Whoring the Trademark: "The Doors (21st Century)"

Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek have prevailed over disgruntled fellow Door John Densmore in a court case which will allow Krieger and Manzarek to continue touring as "The (21st Century) Doors." That "21st Century" part is sotto voce, though. As Densmore's lawyer pointed out, this truth-in-labeling acknowledgment that the band in question does not feature either Densmore or Jim Morrison does not appear (imagine!) on any of the tour merchandise. Krieger and Manzarak announced the "new Doors" as featuring ex-Cult lead "singer" Ian Astbury in Morrison's place, and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland in Densmore's place. After a gig or two, Copeland was replaced by the drummer from Krieger's touring band.

All of which leads me to my "WHORING THE TRADEMARK CELEBRATION and CONTEST." First, a definition. "Whoring the Trademark" in consists of touring and/or recording under a well-established band name without principal members generally considered to be central contributors to the band's identity and reputation. This did NOT start with rock and rollers. You can still book something called "The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra" to this very day, though Tommy Dorsey died in 1956. Manzarek and Krieger are currently touring as "The Doors" despite the absence of the living drummer (who's suing them), the announced replacement drummer (who's suing them), and, the LEAD SINGER and LYRICIST of the band (who is too dead to sue). This is one of the most egregious cases of "whoring the trademark" in music history, but is it the worst? Clearly, this question is too big for just me, so I invite your nominations for the worst trademark whores at this address. Over the coming weeks, I'll be reviewing my all time favorite trademark whores (next up: "Creedence Clearwater Revisited"), and I'll be sure to include your nominees. And after a reasonable juncture has passed, we'll name the worst of the worst via something almost like democratic process.

One of the things that makes Krieger and Manzarek's case especially lame is their tacit acknowledgment, of the band's own website, that the band really did not matter without Morrison. After Morrison's death, the three surviving members of the band (Krieger, Manzarek, and Densmore) cut two albums, 1971's "Other Voices," and 1972's "Full Circle." So the band could plausibly claim that it had a significant, post-Morrison existence, and that "The Doors" should not be understood solely as "Jim Morrison's band." But there's a problem. The band's OWN website, overseen by the three surviving members, omits these albums from their discography. Even worse, a 1999 box set entitled "The Doors: The Complete Studio Recordings" omits the post-Morrison records. Thus, the band has effectively conceded that whatever they do without Morrison really doesn't really count as "The Doors." This concession makes Asbury's current Morrison manque poses all the more distasteful.