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Ray Manzarek feeds Jim Morrison rumors

3:29 p.m. · July 8, 2008 · by Jim Allen

It can't be easy being Ray Manzarek. Not only have recent years found the former Doors keyboardist leading what is essentially a Doors tribute band with various guest frontmen (how did this not become a reality show?), but a lawsuit from Doors drummer John Densmore legally prevented him from using the name of the group Manzarek founded. Plus he's had to look at Ian Astbury's leather-clad ass gyrating to the serpentine strains of The Doors hits on a regular basis. That's not good for anyone.

So, it's easy to forgive the beleaguered ivory-tickler for stirring up a little press with some fanciful musings about the current flesh-to-bone ratio of legendary Doors singer Jim Morrison. "I wonder if his death has been an elaborate charade," Manzarek said recently while doing press for his tour with Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger and ex-Fuel singer Brett Scallions (yep, that's right) as Riders on the Storm (not to be confused with the other Doors tribute band of the same name, which contains no original Doors members). Manzarek wondered aloud whether Morrison had faked his death and enjoyed an early, incognito retirement. If he wasn't dead before, surely the idea of the guy from Fuel taking his place will hasten his demise.