How “erotic politicians” The Doors came to define America
Like it or loathe it about them, The Doors took themselves incredibly seriously. In their minds, the LA unit was the voice of truth, a band moved by some spiritual force to guide the children right and set them free. They weren’t musicians, they weren’t rock stars; if anything, they were politicians, and that music was their civic duty.
The pretension of that is exactly the issue that plenty of people had with The Doors. Lou Reed was one of the loudest critics as he seemed to see right through the so-called poetry of their songs and take it all as vapid nothingness. On several occasions, he positioned them as the epitomising caricature of “really, really stupid” Los Angeles bands. He said, “What I mean by ‘stupid,’ I mean, like, The Doors,” and even took it further when Jim Morrison died and he spat, “I had no pity at all for that silly Los Angeles person.”
In his eyes, The Doors and their LA scene were uneducated posers while the intellectuals were in New York. In reality, though, the Doors did have the degrees to back it up. Ray Manczarek had a master’s degree in cinematography. When the band formed, both Robby Krieger and Jim Morrison were in college. It is wild to imagine the man in a cap and gown, let alone genuinely studying, but Morrison actually graduated with a literature degree and was planning to get a master’s, while Krieger was doing joint studies in a random combination of physics and Indian music. Both eventually dropped out to go all in on the band, though Krieger said in 1968, “I never thought I would have left school without a master’s degree. But this group was serious.”
So, for a moment there, you have to respect The Doors. Between them, with their expertise in literature, film, and, I guess, physics, their lyrics did have an academic backing. But that respect can only last a moment before the pretension returns when Krieger added, “It’s the most serious group that ever was, that ever will be.”
But that was genuinely their goal. By 1968, it seemed like they even had the platform to manage it as their breakout success had made them one of the biggest bands in America, and also one of the most feared. As the authorities closed in on the band, policing their shows more and more as their crowds seemed to only get crazier each gig, it really only empowered their belief that their music wasn’t just music – it was an essential social message.
Previously, tracks like ‘The End’ or ‘Light My Fire’ wouldn’t really have backed that up, but as their platform grew and that dedication to a higher purpose solidified, the songs did get more serious.
‘The Unknown Soldier’ is perhaps the ultimate example of that, and the one the band cared about most. Telling the story of a dying soldier in a piece of anti-war propaganda that was deeply in keeping with the times during the Vietnam War. Combining classic protest songwriting with their signature seductive swagger, Morrison declared, “Think of us as erotic politicians.”
It’s more than just one song, though; it’s the band’s entire career and their entire build. “I think The Doors is a representative American group,” Manczarek said, “America is a melting pot and so are we.” That’s a pretty rich thing for a bunch of white guys to say as another hugely pretentious line from the group, but musically, I guess there’s substance to it. “Our influences spring from a myriad of sources which we have amalgamated, blending divergent styles into our own thing,” he continued, stating, “We’re like the country itself” – though Lou Reed would have told them to shut up.
