Doors Guitarist Praises Jim Replacement

Veteran Doors rocker Robby Krieger is thrilled with new frontman IAN ASTBURY, insisting he makes a perfect replacement for Jim Morrison.

Krieger and Ray Manzarek reformed The Doors last year (02) - more than 30 years after Morrison died in Paris - and earlier this year (03) former The Cult rocker Astbury started touring with the group, most recently in Colorado, America at the weekend (ends31AUG03).

Guitarist Robby, 57, says, "I suppose there's always going to be those hardcore naysayers who believe that if it's not Jim Morrison, it's not the Doors.

"I don't really care what those people think. If they don't want to come to the show, they don't have to. It's not a problem. Believe me, those who have come to see us have loved it.

"He just seemed the most realistically interested. Obviously, Ian's always been influenced by Morrison. He's sort of very similar to Morrison in many ways: he's Scottish-English, which Jim was, and he's interested in shamanism and American Indians and all that stuff.

"He just seemed like the right guy. It felt right when we played with him."