Has anyone read this book by Doug Cameron.. (who I guess, as a teenager, used to help Vince Treanor with the Doors sound stuff)? I just finished reading it (actually I got it yesterday and read the whole thing last night) and came away with the "something's wrong, something's not quite right" feeling. I found it very difficult to believe some of the 'stories' he was telling, and he seemed to know what was said in several private conversations that he was not a part of.. which struck me as odd. He completely trashed Bill Siddons in the book as well, which was a bit transparent for me since he worked with Vince and Vince has made it very clear how _he_ felt about Siddons. I actually started wondering if those were this guy Doug's feelings.. or if he was simply echoing what Mr Treanor has said.
And speaking of Mr Treanor, he didn't come off very well in the book either, although he's never come off well even when he speaks for himself (in my opinion). There is a chapter in the book that the author says is Vince's own words.. and when I read it.. I knew immediately that it _is_ Vince's own words. He comes off as negative, hateful, and very self-serving (and apologies to anyone who knows him)... but then he always does. I already knew to take whatever Vince says with a grain of salt since some of his 'facts' are not what he insists they are, and there were moments when I almost shut the book and said "enough" as I was reading what amounted to nothing more than a trash-fest in parts.
Anyhow.. has anyone else read this? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on it. I sense it's embellished at best, and very little in the way of factual as well. The word "sensationalism" comes to mind.. big time.

Wow! you read the whole thing in a night! I'm impressed I've been reading like crazy & haven't downed one in a single reading. I don't know about Doug Cameron but I had some dealings with Vince and his manuscript that he was looking to get published. I offered to edit it and reading the manuscript it was apparent Vince still carried a very large chip on his shoulder about Bill Siddons and Morrison. So much, in fact he refused to call me Jim. I kept getting e-mails to Jerry. I rather doubt you will see a book by Vince because of his attitude.

I agree. Vince certainly does carry a HUGE chip on his shoulder.. and not for nothing.. but I'm not sure I'd read a book by him even if he did publish one. He comes off as a real bitter man who..well.. I'm not going to use the "L" word... but let's just say.. who twists the truth for a very obvious agenda at times.

And yes.. lol.. I read the book in a night. I read fast - very fast - which works to my disadvantage if I really love a book.. since I don't have the capacity to make it last. I'm always pissed at myself when I finish a book and have nothing left to look forward to with it.

what is this book about, exactly, doors jim related? No doors biography has been disregarding of vince and bill, although ray manzaek did criticise Bill Siddons in his book. John has had good regard for both of them and you can tell from his book. They did a great deal for the doors in terms of management and sound, vince even wanted to become their manager and may have pushed his way but was loyal to them during their career. Is this book available, if when, it would be an interesting read.

It's got a cool cover.

Yes, it is Doors/Jim related. Written by Doug Cameron, who worked alongside Vince Treanor. There is more than just criticism.. there is complete trashing. The book is available on Amazon.

There's a board out there somewhere to which Mr. Treanor occasionally contributes, and his buddies on the board are very defensive of any criticism. I got royally savaged by one of them, if I recall rightly. I am of the impression that Vince was furious that Siddons got the management gig, and still remains that way. Frankly, if he can't even stand the sound of the name "Jim" he should cease and desist from exploiting his association with the Doors. Period.

I know what you mean by fast reading, D. I'm fast as well, but I do try to put the book down, just to have something to last until the next day, but if the book is absorbing, either in a negative or positive way, it's hard to do that, I know!

Btw, I found Tony Funches over on Facebook. He has a few photos up, but only of him during his days working with the Stones in 1969. He merely says he worked with the Doors, and leaves it at that. He sounds cheerful and positive.

It was the Freedomman's board. Last time I checked they hadn't heard from Vince in a while, he had been working on a organ in Korea. I think he finished the job and was expected to return to the U.S. but don't know if he has or did. He was indeed still mad that Siddons got the job as manager, and he was of the opinion that if The Doors had hired him as manager he would have straightened Jim out of his bad habits and even fire him.

I think it's more than a little weird to hold a 40-year grudge over who got to be manager and who didn't, don't you? Sounds like Mr Treanor may have some anger issues... as well as some real delusions of self-importance.

Yeah, right Vince. Good luck with that. Far as I'm concerned, this sort of attitude leads me to believe that the Doors made the right decision by choosing Bill Siddons, who hitchhiked all the way to NYC, btw, just to meet up with them on one occasion, pre-travel budgets. Those are the folks who show the right dedication, not people who foolishly think they would have "straightened Jim out" or "fire him." Paul Rothchild, who contributed a great deal more to the Doors than Vince, couldn't "straighten Jim out," and neither could anybody else. Only Jim could do that. And he didn't particularly want to at that time.

If some of his cohorts at the Freedom Man board are any indicator, I'd say that was about right. The only people who really have the right to hold a grudge against Jim or any of it are the three remaining Doors. They were the ones most affected by Jim's conduct, but when Jim attempted to quit in 1968, Ray had to be pretty persuasive to keep him in the band. Jim would probably have knocked Treanor on his butt, figuratively or literally, if he'd caught wind of this sort of talk, valuable though he may have been as an equipment/road manager.

The correspondence I have had w/ Vince has always been cordial (even helped me w/ a technical issue concerning speakers)......and he never had a problem referring to me as Jim (I can't imagine any correlation concerning the commonality of the name). His comments to pass on to John have always been positive. Everyone gets perceived different ways.

Good for you Jim. Maybe you caught him on a few good days. Or maybe you didn't use any of the trigger words... Jim, Pam, Siddons, or Sugerman.

Dear Jerry,

Remember the old adage about judging a book by it's cover? Some of my very favorite books have very plain unassuming covers... .






It's my opinion no one has a right to have a grudge against Jim for his behavior. Jim was Jim, he was a man like any other, full of duality,kindness,meanness,drunkenness and sobriety. It was his " behavior" good and bad that made The Doors what they were. I AM of the opinion that unless someone's behavior puts me in physical danger,they are free to pursue whatever course they decide on. While I surely would not have wanted to be a passenger in Jim's car after a night on the town,yet I could not or would not deny him the right to choose which avenues he decided to roam. Live and let live I say. Example: would the Doors be The Doors had Pat Boone fronted the band and wrote the lyrics?


Sadly the genius of youth is often wasted on the youth. I have had friends die from all sorts of misadventure. Am I sad about losing them? Yes of course, as well as angry at myself for not being able to do more to save them. But I bare no grudge at them for throwing thier lives away,I remain feeling blessed to having known them and have hopefully learned from them and their mistakes.

The thought of someone having a grudge to bare against Morrison smacks to me of both jealousy and greed, that what Jim had to give them in terms of his art and his time on the planet simply wasn't enough,somehow they always wanted more than what he had to give. By 1968 the baloon was full. The following year in Miami it stretched at the seams and burst. The music and the performances that followed were just the final breathes of air escaping.

En Vino Veritas(?) "I'M lonely... .".

I really like the illustration. Worth a thousand words.

Jim was lonely. You're right. The hardest thing to do is to love yourself. Once you've got that knocked, it's okay.