The Last Stage
by Jim Cherry
It was 1967 when rock 'n' roll, deep in the throes of growing pains, issued from the swirl of pandemonium The Doors, with dark angel Jim Morrison center-stage. Jim Morrison was like none other; a poet, a showman, a dark visionary, a wild exhibitionist who acknowledged no bounds in his efforts to shame and annihilate the reigning social mores. In his own way he was the first Punk Rock icon, a man well ahead of his time. His antics both behind and in front of the scenes garnered him an enduring legend that endures to the present day, planting him firmly into rock n' roll history with his unchallenged _title_ of Lizard King. What could not have been predicted was a lingering fascination that in the 21st century brought forth a flurry of Doors tribute bands, each competing for the right to fill his shoes. This is where we meet author, Jim Cherry, who offers his take on the Doors tribute band phenomena with the _title_ The Last Stage. Yet this is not an exposé on the tribute band phenomena or a droll scholarly study of any kind; it is a well woven fictional tale of one particular tribute band with an unknown singer, Michael Knight, as its front man.

Let us make the acquaintance of the central character Michael Knight. He wants something. Something grand, something astounding, something that would capture the attention and imagination of the world and catapult him to superstardom. There is only one obstacle: he has no earthly idea what form that something may take. Enter the dawn of motive meets opportunity when he decides to capitalize on his long understood resemblance to Jim Morrison of The Doors. But again an obstacle willingly tosses itself into his path; he neither plays an instrument nor has any singing ability that he is aware of. It would seem the dream stops there, but no. Employing the Klingon philosophy, "If something gets in your way knock it over" he proceeds to do just that as he plows ahead into uncharted territory. As a first order of business he must eject Deidre, his cloying girlfriend as he knows he will surely meet someone more fitting to his idiom on his rise to stardom. Next he undertakes to find himself a preexisting band, talk them into becoming a Doors tribute band with him in the lead, and form fit himself into their numbers.
Oh it seems so easy and possible and only so in the world of fiction where the world created bends to the author's whims. Yet despite this mark against it, The Last Stage comes off rather well. We see the earnest beginnings, the tentative immediate successes, the crashing failures, in all the sum total of expected results. As Michael Knight watches his ego rise into high flung heaven the paradise around him and his band mates begins to unravel tearing them to the roots.

I will not go any further into the particulars of this novel but to say that if you happen to agree with the viewpoint of former Black Flag front man Henry Rollins, "One of the lowest forms of life on earth is the tribute band," then perhaps this novel is not your cup of tea.

If on the other hand you are not averse to the nostalgic allure of the tribute band, are enamored of the Doors, would like to know more about the behind the scenes and otherwise antics of Jim Morrison, or wonder what a tribute band might endure on their journey, then this is the book for you. And while you're at it, pop a Doors CD into the p_layer_.

This review is by C.B. Smith. I posted it obviously because I think it's fair, good, it got 3 out 5 pickles.

Anyway the main reason I posted it was the end line, "Pop a Doors CD into the p_layer_". when I first wrote my first novel Becoming Angel I wanted to put in an introduction that the reader should read my books with head phones on because I think it would be close to a cinematic experience, and close to the experience I feel while writing it. But of course first time authors aren't asked to write introduction to their books except in their wildest fantasies of literary stardom. But I really think a soundtrack would enhance the readers experiecne of my books, for example after I gave up the idea of the soundtrack introduction in Becoming Angel I kind of rewrote parts to give an impressionistic feel of the music that the characters mention listening to, I think it worked rather well especially in the begininng with a Led Zeppelin song.