. It's 'a glass of white wine as the sun is setting' kind of music."

And lastly, Manzarek is working on several movie scripts. "I've got four scripts. So what, who doesn't have four scripts," he said with a laugh. "I've got a film script based on 'L.A. Woman,' and another one in which three UCLA film school guys go to the desert to take peyote with the Native Americans at the Native American Church."

"And they run into the people from the Native American Church -- the peyote church," he continued. "And all the s*** that happens to them, you can imagine. Out in the desert, rednecks, psychic visions and reincarnation visions. Raymond White Eagle Daniels is the old wise man running the peyote ceremony. And that will of course never be made into a film, because it's about peyote. It's a journey into manhood."

Reuters/Billboard