Latest news with #Densmore
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Iconic '60s Rockers Have Fans Saying They'd ‘Give a Kidney' to See Them Reunite
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the groundbreaking rock band the Doors - and the group's two surviving members are just as determined as ever to keep the music alive for their legions of devoted fans. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning shared on TikTok this week, guitarist Robby Krieger, 79, and drummer John Densmore, 80, opened up about why they're still performing the same legendary tunes all these decades later. (Krieger has been playing a Doors album in its entirety every month at West Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go - where the band got their start - since March, and Densmore recently sat in on drums.) "These two geezers are still breathing," Densmore said in the clip, gesturing at himself and Krieger. "Keith [Richards] and Mick [Jagger] are 80 and they're out there pumping. There's other roads," he added, with Krieger agreeing, "We're still here." Commenters couldn't get over the idea of seeing the duo perform together, with one admitting, "I would give a kidney to see both of these legends live." "It just doesn't get any better than this," another fan agreed, with somebody declaring, "There would be NO Doors without these 2 goats. Give them their flowers! Legends." "Couldn't be more cool than Robbie and John. keep the Doors alive," added someone else. In an interview with Variety earlier this year, Densmore reflected on why the music of the Doors has lasted for generations. "People ask me all the time why teens and millennials are interested in our dinosaur band. Maybe it's the drums," he said. "My roots are in playing jazz, so there's that swing." "The Doors had a genius songwriter who always improvised," Densmore continued, referring to the late Jim Morrison. "He was no musician, so to remember the words, he had to invent incredible melodies - and I knew how to improvise behind him. I respond to melodies, intuitively. I think listeners respond to immediacy. And the songs. I can remember Jim singing 'Crystal Ship' for a complex melody to go with complicated poetry like that. And he just thought all that up on the spot." Related: Rarely-Seen '60s Rocker, 84, Is Virtually Unrecognizable in Pic With Iconic Actor, 82 Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Legendary ‘60s Rock Band's Surviving Members Make Bold Confession About Late Frontman (The Doors)
Legendary '60s Rock Band's Surviving Members Make Bold Confession About Late Frontman (The Doors) originally appeared on Parade. John Densmore and Robby Krieger, the last two surviving members of the legendary '60s rock band The Doors, recently made a bold confession about their late frontman, . On June 22, CBS News Sunday Morning aired an interview with Densmore, 80, and Krieger, 79, as they marked the band's 60th anniversary. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 The Doors reached the height of its fame between 1967 and 1979 with hits like "Light My Fire" and "Hello, I Love You." The psychedelic rock group featured Morrison on lead vocals, Krieger on guitar, Densmore on drums and Ray Manzarek on keyboard. In 1971, Morrison was discovered dead at 27 in a bathtub in a Paris apartment; his cause of death was listed as a heart attack although an autopsy was not performed. Manzarek died at 74 in 2013 after a battle with cancer. During the CBS sit-down, Densmore and Krieger reflected on the Los Angeles band's rise to fame, admitting that Morrison's personality didn't initially seem like a recipe for success. 'He was so shy, it was ridiculous,' Densmore recalled. 'And I thought, 'This is not the next . But I love playing music, so I'll fool around here.'' Meanwhile, Krieger raved about Morrison's lyrics, explaining 'They were so different than anything that was out there." 'Gifted,' Densmore declared. He then spoke lyrics from their 1967 track "Moonlight Drive": Let's swim to the moon / Let's climb through the tide. He added, "A psychedelic love song. Wow." Krieger also quoted the words to the band's song "Horse Latitudes": When the still sea conspires an armor / And her sullen and aborted currents Breed tiny monsters / True sailing is dead! Despite The Doors' success, Morrison struggled with drug and alcohol abuse before his untimely death—something his surviving bandmates suspected could be a possibility. Densmore said he wrote off Morrison's bad habits at first as his being an "Irish drunk," predicting he'll "live forever." However, he admitted the thought crossed his mind, "Maybe he's just a shooting star that'll be a quick impact.' Densmore bluntly concluded, "We miss his artistry like crazy. We don't miss his self-destruction.' If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available 24 hours a day through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline at 1-800-662-4357. Next: Legendary '60s Rock Band's Surviving Members Make Bold Confession About Late Frontman (The Doors) first appeared on Parade on Jun 22, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Last Surviving Members of The Doors Remember Jim Morrison's 'Heartbreaking' Death
The Doors took music by storm in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with a string of hits including "Break On Through (To the Other Side)," "Light My Fire," "People Are Strange," "Hello, I Love You," "Touch Me," "Love Her Madly," "Riders on the Storm" and more. But tragedy struck in 1971 when lead singer Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub in Paris at the age of 27. The cause of death was listed as heart failure, and Bill Siddons, The Doors' manager, told Rolling Stone at the time that there might have been a possible lung infection because Morrison had been coughing up blood in the days leading up to his death. In a new in-depth history of The Doors' meteoric rise and fall for Louder Sound, surviving members John Densmore (drums and backing vocals) and Robby Krieger (guitar, lead and backing vocals) reflected on their time with Morrison and what might have become of the band had he lived. "Jim's demise was heartbreaking. I mean, it was so good live, and then it eroded. And I hated that. But now, many years later, time has really helped me reflect on the fact that he was supposed to be a shooting star — a quick impact and then goodbye," said Densmore. Krieger added, "When Jim went to Paris [March 1971], I figured he'd be back at some point and we'd start playing again. But it wasn't meant to be." Krieger also said that they talked about trying to continue on after Morrison's death, and he kind of wishes they would have, but Densmore said it was a "real struggle" to figure out what to do. "That was a real struggle. We didn't want to give up the musical synchronicity, but who's going to fill those leather pants?" said Densmore, adding, "We tried a few people, and Ray [Manzarek] and Robby sang. They were OK … Without Jim, what is The Doors?" Ray Manzarek was the fourth member of the original group, who played keyboards and contributed to lead and backing vocals; he died of cancer in 2013. Krieger and Densmore were contemplative about what might have happened if Morrison had not died so young. "Had Jim lived, I think our music would've gone more in the direction of 'Riders On The Storm.' And we'd be into film soundtracks. We all loved film," said Densmore. "Ray and Jim went to UCLA film school and would be experimenting with that. Editing film can be like drumming. It's all about timing." "I do sometimes wonder how The Doors might've sounded through the seventies, and possibly the eighties, if Jim had lived. But I really have no idea. That was the thing about The Doors – what we came up with was always a surprise, even to us. I think that's one reason why the music still holds up today. I still play those songs so much that it sometimes feels like it was only yesterday. It seems like we never stopped," concluded Krieger.
