Rhino Factoids: When The Doors Were Just A House Band

50 years ago today, The Doors got a chance to audition to be the house band for one of the hippest clubs in Hollywood, and although it might be odd to think of one of the most iconic American rock bands of the ’60s as a house band, the words “The Doors Live at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go” still serve to quicken the pulse of just about anyone who knows their ‘60s rock.

Before getting their shot at the Whiskey, The Doors had been playing at a club called The London Fog, but their stint there was not particularly distinguishing. Indeed, in Ray Manzarek’s autobiography, Light My Fire; My Life with The Doors, he wrote of how the owner of the club, Jesse James (yes, really), came over to them and said, “Guys, this is gonna be your last week. I’ve got to get a new band in here. You’re not drawing flies.”

Whether by coincidence or not, the club started to draw larger audiences in the band’s final week, and a few days later, when business was booming, Ronnie Harran, the booker for the Whiskey-A-Go-Go came into The London Fog, watched The Doors’ set, and asked them afterwards, “How would you guys like to be the house band at the Whiskey? You’d open for the headliners, two sets a night.”

And how did they reply?

Well, according to Manzarek, Jim Morrison casually responded by saying, “You know what… Give us some time to think about it. Why don’t you come back tomorrow?”

She did, thankfully, and they took the dig, setting them firmly on the road to superstardom. But why did Morrison respond the way he did? “Hey, you don’t want to appear overanxious now, do you?”

Jim Morrison, ladies and gentlemen. They don’t grow ‘em any cooler than that cat.