Published in December 1997 of the magazine Rock'n'roll & Folk. Interview carried out by Jean-Christmas Ogouz and Philippe Operates.

At the time of the exit of the Doors box, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore evoke the opening of the doors of perception and their famous missing singer.

Veterans of the psychedelic campaigns, the three Doors had found themselves for the first time for thirty years with the Whisky-A-Go-Go on Sunset Strip Boulevard on last 8 October. During a press conference retransmitted by the majority of televisions and radios, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore had the leisure to answer a series of questions raised by the world press rock'n'roll and some fans too. Fans of Doors! A small hundred kids come from the Valley had camped all during the night in front of the Whisky, tightening on their heart albums vinyls of large paperboard, books and posters which the survivors would dedicate to them then well cordially. There, a teenager, full with cheeck and freckles, asks Manzarek why Doors do not engage the singer of Wild Child (group which makes an enormous career in club by parodying Doors). Manzarek: "And if one took Chrissie Hynde rather, hein? Why not a woman? "the fan misses péter a fuse, the assistants applaud this witty remark. But the journalists keep their true questions for the interviews in private conversation with Doors...

Épopée

The hotel Bel Age is a bastian rock' roll, of these fortified towns where Led Zeppelin liked to take these districts. Fortunately that one smells oneself there well, because the program of Doors is exténuant: nearly thirty interviews per day, over three days. It should be said that the box is more than one pretext: a revelation. First piece, this "Five To One" recorded in Miami which sees Morrison violentissime, paroxystic and unchained, haranguer crowd ("Go y! Let you hustle, let you dominate... But perhaps that you like that? the tone is given. Doors and their faithful sound engineer, Bruce Botnick, opened the trunk with the wonders. The first demonstrations (ever pirated), the different versions, jazzy, of titles headlights like "Hyacinth House" (one of their more beautiful song), then the continuation "Rock'n'roll Is Dead", memorable, all that was emphasized with a taste, a precision rare. And finally, it would be necessary to have the quite petty spirit not to include/understand the touching will of these three Masters musicians with the intact talent finding itself in a studio to polish a musical arrangement tenderly around upsetting poem dedicated by Morrison to its misleading Pamela ("Orange County Suite"), the more so as this "Continuation" arrives after the 70 minutes thunder in a concert recorded to New York and offering a final version of "The End". Even at the place where one feared more, on fourth CD offering the favorite titles of the group, one is caught with (re)découvrir forgotten pieces ("Wild Child ", "Wishful Sinful") and wondering by which miracle the music of this atypical group survives all the revolutions and all the fashions, remaining like cold, crystalline, inimitable épopée...

Amazement

The president d' Elektra is moved, it is it which says it: "I am this very moved time" Explanation: accustomed from its function to give grinds discs of gold or of money to its artists, it presents this time at the three Doors a plate commemorating the world sales of a total of... 45 million units. Impassive, the three musicians record and achieve even the exploit to keep the smile when the owner of the Whisky, infamous Mario Maglieri emerges like an Italian devil of his box to ensure them of his satisfaction to have allowed Doors to make their beginnings in his club. Hardly if Manzarek, sarcastic, stresses that the man transfered his box thirty years before y to have dared to play the very first version oedipienne of "The End". Alas, poor Yorric, there is no business like the show business and outside any Hollywood bruisse of this return of Doors, which offered Billboard new bright burning coal on Sunset, retorts excate that taken by Elektra for their first album: "Electrify your life... Open the doors "

Return to the hotel. In a continuation air-conditioned and fruit mouthful, plates, sandwiches, sodas, but completely deprived of alcohol, the journalist assied thus vis-a-vis these three men on whom time slipped well differently. John Densmore is in great form. He brought silk shirts of replacement, raises a catogan and ballerinas of boxer. Ray Manzarek makes fire of any wood. The longiligne organist, dark jacket and tee-shirt techno, have just signed a contract of a million dollars to write its memories and he overpowers insubmersible Danny Sugerman (writer which has ressuscity Morrison with its biography "No One Here Gets Out Alive" and since became the manager of the group) of technical questions. Robby Krieger, hair dismantled and black glasses, broad trousers of immaculate lattices and Reebok, calm and reserved, assied slightly in withdrawal of both others not without their to have announced his amazement vis-a-vis the stupidity of the questions of the Finnish radio which interviewed it right before us.

Pirates

Let us speak about this box.

Ray Manzarek : One has spoken about it between us for one decade. In fact one was the last group not to have his box. Led Zeppelin has two of them, Clapton has eighteen of them (laughter), Beatles have of it trente-huit and Doors did not have any... Finally we met with our late producer Paul Rothchild and we have any past with the fine comb. Bootlegs, the Elektra files, our demonstrations... One very listened, classified all according to quality in A, B or C All C were eliminated. Then one listened to A and B and one selected. Then when Paul is assembled to the sky to produce the full orchestra with Janis, Jim and Jimi, Bruce Botnick took again the torch.

How the group function does today? Are Doors a democracy?

Ray Manzarek : We are three. Each idea, each possibility is examined by the three. If one affixes its veto, the idea is abandoned. It is as simple as that and that function very well.

Parents of Jim and Pamela?

Ray Manzarek : They wish to remain as distant as possible from all that. The brother of Jim does not live far from here, his sister has five children but none them wishes to intervene.
Robby Krieger : The ideal would have of course summer that Jim writes the notes of the booklet, but it could not, therefore one put all at the task and one tried to say what each one of us felt in connection with each song.

Three years ago, at the time of one dedication in Fnac, soft planes interviewed Ray Manzarek and of course, the question of the news of Doors had come on the carpet. Ray had declared: "There is not, all that exists left" Judge our surprise today...

Ray Manzarek (outcry, crisis of laughing general): Okay, okay, I lied.

But does it remain still things? One thinks of the bands of Matrix...

Robby Krieger : They yet were not located but, yes, it would be an idea, to make like Zappa, to pirate the pirates.
Ray Manzarek : The more so as technology evolves/moves fantastically. One can clean any master in a completely convincing way today.

Yesterday to the Whisky, you passed the Orange version "County Suite" and everyone had the tears with the eyes. How was born this song?

John Densmore : At the beginning, it was right Jim singing a ballade for Pamela while being accompanied with the piano. The problem it is that it accelerated and slowed down several times, which returned to me nervous to the idea to create a music on top. But finally, me also I have the tears with the eyes by hearing the result.

When you find yourselves like that every ten years to record with Morrison, that does what to you?

Ray Manzarek : I adore to play with Robby and John and, in fact, it is exactly as when the albums were made. One played all the three in the studio and cabin sang to him its where it remained, one did not see it either. We heard just his voice in the helmets. For me, the experiment is the same one, exactly, even if if physically it is not there any more.

You say to like to play together and yet, you do not turn, you do not give any more concerts. Why?

Ray Manzarek : We need a singer.
Robby Krieger : If Jim reappears, one turns.
John Densmore : I played Bataclan with Robby recently...

Let us insist: one spoke much about possible replacing of Jim Morrison: Jess Roden, Pop Iggy... Yesterday yourself evoked Crissie Hynde and, in the Seventies, makes a round in trio...

Ray Manzarek : But nobody wants to see the three Doors without Jim Morrison. Nobody can replace Morrison.
Robby Krieger : Me, I think that if Doors kept this very strong image, it is because we did not accept any proposal. I find dismaying all these people who turn under the name of a prestigious group whereas all the original members are not there, sometimes it remains right the rhythm section... It is not well. That feels the fric and, us, one decided not to do it.
John Densmore : I never gave up my old idea to make an instrumental album. Why not?
Ray Manzarek : But because Doors are not an instrumental group at the beginning! I would like to write new songs with the two others and to make a round to play them. Now to see concert of Doors which would not play "Light My Fire" (because one cannot do it without Jim), that would be terrible. Not, people want that one rejoue 1967 but it is impossible for them, sorry.

We are not of this opinion... Whereas it is very difficult to listen to Airplane, Love or Buffalo Springfield in 1997, your music holds the road incredibly. Why? Êtiez you better musicians, took you more drug than the others?

Robby Krieger : One was better musicians and one took much less drug than those which you quoted (laughter).

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