Interview Text....
Interview Text....
This interview took place at The House Of Blues on Thursday, May 18, 1995.
The three original members, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore
were live in the Rocktropolis Chat Room and on CUseeMe. It was very lively
and fast moving so we apologise for not relaying who said what in some
cases. Also, often questions continue to be asked why the band is talking,
or questions get answered later on. If you think the transcript is
confusing now, then you should have seen it before it was edited!!
The_Doors: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Doors are here, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore.
Piranha: hello
wyzardking: Yeah!
Piranha: where are they
The_Doors: get your questions ready.
The_Doors: ready?
Question?: when did you guys first get the idea to make this
album, American Prayer?
The_Doors: After his death there was some recordings of poetry that Jim had recorded on his birthday.
The Doors: (Robby) I said to myself, gee, I bet you the doors could put some music
tot that and it would be cool and Jim would love it. So we did.
The_Doors: Jim didn't think of the idea of putting music to the poetry--in
fact he hired Fred Myro, and something happened that the project didn't get
finished.
The Doors: (John) (joke)--Jim died. (ironic)
The_Doors: the point is, Jim did have music in mind with the poetry. So we
finished it for him.
The_Doors: I remember when we were listening to the original. stuff,
a bird flew in to the living room.
The Doors: We all got together for the first time to discuss this idea......
The Doors: So we're in this guy's house and all of a sudden there's a bird
in the room. It flew around and round. We said, okay, jim's here. Let's do it!
The Doors: in classic mythology the bird is the symbol of the soul.
The_Doors: Living beings who haven't exited their fleshy forms. The bird was
the soul of jim.
The_Doors: then he picKed up a glass of Jack Daniels...
The_Doors: so they can capture our soul through technology?
The_Doors: This is the first time for us and we will be logging on very
soon.
The_Doors: Robbie will. He's a tech head.
The_Doors: The doors will have their own spot on the internet.
DRulz: ahh I see...
DRulz: coolness!
campusman: yes!!!
sunshine: hey!!!!any hidden trax on this new release?
The_Doors: he recorded this poetry on his last birthday, 1971.
The_Doors: ask questions, real questions.
jason: Whats new on the cd version of american prayer?
wyzardking: Robbie, how do you feel about a WWW site devoted to Doors
tablature?
The_Doors: That's called highway. You can find it at the new video...if
you keep a quick eye open on the new video for ghost song, you will see
bits and pieces. Entire is unavailable.
sunshine: how do you feel about spoken word poetry being picked up today?
jim started it 20 yrs ago..
New Tracks? Singles?
The_Doors: a single called the ghost song. New track is Bird of prey, an acapella vocal
by Jim singing.
The_Doors: bird of prey is exactly the way Jim would sing a song to us when we
were first getting started on some new number.
The_Doors: when he sang bird of prey to me
The_Doors: it was so sweet and vulnerable as an acapella.
palmetto: I heard BIRD Of PRAY on a boot..I loved it... its kind of short..was
winter photography or underwaterfall added??
Matthew: Is there any plans for a box set?
QUESTION RE. THE POPULARITY OF SPOKEN WORD.
The_Doors: we're thrilled that mtv has had spoken word and all over the
country there are beatniks in coffee houses. we're real happy. poetry has
always been as important as rock and roll. we thought of jim's words ars
poetry and set them in our format.
The_Doors: (John) i joined the band because i wanted to drum to jim's poetry. i
htough it would be far out.
The_Doors: and groovy.
DRulz: I am 16...I really feel like I missed out on a lot of historic
musical history...
flames: how do you feel that most of the 60's-70's music was created with
heavy drugs, today it's a cleaner world but a little sterile, don't you
think?
The_Doors: we only make them one at a time. we're concerned aobut this one
now. the future is unertain. wide open. infinity is always near.
Difficult to say.
Re:QUESTION: new material
The_Doors: unless jim comes back. It looks doubtful.
The_Doors: about the 60s and 70s and drugs.
=+= MoonChild has entered the chat room =+=
MoonChild: hehehe
DRulz: what are you talk ing about?
MoonChild: wow
MoonChild: lots of ppl
Alex: goodbye
sunshine: are you thrilled w/ the fact that your music is timeless & bands
such as pearl jam...nirvana etc have you as being an influence?
The_Doors: well, i think the drugs of today are meth, which will drive you
insane. the guy in japan who dropped the y busted him for making meth.
the guys who bombed the oklahoma. buidling were associted with Arizona meth
scene. it's the worst pssible drug. it harbors paranoia within its genetic makeup. you become strange dark andparanoid. worst thing.
DRulz: well, I missed out on experiencing Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, a lot of
the 60s rock and 70s rock....and beatlemania...
The_Doors: in the 60s it was psychedelics, which helps you become
creative and opens your mind. In the 90s its heavy drugs which don't do good.
palmetto: What about Winter Photography..that i heard without backup music
is that gonna be released..anytime soon?
DRulz: I would do anything to live during that time..
flames: being the doors, who are some of the cool people you have been able
to meet?
The_Doors: cocaine, etc., are body numbers but don't do anythign for your
brain. in the 60s you never saw those drugs, it was consciousness
expanding.
The_Doors: let me add, in the 90sthere are some people who shouldn't even
dabble and that's why all these sub. abuse clincs. Know who are and act
acordingsly.
fred: doors will you be getting on stage together anywhere?
The_Doors: Nancy regean was too simplistic, big diference between pot and
crack!
DRulz: I think the thing you did with Eddie Vedder was cool
The_Doors: I think if you're an addict there oughta be a place where you
can go, see a doctor and receive the medical help you need without going into the street
to scam, rob, steal,
The_Doors: go to a local doc and get help.
The_Doors: the only alternative you have is to rob and steal. Give them something
to keep them under control.
Piranha: do you guys think Glenn Danzig is ripping jim off
DRulz: hehe...yeah, he does sound like him
The_Doors: England has progs now where you an get any drug you want
and total low crime rates, no drug lords.
theresa: vedder?
sunshine: what did you think of the film "the doors"?
The_Doors: but we can't do it because. of purita ial foundations puritianical
stance is wrong in response to people's sicknesses. It has to be handled as
such. If you are an addict you should be able to see a doctor to cure its
sickness.
The_Doors: glen danzig...
The_Doors: no not at all!!!!
The_Doors: i think he's a much larger body than Jim was, so....he reallyl
pumps the iron.
The_Doors: no he's not ripping jim off, he's emulating him but that's okay.
he's allowed. jim would be pleased.
Piranha: hahaha
DRulz: cool
The_Doors: have you met any interesting people
The_Doors: I met dorothy fujikawa in an art class. i thought she was so
interesting i married her. we're still married.
DRulz: The Doors: what do you think about heavy metal bands out today? such
as Metallica and Megadeth...
Piranha: go drulz..
The_Doors: we met one day while recordring, the sherrif of LA, Tom
Reddin and Michelangelo Antonioni.
Helen: heh
theresa: hehe
The_Doors: They all came in together to the recording studio--we were running to
hide the joints! We thought they were going to arrest us. jim had run into
them at an art opening and he told them to come over
sunshine: what bands do you think would be influential now?
=+= Amy has left the chat room =+=
The_Doors: So the chief of police in a recording session
The_Doors: i met donavan. He thought i was john sebastian.
palmetto: The_DOORS : What about bootlegs do you think they are an asset to
allow fans to here some rarer tunes or a problem to the music industry??
The_Doors: john....hello, wait a minute. You're not j sebastian , are you?
But...you are...somebody. I couldn't resist. don, i called him
don, We are all somebody. And we never spoke again.
The_Doors: Danny; We used to run into Donavan at the Maha Reishi's
meditation festival.
The_Doors: in 1965.
The_Doors: Robby Kreider and I went to maha risihi also two years before
the beatles. now it's the mcdonalds of spirituality.
The_Doors: at the time it was the study of yoga nand mantras. mantras are
an internally spoken word... lets you obtain reduced state of calming
consciousness, scatterin of mind. I took it because of lsd bummners. I
thought i had to find another way to stay on natural high
The_Doors: rebhab of the 0s. And i met them in that class, jim from film
school...that's where the indian spirituality comes from.
jason: so what _do_ you think of the newer music??
The_Doors: about heavy metal bands.
Piranha: hehe
The_Doors: heavy metal is not representative of the entire music of today.
DRulz: Metallica and Megadeth
The_Doors: heavy metal is done with.
DRulz: what do ya think
The_Doors: my son has a great group called blood line. The're alternative
blues based rock.
The_Doors: i find it interesting that htere are a lot of peole listening to
music in another language. brazilian, etc., it doesn't matter what they're
saying. World music is what's going to be happening once this millenium is
over with.
Matthew: Probably robby
The_Doors: At the moment I see music as too comparmentalized, i'm that, we're this,
wer're that. We're all trying to find our ethnic or sociological core. Who is
a part of that core? We'rw banding together for the last 5 ears before the
end of the century. Some believe in n apocalypse others
The_Doors:.. time goes
infinitely on. i believe. i don't think the world is coming to an end.
The_Doors: who asked?
jason: do you think any bands today have the potential to be as big as you?
The_Doors: about bands of today being as big as us.
The_Doors: there are zollons of bands bigger. in the days when we were
peaking we never thought of ourselveds as big. wE thought of ourselves as
underground. Our biggest concernts were 10,000. now you get shows with
200,000. 200,000 and the promoter isn't even happy with that.
The_Doors: why is your music still going after 25 years.
The_Doors:(John) I've said before, it's the drumming.(joke)
The_Doors: drumming .
The_Doors: drumming.
jason: ok how about bands with as long a lasting effect?
The_Doors: the music and lyrics are about the human condition, what it
means to be alive in post ww2. we came in mid to late 60s. we're now at
end of 20th century. but the values, what we were seeking in the 6os are no different.
from today. that's why the music has lasted.
The_Doors: the music addresses what it means to be alive. the purpose of
existence, how do i as a young person get free of knots, chains, bonds that
bind me. people need it desprately today cause they're bombing
buildings and shooting rifles and militia is going mad. USA has gone into astate of severe madeness. i hope everyone online is
working for peace, love, harmnoy and brotherhood.
The_Doors: Question: the name the doors?.
Piranha: doors of perception..
The_Doors: Opening the doors of perception. Aldous Huxley. Blake... If the
doors of perception were cleansed, man would see things as they are,
infinite.
DRulz: yep
The_Doors: We are the doors. opening the doors of perception;.
The_Doors: Question from press: did your name make you larger than that?
The_Doors: we coulda been the floors.
The_Doors: I never liked the way the name sonded. It sounds dark.
The_Doors: I think at the time the groups had names like strawberry alarm clock,
moby grape. The doors is tight and simple and metaphor for going in and
out.
Matthew: but you are dark
The_Doors: backwards means something in arabic.
In response to a question about never having seen the band
The_Doors: have you seen the doors at hollywood bowl vid? couple of videos
avail at local video store. doors at hollywood bowl, doors in europe,
Bonger: How involved where you guys in making the DOORS movie?
Re. Playing live in the future and at Rock n Roll Hall of Fame
The_Doors: we jammed with eddie vedder at hall of fame. maybe the three of
us will be playing at house of blues in the future. maybe on tv with some other great guest musicians.
DRulz: yeah...
The_Doors: we had such a good time at rok n roll hall of fame with eddie.
eddie was agreat. the chance to play light my fire again was a great deal
of fun.
palmetto: The_Doors: whats going to become of the 4 hours of poetry
recordedin 69 and 70?..is there going to An American Prayer Vol.2???
Piranha: i wish
The_Doors: eddie didn't make the rehearsal cause he drove frm seattle in
the worst rain storm. he wanted to live the lyrics, keep your eyes on the
rroad and your hands on the wheel... he got snowed in.
The_Doors: eddie has as touch of the shaman himself. like jim's tendency.
eddie has the same sort of thing. when he was doing roadhouse blues and light my
fire, althought he was singing our songs, he brought his own shamanic thing
to the doors. morrison and vedder share the same space.
The_Doors: about 4 hors of poetry in 69-70...
The_Doors: no.
The_Doors: no volume two.
TheHoodedGroover: lots of people here!
The_Doors: i wouldnt' consider it until people know the first volume. in
american prayer. ther's a lot of stuf in there. if you can quote lines
from am. prayer, only then will we think about it. there isnt' four
hours....
The_Doors: we'vealready pulled out the best stuff Lots of repeats.
flames: when does it come out?
The_Doors: i want to hear someone come up to me and say her c*nt gripped him
like a warm friendly hand.
The_Doors: ow!!!!!
Piranha: hehe
The_Doors: ode to my c*ck sore and crucified, I seek to know you.
The_Doors: we can do this on the internet!!!
The_Doors: not on radio
>
The_Doors: !
The_Doors: you can't do anything with television!
Bonger: hehe
Piranha: boys get crazy in the head...i sacrifice my c*ck on the altar of
silence
The Doors: lock the doors before the cops come.
Piranha: how that
The_Doors: i love that part of ameridan prayer becuase it appeasl to male
and female. as a woman you can think about...
The_Doors: okay.
The_Doors: next question.
Anyonehearme: That reminds me of your Ed Sullivan appearance!
Anyonehearme: Could Jim have recited American Prayer on Ed Sullivan?
DRulz: If I had to say, I would consider the Beatles, and you guys my
favorite bands...
Matthew: Robby, you seem to travel around a little. Will you be in the
Ottawa or Toronto area again some day soon?
The_Doors: about toronto.
The_Doors: well, as soon as monetary situation gets better up there.
palmetto: The_Doors : how about all of the bootlegs..many available
through telnetable locations around the internet are they good or bad for
the doors as you see it??
Junk: I doubt that
The_Doors: the dollar is not in good shape...yours that is. I'm sure we
will.
jerome: hi, all
The_Doors: ed sullian Q...
The_Doors: the ghost song, he could have done. no filthy words. no words
pertaining to female anatomy
Junk: hello
The_Doors: we asked if thhey would show jim from the waist down, but they
refused.(joke)
TheHoodedGroover: QUESTION. Did the Doors like the film Oliver stone made
about them? (i did)
The_Doors: Press: video. for american prayer.
DRulz: haha...
The_Doors: hopefully we'll play it here.
Junk: John didn
Piranha: doors: would you guys ever re-relsease the end with all the 'f**k
your moms' in them?
RE. NEW VIDEO
The_Doors: we had fun doing that. they shot us in the studio workin on the
album and we had always wanted to intercut stilLs of jim aND archiVal indian
footage, stuff from hwy.
The_Doors: i like it.
Piranha: hehe had to ask
The_Doors: it's a good vid.
The_Doors: touting our own, but it's great.
The_Doors: native am. foOtage from edward s. curtis shot in seattle area
with Quechotal indians up there.
?
flames: robbie, i saw you jam with B.O.C. back in the the late 80's
jerome: who can help me, i want to see the conference , not only word...
it's overruN
The_Doors: ancient indians jim footage, doors in rec. stud, all blendin
together in indian tribal beat with j reading poetry.
The_Doors: jim seeing his parents before they were born.
The_Doors: when the womb door is open that you can choose the warm friendly
hand when those two things come together. you as a soul can choose to meet
into that particular opening in a mother's womb.
The_Doors: choose the ancient ones, the time has come again...it's the
elders and people who have died guiding the soul as to where to go.
,P>
The_Doors: Q about movie...
The_Doors: oliver stone.
The_Doors: not an acurate portrayal. jim was not a drunken idiot asshole.
The_Doors: val kilmer did a great job
Anyonehearme: Will someone post a transcript of this conference??
jason: I heard ther'es a doors box set when is that comming out?
The_Doors: oliver stone did not.
The_Doors: i can't remember all thoes naked girls running on stage.
,P>
flames: do you think the movie was a little "lite"?
The_Doors: i kept my head down into the music.
jerome: l
The_Doors: i am sorry.
DRulz: what about the Indian thing...
Bonger: How do you think Oliver Stone protrayed you guys?
The_Doors: i think we wouldve stopped playing if that had happened. that
would have been warm hand gripping on stage.
Piranha: yeah did indians really dance on stage with you guys
The_Doors: that was not he way we knew jim. mroe funny, more intellectual, a
lot funnnier, and better looking.
The_Doors: the way we were portrayed..
The_Doors: for the three minutes each of us had...(joke)
The_Doors: i'm friends with tim robbins, the actor, he said, you're smarter
than kevin dillon.
The_Doors: kevin are you listtening?
Piranha: i like the cameo you guys did though ,P>
palmetto: what about the last show..New orleans is there any tape of that
locked away some where??
The_Doors: Kyle McLaughlin,,,Kyle is wonderful, intelligent, but I would
advise a little hemp plant for the character.
The_Doors: I objet to the heavy metal wig.
DRulz: What do you think about the people who played your parts
,P>
The_Doors: and the turtle neck and medallion.
jason: I heard ther's a doors box set when is that coming o
The_Doors: which he put to use. he got a gig in a movie playin Djhano
Reinhardt.
The_Doors: Swing kids.
The_Doors: was the last concert ...footage...
The_Doors: i hope not. That was the night that you saw Jim 's spirit
leave his body. You' can't capture it on film. you have to be in psychic
communication if you want to see the spirit leaving, but it can't be
caputred on film. he cracked a couple good jokes that night
The_Doors:(john) i saw the spirit enter jim's body in the form of glug, glug,
glug...(joke)
The_Doors: gluk gluk
The_Doors: no drink
Bonger: Seems that in the book the Lizard King, there are many
inconsistanys from the movie.
The_Doors: QUESTION doors box set?.
,P>
The_Doors: later.
The_Doors: in 96.
Piranha: cool
,P>
The_Doors: as to what's on it, we' haven't figured it out.
.
jason: cool! can't wait.
The_Doors: definitely some unreleased material.
Piranha: doors: put the unreleased tracks on it!
The_Doors: in near future.QUESTION FUTURE PROJECTS
The_Doors:(JOHN) i'm writing a novel.
The_Doors: that keeps me busy.
The_Doors: i don't know what it's called.
The_Doors: no titles.
The_Doors: it's the answer to robert macnamera's book tragedy of vietnam.
Piranha: is it a romance novel? just kidding
theresa: book about what?
theresa: oh
The_Doors: you say my letter, right? It's everythin that was going on in
this country, not vietnam.
The_Doors: the whole point of what the sixties were about It's going to be
good.
DRulz: what about the "Swingin doors...nah...I dunno :)
The_Doors: (Robbie)I have an album called RKO live, my band will be playing around
the country and a live show. trying to work on some film soundtrack.
The_Doors: (Rayworking with a poet from SF, michael mclure. He's a beatniCk, good friend of
jim's. poetry, jazz, improvise etc.
The_Doors: you can hear ray mansarek play piano with michael mclure.
palmetto: i read rays comment in the Kerouac CD collection...to what extent
do you think that was true.."without kerouacs on the road ..the doors never
would have formed"???
Piranha: have you guys been to the City LIghts bookstore in SF
The_Doors: (John) i do college lecture tour for authors reading work. I play
drums, I read but it's like performance art. hopefully it's an experience as opposed to just a talking head.
The_Doors: cd rom?
The_Doors: you too can be a door.
Matthew: The song Hyacinth House always brings images to my mind of jim's
slow self destruction. I find it very sad. What do you guys think of that
song. What does I see the bathroom is clear mean?
The_Doors: I think we'll title it that. You too. And send it off to bono.(joke)
The_Doors: i don't like the idea of audience messing with music.
The_Doors: a lot of people have approached and we're mulling. eventually.
We wont' let them go into every door.
The_Doors: you can 't remix our songs.
The_Doors: all you can do is raise volume etc.
The_Doors: you can't change the eq.
The_Doors: you will be able to.
DRulz: hehe...yeah
The_Doors: are you kidding?
The_Doors: i can with my computer.
matt: Jim would have loved it
matt: Doors: if Morrison were alive today, what kind of music would you
guys be into making?
matt: Doors: if the Doors were still fully intact today, where would
they be musically?
matt: what's the most accurate book?
matt: biography
The_Doors: peter gabriel stuff you can mess with the magic.
The_Doors: i find that
The_Doors: i don't think people are interested in mixing doors songs.
The_Doors: cd om, there will be a cd rom, I don't know when. we're starting
with cd rom single of ghost song.
The_Doors: doors interactive for sure.
Piranha: how about doors video game
theresa: cool
The_Doors: applause, all done. wave good bye to online audience.
jason: bye doors!! Thanks!!!
Matthew: booo. I want more!
Piranha: the anti climatic end is here
Piranha: hehe
Junk: Was that really the doors?
matt: what would Jim think of all this ?
Junk: It's just now sinking in that they were here, and I wasn't prepared.