Doors AOL Online Interview 7-20-95

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Doors AOL Online Interview 7-20-95

AOL Online Interview 7-20-95
OnlineHost: Your host for tonight's event is CSEMCEE11 (Bob XR)!

CSEMCEE11: Welcome to AOL Live, Guys!

DOORSLV: Ray: Yeah this is Ray Manzarek.

CSEMCEE11: Here's your first question from our audience:

Question: As a group, what do you think was the most memorable moment you
had together?

DOORSLV: The first time we played "Moonlight Drive" together. We got high
and I showed Robby the chord changes and he pulled out his bottleneck and we
were off.

Question: Compared to everything I have read by J. Hopkins, "D. Sugerman,"
the movie left out many important qualities of Jim Morrison, and was not an
accurate portrayal. What are your opinions of the movie?

DOORSLV: The movie was not very accurate! Jim was much more intelligent and
soft and pure and fine. A Poet and an artist. The movie never really showed
that side of Jim.

Question: Welcome, Gentlemen. When will you be playing together in concert
again? Tonight?

DOORSLV: Robby says, "Not tonight but maybe in the future. Who knows? The
future is uncertain and the end is...well...infinite! Don't you think?

Question: Is Elektra going to release a Doors boxed set? Also, are there
plans to release more videos containing the concert footage that is out
there?

DOORSLV: John says, "Box set in a year or two. Maybe Christmas of 96.
Videos! Have you seen 'The Doors Live AT the Hollywood Bowl?' Also 'Dance On
Fire?' "

Question: Are there going to be any Doors tribute albums to be made in the
near future?

DOORSLV: Ray: Maybe.

DOORSLV: Robby: Depends what you mean by the near future.

DOORSLV: John: It's not up to us unless WE do a tribute, but how do you a
tribute to yourself?

DOORSLV: Ray: I'd like to do some Doors songs with other artists like Crisy
Hynde and Annie Lennox.

DOORSLV: Robby: I may sit in with Plant and Page in England in the next
month or so.

Question: "American Prayer" is a gold CD like "The Doors" and "Strange Days"
and "Waiting for the Sun "and "LA Woman?"

DOORSLV: No, it's not! It's regular and not as expensive as gold. But that
gold does sound good. Don't it?

Question: Any plans to play together anymore like you did at the Rock N Roll
Hall of Fame?

DOORSLV: At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in September? So call the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame and tell them who you want the Doors to play with like
Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Van Morrison or Who?

Question: John, did you ever expect that something you did as a young man
would have such a long-lasting influence upon your life?

DOORSLV: No, I didn't, in fact I hoped this band would have lasted 10 years.
Frig, it's been a long time. Ray says the band would have lasted 5 years, but
instead it's been 25 years. Thanks to all of you guys out there.

Question: Do Ray or Robby plan to write a book like John did?

DOORSLV: "If I ever get bored enough," says Robby.

DOORSLV: Ray says, "In the 21st century," and John says, "Book writing is
not as exciting as playing in a band, but I can do it alone and I don't have
to depend on screwed up musicians."

DOORSLV: Ray says, "I can do other alone." Do you guys?

Question: How many Doors records have you made without Jim Morrison? I have
the record "Other Voices" and thought it was pretty good.

DOORSLV: "Full Circle" is the other one. It's pretty good too.

Question: Do you wish that people would stop obsessing about the past and
move on?

DOORSLV: Yes.

Question: What would you say to today's youth about drugs, sex and rock &
roll?

DOORSLV: No white powder or brown powder. Don't put anything up your nose.
Stay strictly psychedelic. And John would like to add that there are others
that should stay strictly sober and find out who you are.

DOORSLV: Robby says, "Don't follow Jim's example with liquor. It killed
him."

Question: Any explanation for the ever-increasing popularity of The DOORS
with teenagers?

DOORSLV: "The drumming. The sheer power of the drumming," says John. Ha
ha ha.

DOORSLV: Robby says, "A honest message comes from the music, not from the
money."

DOORSLV: "Money is the root of all pain," says Ray.

Question: Are there any lost tracks of the Doors music that could be
released as a new album?

DOORSLV: Yeah, except that they're lost. There were sh#$# load of them, but
they got lost because we were stoned. Ha ha ha.

Question: Why did you guys wait so long to come out with "American Prayer"
on CD?

DOORSLV: Because they weren't ready for "Spoken Word" and because in the
last few years "Spoken Word" has become big with young people like Henry
Rollins, beatniks, coffee houses. So now was the time to release "American
Prayer."

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Question: Are there any plans to include Atlanta in your tour schedule in
the near future? I'm 51 years old, and I still like your music. Good Luck!

DOORSLV: Ray says, "We are not touring or going on the road! That is a false
rumor. Besides, Atlanta wouldn't let The Doors play there after Miami.

Question: With a new album coming out, what direction are you taking and how
do you see old Doors fans reacting?

DOORSLV: We're goin in a spoken word direction, and we hope the fans will
like and understand the poetry of Jim Morrison.

Question: How much of "American Prayer" was recorded before, and what all
did you do new?

DOORSLV: Almost all of it. 90% is from 1978. We added three new...ALL NEW
bonus tracks!

Question: Why was "The Doors" chosen as a name?

DOORSLV: It comes from Aldus Huxley's book "The Doors of Perception."

Question: When will we see a book about Jim coming from you?

DOORSLV: John has a book about Jim called "Riders on the Storm." It's in
your local book store.

Question: What's your favorite cut from the new album?

DOORSLV: "Ghost Song Part II."

Question: Speaking of the Stone movie, Ray, I heard you were going to offer
your own version?

DOORSLV: No, I'm not going to do a movie about the Doors.

Question: Have you had any adverse reaction to recording new music for Jim's
poetry for the new release?

DOORSLV: No. Everyone seems to love it and think it fits Jim's poetry.

Question: Ray, have you done any other adaptation projects since "Carmina
Burana"?

DOORSLV: Yes. My solo album called, "The Golden Scarab," is on CD and came
out about a year and a half ago on Polygram.

Question: Ray, are you still involved in music projects in the LA area or
anywhere?

DOORSLV: I play with Michael McClure, a beatnik poet and friend of Jim's.

Question: Would you like to do something with Eddie Vedder again?

DOORSLV: Yes. Sure he it a great singer.

Question: Your music is timeless considering the last material released was
like 20 years ago. What do you think is the most important aspect of your
music that keeps it "Timeless?"

DOORSLV: The sheer power and the heft of the drumming . :-> The snaky
bottleneck guitar and the Aaron Coplan piano. The compositional genius of
Robby Krieger. =->

Question: I saw a sign for a concert called "The Soft Parade" with you guys
and someone else singing Jim's lines. What is this about?

DOORSLV: One of the many Doors clone groups.

Question: Of all the songs, which are you most proud of?

DOORSLV: All of them.

Question: How did you come up with words to your songs? I try to write but I
can never come up with words?

DOORSLV: Since we can't ask Jim, we have to ask Robby. Robby says, "First
you come up with the music, then put the words to the music. You have to
experience life and put the experience to words."

Question: How do you think The Doors have affected today's modern music?

DOORSLV: Positively.

Question: How is it that you didn't have a bassist as part of the group?

DOORSLV: We auditioned lots of bass players, but we sounded like the Rolling
Stones and there wasn't a need for another Rolling Stones. So we used Ray's
left hand as our bass player and it worked out pretty good (when he wasn't
using his left hand for something else).

Question: Did you donate anything to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

DOORSLV: Yes. Robby says a guitar, Ray's Vox organ, John's drum set, and
many articles from Jim's childhood like his Cub Scout uniform.

Question: Do any of you have e-mail addresses?

DOORSLV: Not yet, but soon.

Question: Will there be any other albums by you guys?

DOORSLV: A box set, Christmas 94 maybe.

Question: What made the Doors decide to do the new album?

DOORSLV: 96

Question: Where can we get the words to your songs. They don't print them on
the CD's.

DOORSLV: All the words are on "American Prayer" and Robby has a new album
out now on One Way records called "RKO Live." And John is producing a new
singer songwriter named John Coinman. And The Doors say, "Thanks, Everybody!
We love you madly."

CSEMCEE11: We have time for one last question.

Question: What bands are each of you currently involved in? I know Robby is,
but...

DOORSLV: Ray is playing with poet and beatnik Michael McClure and Robby is
going to Europe in the middle of June.

DOORSLV: In another 5 minutes, we'll take this conversation to the HoB chat
lounge on AOL b/c we're having so much fun.

OnlineHost: All good things must end. We've run out of time for this event!

OnlineHost: Copyright 1995 America Online,