Why Morrison role lights Willie's fire
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THOUGH Willie Scott was born to play Jim Morrison, he might easily have remained just a big fan.
And singer Willie might not be shimmying nightly into the leather trousers of rock's Lizard King – The Doors' Jim Morrison – if it hadn't been for his sister.
He was quite happily working with his own band, when his sister pointed out the audition advert in showbiz paper The Stage looking for someone to play Jim Morrison.
Willie had been compared to The Doors' frontman for years – both his voice and his style.
"I had a poster of Jim on my bedroom wall as a teenager back home in Fife – after I saw the Oliver Stone film about The Doors when I was 15.
"And I was influenced by the music. I love the bluesy songs, like the late album LA Woman rather than the bubblegum stuff.
"But at the time that audition came up, I was happy with the band I was in," said Willie.
"And I knew I didn't have the time to do The Doors thing too. But my sister persuaded me to go along to the audition – and it went really well. It just felt right.
"And here we are!"
That was over three years ago and The Doors Alive has been earning great reviews, such as radio station XFM's Clint Boon dubbing the four-piece "the best tribute band I have ever seen".
But the four-piece takes the job seriously, with authentic instruments and a rolling set that – though keeping a core of the classics everyone wants to hear – changes night to night.
Willie said: "Anyone coming to the show will see us all discussing what we are going to play because we like to change it, mix it up, so there are B-sides in among all the hits we play. But we have to play Light My Fire or there would be a riot!"
And doing justice to Jim is also a big deal for Willie who is very aware of the rock icon cowboy boots he has to fill.
"Jim was really erudite and wrote interesting poetry as well as his lyrics. These days, bands are writing about Facebook, but he was writing about everything from death and sex to snakes and lizards."
He also liked to manipulate his image.
"He liked to tell lies in interviews," Willie said. "He claimed his parents were dead until a journalist did some research and found out it wasn't true. Jim's dad was an admiral in the US naval fleet and as well as not getting on with his dad, Jim didn't approve of the military and didn't want to be associated with his dad's role."
And Jim had firm opinions he liked to share.
"When a journalist tried to compare The Doors to another band, he said 'Comparison is just a short-cut to thinking'!"
Willie laughed when asked what his musical influences were.
"The Doors'll do!
"I wasn't even born when they were around.
"Yet somehow the music just echoes down three generations. It's about his music, his image and his appeal in general, as well as having a great voice, fantastic lyrics – and he was a stud!
"I'd love to see Jim Morrison on X Factor!"
But being Jim live takes its toll, Willie revealed.
"If I sing like Jim for four nights in a row, my voice starts to go.
"It's why The Doors only ever played three back to back dates because of the way Jim sang and pushed his voice.
"When I first joined the band, I went hell for leather and I found that three gigs in my voice would be ruined.
"But I've learned how to sing better."
Willie's day job may now be The Doors Alive, but his own music still gets a look in.
"A lot of people in tribute bands make money to supplement their other music, and that's the case for us," he said.
He also writes TV show themes and advertising music for a publisher – you can hear his work on the first series of The F Word and on ads for products like Neutrogena and Coors in the US.
And he's also not left his own songwriting behind.
"I'm writing a solo album, but it's taking forever. I'll write four songs and just as I finish the fourth song, I'll start worrying that it's not similar enough to the first one and ditch it.
"I don't want to release my stuff until I'm proud of all of it!"
But time wouldn't wait for this year's big 40th anniversary of Jim Morrison's death in Paris.
And as a fan who went on a pilgrimage to Jim's Parisian graveyard when he was 17, Willie was thrilled to be asked back to Paris, this time to sing as Jim at an big event to celebrate Jim's life and music.
"A film crew came with us from our London base to make a documentary about the event.
"We did two sets on July 3 the date Jim died in a venue called La Cigalle.
"In the first set, we had a minute's silence – and everyone went quiet.
"We were really nervous because it was all such a big deal for us. It was a seated show, but by about three songs in, there wasn't a bum left on a seat, the place just went mad – it was unbelievable."
Willie loves the job, and that's partly because of the other guys in the band.
"There's a lot of travel – we've played Europe and are hoping to go to Australia soon.
"But it's just being with four mates in a van and going all over the place.
"We don't make a lot of money – it's enough to get by and do our own music in between. But money's not the reason we do it. We love the music – and the appreciation we get from the crowds!"
* The Doors Alive play Strathpeffer Pavilion tomorrow (Friday, Septemeber 23).
