Post by TheWallsScreamedPoetry on Feb 9, 2005 20:23:11 GMT
The Doors JoyZine Interview
by Jeff Goldman
More than a generation after the death of Jim Morrison, The Doors remain one of the most popular American bands in rock'n'roll. In 1980, the combination of Danny Sugerman's book No One Gets Out of Here Alive and the film Apocalypse Now, which included The Doors' song The End, spurred a resurgence of interest in The Doors' music.
The attraction of fans who were still in diapers when The Doors were in their prime is perhaps best explained by Doors drummer John Densmore: "It's the combination of Jim, the timelessness of the music and the fact that we represented the desire to break away when you're 18 - you know, kill your father and fuck your mother."
While many other bands would have been content to play the oldies circuit, cashing in on their nostalgic fans, the remaining members of The Doors - keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robbie Krieger, and the drummer John Densmore - have remained extremely cautious, guarding against any sheer money-making exploitation of their image and their music. In addition, these ex-'60s leaders have kept their creative juices flowing with projects ranging from acting to producing to doing what they do best: playing music.
In 1984 I had the opportunity to talk with the three surviving members of the band, and discussed issues relating to The Doors - past, present and future.
After Morrison passed away, the three attempted to keep the band together, even recording two early 1970s albums as The Doors, but although many great singers were considered as replacement for Morrison - Iggy Pop, Joe Cocker and Van Morrison among them - the old magic was just not there. As Manzarek says, "It was time to close the door; that period in our collective lives had come to an end. When we would get together there'd be something lacking. Without Jim it wasn't the same."
Around 1975, following two post-Morrison Doors' LPs, the band broke up, with Krieger and Densmore going to form The Butts Band, while Manzarek put together his own group, Nite City. After the bands had recorded two albums apiece without much fanfare, the three musicians went back into the studio to work on a new Doors project. Nearly three years in the making, An American Prayer was a labor of love that combined Morrison's poetry, newly recorded music and original excerpts of Doors songs. While not a commercial success, and while just as many critics panned the LP as praised it, the album still means a great deal to John, Ray and Robbie, primarily because, as Densmore points out, "Jim would have loved it."
After American Prayer had been completed, the three friends turned their attention to some recordings of classic Doors concerts and soundchecks that were thought to have been lost but had recently been discovered. With only one live LP out, an album they were not totally pleased with, the bandmates decided to remaster these tapes. The result was the highly successful Alive She Cried, a well-recorded, insightful album that clearly demonstrates the band's potency.
In between the American Prayer and Alive She Cried sessions, the three bandmates had gone their separate ways once again. During this period, Ray Manzarek was the only Door who consistently kept in the rock'n'roll public eye, primarily through his Philip Glass collaboration, Carmina Burana, and his association with the popular and critically-acclaimed LA punk group, X.
Carmina Burana, originally written by Carl Orff in 1935 and first performed in 1937, is a vocal and instrumental cantata based on a series of medieval poems (most likely dating from the 13th century), written in Latin by a group of renegade monks. While this may seem like a rather dry subject for a contemporary album, the stories lying behind these monks are nothing short of wild. "In the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries there was a lot of ergot poisoning," Manzarek relates. "Ergot is corn, rice or wheat smut, a disease that affects the grain. Ergot is also what LSD is derived from. And these monks in these cold, dank monasteries were probably having LSD trips from the bread."
Explaining the living conditions of the monks, Manzarek points out that, "Those were rough times, those times were getting close to what we're living in. Although people aren't dying all around us, the threat of annihilation is there. They [the monks] said, 'All around us is death, so what's the point of life?' Well, the point of life is a joyous celebration and dancing with Mr Death, with the Devil, with the Grim Reaper: 'Hey, you're gonna get me, yeah, well until you get me, man, I'm gonna get drunk. I'm gonna sing, dance, make love. I'm gonna have a good time.' And essentially that's Morrison's message. On American Prayer Morrison says, 'I don't know what's gonna happen, but I want to have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.'"
by Jeff Goldman
More than a generation after the death of Jim Morrison, The Doors remain one of the most popular American bands in rock'n'roll. In 1980, the combination of Danny Sugerman's book No One Gets Out of Here Alive and the film Apocalypse Now, which included The Doors' song The End, spurred a resurgence of interest in The Doors' music.
The attraction of fans who were still in diapers when The Doors were in their prime is perhaps best explained by Doors drummer John Densmore: "It's the combination of Jim, the timelessness of the music and the fact that we represented the desire to break away when you're 18 - you know, kill your father and fuck your mother."
While many other bands would have been content to play the oldies circuit, cashing in on their nostalgic fans, the remaining members of The Doors - keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robbie Krieger, and the drummer John Densmore - have remained extremely cautious, guarding against any sheer money-making exploitation of their image and their music. In addition, these ex-'60s leaders have kept their creative juices flowing with projects ranging from acting to producing to doing what they do best: playing music.
In 1984 I had the opportunity to talk with the three surviving members of the band, and discussed issues relating to The Doors - past, present and future.
After Morrison passed away, the three attempted to keep the band together, even recording two early 1970s albums as The Doors, but although many great singers were considered as replacement for Morrison - Iggy Pop, Joe Cocker and Van Morrison among them - the old magic was just not there. As Manzarek says, "It was time to close the door; that period in our collective lives had come to an end. When we would get together there'd be something lacking. Without Jim it wasn't the same."
Around 1975, following two post-Morrison Doors' LPs, the band broke up, with Krieger and Densmore going to form The Butts Band, while Manzarek put together his own group, Nite City. After the bands had recorded two albums apiece without much fanfare, the three musicians went back into the studio to work on a new Doors project. Nearly three years in the making, An American Prayer was a labor of love that combined Morrison's poetry, newly recorded music and original excerpts of Doors songs. While not a commercial success, and while just as many critics panned the LP as praised it, the album still means a great deal to John, Ray and Robbie, primarily because, as Densmore points out, "Jim would have loved it."
After American Prayer had been completed, the three friends turned their attention to some recordings of classic Doors concerts and soundchecks that were thought to have been lost but had recently been discovered. With only one live LP out, an album they were not totally pleased with, the bandmates decided to remaster these tapes. The result was the highly successful Alive She Cried, a well-recorded, insightful album that clearly demonstrates the band's potency.
In between the American Prayer and Alive She Cried sessions, the three bandmates had gone their separate ways once again. During this period, Ray Manzarek was the only Door who consistently kept in the rock'n'roll public eye, primarily through his Philip Glass collaboration, Carmina Burana, and his association with the popular and critically-acclaimed LA punk group, X.
Carmina Burana, originally written by Carl Orff in 1935 and first performed in 1937, is a vocal and instrumental cantata based on a series of medieval poems (most likely dating from the 13th century), written in Latin by a group of renegade monks. While this may seem like a rather dry subject for a contemporary album, the stories lying behind these monks are nothing short of wild. "In the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries there was a lot of ergot poisoning," Manzarek relates. "Ergot is corn, rice or wheat smut, a disease that affects the grain. Ergot is also what LSD is derived from. And these monks in these cold, dank monasteries were probably having LSD trips from the bread."
Explaining the living conditions of the monks, Manzarek points out that, "Those were rough times, those times were getting close to what we're living in. Although people aren't dying all around us, the threat of annihilation is there. They [the monks] said, 'All around us is death, so what's the point of life?' Well, the point of life is a joyous celebration and dancing with Mr Death, with the Devil, with the Grim Reaper: 'Hey, you're gonna get me, yeah, well until you get me, man, I'm gonna get drunk. I'm gonna sing, dance, make love. I'm gonna have a good time.' And essentially that's Morrison's message. On American Prayer Morrison says, 'I don't know what's gonna happen, but I want to have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.'"
