Year: 2010

I woke up this morning to discover When You’re Strange has been nominated for a Grammy. The category is long form video (dvd) which is fine even though the film was conceived as a film, made as a film and released as a film. But it is a great honor to receive this nomination from […]

It’s crazy; no sooner do I finish When You’re Strange, finding myself adrift yet again in a vast sea of nextfilm limbo, then my old friend Jimmy decides to reappear. You may recall our last encounter several months ago just before he headed west to direct the next Batman film. As jealous as I was then of […]

The Black & Blue Orkestre has completed a new track, called Slide On. It’s kind of a funk, gospel rocker that started as a semi-instrumental. Our bass player Grog suggested I write some real lyrics and it ends up she was right. I played some guitar on this one; Will played a lot more. I […]

When John Densmore and I were in Paris a few months ago we met Alexandre Isard, a French photographer who was shooting stills for a magazine article about the release of When You’re Strange. Alexandre dragged us into some Parisian back alley and left us to fend for ourselves. As proof we survived he sent me these […]

I don’t usually get involved with political groups but when founder and co-mama Ursula Forage contacted me asking for a pledge I complied without hesitation. Ursula said her members, which now only number around 1000 in the entire continental USA, felt uncomfortable having Palin appropriate their image and identity for her ultra-Right vision of America. […]

Well, I got a crazy email this morning from one of the producers informing me When You’re Strange has been nominated for an Emmy. Whacked but Fact; this is indeed true. It seems the episode of American Masters on PBS in which When You’re Strange screened was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in a Non-Fiction Series. […]

July is literally melting into August here in NYC. I spend my days trying to get two new feature scripts off the ground. To help keep my sanity during this process I go to a boxing gym twice a week. Yesterday, the owner looked at me like I was an idiot when I asked when he was […]

This came in a little while ago from MK2, the French distributor. Thought I’d share it with you. Dig that poster.   THE FRENCH PUBLIC IS HIGH ON THE DOORS When You’re Strange, the Doors documentary, directed by Tom DiCillo, reached 55 099 admissions in France in one week, on 55 prints. It is the […]

The theatrical life of When You’re Strange is fading away. I’ve spent months talking about this film. Sometimes, when I least expect it, I get the strangest feeling that I’ve actually learned a few things on this crazy trip. Jim’s father was a career Navy officer who retired as an Admiral. The Morrison family moved frequently to […]

The trip to Paris last week was short, fast and intense. Started press with John Densmore a few hours after I arrived, took a break, had dinner with MK2, the French distributors, and then went to the premiere. The 450 seat theater was full. The translator introduced me as being from Iceland. I have no […]

This photo just came in thanks to Noemie in Paris. She took it in a subway station. I’ve had other friends say they’ve seen the poster all over the city. My sincere congratulations to MK2, the French distributor. This is one cool poster and is definitely going on my wall, ASAP. And more importantly, they […]

There are many strange emotions that accompany events in this business but none is quite as complex as the moment when a film leaves a theater. A little over a week ago When You’re Strange disappeared from movie screens in NYC. It left with the same lack of fanfare with which it opened. I glanced […]

Made it home Tuesday night just before sunset. I have to say the NJ Turnpike never looked so good. The trip back to the US took over 18 hours. I stood in a frenzied clot of passengers at the Orly airport in Paris from 6:30 in the morning until 2pm; first waiting to see if […]

The headline says it: the volcano has shut down Europe. I know, I know; it could be worse. Is it really that terrible to be stuck in Paris indefinitely? No, but the indefinitely part definitely makes me uneasy. Today, in between spending hours on the phone trying to find a flight, I took a walk along the […]

I used to spend days writing these posts. But, things are happening so fast it seems better to just write when the impulse hits. I’m in Paris. No matter what I say to myself I can’t really convince myself of this fact. Two days ago I was down at the Angelika in NYC introducing the […]

Hey. Check this out. It’s from Indiewire: Perhaps more impressive was the relatively wide debut of DiCillo’s “When You’re Strange.  The documentary about The Doors – DIY released through Abramorama – grossed $65,371 from eight venues, averaging a respectable $8,171. This is actually pretty amazing. We had a higher per screen average than How To […]

Last night I had one the most inspiring and amazing experiences I’ve ever had in this business. I went down to the Angelika Film Center in NYC expecting to do a brief Q & A after the 7:30 screening. The show was sold out. I hung out outside the theater for a few minutes and […]

Well, my brothers and sisters. I’ve got to share some things with you. Thanks to Elaine’s groundbreaking personal effort and the foresight of Doors manager Jeffrey Jampol, other people are going out on their own and helping us out. These photos came in from Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago. This is really incredible to see. […]

WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE   OPENS APRIL 9 !!! Check your newspaper listings. Advertising is going to be sparse. Word of mouth is going to be crucial. Don’t be shy about telling your friends, even your non-friends. Tell priests, rabbis, dj mixmasters. I’ve got three guys coming from my boxing gym. The guy who delivers trees for […]

It’s been a while, I know. Not sure when things started getting so crazy but crazy they are. Just had a shot of good news from the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin. When You’re Strange screened there over the weekend and just won a nice award. “Mission” and “When You’re Strange” Lead SXSW Audience Winners […]