The Doors’ Robby Krieger And John Densmore Reflect On Being Banned From ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’

In an interview with YouTube personality Rick Beato, the Doors’ Robby Krieger and John Densmore reflected on the band’s memorable performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967. The L.A. psychedelic rock band would be performing their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Light My Fire,” and they were psyched to play for a national TV audience. “There was nothing bigger,” says Densmore. “Elvis, The Beatles, us… great! I remember Mr. Sullivan coming around when we were rehearsing, saying, ‘You know, you boys look good when you smile, you should smile.” Prior to the performance, the show’s producer told frontman Jim Morrison that he had to make a change to the lyrics, “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher.” “I thought they were kidding,” Krieger says, before insisting, “let’s just do it the way that we do it.” The producers were irate afterwards. “They said, ‘You boys will never do this show again!’” Densmore recalls. “And I think Jim said, ‘Well, we just did it, so we don’t care.’” The Doors were indeed never invited back. (Louder Sound)