Post by darkstar3 on Jun 23, 2011 14:23:33 GMT
Interview With Ray Manzarek by Jeff Katz March 1973
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2009
Other Voices
In March of 1973, I had the good fortune to interview Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and sometime bass player of The Doors. Having lost Jim Morrison on July 3, 1971, the remaining band members had persevered as a trio, releasing two LPs, “Other Voices” and “Full Circle.” When I sat down with Ray, he, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore were in London on a search for a new singer. Manzarek, who had just turned 34 in February, looked like a hipper John Denver, with shoulder length, reddish-brown hair and round glasses. Wearing dark purple slacks, a black button down shirt and a dapper white sport coat with robin’s egg blue stripes, Manzarek was quite relaxed as we began.
JK: Belated Happy Birthday. I noticed you share a birthday with Charles Darwin.
RM: True and I’m always trying to evolve.
JK: That’s a good segue, actually. Can you give some glimpse into what it has been like for the band since Jim’s death?
RM: I would prefer not to dwell on that. Jim had left for Paris in March of ’71, saying that he wouldn’t be back, that his rock star days were over. We didn’t necessarily believe that. A few weeks before he died, Jim rang John and asked how “L.A. Woman” was doing. His concern for album sales didn’t sound like the kind of question a retired rock singer would ask. (Laughs)
JK: So, you expected him to return to the States?
RM: After that conversation, yeah, we all did. It was a shock when we heard the news, but he’s not totally gone. Jim is always with us – in the air, in our music.
JK: But you didn’t break up.
RM: No, we didn’t. We had been working on songs that would be ready for Jim’s vocals when he came back, so we just moved forward. That became “Other Voices.” We had the good sense not to replace Jim at first. It was weird from our point of view, especially when Robby and I sang. We’d fight about whose voice was worse! Jim as a person was impossible to replace, but we thought, well, anyone can be a rock and roll singer. It turned out to be a little harder than that.
JK: How hard?
RM: As I said, you don’t replace all that Jim Morrison was. He was so much more than a singer. He really represented The Doors. You know, The Who could go on without Roger Daltrey, because Pete Townshend writes the tunes and is a great singer. Look at The Stones. They didn’t skip a beat when Brian Jones died. I think Led Zeppelin could exist without Robert Plant. To me, it’s their music that resonates, not the vocals. Not so with the Doors. The three of us are still producing Doors music, but, let’s be honest; it’s not a complete package without a vital singer. So, almost two years later, we are searching for identity.
JK: You guys sound great, both on the two records and live.
RM: I believe we are a much better band without Jim. That sounds terrible, but it’s true. Musically, we can stretch out. Inviting jazz musicians like Charles Lloyd to play with us is a good example. [Lloyd played flute and tenor saxophone on “Full Circle”.] We still need to find ourselves in that context. Clearly, singing is a weakness.
maybebabyoryouknowthatitwouldbeuntrue.blogspot.com/2009/07/other-voices.html
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2009
Other Voices
In March of 1973, I had the good fortune to interview Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and sometime bass player of The Doors. Having lost Jim Morrison on July 3, 1971, the remaining band members had persevered as a trio, releasing two LPs, “Other Voices” and “Full Circle.” When I sat down with Ray, he, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore were in London on a search for a new singer. Manzarek, who had just turned 34 in February, looked like a hipper John Denver, with shoulder length, reddish-brown hair and round glasses. Wearing dark purple slacks, a black button down shirt and a dapper white sport coat with robin’s egg blue stripes, Manzarek was quite relaxed as we began.
JK: Belated Happy Birthday. I noticed you share a birthday with Charles Darwin.
RM: True and I’m always trying to evolve.
JK: That’s a good segue, actually. Can you give some glimpse into what it has been like for the band since Jim’s death?
RM: I would prefer not to dwell on that. Jim had left for Paris in March of ’71, saying that he wouldn’t be back, that his rock star days were over. We didn’t necessarily believe that. A few weeks before he died, Jim rang John and asked how “L.A. Woman” was doing. His concern for album sales didn’t sound like the kind of question a retired rock singer would ask. (Laughs)
JK: So, you expected him to return to the States?
RM: After that conversation, yeah, we all did. It was a shock when we heard the news, but he’s not totally gone. Jim is always with us – in the air, in our music.
JK: But you didn’t break up.
RM: No, we didn’t. We had been working on songs that would be ready for Jim’s vocals when he came back, so we just moved forward. That became “Other Voices.” We had the good sense not to replace Jim at first. It was weird from our point of view, especially when Robby and I sang. We’d fight about whose voice was worse! Jim as a person was impossible to replace, but we thought, well, anyone can be a rock and roll singer. It turned out to be a little harder than that.
JK: How hard?
RM: As I said, you don’t replace all that Jim Morrison was. He was so much more than a singer. He really represented The Doors. You know, The Who could go on without Roger Daltrey, because Pete Townshend writes the tunes and is a great singer. Look at The Stones. They didn’t skip a beat when Brian Jones died. I think Led Zeppelin could exist without Robert Plant. To me, it’s their music that resonates, not the vocals. Not so with the Doors. The three of us are still producing Doors music, but, let’s be honest; it’s not a complete package without a vital singer. So, almost two years later, we are searching for identity.
JK: You guys sound great, both on the two records and live.
RM: I believe we are a much better band without Jim. That sounds terrible, but it’s true. Musically, we can stretch out. Inviting jazz musicians like Charles Lloyd to play with us is a good example. [Lloyd played flute and tenor saxophone on “Full Circle”.] We still need to find ourselves in that context. Clearly, singing is a weakness.
maybebabyoryouknowthatitwouldbeuntrue.blogspot.com/2009/07/other-voices.html