Post by darkstar on Aug 27, 2005 13:58:43 GMT
INTERVIEW WITH JOHN DENSMORE
By: Michael Olszewsji and Lisa Ludlow
Masters Of Rock – The Life & Times Of Jim Morrison
Vol. 1 No. 3
Very few people can legitimately claim to have truly known Jim Morrison. The three surviving members of the Doors are among that select few. They saw Morrison’s development as an artist and performer, and they witnessed his devastating decent into drugs, alcohol and depression. The group’s drummer, John Densmore, has collected his thoughts in a book entitled Riders On The Storm (Delacorte Press). We spoke with John recently about his life with the Doors, and how he’s dealt with his memories of Jim Morrison.
“He wasn’t real easy to get along with, but I really loved him for his words and his natural ability. He was real well-read when I met him….he could quote literary references all over the place. Jim had a gift for universal imagery. He’d say, ‘Make a grave for the unknown soldier nestled in your hollow shoulder.” He had melodies in his head. (Although), he didn’t know how to play an instrument. – didn’t know how to play a chord on an instrument. He sang for the first time with the Doors – he had never sung before, so the guy had a gift.
“In the beginning we were pretty confident. We though we were going to make a statement and we tried real hard to be different. Jim’s self-destruction escalated our doubts certainly escalated. It’s your friend, and he’s destroying himself and you can’t stop him. It’s painful, (but) that was part of the deal – Jim’s brilliance came along with his craziness.
“We experimented early on with psychedelics: LSD and marijuana. I was very careful about acid, and this is when it was legal. I found it to be kind of helpful to me. The idea of harder drugs – cocaine (especially) was a no-no and was linked with heroin – was very serious. When I saw the culture accept that (cocaine) I couldn’t believe it. I was really surprised.”
At first Densmore was a reluctant participant in the world or rock and roll. He’d been playing since he was a child, but his first interest was jazz.
“My early idols were all these jazz drummers that played with John Coltrane and Miles Davis, like Art Blakey. I was aware of rock and roll, but I saw all these black jazz musicians and they just really knocked me out.
“I also sensed that something new was happening in rock. Around L.A. the Byrds, Love, Capitan Beefheart – all these groups were ‘blooming.’ Over in England the Beatles and the Stones were happening, so I knew there was some movement coming. I wanted to be a part of it.
“The great thing was that I found a path. I found a career and path in life doing something that I really loved – playing music. Now, I’m involved in writing and acting. I’m really interested in any creative activity. The hard part was that there was a guy in the band who was destroying himself, and my career was directly linked to his. Well, I did what I could. I have him bad vibes. I quit the band. He knew that I was saying: This is insane. It was just too crazy. (But) I came back because I couldn’t give up. It was my path.
“I remember a lot of the early dates, but there are many I do not remember. (For example) I know that in the Dance On Fire hour long Doors video, the “Roadhouse Blues” song, the riot footage is from Cleveland….it looks like chaos, but it was actually a lot of fun. No one really hurt us or anything. (But) in the middle (years) it became a bit of a blur. I also went through a lot of stuff. I lost my brother and (had) a couple of marriages. I’m laying it all out (in my book) because I hope people, and myself included, can learn from it. I was close to some important stuff in the 60’s, and if I could share what I have, maybe it’ll help others……as well as myself.
“At one of our very first large concerts we met Paul Simon. The president of Elektra Records played Paul Simon our second album. He thought it was great. They hired us for Forest Hills in New York. The old tennis stadium held ten thousand people, and we were nervous. Jim didn’t like folk music too much, and Paul Simon came in to say ‘good luck.’ Jim kind of scowled at him. I wanted to slide into the carpet. Then we went out, and Jim just didn’t give anything until the very end – until the song ‘The End.’ Then he kind of flipped out for a minute and we left. The people were very curious looking like ‘what the hell was that?’ Then they heard ‘Scarborough Far,’ and they were happy."
John Densmore was in the awkward position of trying to deal with an artist who was seemingly hell bent on self destruction. He saw Morrison sink into a twilight world of alcohol and drugs, aiming himself toward the same tragic end of the Romantic poets and beat-ear writer whom he so much admired.
“That’s how he saw his life. Back then we didn’t communicate verbally too much. In the Sixties we would smoke a joint and say ‘Far Out’ and that was about it. I didn’t know he was an alcoholic until years later. I went into a bar we used to frequent, the bartender told me that Jim drank more than anyone he had ever seen. You know, back then we didn’t talk about it (drug abuse) that much……in that respect things are better now.”
There is a question that Densmore hates to answer: Would he do it all over again, or would he pick a different course for his life? His answer was surprising:
“I don’t regret anything. By the same token, if I said I would do I over exactly the same way, that would mean I haven’t learned anything from what I went through. It’s a double edged question, and the answers are both: yes and no.”
And what about the Doors image? Were they the dark personification of disaffected youth seen in the British special The Doors Are Open? Or, are they the misunderstood artists that many have portrayed over the years? Densmore explains:
“That special was put together by the BBC and filled with political footage making us the quintessential revolutionary American band. It was a little heavy handed. I don’t think that much of our image was consciously built. Jim was a pretty dark guy. I was your ‘peace and love’ flower child. Jim did once say that he consciously and subconsciously, built an image. Whatever manipulation there was, was the thing that turned him on. He started buying his own myth, which was a mistake.
“The spotlight of fame is dangerous. That’s why I was at first saying, ‘Why isn’t my face as big as his on the cover of the first album?’ Then, a little later, when I saw that the attention really tests your grounding, I was glad I wasn’t so much in the spotlight.
“I think this myth – ‘is he still alive? – is a bunch of bull. I can tell you – Jim self-destructed, and I want to deglamorize that. Much of my book is written in the form of a letter to Jim (like he’s still alive, or he can he me wherever he is). I think that shows how we were all obsessed with him. He had tremendous power and a great deal of creativity. We miss him, but he’s still alive in his art.
“I made a couple of albums with Ray and Robby, but we realized that without Jim we were missing a key element. I really miss what Ray and Robby and I instrumentally could do after working together (for) six years straight. (After Jim died) , I continued on with Robby in a couple of bands. Ray went solo. I stayed in music because I really loved it. I hope some day in the future we’ll be playing together. There’s nothing in the works right now….But, I’ll betcha with a few years – not trying to form a band and ‘do it again’ – but playing together for some things."
By: Michael Olszewsji and Lisa Ludlow
Masters Of Rock – The Life & Times Of Jim Morrison
Vol. 1 No. 3
Very few people can legitimately claim to have truly known Jim Morrison. The three surviving members of the Doors are among that select few. They saw Morrison’s development as an artist and performer, and they witnessed his devastating decent into drugs, alcohol and depression. The group’s drummer, John Densmore, has collected his thoughts in a book entitled Riders On The Storm (Delacorte Press). We spoke with John recently about his life with the Doors, and how he’s dealt with his memories of Jim Morrison.
“He wasn’t real easy to get along with, but I really loved him for his words and his natural ability. He was real well-read when I met him….he could quote literary references all over the place. Jim had a gift for universal imagery. He’d say, ‘Make a grave for the unknown soldier nestled in your hollow shoulder.” He had melodies in his head. (Although), he didn’t know how to play an instrument. – didn’t know how to play a chord on an instrument. He sang for the first time with the Doors – he had never sung before, so the guy had a gift.
“In the beginning we were pretty confident. We though we were going to make a statement and we tried real hard to be different. Jim’s self-destruction escalated our doubts certainly escalated. It’s your friend, and he’s destroying himself and you can’t stop him. It’s painful, (but) that was part of the deal – Jim’s brilliance came along with his craziness.
“We experimented early on with psychedelics: LSD and marijuana. I was very careful about acid, and this is when it was legal. I found it to be kind of helpful to me. The idea of harder drugs – cocaine (especially) was a no-no and was linked with heroin – was very serious. When I saw the culture accept that (cocaine) I couldn’t believe it. I was really surprised.”
At first Densmore was a reluctant participant in the world or rock and roll. He’d been playing since he was a child, but his first interest was jazz.
“My early idols were all these jazz drummers that played with John Coltrane and Miles Davis, like Art Blakey. I was aware of rock and roll, but I saw all these black jazz musicians and they just really knocked me out.
“I also sensed that something new was happening in rock. Around L.A. the Byrds, Love, Capitan Beefheart – all these groups were ‘blooming.’ Over in England the Beatles and the Stones were happening, so I knew there was some movement coming. I wanted to be a part of it.
“The great thing was that I found a path. I found a career and path in life doing something that I really loved – playing music. Now, I’m involved in writing and acting. I’m really interested in any creative activity. The hard part was that there was a guy in the band who was destroying himself, and my career was directly linked to his. Well, I did what I could. I have him bad vibes. I quit the band. He knew that I was saying: This is insane. It was just too crazy. (But) I came back because I couldn’t give up. It was my path.
“I remember a lot of the early dates, but there are many I do not remember. (For example) I know that in the Dance On Fire hour long Doors video, the “Roadhouse Blues” song, the riot footage is from Cleveland….it looks like chaos, but it was actually a lot of fun. No one really hurt us or anything. (But) in the middle (years) it became a bit of a blur. I also went through a lot of stuff. I lost my brother and (had) a couple of marriages. I’m laying it all out (in my book) because I hope people, and myself included, can learn from it. I was close to some important stuff in the 60’s, and if I could share what I have, maybe it’ll help others……as well as myself.
“At one of our very first large concerts we met Paul Simon. The president of Elektra Records played Paul Simon our second album. He thought it was great. They hired us for Forest Hills in New York. The old tennis stadium held ten thousand people, and we were nervous. Jim didn’t like folk music too much, and Paul Simon came in to say ‘good luck.’ Jim kind of scowled at him. I wanted to slide into the carpet. Then we went out, and Jim just didn’t give anything until the very end – until the song ‘The End.’ Then he kind of flipped out for a minute and we left. The people were very curious looking like ‘what the hell was that?’ Then they heard ‘Scarborough Far,’ and they were happy."
John Densmore was in the awkward position of trying to deal with an artist who was seemingly hell bent on self destruction. He saw Morrison sink into a twilight world of alcohol and drugs, aiming himself toward the same tragic end of the Romantic poets and beat-ear writer whom he so much admired.
“That’s how he saw his life. Back then we didn’t communicate verbally too much. In the Sixties we would smoke a joint and say ‘Far Out’ and that was about it. I didn’t know he was an alcoholic until years later. I went into a bar we used to frequent, the bartender told me that Jim drank more than anyone he had ever seen. You know, back then we didn’t talk about it (drug abuse) that much……in that respect things are better now.”
There is a question that Densmore hates to answer: Would he do it all over again, or would he pick a different course for his life? His answer was surprising:
“I don’t regret anything. By the same token, if I said I would do I over exactly the same way, that would mean I haven’t learned anything from what I went through. It’s a double edged question, and the answers are both: yes and no.”
And what about the Doors image? Were they the dark personification of disaffected youth seen in the British special The Doors Are Open? Or, are they the misunderstood artists that many have portrayed over the years? Densmore explains:
“That special was put together by the BBC and filled with political footage making us the quintessential revolutionary American band. It was a little heavy handed. I don’t think that much of our image was consciously built. Jim was a pretty dark guy. I was your ‘peace and love’ flower child. Jim did once say that he consciously and subconsciously, built an image. Whatever manipulation there was, was the thing that turned him on. He started buying his own myth, which was a mistake.
“The spotlight of fame is dangerous. That’s why I was at first saying, ‘Why isn’t my face as big as his on the cover of the first album?’ Then, a little later, when I saw that the attention really tests your grounding, I was glad I wasn’t so much in the spotlight.
“I think this myth – ‘is he still alive? – is a bunch of bull. I can tell you – Jim self-destructed, and I want to deglamorize that. Much of my book is written in the form of a letter to Jim (like he’s still alive, or he can he me wherever he is). I think that shows how we were all obsessed with him. He had tremendous power and a great deal of creativity. We miss him, but he’s still alive in his art.
“I made a couple of albums with Ray and Robby, but we realized that without Jim we were missing a key element. I really miss what Ray and Robby and I instrumentally could do after working together (for) six years straight. (After Jim died) , I continued on with Robby in a couple of bands. Ray went solo. I stayed in music because I really loved it. I hope some day in the future we’ll be playing together. There’s nothing in the works right now….But, I’ll betcha with a few years – not trying to form a band and ‘do it again’ – but playing together for some things."
