LONDON.- To coincide with the theatrical release of “When you’re Strange”, Idea Generation Gallery has an intimate look into the most controversial rock bands in music history.

The Doors: When You’re Strange showcases one of the most contentious rock bands to exist. The exhibition will offer an intimate account of The Doors from their rise to fame to their breakthrough on the music scene in 1965. The Doors’ arrival not only marked a string of hit singles but was the start of a new counterculture scene in the 1960’s.The exhibition will reveal intimate portraits of Jim Morrison and how he became one of the most charismatic lead singers with The Doors becoming one of the most controversial rock bands to exist. After Morrison’s death in 1971, The Doors disbanded, with their active career finishing shortly after his death, but their popularity persisted selling over 75 million albums worldwide.

To celebrate the success of the band, in conjunction with Morrison Hotel Gallery, Idea Generation Gallery will showcase the photography of Henry Diltz, Joel Brodsky, Bobby Klein and Ken Regan, who all documented the bands time together. Alongside their most celebrated works, When You’re Strange brings together the lesser known archives and previously unseen contact sheets of photography taken over the decade the band were together. Both Diltz and Brodsky captured The Doors at their most private moments at home and on tour and this exhibition provides one of the most comprehensive and intimate views into their exclusive world.

The group was born when Morrison and Manzerak – who’d met at UCLA film School – met again unexpectedly on a beach in Venice. Though he never intended to be a singer, Morrison was invited to join Manzerak’s group, Rick and the Ravens, on the strength of his poetry. Krieger and Desmore were soon to be recruited. Taking their name from the Aldous Huxley’s Psychotropic monograph – The Doors of Perception the band was created. After a legendary gig at Whisky –a – go –go on the Sunset Strip The Doors were signed to Electra Records. In 1967, their first album, The Doors, captured the rawness and energy of their stage shows, with “Light my fire” reaching number 1 in the US. However, the band quickly began to attract the attention of police: concern about corruption of youth made promoters nervous and many venues refused to stage the band. Shortly after the release of their third album, LA Woman, Jim Morrison was found dead in 1973 in his bathtub of a suspected heroin overdose.

Although The Doors’ active career ended in 1973, their popularity persisted, selling over 75 million albums worldwide. In 1991 Oliver Stone added to this popularity by directing The Doors, a highly successful biopic of Jim Morrison’s colourful life.

Photographers Include:

Henry Diltz
A founding member of the Modern folk Quartet, Diltz captured intimate photography of bands on tour. Considered as a visual historian of the last four decades of popular music his shots convey a rare feeling of trust and intimacy with his subjects.

For Diltz, his pictures began with a $20 second – hand Japanese camera purchased on tour with the Modern Folk Quartet. When they disbanded, Diltz embarked on his photographic career with the album cover for The Lovin’ Spoonful. Despite his lack of formal training, Diltz submerged himself in the world of music.

For over 40 years his work has featured on many album covers, books, magazines and newspapers. His style has produced powerful photographic essays of Woodstock, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. He continues an established career, generating new and vibrant photographs being a partner in, and exclusively published and represented by The Morrison Hotel Gallery.

Joel Brodsky
Responsible for shaping the iconography of the psychedelic era, capturing landmark acts including The Doors.

Despite having a keen interest in photography as a teen, he graduated to serve in the US Army. As a favour to a friend Brodsky agreed to shoot the cover of Eric Andersen’s sophomore Vanguard release “ Bout Changes and Things”, quickly emerging as the label’s go to photographer. Electra Records signed The Doors and Brodsky was assigned to shoot the photos for their forthcoming debut LP. While his group photography was outstanding including the image that became the band’s first advertising Billboard, it was his solo shots of frontman Jim Morrison that proved the most Iconic. The session in which he captured “Young Lions” photos would later become the enduring cult following and mass merchandising that mushroomed around the singer in the wake of his 1971 death.

Bobby Klein
Bobby Klein entered the field of visual arts, as a teenager, in the early 1960’s when he was a co-producer of numerous live ‘dance party’ television shows being broadcast from Los Angeles. During that time he purchased his first camera and shot pictures around Los Angeles. His long time love affair with the camera began in this way. He put together a book of his photos and made the rounds of the record companies he had visited when he was a personal manager for a number of
musical personalities of the day.

He became the west coast photographer for Colombia (CBS) records and other smaller labels. He was the Doors and Jim Morrison’s first professionally hired photographer and went on to photograph music and film personalities including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Dennis Hopper, classical composer Igor Stravinsky and, the then stand-up comedian, Steve Martin.

His photographs of the Doors and Morrison are still published in many books about the history of Rock and Roll.

Bobby Klein presently lives in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles where he practices as an intuitive psychotherapist and spiritual teacher. He is also working on a documentary of his photographic work through the late 60’s and 70’s.

Ken Regan
Born and raised in the Bronx, Ken Regan studied journalism at Columbia and attended New York University’s Film School. Initially forging a career photographing major sporting events, Ken went on to work as a photojournalist covering many topical issues including the riots and demonstrations in the United States surrounding the Vietnam War, and was in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia.

Changing paths once again, Ken covered many political assignments and worked exclusively with the Kennedy family, photographing everything from campaigns and conventions to annual family gatherings.

The mid 70s saw Ken touring with some of the most renowned musicians in Rock N Roll history including Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones also covering Amnesty International and Live Aid.

By the late Eighties, Ken had over 200 magazine covers to his credit, as well as numerous awards from the Missouri School of Journalism and World Press Photo to the New York Newspaper Guild.