John Densmore: When Ray died, I said, “Robby, let’s play. Rock Cellar Magazine: Tell us about the concert. John Densmore: Well, it certainly was a good little rehearsal for this giant concert we’re trying to put together. Do you have any plans to continue working with Robby in the future? Rock Cellar Magazine: It sounds like that was a great experience. We had microphones, but, you know, we’re not singers (laughs). Rock Cellar Magazine: Did you and Robby sing at all, or was it just the audience? We told the audience that we were going to try to sing, and we asked them to help us! The first song was People Are Strange – and the whole audience sang the whole thing, which was great! It was a lot of fun! We’re known for our drumming and guitar playing. It wasn’t announced, so it was a surprise. And then we did a little jam after the Q&A. I said, “Hey, let’s break up the ‘blah blah’ with some music.” So I went over to his house, and we rehearsed for half an hour. John Densmore: There was a screening at the LACMA – the Los Angeles County Museum of Art – of Mr. Rock Cellar Magazine: You and Robby Krieger recently got back together? How did that happen? Rock Cellar Magazine sat down with Densmore to discuss his reunion with Krieger, the duo’s plans for the future, and the new Doors DVD, R-Evolution, a compendium of rare footage of the band’s early TV appearances with their own music films.Īlong the way, Densmore discusses Manzarek’s contributions to The Doors’ original sound, why the singles and videos for Break on Through and The Unknown Soldier were so revolutionary, what it was like to perform on “ridiculous” shows like Shebang! and Malibu U, and, for the first time, reveals his plans for the rereleases of the song Ghost Dance and The Doors’ documentary When You’re Strange. After reconvening, the two surviving Doors performed together recently at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. At the same time, the book comments on the larger social issue of the widening gap between the rich and the poor.ĭensmore won the case and went on to reconcile with Manzarek shortly before his death – and, recently, he and Krieger have rekindled their partnership. In fact, his must-read book, The Doors Unhinged, chronicles this integrity by demonstrating the way in which he and the Jim Morrison estate went through an extensive court battle with Doors’ keyboardist, the late Ray Manzarek, and guitarist Robby Krieger to protect over the right to use The Doors’ name.

In an era in which many rock musicians of his generation have succumbed to what Densmore has elsewhere called the “greed gene,” he provides a shining example of integrity.

The Doors’ drummer John Densmore is many things: the co-writer of some of the most iconic songs in the history of rock, a political activist, author of two compelling memoirs ( Riders on the Storm and The Doors Unhinged), and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Doors Unhinged by John Densmore