U.K.'s Q Magazine, September 2005 issue (cover:  Kurt Cobain) has a cool spread on page 50 called Undercover:  Behind the sleeves with The Doors' Strange Days.  The stories behind the creation of this unusual circus-themed album cover are explained by photographer Joel Brodsky.  (thanks, George)

When:        August 1967

Where:      Sniffen Court, New York City

Why:         Singer Jim Morrison refused to appear on the cover of The Doors' second album.  Inspired by Italian director Federico Fellini's 1954 circus film, La Strada, photographer Joel Brodsky instead decided to shoot a group of acrobats and jugglers on the streets of the Big Apple.  The only problem?  Finding performers ......

SNIFFEN COURT   A narrow residential mews just off East 36th Street in Manhattan's swish Murray Hill district, dating back to 1860.  At the time, the occupants were blissfully unaware the part their residences were playing in rock history.  Today, Sniffen Court is an official New York City Landmark.

ACROBATS   With most carnivals out on summer tours, the two acrobats were the only actual circus performers Brodsky could find.   "They were terrible," says Brodsky.  "The guy underneath could only hold up his partner for a few seconds - he kept on dropping him.  There were a lot of arguments.  It took us hours to get it right."

TRUMPET PLAYER   Looking for someone to toot a horn, art director William S. Harvey collared a passing cab driver and offered him $5 to appear in the shot.  The battered hat was the cabbie's own.  "He kept trying to get closer into the shot," says Brodsky.  "He called us for months after the shoot to try and find out where he could go to further his modelling career."

DWARF   Brodsky hired two professional dwarves from an acting agency - one appeared on the front cover, the other on the back.  "The dwarves didn't want to do it," recalls Brodsky.  "Their agent had to talk them into it.   Because they were twins, they were always in demand.  They were the Santa's elves!"

JUGGLER  Unable to find a trained juggler, Brodsky's assistant, Frank Kollegy, stood in.  "He couldn't juggle woth a damn," says Brodsky.  "Every time he threw a ball up, we'd spend the next five minutes chasing it down the street.  He ended up juggling with two balls.  We added the third in later.

STRONGMAN  The moustachio'd muscleman was the doorman at old-school Big Apple showbiz institution The Friars Club, who Brodsky had met via a mutual friend.  "He looked perfect for the part," says Brodsky.  "We dressed everybody in a photo studio, then everyone piled into a limo to the location.  The funniest thing was seeing the dwarves sitting on the strong man's lap, smoking cigars."

POSTER  The album title was discreetly tucked away on a poster near the edge of the sleeve.  "Originally, the band were going to appear as a reflection in a mirror carried by the two dwarves," says Brodsky.  "But Morrison was adamant that he didn't want to appear on the sleeve.  Hence the poster."  It proved a little too subtle - most record shops put stickers across the cover to identify it more clearly.

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