John Densmore

They talked about forming a band.

And into the mix came the drummer, John Densmore, and guitarist Robbie Krieger.

I think two are still alive, two are not.

And it was Jim that came up with the name The Doors as the Aldo Huxley book, The Door of Perception, an homage to that.

And then second, if we're gonna have a television episode regarding bands and rock music and breaking into the field, you gotta have a musician.

So they got a musician playing John Densmore.

Y'all aren't gonna believe who played John Densmore in this episode.

It's John Densmore.

Wow, what a shocker.

John Densmore played a guy named [laughs] John Densmore.

And where you'd know him from is he was a former drummer in The Doors.

I know, shocker.

Great year.

John Densmore, Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison were the Doors, specialising in psychedelic rock, blues and acid rock, often openly fuelled by drug use and producing songs littered with Jim Morrison's poetry.

Their 1967 album Strange Days had two tracks featuring Strange in the title.

So I'm going to play them both.

that's right

that's right and and when and when you see the reverse shot and you see it's john densmore at the uh recording desk yes and

paul rothschild

was in it as well my heart you know yeah it just jumped it just jumped my heart grew grew three sizes i saw john densmore yeah studio there and he's like what did he say he said something pretty appropriate it was like thanks jim or i've got it jim

Yeah, and the look on his face.

It was like...

I'm

like put a mustache on Seth and you

Didn't know that.

Kevin Dillon as John Densmore.

Obviously the Timu of the Dillon.

But this is a film where you can see all these people were big at the time.

And Lover Madly was a hit single.

So you had a hit single on an album that had some great long songs, Riders on the Storm and L.A. Woman and like that.

And Jim called John Densmore and asked John how the record's doing.

And John said, oh, man, it's doing great.

But, you know, your drumming style personally, where do you draw from?

I, I really just draw from John Densmore, the drummer of The Doors.

I just...

He has a style that he, he borrowed from so many different genres and made it his own, and it, it's just so unique.

I, I feel lucky that I, I, I think probably because the first song I ever played, I remember it was Soul Kitchen by The Doors, so I think I just programmed myself, oh, this is how you play drums, you know-

Right

... based off of John Densmore.

But yeah, getting deeper into The Doors' stuff, there's a lot, and I, I, I work on it every day still.

Just for the record, remember, I worked with Campbell for eight years.

I worked with Bly for even longer, with Michael Mead early on, John Densmore.

I worked with Densmore on his book about the doors.

I worked with Robert Johnson for many years.

Krieger, guitar player.

John Densmore, percussionist, 22 years old.

Pamela Morrison, ornament.

Raymond Daniel Manzarek, 1-2-12-39

Generally speaking, who is Jim Morrison in a sentence or two?

Well, eventually he went to UCLA Film School, where the same film school at the same time Francis Coppola went to.

And eventually he got bored with film school and met up with these band members, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robbie Krieger, to form The Doors eventually at one point.

And it took them about two years to become successful playing in clubs all over L.A.