January 14th - 2024

Our first update of 2024 is here, and we're hoping you're all off to a great start to the New Year! As we near the middle of our second decade online, we are still as pleased as ever to continue to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of The Doors right here on MildEquator.com!

This time around, we have a fantastic new selection of studio documents to share from the collection of JackGotLucky, our longtime contributor and go-to authenticator of original signatures by Jim Morrison and The Doors! Ranging from a pay stub for The Doors studio bassist Doug Lubahn, to an original invoice from T.T.G. Studios in March of 1968, these documents will be sure to please! We're also incredibly excited to announce and share with you our acquisition of an original studio tape sheet from Jonathan Anderle featuring the handwriting of The Doors sound engineer Bruce Botnick! We don't want to give all the details away here, so be sure to check out the items below to see for yourself what these are all about! And of course, be sure to see our full selection of items in the Documents section of the site!

We'd like to give a very special thanks to Milan Sasich for taking the time to write to us about a very important concert in The Doors history - the Homecoming dance at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, on October 20th, 1967! This performance was attended by The Stooges soon to be frontman James Osterberg, and goes down in rock n' roll history as the inspiration for Iggy Pop! And in case you missed it, be sure to check out the fantastic color photos shot during this show by Steve Bober on our Ann Arbor concert info page or in our Photographs section!

Recently we discovered the earliest known published quotes by The Doors following the release of the band's first album in what was likely a phone call interview by Carolyn Reynolds for the February 1967 issue of Music Maker magazine! If you haven't visited our Published Interviews section for awhile, be sure to head over there for all the latest listings!

As always, we have an incredible wealth of new memorabilia and newspaper items to share! From contributors new and old, along with ourselves, we're always making an effort to bring you something you've never seen before, so be sure to see all of those items below, and please let us know if you have something you'd like to contribute to the site! We also have a couple of new items on our YouTube channel for our viewers to check out! See the latest videos below, or head right to our channel to see all of our exclusive content!

And once again, we want to tell you about Let Them Photograph Your Soul. A Visual Biography Of Jim Morrison by author and biographer Jerry Prochnicky! Released on December 8th 2023, the book is a fantastic collection of photographs, memories, and anecdotes of The Doors legendary frontman. Featuring previously unseen photographs, if you haven't picked this one up already, you won't want to miss it!

We hope you have a great year ahead of you, and be sure to keep checking back as you never know when we might drop our next update on fans and collectors of The Doors!



 

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NEW YOUTUBE ADDITIONS:








STUDIO DOCUMENT COLLECTION

CONTRIBUTED BY: JACKGOTLUCKY


DOUG LUBAHN PAY STUB: FEBRUARY 1967

Doug Lubahn of Clear Light is in the studio with The Doors to record bass on their latest album recordings and is paid $130.00 on February 17th.


Doug Lubahn 1967 Pay Stub

SUNSET SOUND INVOICE: JULY 1967

This invoice from Sunset Sound Recorders documents the cost for time and equipment used by recording engineer Bruce Botnick for music that was to become the Strange Days album.


Sunset Sound Invoice

T.T.G. RECORDING STUDIO INVOICE: MARCH 1968

This studio invoice from March 1968 reflects a recording date and the cost for time used in the studio. The tracks recorded on this date is unknown, but The Doors are charged $60.00 an hour for late night sessions in Studio 11 of T.T.G.



Sunset Sound Invoice


BRUCE BOTNICK'S RECORDING PLANS

CONTRIBUTED BY: JONATHAN ANDERLE


In late December or early January of 1968, The Doors sound engineer Bruce Botnick makes preliminary plans to record multiple performances at the Carousel Theatre on January 19th & 20th using a remote truck. Lost for decades inside a studio tape reel box for Elektra recording artist David Ackles, the plans to record these performances are forgotten until late 2023 when Bruce's handwritten notes re-surface in the hands a private collector who is in possession of the David Ackles tape. Although the exact details of the plans to record, and possibly film, are unknown, it is during this time period that Bruce intends to capture a performance of The Celebration Of The Lizard on tape, and does so during a studio session at I.D. Sound Studios in Hollywood. MildEquator.com is very proud to come into possession of these original notes by Bruce, and we'd like to give a very special thanks to Jonathan Anderle for bringing these to light for our viewers here on the site!





MILAN SASICH AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 1967


"As Jim Morrison would say, "Okay, here we go!". This is what I saw and heard, at the University of Michigan, on October 20th, 1967, which was our Homecoming dance event at the old Intramural Bldg. I didn't want to go too early to the concert, because I didn't want to hear any other band or music by them. As the concert crowd was gathering outside the Intramural Bldg, several people were selling Doors tickets (ironically, at the doors) for $2.50 to $3.00 a ticket. So I bought a ticket earlier, and went home (since I was a Big Ten gymnast I lived on the Athletic campus, and I lived only a half a block away, I could see how crowded the whole concert would be, and I could go at my 'leisure'). The concert was to start at 9pm, and go to 12:30 am. I thought that I would go there about 9:30 pm or so... and nearly a huge mistake (by my missing the 1st 30 or 40 minutes).

Some people estimated the crowd to be about 5,000 but I can't imagine that. It was my understanding that the 1st set, which was performed by Manzarek, Densmore, and Krieger, had such a long, long intro (without Morrison) but the crowd (nor anyone) knew what to expect... it was their first time to witness a 'happening'. Anyhow, after approximately 15 or 20 minutes, the crowd became very agitated, and started booing, and waited for Jim Morrison to appear. Apparently, no one knew that Jim was so drunk, that he refused to go on stage. With that 1st disastrous set, the 3 band members walked off the stage. This was documented by a handful of people who were at the concert, e.g. Steve Bober, who was the photographer, a 19 year old sophomore, Steve Welkom, who was a member of the backup band, Long Island Sound, and Fred LaBour, another sophomore... and I am still not there. So I finally enter building and join my many Letterman winners (many 6ft. 3in., 260lb. linebackers, 6ft. 2in., 240lb. Big Ten heavyweight wrestlers, etc). Now it's about 9:30 pm. My friends are telling me that they saw the 1st set, and that Jim Morrison never came on stage, and so on. They thought that the concert was over. So we were just wondering what we should do, maybe go to a party or something. Well, a crazy thing just happened then... The Doors came back on stage and Manzarek, Densmore and Krieger went to their places on stage, and a few seconds later, Jim Morrison comes on stage, flailing his arms and nearly falling on his face (in his white silk shirt) and growling words that could not be understood. Then Jim went behind Krieger and went over to the backdrop behind him and Jim knocked it down. He was raging on and on. Then Jim used some 'F' bombs, quoted by Fred LaBour, and directed all of his rage to the audience. The police were called, and Jim seemed to collapse on Densmore's drum riser. At this time, guitarist Krieger and the drummer, Densmore, walked off the stage "outraged and disgusted", a quote from Manzarek. Then Manzarek actually picked up a guitar and tried playing a blues riff, just to get " something, - anything, going " (Manzarek's quote) just to keep the concert crowd interested. Well, it didn't happen, and that is when Manzarek and the police and security guards picked Jim up, and walked him off the stage. That was the breaking point of the concert, we thought. "It was the 1st time he'd been that messed up on stage", quote from Manzarek. Now, is the concert over for real? It is now about 10pm. There is no way that The Doors were going to come back. The crowd had dwindled down from approximately 2,000 to about 300. This is my estimate. Was this "The End" result of this absolute failure? Little did know that we were in for a shock.

All of us athletes, and, yes, huge athletes, about a dozen or more, didn't know what was about to happen. Some of us had dates, as it was our Homecoming dance event. We were trying to decide if we should leave, and go to another party, as it was still early. Apparently, someone from one of the committee members who had something to do with obtaining The Doors to our Ann Arbor Homecoming, went backstage to see if they were going to come back. Because our Homecoming dance event was a big disaster, we were getting ready to leave the Intramural Bldg... and just then, it happened. The 3 band members walked quietly on to the stage, and went to their places. Manzarek on the left keyboards, Densmore in the center drums, and Krieger on the right guitar. We didn't say a word. It was extremely quiet, and you could definitely hear a pin drop. The 3 band members were just settling in, and then it miraculously happened. They started playing the same intro, "The Soul Kitchen"... the same intro that they played in the 1st set, without Jim Morrison, the one that they were booed off the stage, and now they are doing it again. Anyhow, after approximately 1 minute, Jim Morrison comes quietly on the stage and is facing the band members, not saying anything. Unlike the 2nd set, when he went crazy, without his leather jacket, this time he had his leather jacket on. Then, about 2 minutes later, with Manzarek, Densmore and Krieger playing the intro, Jim turns around and faces the concert crowd. He is still standing on the stage, and not saying or singing anything. I figured that something bad might happen...

Another 2 minutes go by. Our athletes, who have been drinking 'punch', decided to crumble up their paper cups and threw them on the stage. Unbelievably, Jim Morrison looks at us and says "That's alright," very calmly. Another 4 or 5 minutes later, the not so nice huge monster athletes again threw the empty paper cups on stage... and for the 2nd time, Jim Morrison says, in a wonderful and calm way, "That's alright"... 3 minutes later, a few of us other athletes and classmates who were at the concert were getting agitated with the football players. All of a sudden, the 'dumb athletes' in the crowd threw the empty paper cups on stage again, for the 3rd time, and got Jim Morrison so mad at us that he screamed into the mic, " You Godda%# motherf@&kers!!", and he walked off the stage, followed by the band members. Now we are shot down. Concert's over. Whatever could have been, would never happen again. So, of the remaining crowd of about 300 or so, more of the concert crowd began to leave. We looked at each other, and I was very disappointed in our behavior. We stood there for about 5 minutes, trying to decide if we should go to another party, since it's our Homecoming dance event (which has turned into a disaster).

But I was hearing, through the grapevine, that possibly the same person or persons who had The Doors come back to the stage the 3rd time, might miraculously do it again, against all odds, and have them come back to the stage a 4th time. And then one or two excruciating minutes later, the miracle happened. Word has it that someone from the committee members reminded The Doors, and Jim Morrison, that they will not be paid unless they do the concert. Now, with only about 150 of us left in the building, the door on the right, where the backstage is, opened, and, yes, JIM MORRISON AND THE DOORS ARE LIVE AND ON STAGE, for the 4th incredible time! Manzarek, Densmore and Krieger come on the stage 1st, and then, here comes Jim Morrison, right behind. Now, the band members are NOT doing an intro. They are not doing anything. Then Jim Morrison comes up to the mic and says, in a beautiful way, "What do you want to hear, the top ten?", to which the sparse crowd yelled, as loud as they could, "YEAHHH!!!". And, from what I understand now about Jim Morrison, is that he has a special saying when everyone and everything is in agreement, "OKAY, HERE WE GO!!"

And with that, Jim Morrison and The Doors started the concert with the first song that we came to hear in the 1st set, Light My Fire. Then proceeded to do The Crystal Ship, then Jim went to Alabama Song, and he finished the concert with what I thought was one of the best lyrical songs I have ever heard: The End. As Jim was into the song, somewhere just before he drops to his knees, he removes his leather jacket, and then throws it on stage right in front of Ray Manzareks keyboard. Then, as the song progresses to the part where he falls on his knees, and he let's out those screams, and then, as the music gets quieter, and at this point, he rocks over to his side, and, gently, rolled onto his BACK, and finishing up the concert with "This is the eeeehnnnd"...

This concert was known as the worst and the best concert of all time. I could not believe that it would ever end up this way. I have told this story to only a handful of people who were close friends of mine, and probably enough times to tell the story to see the expressions on their faces. Since the concert, in 1967, I have come to the conclusion that you don't go to see a Doors concert, you simply FEEL it!"

Milan Sasich
Ann Arbor, MI
Copyright © 2024 Milan Sasich

A Special Thanks to Milan Sasich for providing his review of the concert to MildEquator.com!



RECORD STORE ADS: 1967-1971


Following the explosion of Light My Fire on radio in the summer of 1967, record stores across the U.S. continually advertise deals and prices on albums from superstars and big sellers The Doors. We're pleased to bring our viewers the first installment of a selection of newspaper ads from these American chains and shops in our Promotional Memorabilia section!

STRANGE DAYS:





WAITING FOR THE SUN:



THE SOFT PARADE:



MORRISON HOTEL:





ABSOLUTELY LIVE!



L.A. WOMAN:





NEWSPAPER ITEMS & MEMORABILIA:


VICTORIA 1967 - ARTICLE:


The Doors - Victoria 1967 - Article
Contributed By: MildEquator.com


FOREST HILLS TENNIS STADIUM 1967 - PRINT AD:



Contributed By: jim4371


TUCSON 1967 - PRINT AD:



Contributed By: DTripp


THE ROCK SCENE 1967:


The Doors - The Rock Scene 1967 - Article
Contributed By: MildEquator.com

The Doors - The Rock Scene 1967 - Article
Contributed By: MildEquator.com

The Doors - The Rock Scene 1967 - Article
Contributed By: ElBupperto

TUCSON 1968 - ARTICLE:



Contributed By: MildEquator.com


SAM HOUSTON COLISEUM 1968 - FLYER/HANDBILL:



Contributed By: Heritage Auctions - www.HA.com


VANCOUVER 1968 - PRINT AD:



Contributed By: jim4371


HONOLULU 1968 - PRINT AD:



Contributed By: MildEquator.com


HONOLULU 1968 - HANDBILL:



Contributed By: Heritage Auctions - www.HA.com


ASBURY PARK 1968 - PRINT ADS:



Contributed By: jim4371


Contributed By: jim4371


Contributed By: jim4371


Contributed By: jim4371


MINNEAPOLIS 1968 - PRINT ADS:



Contributed By: MildEquator.com


Contributed By: MildEquator.com


SICKS STADIUM 1969, ETC. - ARTICLE:



Contributed By: MildEquator.com


MONTREAL 1969 - NEWSPAPER PHOTO:



Contributed By: ElBupperto


DALLAS 1970 - ARTICLES:



Contributed By: MildEquator.com


Contributed By: MildEquator.com