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John Densmore has spent 60 years drumming in the shadow of both jazz greats and one very poetic lizard king, and has lived to talk about it. In this chat, he joins Kyle to dig into The Doors’ ongoing live album series, the hypnotic pulse of “Riders on the Storm,” and having a front row seat to Ray Manzarek’s insane two-handed abilities . Listen above or wherever you get your podcasts.
He also shares how the band’s improvisational wizardry worked in real time — like jamming out “The End” while Jim Morrison free-associated poetry about familial homicide — and reflects on playing “WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)” live at a recent Whiskey a Go Go gig, which ended with his thumb staging a minor protest. There’s talk of Coltrane outtakes, Miles Davis, and even a Chuck D collaboration.
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“We’ve got an alt hip-hop album,” he says of working with Chuck D. “Coming out eventually, not sure when.”
And if you’re one of those fans who think the magic died in a Paris bathtub, Densmore kindly reminds you there were two post-Jim albums. Not that they’ll be staging a reunion tour, but Robby Krieger is currently playing entire Doors albums live, and Densmore occasionally drops in when his joints allow.
Listen to John Densmore discuss The Doors’ 60th anniversary and more above, or watch the interview below. Keep up on all the latest episodes by following Kyle Meredith With… on your favorite podcast platform; plus, check out all the series on the Consequence Podcast Network.
