Before I begin, I feel obligated to tell you something just to let you know where I stand on The Doors’ music before sharing my opinion about the group’s autobiography.

I am not a huge fan of The Doors. I don’t hate the music. I just hover somewhere around, “Yeah, they’re OK.” Let’s review: not a crazed fan, not anti-Doors. Confession time over, moving on.

Everyone is probably familiar with the legend of Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, inspired poet of his generation, loved by some and hated by others.

Morrison was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Paris on July 3, 1971 of unknown causes.

This mysterious death is the first thing Ray Manzarek, former keyboard player for the band, tackles in “Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors.”

Manzarek met Morrison early on at the UCLA film school, and the two became friends. The music didn’t begin until after graduation when fate played a hand and the two met on a California beach.

In that meeting, three famous songs were created and even the name of the band was coined by Morrison, who borrowed from a William Blake line, “If the doors of perception were cleansed, man would see things as they really are … infinite.”

During a transcendental meditation group in 1965, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robert Krieger were found, and the “perfect circle” was complete.

It soon becomes clear that though Densmore and Krieger were both a vital part of the band, the heart and soul of the group were clearly Morrison and Manzarek, who shared almost a brotherly love for one another.

The core of The Doors was the words of one and the music of the other. This relationship is the main focus of “Light My Fire.”

Manzarek takes us through each psychedelic, often LSD-inspired moment of The Doors’ rise to fame, often punctuated with lines from various songs.

Manzarek often approaches the poetic with phrases like, “She was the dame of this film noir story … Juliet had entered Romeo’s playground. And death smiled.”

The good times as well as the bad are included in the tale. Stories of “Jimbo,” Morrison’s alter-ego that emerged when he drank, and the havoc he could cause offstage are also relayed along with the magic Morrison performed while on stage.

Manzarek states, “He was riding the waves of ‘Light My Fire’ and wanted to add more euphoria to his euphoria (his tragic flaw).”

What impressed me the most about this biography was not the story so much as the writing. No one but Manzarek could take you where he does. All of the events appear vividly in your mind, and you first become jealous that you weren’t there to experience it for yourself; then sad that it had to end so tragically.

I began by saying I wasn’t a huge fan of The Doors. If you are, by all means read this book and discover what the music is really saying. And if you aren’t, read it anyway because it will make you try and get your hands on every Doors record that you can possibly find. It did for me.

4 1/2 Stars out of five

Kelsey Foutch is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Waterloo.