1 00:00:34,281 --> 00:00:36,909 Their first album has changed our lives to all. 2 00:00:36,984 --> 00:00:39,214 We asked ourselves: “What is that?” 3 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,553 The Doors were about death, of chaos and revolution. 4 00:00:49,463 --> 00:00:53,559 It's one of the first albums the most promising and interesting 5 00:00:53,634 --> 00:00:55,534 that I have ever heard. 6 00:00:55,636 --> 00:00:58,105 It was like opening a Playboy for the first time. 7 00:01:06,747 --> 00:01:12,277 He was tinged with nervousness, of uncertainty, of gloom. 8 00:01:22,162 --> 00:01:25,689 They were songs written by a guy who surrounded himself with a group 9 00:01:25,799 --> 00:01:30,828 very united and responsive who followed him whatever he did. 10 00:01:41,315 --> 00:01:45,650 He spoke of an internal revolution. Break On Through (To The Other Side). 11 00:01:45,753 --> 00:01:47,016 Come out of your shell. 12 00:01:47,121 --> 00:01:51,683 It is certainly the title most representative of their musical career. 13 00:01:51,792 --> 00:01:55,786 The one who distinguished the Doors of all other groups. 14 00:02:00,134 --> 00:02:04,537 The words of Jim Morrison, sometimes, are reduced to a small poem 15 00:02:04,638 --> 00:02:09,872 which he repeats twice, and the refrain is repeated three times. 16 00:02:09,944 --> 00:02:12,208 Basically, the chorus is a verse extract from the poem. 17 00:02:12,746 --> 00:02:14,805 “Come out of your shell 18 00:02:14,949 --> 00:02:16,917 “Come out of your shell 19 00:02:17,451 --> 00:02:20,978 “Come out of your shell, yeah.” 20 00:02:21,055 --> 00:02:23,456 It’s a great encouragement. 21 00:02:24,358 --> 00:02:30,456 William Blake said: "The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom." 22 00:02:32,333 --> 00:02:35,303 The same William Blake also said: 23 00:02:35,402 --> 00:02:40,966 "Prudence is a rich and ugly Old maid who is courted by incapacity." 24 00:02:42,309 --> 00:02:46,769 Jim seems to be careless. 25 00:03:00,761 --> 00:03:04,129 It's an awesome song. Brilliant words. Awesome riff. 26 00:03:04,231 --> 00:03:06,290 Everything about this song is great. 27 00:03:06,700 --> 00:03:12,036 But what makes it take off, That's the way Morrison sings it. 28 00:03:12,106 --> 00:03:16,475 It's his first album, and it's the poet who expresses himself more than the singer. 29 00:03:18,112 --> 00:03:19,580 What exuberance! 30 00:03:45,739 --> 00:03:48,071 - Name ? -Raymond Daniel Manzarek. 31 00:03:48,142 --> 00:03:51,168 - Age ? - Born February 12, 1939. 32 00:03:51,278 --> 00:03:54,248 - Activity ? - Musician, keyboard. 33 00:03:55,649 --> 00:04:00,246 ♪ finished my studies at DePaul University, in Chicago, in 1960, 34 00:04:00,354 --> 00:04:04,450 and I went to UCLA in Los Angeles. ♪ spent two weeks in law school, 35 00:04:04,558 --> 00:04:09,189 after which I said: "Mistake. I made a big mistake." 36 00:04:09,263 --> 00:04:12,722 ♪ so I dropped out of law school to integrate that of cinema. 37 00:04:12,833 --> 00:04:17,361 And that's where I met, freshly arrived from Florida, 38 00:04:17,471 --> 00:04:19,940 the one and only James Douglas Morrison. 39 00:04:20,407 --> 00:04:22,671 - Name ? -Jim. 40 00:04:23,277 --> 00:04:24,972 Activity ? 41 00:04:27,147 --> 00:04:30,811 I don't believe that he was a cinema enthusiast. 42 00:04:31,785 --> 00:04:33,219 He preferred poetry. 43 00:04:46,834 --> 00:04:52,398 Jim, like Dylan, was a born poet. 44 00:04:52,506 --> 00:04:54,873 I don't believe that it could have been something else. 45 00:04:55,075 --> 00:04:58,306 Jim was influenced by poets from the Beat Generation 46 00:04:58,378 --> 00:05:05,341 like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure. 47 00:05:05,552 --> 00:05:08,852 Jim and I talked a lot by Rimbaud, 48 00:05:08,956 --> 00:05:12,688 and he was interested in Nietzsche. 49 00:05:18,265 --> 00:05:22,862 ♪ was in film school at UCLA in 1964, 50 00:05:23,704 --> 00:05:26,139 at the same time as Jim and Ray. 51 00:05:26,807 --> 00:05:29,174 We finished our studies around the same time, 52 00:05:29,243 --> 00:05:30,642 and we all said: 53 00:05:30,744 --> 00:05:32,303 “Okay, we’ve been serious enough. 54 00:05:32,379 --> 00:05:34,541 “Now let’s get crazy.” 55 00:05:43,323 --> 00:05:47,260 We wallowed in debauchery psychedelic Venice Beach. 56 00:05:47,327 --> 00:05:50,957 It was like a glimpse of Eden. Absolutely idyllic. 57 00:05:53,567 --> 00:05:55,399 I was in Venice Beach, California, 58 00:05:55,502 --> 00:05:57,800 wondering what I was going to do with my life 59 00:05:57,905 --> 00:06:00,397 when Morrison arrived. I told him.' 60 00:06:00,507 --> 00:06:02,601 ”Are you still here? I thought you were in New York." 61 00:06:02,709 --> 00:06:06,441 ”No, I decided to stay here. I write songs." 62 00:06:06,980 --> 00:06:08,971 “Let me listen to them.” 63 00:06:09,049 --> 00:06:12,246 He was intimidated and told me: “I don’t have a great voice.” 64 00:06:12,352 --> 00:06:13,786 And I: “Whatever. 65 00:06:13,854 --> 00:06:17,119 "Bob Dylan doesn't have a voice either and it's wildly successful." 66 00:06:17,224 --> 00:06:18,885 So him.' ”Okay, okay.” 67 00:06:18,992 --> 00:06:23,691 He closes his eyes, he starts to rock back and forth and he sings: 68 00:06:23,764 --> 00:06:28,167 Let's swim to the moon, ah ha 69 00:06:54,561 --> 00:06:57,587 And he asks me: “So, do you like it?” Me: “I love it!” 70 00:06:57,698 --> 00:06:59,757 And there, I said to him: “My old man, 71 00:06:59,867 --> 00:07:03,303 "we're going to start a rock and roll band and we're going to go all the way." 72 00:07:03,370 --> 00:07:05,737 - Name ? -John Densmore. 73 00:07:05,806 --> 00:07:07,570 - Age ? - Twenty-three years old. 74 00:07:07,641 --> 00:07:09,871 - Activity ? - Percussionist. 75 00:07:09,977 --> 00:07:14,175 Ray came to me and said: “I’m going to start a band. 76 00:07:14,248 --> 00:07:17,274 "Meet us at my parents' garage at Manhattan Beach." 77 00:07:17,384 --> 00:07:21,514 I went there, I met Jim and I was like, “This guy is magical.” 78 00:07:21,655 --> 00:07:25,148 We made demos of Jim's songs, finally, the Doors, 79 00:07:25,259 --> 00:07:29,696 with my brother Rick on guitar, my brother Jim on the harmonica, 80 00:07:29,763 --> 00:07:31,697 who is great at this instrument, 81 00:07:31,765 --> 00:07:36,032 John on drums, me on piano and Jim on vocals. 82 00:07:36,370 --> 00:07:39,965 Here is the demo that was made from an acetate recording. 83 00:07:59,893 --> 00:08:02,260 These demos were rough. 84 00:08:02,329 --> 00:08:04,627 We took them to the record companies, 85 00:08:04,698 --> 00:08:08,862 and they played them on their record player 86 00:08:08,935 --> 00:08:10,960 for 20 seconds. 87 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:15,106 “No, it won’t.” 88 00:08:15,709 --> 00:08:16,904 "Good." 89 00:08:16,977 --> 00:08:20,277 From there, my brothers Jim and Rick said: 90 00:08:20,347 --> 00:08:24,511 “It will never work.” And they left. 91 00:08:24,951 --> 00:08:26,885 John said.' “We need a guitarist.” 92 00:08:26,953 --> 00:08:29,581 And he brought Robby. 93 00:08:29,756 --> 00:08:32,020 - Name ? -Robby Krieger. 94 00:08:32,793 --> 00:08:34,955 - Age ? - Twenty-two years old. 95 00:08:35,028 --> 00:08:37,793 - Activity ? - Guitarist. 96 00:08:37,864 --> 00:08:41,528 The first day we got together, we thought we were as good as the Stones 97 00:08:41,635 --> 00:08:44,002 and that anyone. 98 00:08:44,071 --> 00:08:47,530 Finally, in any case, we believed in our potential. 99 00:08:47,641 --> 00:08:49,769 And I think we were right. 100 00:09:02,155 --> 00:09:05,989 We rehearsed in a small room from Santa Monica, 101 00:09:06,059 --> 00:09:08,994 and later, at Ray's. 102 00:09:09,229 --> 00:09:12,995 At Venice Beach, on the promenade in planks that runs along North Point Avenue. 103 00:09:13,066 --> 00:09:15,535 We rehearsed in the room all bay windows. 104 00:09:15,635 --> 00:09:18,730 We opened the door and we had our feet in the sand. 105 00:09:19,072 --> 00:09:23,737 We were refining our songs. We wanted write the best songs ever. 106 00:09:23,844 --> 00:09:27,303 We worked every day for a year and a half. 107 00:09:33,053 --> 00:09:37,786 I heard them when they brought me their acetate disc, and I loved it. 108 00:09:37,858 --> 00:09:41,590 I thought it was great, and I got them to sign it 109 00:09:41,661 --> 00:09:45,461 a basic contract with Columbia Records, 110 00:09:45,532 --> 00:09:50,265 which provided for a period of six months 111 00:09:50,337 --> 00:09:53,967 during which it was necessary to produce a single. 112 00:09:54,241 --> 00:09:57,575 After three or four months, we went to see Billy 113 00:09:57,677 --> 00:10:00,874 and we asked: "When are we recording ? Shall we see a producer?” 114 00:10:00,947 --> 00:10:04,315 I introduced them to Larry Marks, Bruce Johnston, 115 00:10:04,384 --> 00:10:09,288 Terry Melcher and Alan Stanton, 116 00:10:09,389 --> 00:10:12,051 who worked in the artistic department. 117 00:10:12,159 --> 00:10:16,062 They were producers, but they weren't interested. 118 00:10:16,229 --> 00:10:20,393 Billy James said, "Wait until the end six months and you will receive $1000." 119 00:10:20,467 --> 00:10:24,461 Morrison said, "Whatever. We're leaving." And there you have it. We left. 120 00:10:24,538 --> 00:10:28,168 We were all disappointed. But we recovered to work on our songs, 121 00:10:28,275 --> 00:10:32,178 because that was our goal, so we persevered. 122 00:10:32,379 --> 00:10:34,814 Since we weren't going to make a record with Columbia, 123 00:10:34,915 --> 00:10:36,576 we had to do a concert. 124 00:10:36,650 --> 00:10:40,382 We did one at the London Fog, on Sunset Strip. 125 00:10:51,898 --> 00:10:55,163 It was a very trendy neighborhood, 126 00:10:55,268 --> 00:10:57,896 but the most beautiful, we were next to the Whiskey. 127 00:10:57,971 --> 00:11:01,669 In 1966, everyone wanted to play Whiskey. 128 00:11:01,741 --> 00:11:03,402 It was the fashionable club. 129 00:11:03,510 --> 00:11:06,445 All the bands, whether they come from Arizona, 130 00:11:06,546 --> 00:11:09,208 from England, or elsewhere, wanted to play Whiskey. 131 00:11:09,416 --> 00:11:13,580 We hoped that at Whiskey, they would hear: 132 00:11:13,653 --> 00:11:16,987 “There’s a great group who plays at the London Fog" 133 00:11:17,057 --> 00:11:20,618 and that they would make us play. And that's exactly what happened. 134 00:11:28,168 --> 00:11:32,935 One evening, in the spring of 1966, I flew to Los Angeles 135 00:11:33,006 --> 00:11:36,806 and I went straight to the Whiskey hoping to see the last concert. 136 00:11:36,910 --> 00:11:38,241 It was Love playing. 137 00:11:38,345 --> 00:11:41,007 And during a conversation, Arthur Lee told me: 138 00:11:41,114 --> 00:11:43,344 "There is a group finally in the evening 139 00:11:43,416 --> 00:11:45,544 “that you should really stay and listen.” 140 00:11:45,619 --> 00:11:48,088 I had a high opinion of Arthur's opinion. 141 00:11:48,188 --> 00:11:50,782 So I stayed listening to the Doors. 142 00:11:50,857 --> 00:11:52,586 I wasn't impressed. 143 00:11:52,659 --> 00:11:55,390 They did not play any of their legendary titles that evening. 144 00:11:55,462 --> 00:11:57,556 But I went back four nights in a row. 145 00:11:57,664 --> 00:11:59,496 And on the fourth evening, 146 00:11:59,566 --> 00:12:02,160 It was great, and I had the revelation. 147 00:12:02,269 --> 00:12:06,399 Holzman probed the new trend from the west coast 148 00:12:06,506 --> 00:12:08,167 and was open to... 149 00:12:08,275 --> 00:12:11,734 He loved Jim's words and felt that something was up. 150 00:12:11,978 --> 00:12:14,709 He came back two or three times, he brought his wife 151 00:12:14,781 --> 00:12:17,409 and he said: "You will sign with Elektra Records." 152 00:12:17,651 --> 00:12:20,882 When I knew that we were going to sign with Elektra Records, 153 00:12:20,987 --> 00:12:22,318 I was in seventh heaven. 154 00:12:22,422 --> 00:12:26,086 And when I knew we were going to be produced by Paul Rothchild, 155 00:12:26,192 --> 00:12:28,217 I found it almost normal, 156 00:12:28,295 --> 00:12:31,287 seeing that he had produced all the albums I listened to. 157 00:12:31,364 --> 00:12:35,323 And then we worked with Bruce Botnick, who had produced Love's records, 158 00:12:35,402 --> 00:12:37,996 and the Paul Butterfield Band with Paul. 159 00:12:38,104 --> 00:12:41,563 There was therefore a part of destiny in these decisions. 160 00:12:41,741 --> 00:12:43,971 I didn't know them anymore than another group. 161 00:12:44,044 --> 00:12:46,342 And then suddenly they arrived. 162 00:12:46,780 --> 00:12:50,614 When we signed with the studio, we had already written the equivalent of two albums. 163 00:12:50,684 --> 00:12:55,918 A good thirty songs. Which we were really happy with. 164 00:12:56,289 --> 00:12:59,554 And there you have it. We had an exciting six days. 165 00:13:05,865 --> 00:13:07,890 The first song, it was Break On Through. 166 00:13:07,968 --> 00:13:13,031 It starts with John Densmore who plays a bossa nova rhythm. 167 00:13:13,139 --> 00:13:18,373 It was unusual to mix bossa nova to such intense rock and roll. 168 00:13:25,018 --> 00:13:28,113 Bossa Nova had just arrived from Brazil. 169 00:13:28,221 --> 00:13:31,054 With a wand and a broom, it gave that... 170 00:13:36,263 --> 00:13:40,496 I liked it a lot, so I decided to use it 171 00:13:40,567 --> 00:13:44,003 giving it a more twist rock and roll. It gave that... 172 00:14:15,302 --> 00:14:19,296 We hear Ray Manzarek who accompanies John on piano bass. 173 00:14:21,808 --> 00:14:23,333 Latino. 174 00:14:35,288 --> 00:14:36,881 Ray Charles. 175 00:14:39,159 --> 00:14:40,354 But I play... 176 00:14:44,597 --> 00:14:45,928 We are not afraid of plagiarizing... 177 00:14:47,467 --> 00:14:53,930 I'm going to put Robby and Ray louder. They were on the same soundtrack. 178 00:14:54,340 --> 00:14:58,868 The riff of Break On Through is inspired from a song by Paul Butterfield, 179 00:14:58,978 --> 00:15:03,415 Shake Your Moneymaker, which was one of my favorites. 180 00:15:03,483 --> 00:15:07,249 They played it more or less like that... 181 00:15:17,197 --> 00:15:20,531 We adjust the rhythm a little, and it gave… 182 00:16:02,842 --> 00:16:04,776 Solo. 183 00:16:16,389 --> 00:16:18,414 And then we arrive at a forbidden passage 184 00:16:18,491 --> 00:16:21,324 that we did not have the right to put on the disk. 185 00:16:22,028 --> 00:16:23,928 The famous: “She’s high.” 186 00:16:33,740 --> 00:16:36,539 Back then, if you wanted to be on the radio, 187 00:16:36,609 --> 00:16:38,008 you couldn't say "high". 188 00:16:38,244 --> 00:16:42,545 Talking about marijuana and drugs… Oh, my God! 189 00:16:42,615 --> 00:16:46,848 The world is heading towards its doom at full speed, so that... 190 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:51,448 Using this word, at the time, It was like saying ”fuck” today. 191 00:16:51,591 --> 00:16:55,494 We therefore had to abstain to pronounce this word. 192 00:17:07,207 --> 00:17:09,301 What caught my attention at the Doors, 193 00:17:09,375 --> 00:17:12,777 very young, it was the voice of Jim Morrison. 194 00:17:13,546 --> 00:17:16,174 His mastery, his intensity. 195 00:17:17,984 --> 00:17:19,850 And his way of passing 196 00:17:19,919 --> 00:17:26,416 something very controlled and very sweet 197 00:17:26,492 --> 00:17:32,295 to something wild, fierce, animal. 198 00:17:32,999 --> 00:17:35,127 This may seem strange to you, 199 00:17:35,201 --> 00:17:41,299 but the musician who, in my opinion, has the most points in common with the Doors, 200 00:17:41,374 --> 00:17:43,399 It's Frank Sinatra. 201 00:17:43,510 --> 00:17:48,471 I feel like Jim Morrison was the type to adore Frank Sinatra. 202 00:17:48,581 --> 00:17:51,778 He sings with this very masculine way of saying: 203 00:17:51,851 --> 00:17:55,481 "I've been through all that, listen to what it sounds like.” 204 00:17:55,655 --> 00:17:57,487 When Jim arrived at the studio, 205 00:17:57,590 --> 00:18:00,753 he had never recorded anything. It was the first time. 206 00:18:00,860 --> 00:18:03,352 I didn't know what it was going to be like. 207 00:18:03,463 --> 00:18:08,924 My favorite mic was a Telefunken U 47. 208 00:18:09,002 --> 00:18:12,996 I showed it to him and said.' ”You will use this microphone. “He was speechless. 209 00:18:13,106 --> 00:18:15,905 And then he said.' ”It’s great.” And me.' ”Why?” 210 00:18:15,975 --> 00:18:18,444 Him.' ”It’s the microphone what Frank Sinatra uses." 211 00:18:18,545 --> 00:18:21,947 That's when I realized that he was a fan of Frank Sinatra. 212 00:18:22,015 --> 00:18:27,078 He loved crooners like Bing Crosby and Elvis. All crooners in general. 213 00:18:27,553 --> 00:18:30,579 He sang innately. 214 00:18:30,657 --> 00:18:33,422 He could do whatever he wanted with his voice. 215 00:18:34,327 --> 00:18:36,694 It didn't take him long to master it. 216 00:18:37,330 --> 00:18:42,268 I'll give you Crystal Ship. This is a great example of Jim singing 217 00:18:42,335 --> 00:18:47,501 in her young and sweet voice in the U 47. 218 00:19:22,542 --> 00:19:27,378 It was innate to him. Lyrics and melodies. 219 00:19:27,447 --> 00:19:31,247 But he didn't know how to play any instrument. 220 00:19:49,836 --> 00:19:56,173 He said that to remember the words, he was thinking of a melody. 221 00:19:56,309 --> 00:20:02,009 Before you slip into unconsciousness 222 00:20:02,115 --> 00:20:05,983 I'd like to have another kiss 223 00:20:06,052 --> 00:20:08,953 He hummed that, and we: “Wait, wait!” 224 00:20:09,022 --> 00:20:10,547 Mi sharp. 225 00:20:10,757 --> 00:20:15,422 I said something like: “It’s a measure of 4 beats, or a waltz..." 226 00:20:15,495 --> 00:20:17,987 And we put it all together. 227 00:20:18,097 --> 00:20:21,499 This is how it works all groups worthy of the name. 228 00:20:22,301 --> 00:20:25,293 We weren't there saying: 229 00:20:25,371 --> 00:20:28,397 “It’s my agreements, no one touches it.” 230 00:20:28,508 --> 00:20:31,944 If anyone had a better proposal, we listened to it. 231 00:20:32,011 --> 00:20:36,346 And that's what was great about the group, 232 00:20:36,416 --> 00:20:40,819 this ability to work as well together. 233 00:20:51,597 --> 00:20:54,760 The Doors' first album, it's almost a live album. 234 00:20:54,867 --> 00:20:58,303 There is very little overdubbing. 235 00:20:58,371 --> 00:21:01,807 It's the Doors concert to the Whiskey A Go Go reproduced in the studio. 236 00:21:01,908 --> 00:21:07,108 We had neither the time nor the money to linger in the studio. 237 00:21:07,180 --> 00:21:09,649 In fact, Jim sang live even in the studio. 238 00:21:09,749 --> 00:21:11,843 He liked it. Especially on stage. 239 00:21:11,951 --> 00:21:13,919 He immersed himself in a role, 240 00:21:13,986 --> 00:21:17,786 and in this case, it was that of the Back Door Man. 241 00:21:17,857 --> 00:21:18,881 Listen. 242 00:21:43,483 --> 00:21:46,180 When Jim took the stage, no one could predict 243 00:21:46,252 --> 00:21:47,617 what was going to happen. 244 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,587 I don't know how many concerts there was, 245 00:21:50,656 --> 00:21:55,253 but at least 150 or 200, and we didn't know never what to expect from him. 246 00:22:05,104 --> 00:22:09,473 There was a lot of improv, especially in the beginning. 247 00:22:09,542 --> 00:22:12,910 Unforeseen turns who followed the vagaries of music. 248 00:22:12,979 --> 00:22:17,143 It was probably gender related. to drugs and the state of mind of the time. 249 00:22:17,216 --> 00:22:20,345 The songs were the structure, as for a room. 250 00:22:20,420 --> 00:22:23,788 We had a series of chords to play, but the nuances he brought 251 00:22:23,856 --> 00:22:27,554 added an element of danger 252 00:22:27,627 --> 00:22:31,586 which was both intoxicating and frightening. 253 00:22:37,136 --> 00:22:38,695 It was great playing with him. 254 00:22:38,805 --> 00:22:42,537 Okay, we didn't know what to expect, and it was not reassuring 255 00:22:42,642 --> 00:22:44,736 not knowing what he was going to do, 256 00:22:44,844 --> 00:22:47,711 but that’s precisely what was intoxicating. 257 00:23:04,497 --> 00:23:08,127 For example, for Back Door Man, Jim... 258 00:23:08,267 --> 00:23:10,429 After the solo, the tension dropped, 259 00:23:10,503 --> 00:23:13,905 but sometimes Jim went into a frenzy. 260 00:23:25,718 --> 00:23:28,744 Suddenly, it gave something totally different. 261 00:23:28,821 --> 00:23:32,189 And in the end, we came back to Back Door Man. 262 00:23:44,303 --> 00:23:49,469 Given the way he sang, we understood that he had experienced what he was saying: 263 00:23:49,876 --> 00:23:52,470 "You eat pork and beans. 264 00:23:52,545 --> 00:23:55,378 “Me, I eat more chicken than anyone." 265 00:24:09,228 --> 00:24:12,163 We have the impression that he explodes his vocal cords. 266 00:24:13,099 --> 00:24:16,433 And then suddenly, he takes on a crooner's voice. 267 00:24:25,745 --> 00:24:30,808 They made you feel emotions that no other group made you feel. 268 00:24:30,917 --> 00:24:37,789 they were excellent boys education, very educated and intelligent. 269 00:24:39,091 --> 00:24:45,053 They made music that was not relaxing simply on a few chords. 270 00:24:50,436 --> 00:24:54,339 You will notice that the roles are distributed differently, 271 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,707 compared to Break On Through. Here, Robby is calling the shots. 272 00:24:58,778 --> 00:25:03,272 John sets the pace, a good, very stable funky rhythm. 273 00:25:03,349 --> 00:25:08,253 But Robby is the soul of Soul Kitchen. 274 00:25:09,655 --> 00:25:10,816 James Brown. 275 00:25:14,393 --> 00:25:15,417 Where is my pilgrim ? 276 00:25:32,611 --> 00:25:35,512 What I was trying to do, with this riff, 277 00:25:35,581 --> 00:25:39,245 it was to simulate a trumpet tune like James Brown. 278 00:25:39,352 --> 00:25:40,842 And I do... 279 00:26:05,978 --> 00:26:10,142 What is interesting here, that's because John overdubbed himself. 280 00:26:10,216 --> 00:26:11,741 We had two drum tracks. 281 00:26:11,817 --> 00:26:15,151 One where he did his riffs, the other where he marked the measure. 282 00:26:15,221 --> 00:26:19,021 We did the same with Larry Knechtel on the bass. 283 00:26:19,091 --> 00:26:20,217 Listen. 284 00:26:24,597 --> 00:26:27,931 Larry Knechtel came to play from bass to studio, 285 00:26:28,033 --> 00:26:32,266 because you need bass in a record. 286 00:26:32,338 --> 00:26:36,036 They brought in a bass player for all albums. 287 00:26:36,542 --> 00:26:38,943 But in concert, it was Ray. 288 00:26:39,011 --> 00:26:42,970 We auditioned several bassists. Well, at least two. 289 00:26:43,082 --> 00:26:47,246 With one of them, we felt like the Rolling Stones. 290 00:26:47,353 --> 00:26:50,254 With another, we felt like The Animals. 291 00:26:50,356 --> 00:26:51,755 We were in audition, 292 00:26:51,824 --> 00:26:56,159 and there we had the Fender Rhodes piano bass. 293 00:26:56,228 --> 00:26:57,821 I started playing. 294 00:27:00,699 --> 00:27:02,497 Damn, but it's a bass! 295 00:27:08,641 --> 00:27:11,667 When I realized this, I said: “It’s decided, I’ll play bass. 296 00:27:11,744 --> 00:27:13,269 “I’m the bass player for the Doors.” 297 00:27:16,615 --> 00:27:20,574 Larry reproduces everything Ray plays on piano bass. 298 00:27:20,686 --> 00:27:22,154 That's Ray. 299 00:27:26,792 --> 00:27:28,954 And now, the two together. 300 00:27:33,666 --> 00:27:37,830 The Doors liked to finish their concerts on this song. 301 00:28:01,961 --> 00:28:06,660 A typical end of a concert. But in the studio. 302 00:28:06,766 --> 00:28:11,897 What impressed me, it was this profusion of different styles 303 00:28:12,004 --> 00:28:14,598 that they managed to bring together in a unique kind, 304 00:28:14,673 --> 00:28:16,869 which is very difficult. 305 00:28:16,942 --> 00:28:18,171 But they were getting there. 306 00:28:39,398 --> 00:28:43,392 Among Ray's records, there was an opera called Mahagonny, 307 00:28:43,469 --> 00:28:46,131 by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. 308 00:28:46,238 --> 00:28:51,677 He played us Alabama Song, 309 00:28:51,744 --> 00:28:53,712 and I found it weird. 310 00:28:53,779 --> 00:28:57,943 "Wait, you want us to play jokes Germans ? The idea doesn't appeal to me." 311 00:28:58,017 --> 00:29:02,352 We were like, “What is this thing? What's the deal like?" 312 00:29:02,655 --> 00:29:06,148 I found some agreements more or less appropriate. 313 00:29:06,225 --> 00:29:08,819 He said: “We go from A minor to E minor.” 314 00:29:10,496 --> 00:29:13,898 And me: “What a damn thing! What next?” F sharp. 315 00:29:14,366 --> 00:29:17,927 D, F sharp, D. 316 00:29:47,566 --> 00:29:49,591 And all together. 317 00:29:56,642 --> 00:29:58,736 Paul Rothchild may have participated. 318 00:29:58,844 --> 00:30:00,278 It was happening to him. 319 00:30:11,023 --> 00:30:12,513 Raise your beer caps. 320 00:30:12,591 --> 00:30:14,889 People didn't know that it was by Brecht and Weill. 321 00:30:14,994 --> 00:30:17,019 They all thought it was The Doors. 322 00:30:17,096 --> 00:30:19,428 Before I knew who Kurt Weill was, I thought 323 00:30:19,498 --> 00:30:21,523 that it was a song like any other. 324 00:30:21,633 --> 00:30:26,400 It's true that she was special, but so what ? So much the better. 325 00:30:31,677 --> 00:30:34,703 It was Jim who wrote. He was the one who composed the songs. 326 00:30:34,780 --> 00:30:38,876 I didn't plan to write it myself. 327 00:30:38,951 --> 00:30:44,185 But one day he said, “You know what ? We don't have enough titles. 328 00:30:44,256 --> 00:30:47,419 "Why don't you try to write some, you too?” 329 00:31:22,361 --> 00:31:27,162 Robby gave birth to a song which was more folk than it ended up being. 330 00:31:27,232 --> 00:31:29,599 We all worked on it, 331 00:31:29,668 --> 00:31:32,660 and Densmore said: “What if we put a Latin touch on it?” 332 00:31:32,738 --> 00:31:33,830 Like this. 333 00:31:42,781 --> 00:31:45,546 But how do we start ? We cannot do… 334 00:31:48,253 --> 00:31:50,984 This is the riff of the song. 335 00:31:51,590 --> 00:31:55,891 And I don't know, from the deepest from my unconscious, came that... 336 00:32:03,535 --> 00:32:05,094 And everyone... 337 00:32:33,398 --> 00:32:36,925 Jim wrote the second verse, which speaks of a funeral pyre. 338 00:32:37,102 --> 00:32:42,506 I asked him: “Why Do you always have to talk about death?" 339 00:32:42,574 --> 00:32:44,668 And he: “No, old man, it’s perfect. 340 00:32:44,743 --> 00:32:48,873 "First, we talk about love, 341 00:32:48,947 --> 00:32:52,315 “and then we talk about death.” And he was right. 342 00:33:11,403 --> 00:33:13,064 It sounded really good. 343 00:33:13,138 --> 00:33:15,436 The problem, it lasted more than six minutes. 344 00:33:15,874 --> 00:33:18,741 Dave Diamond, the DJ. local, said.' 345 00:33:18,844 --> 00:33:21,245 "I am asked Light My Fire. 346 00:33:21,313 --> 00:33:25,944 "As my show is late in the evening, I can skip the long version, 347 00:33:26,018 --> 00:33:28,715 "but you have to make a single of this title. 348 00:33:28,787 --> 00:33:29,948 “It’s going to be a hit.” 349 00:33:30,022 --> 00:33:32,184 They didn't want to reduce it. 350 00:33:33,358 --> 00:33:38,228 I said, "Let's see what Paul think I can do, 351 00:33:38,664 --> 00:33:42,259 “and if it doesn’t work, we won’t do it.” 352 00:33:42,334 --> 00:33:45,395 We said: “No, we don’t want to. 353 00:33:45,470 --> 00:33:48,531 “It’s our favorite song. We can't reduce it." 354 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:51,473 But we finally gave in, and... 355 00:33:52,077 --> 00:33:54,068 It started an avalanche. 356 00:34:03,121 --> 00:34:06,751 I remember one evening when I was going to a concert in New York, in a limousine. 357 00:34:06,825 --> 00:34:08,589 Light My Fire had just been released, 358 00:34:08,660 --> 00:34:11,652 and she passed all three or four minutes on the radio. 359 00:34:11,763 --> 00:34:14,357 One song, another, and then Light My Fire again. 360 00:34:14,433 --> 00:34:16,993 We were in the limousine, and we smiled blissfully. 361 00:34:17,069 --> 00:34:18,230 We were in heaven. 362 00:34:18,303 --> 00:34:20,533 All we heard was that. 363 00:34:20,806 --> 00:34:23,741 The Beatles sang: ”All you need is love.” 364 00:34:24,476 --> 00:34:26,570 And Morrison sang: ”Light my fire, honey.” 365 00:34:26,678 --> 00:34:30,979 It's very different. He is always question of love, but of a different kind. 366 00:34:31,817 --> 00:34:34,286 After that, they did I'Ed Sullivan Show. 367 00:34:50,736 --> 00:34:53,797 This is where the Beatles started. 368 00:34:53,872 --> 00:34:57,331 It's a family show who passed on Sunday evening. 369 00:34:57,442 --> 00:35:02,175 Suddenly, little Sally was on all fours, 370 00:35:02,281 --> 00:35:06,411 intrigued by the Lizard King. 371 00:35:07,219 --> 00:35:10,780 Her dad looked at her and said to himself: “Oh, no, that’s not possible. 372 00:35:10,856 --> 00:35:12,119 “You shouldn’t.” 373 00:35:12,191 --> 00:35:14,592 And he had barely finished saying that 374 00:35:14,660 --> 00:35:17,891 that she was already buying all Doors albums. 375 00:35:28,474 --> 00:35:31,671 Of course we didn't listen what we were told. 376 00:35:31,743 --> 00:35:35,873 They didn't want us to say: “Honey, you’re completely stoned.” 377 00:35:43,722 --> 00:35:47,989 Jim said it anyway, and they said: “You will never do this show again.” 378 00:35:48,393 --> 00:35:53,229 And we: “We just did it. We just wanted to do it once. Hello." 379 00:36:12,351 --> 00:36:13,409 TOP 100 380 00:36:13,552 --> 00:36:17,716 Light My Fire was number one of the top 100 in July 1967. 381 00:36:17,789 --> 00:36:22,818 I believe that it is with hindsight that we considers it the perfect song 382 00:36:22,995 --> 00:36:25,225 of that summer, or of that time. 383 00:36:25,297 --> 00:36:31,498 Because things were starting to flare up, to catch fire, to explode. 384 00:36:31,570 --> 00:36:35,837 It was the time of the greats socio-political upheavals. 385 00:36:38,310 --> 00:36:40,677 It was fantastic, 386 00:36:40,746 --> 00:36:44,774 but it also degenerated into drugs. 387 00:36:45,851 --> 00:36:51,017 The Vietnam War was the backdrop abuses of hippie culture. 388 00:37:11,877 --> 00:37:15,074 "Lost in a desert of Roman suffering 389 00:37:15,147 --> 00:37:18,242 "Where the children lost their minds" 390 00:37:18,817 --> 00:37:21,377 What a nice comment on the love generation. 391 00:37:21,453 --> 00:37:22,818 And maybe that's true. 392 00:37:31,430 --> 00:37:34,695 The Doors were about reality. 393 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:40,170 There were the hippies, flower power and all that. 394 00:37:40,272 --> 00:37:42,866 But there was also the other side of the coin. 395 00:37:42,941 --> 00:37:47,105 The Doors were the yang of the yin of the flower power. generation 396 00:37:47,179 --> 00:37:51,707 But we weren't talking about flower power. The group talked about the power of each person. 397 00:37:51,783 --> 00:37:53,979 He raised the question: “Who can we be?” 398 00:37:54,052 --> 00:37:58,353 They provoked and made the public think like no one had ever done before. 399 00:38:11,737 --> 00:38:13,762 This all ties back to Jim's words. 400 00:38:13,872 --> 00:38:17,502 "I traveled to the depths of the night 401 00:38:18,543 --> 00:38:20,511 "Some are born into pleasure 402 00:38:20,579 --> 00:38:24,538 "Some are born in the greatest joy Others are born in the depths of the night." 403 00:38:24,616 --> 00:38:27,347 It was all Jim. 404 00:38:27,486 --> 00:38:30,945 It puts me in a state of mind quite gloomy, 405 00:38:31,023 --> 00:38:33,219 how to say... 406 00:38:33,292 --> 00:38:36,523 a kind of melancholy. 407 00:38:37,796 --> 00:38:39,662 Like... 408 00:38:41,433 --> 00:38:43,629 Like when you're not in your right mind. 409 00:38:43,935 --> 00:38:47,599 Jim went through successive states. 410 00:38:47,706 --> 00:38:51,074 When I knew him, it was his psychedelic period. 411 00:38:51,143 --> 00:38:55,239 He did a hundred times what everyone else did 412 00:38:55,347 --> 00:38:57,611 to see how far he could go, 413 00:38:57,716 --> 00:38:59,115 and he moved on. 414 00:38:59,184 --> 00:39:01,744 Jim didn't do drugs that much. He smoked joints, 415 00:39:01,820 --> 00:39:04,551 but he wasn't addicted. On the other hand, he drank quite a bit. 416 00:39:04,623 --> 00:39:06,785 What I immediately understood, 417 00:39:07,392 --> 00:39:11,829 is that Jim was going to try to push back all limits. 418 00:39:12,664 --> 00:39:16,328 He was driving drunk just to see what the police would say. 419 00:39:16,435 --> 00:39:17,561 And he really did. 420 00:39:17,669 --> 00:39:19,068 It was difficult. 421 00:39:19,137 --> 00:39:24,007 I often said to myself: “Why can’t he be normal?” 422 00:39:24,109 --> 00:39:28,603 We can write songs without being completely crazy 423 00:39:28,714 --> 00:39:32,617 and do that kind of thing. 424 00:39:33,218 --> 00:39:37,177 But I knew he couldn't. 425 00:39:38,724 --> 00:39:41,455 Guys like him are the ones who... 426 00:39:41,526 --> 00:39:44,826 They are the ones who set the limits. 427 00:39:44,896 --> 00:39:48,025 I would like to make a song or a piece 428 00:39:48,100 --> 00:39:53,061 which is a pure expression of joy. 429 00:39:54,139 --> 00:39:58,508 Pure... like a celebration 430 00:40:00,178 --> 00:40:02,374 of existence. 431 00:40:04,182 --> 00:40:09,746 Like the arrival of spring, the rising sunshine or something like that. 432 00:40:09,821 --> 00:40:13,780 Just joy, pure and unlimited. 433 00:40:13,859 --> 00:40:15,725 I don't think we've ever done that. 434 00:40:15,827 --> 00:40:20,094 When you're a star, we are forgiven for everything. 435 00:40:20,866 --> 00:40:23,597 It is the supreme indulgence. 436 00:40:23,702 --> 00:40:27,935 And of course it's this indulgence who lost it at 27 and a half years old. 437 00:40:28,206 --> 00:40:29,765 Who sent him to heaven. 438 00:40:29,841 --> 00:40:33,436 Self-destruction and creativity are not always one. 439 00:40:33,545 --> 00:40:36,173 I want young people to understand that. 440 00:40:36,982 --> 00:40:43,615 It's not because we dress in leather and we drink that we will become a star. 441 00:40:44,055 --> 00:40:46,888 Picasso lived to the age of 90, and he was a genius. 442 00:40:46,992 --> 00:40:50,656 So... And I'm 62 years old. 443 00:40:50,729 --> 00:40:54,495 I am proof that you can be a musician and last a long time. 444 00:40:54,566 --> 00:40:59,970 In Jim's case, creativity and self-destruction went hand in hand. 445 00:41:20,092 --> 00:41:24,529 The last title of the second side and of the album, it's TheEnd. 446 00:41:24,629 --> 00:41:29,999 This was all recorded live in the studio, without any additions. 447 00:41:30,101 --> 00:41:31,591 This is what it looks like. 448 00:41:59,431 --> 00:42:00,990 Ray at his piano bass. 449 00:42:37,369 --> 00:42:41,101 “This is the end.” We asked ourselves: 450 00:42:41,172 --> 00:42:42,333 “What is he talking about ? 451 00:42:42,407 --> 00:42:45,638 "Is he talking about death ? 452 00:42:45,744 --> 00:42:47,371 "Can we do that in a song ? 453 00:42:47,445 --> 00:42:52,110 "It doesn't look like Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. What’s going on?” 454 00:42:52,217 --> 00:42:56,313 The End began as a song... no love... 455 00:42:56,521 --> 00:43:01,721 Let's say goodbye to love. “This is the end, dear friend.” 456 00:43:01,860 --> 00:43:07,196 Jim sang it to us a cappella. 457 00:43:07,465 --> 00:43:11,095 We said to ourselves: “Wow. All right. It’s not happy.” 458 00:43:12,103 --> 00:43:17,041 The intermediate section, 10 long minutes of poetry, 459 00:43:17,142 --> 00:43:20,737 evolved over the course of the concerts. 460 00:43:21,146 --> 00:43:24,047 There were times when he improvised 461 00:43:24,115 --> 00:43:25,514 while we were playing chords. 462 00:43:25,817 --> 00:43:28,912 At Whiskey A Go Go, Jim came up with something great. 463 00:43:31,356 --> 00:43:35,088 We had never heard it before. It was the first time he said that. 464 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:38,095 On stage. The Whiskey A Go Go was packed. 465 00:43:38,763 --> 00:43:42,666 He had this kind of aura that emanated of him and which captivated the whole club. 466 00:43:42,734 --> 00:43:46,568 It seemed like time had stopped. 467 00:43:47,572 --> 00:43:49,973 Everything was frozen, except us. 468 00:43:50,041 --> 00:43:53,477 Densmore Battery, Robby who was playing a sitar tune, 469 00:43:53,578 --> 00:43:58,778 and Morrison who said: “The killer woke up before dawn.” 470 00:43:59,718 --> 00:44:01,652 Oh, my God, what is he doing ? 471 00:44:01,720 --> 00:44:04,018 “He put on his boots. 472 00:44:04,089 --> 00:44:08,048 "He took on a face from the Old Gallery 473 00:44:09,661 --> 00:44:13,723 He walked across the room, darling 474 00:45:20,698 --> 00:45:23,190 It's not what you imagined. 475 00:45:23,301 --> 00:45:28,671 It was incredibly seductive, the sweetness of the beginning, 476 00:45:28,773 --> 00:45:33,506 and this way of erupting and go into an Oedipal delirium. 477 00:45:34,979 --> 00:45:41,146 It was dynamic, it was first-rate theater. 478 00:45:41,252 --> 00:45:44,813 The End, is Oedipus Rex, is Freud. 479 00:45:44,889 --> 00:45:47,586 The Oedipus complex. It's very dark. 480 00:46:12,751 --> 00:46:15,618 Of course, originally, we had to eliminate that during mixing, 481 00:46:15,687 --> 00:46:19,646 but rhythmically, it's part of the whole. It's an instrument. 482 00:46:19,724 --> 00:46:23,592 We wouldn't find that in Ferry 'Cross the Mersey. 483 00:46:23,695 --> 00:46:28,428 It's a kind of long whirring sound 10 minutes, 484 00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:32,759 as if to express discomfort. 485 00:46:32,837 --> 00:46:35,932 It felt like they were experimenting. 486 00:46:36,007 --> 00:46:39,910 And that’s what we expect from real artists. 487 00:46:40,011 --> 00:46:42,708 Let them try things. And we say to ourselves: 488 00:46:42,814 --> 00:46:46,478 "I don't know if it's ugly or if it's weird, 489 00:46:46,551 --> 00:46:49,213 "but I find it beautiful, in a way." 490 00:47:01,766 --> 00:47:04,758 When we finished this album, 491 00:47:04,836 --> 00:47:07,328 we were aware for making an excellent record. 492 00:47:07,405 --> 00:47:11,000 But in terms of the impact it would have 493 00:47:11,075 --> 00:47:13,669 or its success, we had no idea. 494 00:47:13,778 --> 00:47:19,114 These albums are classics, perfect albums. 495 00:47:19,851 --> 00:47:25,051 When I say perfect, I mean that we wouldn't want to change anything. 496 00:47:25,189 --> 00:47:28,648 It doesn't come down to the fact that it's 497 00:47:28,726 --> 00:47:32,219 an almost perfect record. 498 00:47:32,330 --> 00:47:34,992 It’s also a matter of context. 499 00:47:35,099 --> 00:47:38,660 It's linked to the time, to its place 500 00:47:38,770 --> 00:47:40,795 in rock history. 501 00:47:40,872 --> 00:47:46,868 The Doors, 40 years later, continue to deeply move all those 502 00:47:46,978 --> 00:47:50,676 who seek to define themselves as individuals, 503 00:47:50,748 --> 00:47:53,308 and not as products of their parents. 504 00:47:53,418 --> 00:47:55,182 This music takes you on a journey, 505 00:47:55,286 --> 00:47:59,484 and if you open your ears and your heart, 506 00:47:59,557 --> 00:48:00,649 you will make this journey. 507 00:48:00,725 --> 00:48:05,686 These songs challenge the psyche, perception. 508 00:48:05,763 --> 00:48:08,528 And where you see a wall, we see a door. 509 00:48:08,600 --> 00:48:11,934 When my children are older, I will play them this record 510 00:48:12,003 --> 00:48:14,563 and I’ll tell them, “Listen to this record. 511 00:48:14,639 --> 00:48:16,107 “He meant a lot.” 512 00:48:16,207 --> 00:48:18,904 We wrote about... Jim always said: 513 00:48:19,010 --> 00:48:23,470 "Talk about universal subjects that, in a hundred years, 514 00:48:23,548 --> 00:48:26,677 “will continue to challenge people.” 515 00:48:26,751 --> 00:48:30,051 Jim always said: “Our music is primitive. 516 00:48:30,121 --> 00:48:32,249 “It comes from the primeval swamps.” 517 00:48:32,323 --> 00:48:36,624 This record is magical. It's difficult to describe. 518 00:48:36,728 --> 00:48:39,527 magic, It’s something we can’t control. 519 00:48:39,597 --> 00:48:44,592 Let's say that a muse was watching over us, and I am grateful to him.