Robby Krieger

HAIL, GUITAR DOOR!

What music are you currently grooving to?

Well, the stuff I’ve got in my car is Indian music, Ravi Shankar. Jazz too – John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, stuff like that. I listen to rock too, but there’s not much I relate to. I’m waiting for the ’60s to start up again!

What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album?

It might be Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan. I discovered him while at private school as a teenager. A lot of people hated it when he went electric, but I liked it. I saw him at Long Beach with his electric band while on acid, and really dug it. I know he must’ve been on acid when he wrote Subterranean Homesick Blues.

What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it? I remember buying the single of Hound Dog by Elvis Presley, on the back was Don’t Be Cruel, my favourite Elvis song, at a little record store in Santa Monica.

Which musician, other than yourself, have you ever wanted to be? Maybe Wes Montgomery. I think he’s the most naturally talented guitarist I’ve ever heard. I had to work for it, really practise, but I can just tell he’s naturally gifted. I wish I had that.

What do you sing in the shower? I’ve never sung in the shower.

What is your favourite Saturday night record?

Lately, John Coltrane My Favorite Things. He’s my hero, there’s something about the freedom with which he plays. Nobody else has that. It helps me relax and gives me something to shoot for.

And your Sunday morning record? I never listen to records on Sunday morning. I don’t get into music until the afternoon. You have to take a break from it.

Robby Krieger’s Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying, And Playing Guitar With The Doors is published by White Rabbit.