DRUMMER JOHN DENSMORE ON HIS TIME IN THE DOORS
The Doors drummer John Densmore tells MARION McMULLEN about revisiting the legendary rock band’s music for one night only
‘LIGHT My Fire was on our first album... it’s been downhill ever since,” chuckles John Densmore.
The Doors drummer has appeared on every recording made by the American band, has gone to court to protect the group’s musical legacy and name and has chronicled the ups and downs of the band in two bestselling autobiographies.
“They were written in blood, but I had to write them,” says John.
“The first book, Rider On The Storm, was put out a few months before the Oliver Stone movie about The Doors. The book was critically well received by the New York Times and the Washington Post... then the movie came out. Then the book became a bestseller in one week. That’s the power of media.”
The Doors were one of the most successful groups of the 1960s and still capture the imagination of new generations of fans decades after the death of singer Jim Morrison in 1971, aged 27.
They have sold more than
100 million albums worldwide and John jokes: “When we started I was hoping it would pay the rent for a decade.
“Now my hair is grey and people are still talking about The Doors 50 years later. I’m quite proud of that.”
He and fellow founding member, guitarist Robby Krieger, recently took to the stage together for the first time in 15 years to honour bandmate Ray Manzarek who lost his battle against cancer in 2013 at the age of 74.
The result is The Doors: Break On Thru – A Celebration Of Ray Manzarek and the all-star concert and documentary is being released in cinemas for one night only on February 12 – which would have been the keyboard player’s birthday.
It was recorded at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles with a line-up that included Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins and Rami Jaffee, Stone Temple Pilots’ Robert DeLeo, Paul McCartney’s guitarist Brian Ray, X’s Exene and John Doe, Jane’s Addiction’s Stephen Perkins and Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule.
“It was such an honour to play with these world-class musicians in a tribute to our magical keyboard player,” says 75-year-old John, “I’m so pleased about it.
“I had my struggles with Ray the last few years of his life over the lawsuit and all (there were issues over a licensing deal and Krieger and Manzarek continuing to tour under the Doors name) but we wanted to honour him with all these great musicians and when we came out of it just felt so good.
“I wrote in my second memoir, The Doors Unhinged, about the court cases. I dedicated it to Ray and Robbie saying, ‘we created magic in a garage a long time ago’.
“When Ray passed away, Robbie and I immediately started talking about a concert. Death trumps everything and we said let’s get together and do something to honour him.
“Ray and I had an extraordinary connection musically,” John continues. “We were kindred spirits.
“It’s tricky getting everyone all together in the same place at the same time and in the end we said ‘Let’s just do it.’ I’m pleased it was filmed so we can reach a wider audience and I think Ray would have been thrilled about it.” John laughs: “I’d like it for myself.” He still vividly remembers his first meeting with both Ray and Jim: “Ray was incredibly charming and Jim was incredibly shy.
“He had never sung and we were in Ray’s parents’ garage and he sort of mumbled, but I knew from the lyrics that we had something very special. I thought ‘he’s not the next Mick Jagger’ but over the next year I saw him evolve into a charismatic performer... the Lizard King.
“As time went on I thought he was just a wild guy then I realised he had a major problem.
“I’ve been asked in the past if Jim was around today would he be clean and sober and I always said no, but my answer has changed to yes the last few years because he was a smart guy and you see how people like Eric Clapton and Eminem have changed their lives and he would have changed as well.
“I want to encourage kids if they need to know something like that. It’s possible to change.”
John has found acclaim with his writing and is working on a third book, focusing on musicians who have fed his soul over the years.
“I was never good at English at school. I never got above a C, but I think it’s because I was made to do the course. Now I can’t help myself. I have to write. I love the process.
“Jim was like that. He wrote like crazy. I still have a drum kit in my office and I play it when I get frustrated during my writing, but my shoulder hurts these days and I wear earplugs to deal with tinnitus.
“I used to blame Ray playing so loud next to me, but it was probably me clashing the cymbals.”
He laughs: “I feel like telling the world... turn the volume down.”
■ The Doors: Break On Thru – A Celebration Of Ray Manzarek will be in cinemas nationwide on February 12 (thedoorsfilm.com)