Interview with John Densmore
Beater Magazine - October 1996

What resembles one day ordinary of the old beater of Doors?

John Densmore : I rise around 7 hours of the morning, I make my yoga and I have my breakfast with my son who is 4 years old. Then, I work on my novel. I also do a little exercise, the walking or the horse. I also work with a composer-songwriter, John Coinman. We assembled a group together and carried out some demonstrations. I play there of the battery. I hope that that will lead to an album.

How would you describe the music of it?

John Densmore : Let us say that it is rock' roll with Zen texts. It is the sound of South-west, the sound of the desert (of Arizona and New Mexico, in the western south of the United States NDR)

Are you always implied in the business of Doors?

John Densmore : Yes, such as for example for the republication of "Year American Prayer", the album of poetry of Jim (appeared last year out of CD NDR). We worked thus above in studio and carried out a video of one of the titles, that MTV refused besides to diffuse in the United States because it belongs to the category "texts spoken". Everywhere else in the world one can see this video. I believe that the United States is really late. This country made a brutal turn on the right, consequently arts really do not count. The Republican estimate that it is necessary to reduce the appropriations for the education of the children and the culture in order to balance the budget of the State. But good, I become political there...

There is no evil. With Robbie Kieger and Ray Manzarek you left two albums under the name of Doors after death Jim Morrison.

John Densmore : We did not want to give up our musical complicity, without claiming to replace Jim. Who could we have found to thread its leather trousers? (laughter) Ray and Robbie thus tried to sing, ah, ah, ah. With the second album, we started to dispute us and we decided that it was time that each one follows its own way, our figurehead having rotten the camp.

And you, you launched out in a career of actor...

John Densmore : It had sometimes happened to me to play of the battery for theatre companies, theatre of before guard, in particular for Actor' S Gang which the actor Tim Robbins directed before it is not famous. It was super. In "Circa", another part of Éduardo Pavlovsky, an Argentinian playwright, the director invited me to play of the battery. This part treated relations between a man and a woman, it then convinced me to hold the principal role with my wife, who is an actress. I thus found beater and actor all at the same time. My wife also wanted to play a little battery to balance the dialogues. I gave him some lessons. It is an interesting part.

The first album of Doors left in 1967. Almost thirty years later, the group rejoué in Rock' Roll Hall Of Fame, and you sounded in an incredibly coherent way.

John Densmore : This meeting is due to Eddie Vedder de Pearl Jam, it wanted to sing with us, it was fantastic. One played Break One Through, Roadhouse Blues and Light My Fire. Ah! what a foot!

In your biography, Riders One The Storm, you affirm that "Strange Days" and "L.A. Woman" are your preferred albums. Which do you like less?

John Densmore : "Waiting For The Sun". Jim began his self-destruction, and I was devastated. I had even decided to leave the group, but I returned the following day in studio, I could not solve me to give up the music, this way of life which I had found with Doors. However our singer was destroying itself. On scene, it was large, super. But this album marked its descent. It drank dry, it was really sick, it was an alcoholic, it was at his place a biological problem. With "Waiting For The Sun", I am still not packed by our first album, on the other hand I love much the second, "Strange Days", because we were more at ease in studio and because we experienced much. Each one of us had already good musical experience.

At my beginnings, I one was bitten of the jazz, I disparaged even the rock' roll. But when Beatles unloaded, I thought: "Good God, it is nutcase! ". And all gently I connected on the rock'n'roll, the blues and all the toutim. But I started with the jazz. I thus had this experience before meeting Doors, and Jim had read all that the world counts as delivers, it could play with the words. When I met Ray, we spoke about Coltrane and of Miles, we had same the influences. When we played together, the power was on instantaneously. Recently, I went to see Elvin Jones, I benefitted from it to give him my book. I was rather intimidated because the jazz it is art, and I thought that it would have taken top the rock' roll. I said to him: "In this chapter, I wrote that it is you who influenced my play of hand" He was so nice that that deeply touched me. It was if one to be able to thank somebody. I copied each one of his plans, I were able to reproduce his style, although I never played thus with Doors. Nevertheless my roots are there, Elvin gave me all my technique.

It is true that your play was more based on a work with the hands with the feet.

John Densmore : Like Mitch Mitchell, I have a very fast set of hands, it is because of the influence of the old school jazz and bebop. My feet are not also fast. When the jazz fusion arrived, that killed me: these types "pedalled" so quickly! I had job! At the end of the 60' S, Ginger Baker was the beater number 1, and in more one large soloist. It had more technique than me. But God thank you, the technique is not all. I am more a musician guide, and Bruce Springteen said to me to the ceremony of the Hall of Fame which my originality lay in my manner of managing silence. As in The End where I balanced just a blow of large case that-and-there. I do not know how to explain my style, I can only say that I attentively listened to the words while trying to be musical.

All things considered, you had already a gift for the dramaturgy...

John Densmore : Yes, and to play on the dynamic ones: to play with power then suddenly to play very gently. It is what allured me with Doors.

I suppose that you must appreciate a group as Nirvana which accentuates also this dynamic effect?

John Densmore : Oh yes, it was a marvellous group.

Precisely, which music do you listen today?

John Densmore : Of all, Pas too much grunge or rap, but I respect and admire these musics and I am happy that that exists. I am interested in the world music, I find attractive that the Anglo-Saxon countries listen to music sung in other languages, it is rather healthy. One can collect the gasoline of a culture through his music, without passing obligatorily by the literary expression.

Doors never had of bass player on scene, on the other hand it was the case in studio.

John Densmore : The Moog synthetizer did not exist yet, but Ray played of the keyboard low Fender Rhodos. We thought that that sounded well and that we could do without the bass player thus, it was our "difference". All was good to be different. But in studio Fender Rhodos did not sound as well. For the second album, we have volunteer various bass players, but they took again exactly what Ray played on scene.

In concert, did you play differently to compensate for the absence of bass player?

John Densmore : To play with the left hand of Ray instead of a true bass player was rather interesting for a beater. I had to work hard to maintain the same tempo as Ray. When it left in solo with its right hand, it tended to accelerate its left hand, and I was to follow it. But on another side, if there had been a bass player, it would have played more notes. I thus had more space which I filled with comments percussifs and accents in response to the song of Jim.

How was your battery granted?

John Densmore : Enough slackened and according to the grid agreements of the piece. I began the battery whereas I was with the college, in the brass band, which gave me upon the departure a good idea of what was the play in group. After I played in all kinds of contexts: full orchestras, groups of ball, all. I had good bases, that helped me to include/understand how each instrument functioned, how to regulate the levels, equalization, effects. Then, I developed only what some describe like "a style and a single sound". I like that the skins are really slackened, of old rotted skins. Écoutez Hello I Coils You for example, one hears well that the skins are really old, it is what gives all its personality to the sound of battery in this song. But when the skins finished by me releasing and that I was to put the new ones, it was necessary me to support their quite own sonority during several weeks, it was horrible. However, I was not worried so much an agreement until I know my first experiment in studio.

Speak to us about your battery of the time.

John Densmore : My first battery was Gretsch, then I played Ludwig during years. Today I have Pearl with a clear case Ludwig.

Did you keep the battery with which you made your first meeting with Doors?

John Densmore : Not, there remains to me only the clear case and Tom bass, and one of my battery decorates Hard rock Hotel with Las Vegas (laughter).

L.A. Woman, of the album of the same name, comprises a complex structure with changes of rates/rhythms and tempos, this song was however recorded live in studio.

John Densmore : At the base, it was about something moreover bluesy and we tested various rates/rhythms. Jim in another part, was isolated from us. The preceding albums much were structured than this one. The first album was rather live, then we tried to make our "Pepper Sergeant". For "L.A. Woman", our last album (with Jim Morrison NDR), we did not want to trouble us about technology, we thus decided to record on line with one 8 tracks. The 16 tracks existed already, and had used we it for the preceding album, "Morrison Hotel", but we wanted to record "L.A. Woman" in a studio of repetition, to be releases, and to produce ourselves. The result is rough with many feeling.

The Doors be part of your everyday life.  Be a " former Doors ", isn't that right too heavy to bear sometimes? 

John Densmore: Yes and no.  That gives me certainly the liberty to write a novel.  But it is necessary to be worthy of this inheritance.  For example, there was an entitled film Strange Days (title of an album of the Doors NDR), that I did not see but of which I only read a critic.  Well that it is realized by a woman, it is a matter of an of these extremist films violents that claim to denounce the violence.  One there sees rapes and murders, and really, not some one has enough?  Then, I did gift to an association that comes to the aid of the violence victims of all money that I received rights of authors of the title.  I thought that my karma would not be clean if I accepted this money. 

Do you have other projects outside of the music, theater and literature? 

John Densmore: outside of our work of actor, my woman and me let us are implied in the " Men's Group's " (literally " group of men " NDR, movement that works on the group psychothérapie).  The goal of these groups is to divide the feelings.  I met a type to an of these lectures that took care of a rehabilitation program in a prison of Louisiane.  The administration pénitencière had given him the permission to distribute drums to the prisoners, I found that inspired.  I bought about twenty drums and I sent them to the correction house of Red Baton, in Louisiane.  Six months later, I myself there returned with my woman, and we passed an afternoon to play the drum, to dance, to cry and to divide our emotions with the prisoners.  It was unbelievable. 

My woman wanted to film this experience, but one not us there authorized.  The custodian was really nervous, it thought that that would do a bad advertising to the prison while we wanted simply to show that this initiative kind is positive.  Finally, these workshops was forbidden. ..parce that that walks.  This rehabilitation program, called " Project Return ", continues nevertheless outside of the prisons; we help the former taulards to obtain from diplomas, we orient them, give to them counsels.  When they rediscover themselves outsides, their family do not know to help them, they do not find any tubby because they have a judicial compartment and that this is " writes on their forehead ".  This program is a manner to stretch them the hand.  It is necessary nevertheless them to do an effort for there to participate.  The prisoners with that worked us are less inclined to relapse: 4% against 60% in the remainder of the country. 

Musically, which work kind carry out you? 

John Densmore: I their sign of the simple rhythms, then we play together for 15 minutes.  After, we form as a community, with as link, the drum, that helps us to communicate instantly our emotions.  When one plays together, it creates himself a true unity.  The Men's Movement did me to become aware of a thing: the cultures that we call " primitive " practiced initiation rites during the phase of the adolescence.  To 13 years it was clear that you became henceforth a man, that it was times of " to leave for the hunt ".  These rituals more clearly are not defined in our corporation, and that to effect than to 35 or 40 years let not us understand us not yet that we are.  But attention, I do not want to seem of a gourou! 

Your autobiography, Wrinkle One The Storm, draft not only of your life with the Doors but also of more intimate things, of a personal quest and of your fight.  You held a newspaper during all these years? 

John Densmore: No, all returned me while reviewing my memories.  That took me a year to write it. 

And the novel that you write currently, which some is the subject? 

John Densmore: THIS IS some left a response right to the oliver film Stone, The Doors.  I appreciate that oliver tried.  It did the Vietnam while we lived our adventure, it was his fantasizes to put itself in the skin of Jim while it rotted in a bunker to the Vietnam.  I think that this film draft of a tortured artist, this to what resembles Oliver.  Me, I am very interested in the beginnings of the years 60, before all does not become too decadent.  There was at this era a lot of hopes for a social change, and that expressed itself in the street.  One thought really: " One will change the world ".  We were maybe naïve, but the movement for the civic rights, the movement for peace and the one of the liberation of the women took their roots to this era.  I am tired by the people that do not keep of the 60' s that the picture of hippie junkies.  That says, it is true, we broke ourselves and I do not try to regild the reputation of a Jim Morrison destructive car or does not import that of other.  Jerry Garcia (the guitarist of the Grateful Dead, dead in August 95 in a detoxification center NDR) is a good example of the better one and worse one than we gave the 60' s: it was a wonderful being, a generous spirit, but that did not know to fight the demons of the dependance to the drug. 

Then it is true, we burned ourselves the wings, but I have not the feeling that a book or a film actually indicated this that this pass in the middle of the years 60, of this that we called " the war at our place ".  There was films on the Vietnam, important films, nevertheless this that we lived in our own country was so important: we stopped the war of the Vietnam.  Yes, the people stopped this war!  I am interested therefore to this period and to all these anonymous and forgotten heroes that tried to do to change the things.  Can they inspire the generation of the years 90.  Here therefore the subject of my book, a subject that I know well.  I do not want and cannot returned to return in the past.  Person cannot it.  But I am a little nostalgic of the passion that animated us to this era.  This is as this old question: " If it was to remake, would you remake the same thing?  " Yes, because otherwise I would not be the man that I am today.  We all the produced of our experiences, and I am happy today. 

On the whole, since the rupture of the Doors, you intentionally looked for expression other means through the theater and the literature? 

John Densmore: I always respected my intuition.  Numerous are those that are themselves car destroy after to have known glory such as we knew it with the Doors.  I put myself to the theater by chance, and then I was said: " Here that will prevent you from déconner for a good moment.  " I realized that I am an actor; that be itself in a play, behind my battery or through the writing of a book.  This is the creative process that counts, not the goal to attain. 

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