Justin Farrar’s first appearance on the show was a dense journey through the history of rock music and American counterculture, and it got me thinking about (and listening to) The Doors for the first time in years. Like many of us, I grew up with Jim Morrison’s iconic presence looming out from lots of different corners: posters in head shops, t-shirts worn by stoned high schoolers, the Oliver Stone movie (and attendant urban legends about Val Kilmer’s eerily channeled performance), and above everything else, the weird, ubiquitous music of The Doors themselves, blasting out of oldies stations and tape decks in friends’ cars. In this conversation, Justin returns to share his ideas about The Doors as both a musical act and cultural phenomenon, as we consider how the group’s pulsing blues rock and dark poetry synced so magically with the apocalyptic historical moment from which it emerged. 

To accompany this episode, Justin has created 2 different excellent Spotify playlists:  

The Doors Legacy: Art Rock, Punk, Post-Punk, Goth, Alt-Rock, Experimental

       Songs from artists influenced by Morrison/The Doors

The Doors: California Noir

       Songs from The Doors that capture the dark underbelly of Los Angeles

Listen to the whole episode and access all our bonus content: patreon.com/posts/episode-323-red-65611155