Wild Child Reopens the Legend That Is the Doors

Dave Brock was a longtime admirer of the Doors, just like a lot of rock fans. He’d grown up listening to the albums of his older brother and sister. And Brock had read “No One Here Gets Out Alive,” the best-selling biography of hard-living singer Jim Morrison.

But it wasn’t the kind of thing one could describe as life-transforming. That wouldn’t happen until the Cal State Long Beach student wandered into auditions for a 1983 stage musical based on Morrison’s life. He won the lead role. And although the stage production never fully materialized because of a lack of financing, Brock eventually formed a band called Wild Child that is billed as a tribute to the Doors.

The act, with Brock singing in Morrison’s deep romantic warble and dressed in the singer’s signature garb of leather pants, Western-style silver concho belt and long dark hair, has received at least tacit support from the surviving members of the Doors. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek introduced Wild Child at a 1986 gig at the Whiskey, and guitarist Robbie Krieger even jammed once with the band onstage.

“They’re very defensive of their music and the careers and their past,” said Brock, 30. “Rightfully so. They don’t want somebody smearing their name. I would guess that they didn’t like it at first.”

Brock said last week he was the first to read for the lead in the upcoming Oliver Stone-directed movie “The Doors,” due for release March 1, and read for the part several times. Ultimately, the role of Morrison went to actor Val Kilmer.

“I was the guinea pig. I thought that I had it for a while. Oliver and other people were coming down to the shows. Val Kilmer came down to a bunch of shows, too.”

Although Brock said part of his motivation for working with Wild Child had been to win a movie role, he plans to continue with the band, playing shows at clubs on the West Coast. Wild Child performs tonight at the Palomino in North Hollywood.

Still, Brock and the other members of the band have been working on a collection of original songs, and have started approaching record labels with some demo tapes. “We have thrown some original songs into our set, but I don’t know if we want to make it part of the Doors thing. There might be some confusion.”

Wild Child, a tribute to the Doors, performs at 8:30 tonight at the Palomino, 6907 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Admission $12. For information, call (818) 764-4010.

BOSS GIG: Things have been strange enough for rock singer Bernie K., at least as far back as 1982. That was the year he helped form the all-black hard rock band Sound Barrier, to much surprise and confusion among local fans more accustomed to the vision of lighter-skinned longhairs throttling their guitars.

Much has changed since then, with the pop chart breakthrough of the band Living Colour and the subsequent founding of the Black Rock Coalition, a national network of musicians, technicians, writers and others.

But the biggest surprise for Bernie K., now lead vocalist for Total Eclipse, was some unexpected session work with Bruce Springsteen. The gig came his way late last year after Dave Resnick of Chameleon Records’ artist and repertoire department recommended him to producer Chuck Plotkin.

Bernie K. performed the job later the same day, spending most of the first hour in a West Hollywood recording studio being fed grapes, water and tea by Springsteen to calm his nerves. The six-hour session was to record backing vocals for a pair of tracks on Springsteen’s upcoming album, as yet untitled, his first since 1987.

“It was all in one night,” he said, “and I woke up the next morning like it was a dream. ‘Did I do that last night?’ ”

While Springsteen, Plotkin, E Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan and engineers watched from the control booth, Bernie K. sang backup on the tracks “Loving You Is a Man’s Job” and “Soul Driver,” which Springsteen performed last year at the Shrine Auditorium at an acoustic benefit for the Christic Institute.

The experience left Bernie K., 29, with more confidence in his abilities. His previous session work had been with largely unknown artists.

The sound of Total Eclipse, the band he founded with former members of the Busboys and Sound Barrier, black rock bands from Los Angeles, leans more in the direction of Aerosmith than Springsteen. Bernie K. described it as “rock and groove.” The band performs Feb. 20 at the Roxy in West Hollywood.

In the beginning of the ‘80s, “a lot of people thought we were invading their space,” the singer said. “I think the climate is different now. The record companies can see it’s a viable commodity, it’s going to make money. Living Colour started a market.”

Even his own backing tracks for Springsteen can be taken as a positive sign, he said. “Music is very powerful. If musicians can unite a little bit more, then I think it will show that it’s totally possible for people to get together without tripping on this race stuff.”

Total Eclipse performs at 9 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Tickets are $5 advance, $10 at the door. For information, call (213) 276-2222.