Hearing about the troubled Doors tour has got me thinking.
Original Doors members keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robbie Krieger decided to regroup the band. Original drummer John Densmore couldn't do it because he's suffering tinnitus, a ringing in his ears. So Manzarek and Krieger asked former Police drummer Stewart Copeland to join them.
And since singer Jim Morrison is still missing . . . or dead, depending on who you ask . . . the Cult's singer Ian Astbury was invited for the trip.
About three weeks ago, things got a little wierd. Densmore became angry about Copeland being on the tour and filed a lawsuit against Manzarek and Krieger. Manzarek fired back, saying Densmore initially gave the band his "blessing" for the tour but then reneged.
When Manzarek and Krieger decided to drop Copeland from the line-up, Copeland filed lawsuit saying he and the Doors had an oral agreement for him to drum on the tour.
It seems that yet another classic band has fallen prey to greed and backbiting.
Quoting some poetry lines from Morrison, The Doors incident "is nothing new. We have seen this entertainment through and through. . . . "
Remember when the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had their war of words in the mid-1980s? And remember when original bassist Bill Wyman left in the early 1990s?
How about the Who? Lead singer Roger Daltry and guitarist Pete Townsend have always been at each others' throats. It's amazing that they manage to do a reunion tour every five years or so.
And how about Paul McCartney and John Lennon?
Jefferson Airplane/Starship fought on and off with original singer Marty Balin.
And Jimi Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell had their tensions.
Then you have such '70s bands as Chicago, Yes, Journey, Styx, Kansas and REO Speedwagon, which have seen their classic line-ups fall to pieces time and again. And Bad Company is now down to original drummer Simon Kirke and original singer Paul Rogers.
Both Copeland and Astbury's original bands, the Police and the Cult, respectively, were victims of the ever-present "artistic differences."
Throughout rock 'n' roll history, many bands have tried to stay together, and nearly all have failed.
Van Halen let original singer David Lee Roth go, only to ask him back, to the dismay of follow-up singer Sammy Hagar. Roth left again, and he and Hagar toured together for about a month before bickering stopped their tour cold.
Limp Bizkit — sorry, I mean limpbizkit — parted ways with guitarist Wes Borland and recruited former Snot guitarist Mike Smith.
And Metallica's ever-revolving bass position has lately been filled with Robet Trujillo (formerly of Suicidal Tendencies).
Speaking of former Metallica members, what about original guitarist Dave Mustaine? He organized Megadeth, which also repeatedly changed line-ups until only he and bassist Dave Ellefson were the original remaining members. Then Mustaine cut his hand a couple of years ago, forcing him to quit the music business.
As for newer bands, P.O.D. has parted ways with guitarist Marcos Curiel.
Unloco lost guitarist Bryan Arthur due to stress and record label pressures.
Last year, Rage Against the Machine disbanded when lead singer Zach de la Rocha took his leave. The remaining Ragers have since formed Audioslave with vocalist Chris Cornell (formerly of Seattle's stalwart Soundgarden).
And taking Seattle into consideration, Pearl Jam has had three drummers, the latest being Matt Cameron (who used to be in Soundgarden).
Even the Seattle-based Heart, led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, has gone through a variety of drummers, bassists and guitarists.
The list goes on — and we haven't even touched on such '80s metal bands as Motley Crue, Dokken, Bon Jovi, etc.
Big-name bands that stay together or feature original line-ups that have been together for more than 15 years are hard to come by these days. Not counting reunions, off the top of my head I can only cite two — U2 and ZZ Top!
E-mail: scott@desnews.com