Ray Manzarek Passes Away at 74

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  • Ledbetterman10Ledbetterman10 Posts: 16,884
    Weird Al posted a video of Ray recording with him that's cool:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... a5x88C0yQY
    2000: Camden 1, 2003: Philly, State College, Camden 1, MSG 2, Hershey, 2004: Reading, 2005: Philly, 2006: Camden 1, 2, East Rutherford 1, 2007: Lollapalooza, 2008: Camden 1, Washington D.C., MSG 1, 2, 2009: Philly 1, 2, 3, 4, 2010: Bristol, MSG 2, 2011: PJ20 1, 2, 2012: Made In America, 2013: Brooklyn 2, Philly 2, 2014: Denver, 2015: Global Citizen Festival, 2016: Philly 2, Fenway 1, 2018: Fenway 1, 2, 2021: Sea. Hear. Now. 2022: Camden, 2024Philly 2

    Pearl Jam bootlegs:
    http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
  • saw him playing with D21C. he never stopped loving it.
    Gimli 1993
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  • FreeFree Posts: 3,562
    :( :(

    Just saw him and Krieger a couple years ago, and was just watching "People are Strange" a few days ago.

    RIP Ray Manzarek.
  • the wolfthe wolf Posts: 7,027
    My second favorite band ever. The doors changed my life, just like PJ.
    Ray was an amazing talent, and a great story teller, keeping Jim alive all these year.

    This is messing with me more than I thought it would.

    RIP Ray.
    The world lost a good one today.

    So very sad.
    Peace, Love.


    "To question your government is not unpatriotic --
    to not question your government is unpatriotic."
    -- Sen. Chuck Hagel
  • Pjzepp67Pjzepp67 Posts: 445
    Had to dig out my copy of The Doors: The story of LA Woman; it really does emphasise what an educated, humourful, respectful and genuine guy he was. There's another rockumentary to add to a previous post... :cry:
  • john roachjohn roach Posts: 80
    Very sad . RIP Ray.
    "Death makes angels if us all
    And gives us wings
    Where we had shoulders
    Smooth as raven's claws"
    Jim Morrison
    " An American Prayer"
    John Roach
  • LukinFanLukinFan Florida Posts: 29,050
    Ray also was an fiction author. This is a great read:

    http://www.amazon.com/Poet-Exile-Novel- ... 1560254475

    Is the lead singer of America's most notorious rock and roll band really buried in Paris? Years after the Poet's apparent death, his longtime musical collaborator and friend Roy receives the first of several mysterious postcards bearing cryptic verse, signed only "J." Trusting his instinct that this is not a hoax, Roy traces the cards to their apparent source—a remote island in the Indian Ocean. There, to his amazement, he is re-united with the man once known as "the snake man," and hears the remarkable story of his faked death—and the rebirth it made possible. A happily married man, the father of two children, he has discovered the secret to life and is finally free of the demons that had driven him headlong through the American night. Now an enticing question arises: Would destiny smile upon the re-launch of one of the most influential rock and roll bands in history? "... a narrative that ends with a moment of authentic surprise and heart-tugging poignancy."—Los Angeles Times
    www.RLMcDaniel.com

    1996: Ft Lauderdale
    1998: Birmingham
    2000: Charlotte, Tampa
    2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
    2004: Kissimmee
    2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
    2010: MSG2
    2012: Music Midtown
    2014: Memphis
    2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest
    2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
    2022: Nashville
    2023: Ft. Worth II
  • intodeepintodeep Posts: 7,228
    :(
    He was great. Thankfully his music will always be around to remind us.
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  • rearviewrossrearviewross Posts: 3,055
    Truly sad to hear this yesterday. The Doors were a big influence on me in my younger days. Thanks for the music and the memories Ray.
    Forced to endure, what I cannot forgive.
  • rearviewrossrearviewross Posts: 3,055
    I've always felt that Manzarek and Richard Wright were the most underrated musicians in rock history. Both are completely responsible for their respective band's "sound"

    Good point. The Doors often didn't even use a bass player. Ray was the bass.
    Forced to endure, what I cannot forgive.
  • mysticweedmysticweed Posts: 3,710
    RIP
    LOVE the Manz
    fuck 'em if they can't take a joke

    "what a long, strange trip it's been"
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,070
    This comes as shocking news. I just met John Densmore at a book signing last Thursday. He talked about how the last chapter of his book was meant to be an olive branch to heal the rift between he and Manzarek and Kreiger. He said, "Maybe we should get together and do a benefit or something." This surely must be difficult news for Densmore. Tough news for all us Doors fans. :cry:
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • Ledbetterman10Ledbetterman10 Posts: 16,884
    I've always felt that Manzarek and Richard Wright were the most underrated musicians in rock history. Both are completely responsible for their respective band's "sound"

    Good point. The Doors often didn't even use a bass player. Ray was the bass.

    And not only that, but the Doors' "sound" is that keyboard sound. Same with Pink Floyd. Dave's guitar playing and Roger's lyrics get all the credit, but what makes a Pink Floyd song sound like a Pink Floyd song? Richard's atmospheric keyboard playing.
    2000: Camden 1, 2003: Philly, State College, Camden 1, MSG 2, Hershey, 2004: Reading, 2005: Philly, 2006: Camden 1, 2, East Rutherford 1, 2007: Lollapalooza, 2008: Camden 1, Washington D.C., MSG 1, 2, 2009: Philly 1, 2, 3, 4, 2010: Bristol, MSG 2, 2011: PJ20 1, 2, 2012: Made In America, 2013: Brooklyn 2, Philly 2, 2014: Denver, 2015: Global Citizen Festival, 2016: Philly 2, Fenway 1, 2018: Fenway 1, 2, 2021: Sea. Hear. Now. 2022: Camden, 2024Philly 2

    Pearl Jam bootlegs:
    http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,070
    Robby Krieger and Bill Siddons on Manzarek's passing:

    https://soundcloud.com/kcrw/the-doors-r ... remembered
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • LukinFanLukinFan Florida Posts: 29,050
    brianlux wrote:
    This comes as shocking news. I just met John Densmore at a book signing last Thursday. He talked about how the last chapter of his book was meant to be an olive branch to heal the rift between he and Manzarek and Kreiger. He said, "Maybe we should get together and do a benefit or something." This surely must be difficult news for Densmore. Tough news for all us Doors fans. :cry:
    Wow. I really wish/hoped they made up before he passed.
    www.RLMcDaniel.com

    1996: Ft Lauderdale
    1998: Birmingham
    2000: Charlotte, Tampa
    2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
    2004: Kissimmee
    2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
    2010: MSG2
    2012: Music Midtown
    2014: Memphis
    2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest
    2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
    2022: Nashville
    2023: Ft. Worth II
  • Bathgate66Bathgate66 Posts: 15,813
    Love me 2 times
    I'm goin away...


    RIP Ray Manzarek
    For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
    That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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  • Bathgate66Bathgate66 Posts: 15,813
    LukinFan wrote:
    brianlux wrote:
    This comes as shocking news. I just met John Densmore at a book signing last Thursday. He talked about how the last chapter of his book was meant to be an olive branch to heal the rift between he and Manzarek and Kreiger. He said, "Maybe we should get together and do a benefit or something." This surely must be difficult news for Densmore. Tough news for all us Doors fans. :cry:
    Wow. I really wish/hoped they made up before he passed.


    this was Densmores statement:

    From John Densmore: "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."
    For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
    That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
    platessmall.jpg
    ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
    http://www.UNOS.org
    Donate Organs and Save a Life
  • FreeFree Posts: 3,562
    Did anyone even know that he had cancer? :( Still bummer out about this, absolutely LOVE The Doors.
  • chadwickchadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    when I was a young kid dad & i were at the public library and dad was reading through a book with the doors in it. he showed me &told me their band name & said they were a great band. i was about 8-10 years old. i said something like this, "why the doors?" "what the frig?" i did not understand the depth of the band's name

    also... for a very longtime i never understood why they didn't have a bass guitarist. turns out manzarek had the bass lines completely covered like none other. i actually learned this fact here on pearl jam
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."

    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • chadwickchadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    http://youtu.be/a5J0FL_Cyfc
    one of the greatest songs ever done. i only wish this song were 47 minutes in length. oh well i have repeat. I've listened to this song for days or weeks at a time & will again.
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."

    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • LukinFanLukinFan Florida Posts: 29,050
    http://www.pollstar.com/news_article.aspx?ID=805259

    Ray Manzarek Tells All


    Goldenvoice's Elliott Lefko interviewed the famed keyboardist at the 2011 Pollstar Live! conference.

    When keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger and frontman Jim Morrison came together to form The Doors in 1965, it was a moment in time that struck such a chord in the Universe that it still reverberates today.

    And the history of The Doors is more than just about the L.A. scene as the panel title suggests. It’s also the story of the music industry and its controversies, triumphs and tragedies.

    Moderator Elliott Lefko of Goldenvoice started off recounting how he first heard about the now-legendary band.

    “I’m originally from Canada .... on one of my first visits to Los Angeles, I asked Henry Rollins, the singer for Black Flag and poet, ‘Henry, where do I go in L.A.?’ Henry says, ‘You’ve got to do it like Jim Morrison! You’ve got to stay at the La Cienega Motel. You’ve got to eat at Barney’s Beanery and you’ve go to eat breakfast at Duke’s.’ And I did it,” Lefko explained.

    Lefko then asked Manzarek how he first met Morrison.

    “Jim Morrison and I went to the UCLA film school. We were students in the motion picture division. He came from Florida, I came from Chicago,” Manzarek said. “We smoked pot together, we talked philosophy together, we had a class with Josef von Sternberg. who was a director of Marlene Dietrich movies.”

    “We graduated in 1965 – Jim got his Bachelor’s degree, I got my Master’s degree – and we were hopefully going to do something together. But Jim said he was going to New York City. I thought, ‘Well, that’s it. I’ll never see Jim again.’”

    But Manzarek’s disappointment was short lived when he ran into Morrison at Venice Beach a month after graduation. At the time, Manzarek was playing in his brother’s surf band, Rick and The Ravens, and Morrison used to join the band on “Louie, Louie.”

    “The was Jim’s start of being a public entertainer and he absolutely loved it, Even then, he was good at it,” Manzarek said. “He hadn’t become Jim Morrison, Rock God. He was still on the soft side. But he became this Dionysian, handsome guy.”

    Harvey Kubernik, author of “Canyon Of Dreams,” which documents the musical legacy of Laurel Canyon where The Doors’ “Love Street” comes from, said he first heard The Doors on L.A. radio station KBLA when he was a teenager.

    “I started high school, heard The Doors and it kind of spoke to us.” Kubernik said. “I saw The Doors perform in 1968. I seem to recall I bought the tickets at a head shop in Westwood called Head Quarters.”

    “So The Doors were kind of ‘our band’ and I interviewed Ray for Melody Maker Music in 1974 and [later] worked with him on his autobiography.”

    Bruce Botnick was just a young engineer when he went into the studio with The Doors for the first time.

    “Jac Holzman owned a company called Elektra Records and he was looking to broaden his horizons,” Botnick said. “The first act he ever signed was a group called Love [of “My Little Red Book” fame]. Involved in that whole thing was a gentleman named Herb Cohen, who was the manager and had a record company with Frank Zappa.

    “So I did these two albums – Love’s first album followed by Tim Buckley – and then I got a phone call from Jac saying, ‘We’ve got a band that we signed that we really like’ and Paul Rothchild was going to produce it.

    “Well, The Doors came in ... totally prepared. Nothing was constructed in the studio. It was just a matter of getting the performance, getting it right and being able to recognize it when we found it. The album only took five days.”

    Lefko turned the discussion to Manzarek, asking what it was like to be thrown out of clubs. “A club,” the keyboardist corrected Lefko, “not plural” and then explained.

    “Jim said, ‘Mother, I want to fuck you’ on stage at the Whisky A Go Go [in 1966]. The owners of the club are Italian,” Manzarek explained. “Good, Catholic gentlemen associated with, perhaps, the underworld heard the singer on stage saying, ‘Father, I want to kill you. Mother, I want to fuck you.’ [mimicking owner] “What did he just say?! I’m going to KILL that guy!’ It was the first time that had ever happened.”

    The back story is that Morrison had missed the first set and club owner Phil Tanzini angrily told them Morrison had better be there for the next set. The band found their frontman in his room at the La Cienega Motel, in just his underwear and boots, and he had “ingested too much LSD.”

    It was during the second set, with a packed house, that Morrison decides he wants to sing “The End” after two songs, and proceeded to add the previously unheard Oedipal lyrics in the moment. The band tried to play louder to drown out the lyrics but to no avail as Morrison was screaming.

    “We come out of this insane trance, finish the song, play one or two more, get off the stage and go into the dressing room,” the keyboardist said. “And right behind us is Phil ‘The Maniac’ Tanzini [who proceeds to shout] ‘What the fuck is the matter with you?! You fucking assholes! You’re the filthiest, dirtiest band I’ve ever heard!’”

    After a lot more cursing, Manzarek said Tanzini fired The Doors as house band until Krieger spoke up.

    “Robby, precious Robby, on top of things at all times, says, ‘Phil, this is Thursday. Do you want us to play Friday and Saturday or are we fired?’

    “‘Oh, right, wait a minute,’ the club owner said. ‘You play Friday and Saturday, THEN you’re fired.’”

    Kubernik said the news about “The End” spread like wildfire through area high schools via word-of-mouth and school newspapers.

    “People were lining up to see the band. There were four people in my English class that wanted to do term papers on ‘The End,’” he said. “And all of a sudden, every radio station and the new FM stations immediately started playing ‘The End’ on top of ‘Light My Fire.’”

    Kubernik turned to Manzarek. “What a buzz you started that day! The only thing that [generated] that much excitement was when Koufax pitched a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium.”

    Manzarek quipped that it was “serendipitous” the band had signed with Elektra the week before.

    During the Q & A, the panel was asked what they think the main factor behind The Doors’ longevity is.

    “The Doors were never part of corporate rock,” Botnick said. “They were all singer-songwriters and it was very personal stuff, very intellectual, smart and witty.

    “Obviously there’s some connection in not only the music, but in the words that are very deep and transcended generations and still does.”

    “What makes the kids today like The Doors?” Manzarek asked. “Truth, reality, tapping into the psychic subconscious that all human beings share. We’re all seeking love, seeking pleasure, seeking enlightenment.

    “We were probing the unconsciousness and we did it musically. The songs were all good, the craftsmanship was good technically, and we were all operating from a deeper and higher state of consciousness at the same time due to the ingestion of LSD.

    “It just opened the doors of perception.”
    www.RLMcDaniel.com

    1996: Ft Lauderdale
    1998: Birmingham
    2000: Charlotte, Tampa
    2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
    2004: Kissimmee
    2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
    2010: MSG2
    2012: Music Midtown
    2014: Memphis
    2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest
    2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
    2022: Nashville
    2023: Ft. Worth II
  • bluegracebluegrace Posts: 2,357
    R.I.P.
    Kool Kat Club 1992, Moderna museet 1992, Globen 2012, Friends arena 2014
  • Thanks for the great music you brought into this world

    RIP
    shows: Shepherds Bush 110809
    Hyde Park 250610
    Bridge School Benefit 23/241010
    Manchester MEN 210612
    Amsterdam Ziggodome 270612
    Berlin '02' 040712
  • LukinFanLukinFan Florida Posts: 29,050
    Been listening to the Doors a lot this week. Without Ray, this would had been a completely different band. I know Jim was the leader, but musically, it was Ray. Just an incredible musician.
    www.RLMcDaniel.com

    1996: Ft Lauderdale
    1998: Birmingham
    2000: Charlotte, Tampa
    2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
    2004: Kissimmee
    2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
    2010: MSG2
    2012: Music Midtown
    2014: Memphis
    2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest
    2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
    2022: Nashville
    2023: Ft. Worth II
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,070
    LukinFan wrote:
    Been listening to the Doors a lot this week. Without Ray, this would had been a completely different band. I know Jim was the leader, but musically, it was Ray. Just an incredible musician.

    Absolutely! I think the same could be said for all four band members. Manzarek with his classical training combined with combined melodic and steady rhythm/bass keyboards, Morrison with his distinct voice and amazing poetry, Krieger with this unusual (and under-rated) picking using finger nails and slide guitar and Densmore with his roots in jazz (he told me Elvin Jones was his mentor). I can think of no other band that fits the huge space The Doors fill in the history of rock music.

    Morrison was, in a sense, the bands leader but I think it was Botnick or Rothchild who referred to Manzarek who was the senior member of the group as "The General". An incredible, brilliant musician.
    LukinFan wrote:
    Ray also was an fiction author. This is a great read:

    http://www.amazon.com/Poet-Exile-Novel- ... 1560254475

    Yes! Ray's Poet in Exile did not do so well but I thought it was great. It's too bad it did fair better during Manzarek's lifetime but hopefully it will find more readers now.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • LukinFanLukinFan Florida Posts: 29,050
    Ray Manzarek Memorial Tee
    $25.00

    100% combed black cotton unisex tee with Ray Manzarek Tribute graphic on front.

    100% of the net proceeds from this limited-edition Ray Manzarek memorial t-shirt will be donated to Stand Up To Cancer.
    *** Please note: due to the nature of this apparel item, please allow 2-3 weeks for processing and shipment of your order. Thank you.****

    https://thedoors.com/store/ray-manzarek ... l-tee-5115
    www.RLMcDaniel.com

    1996: Ft Lauderdale
    1998: Birmingham
    2000: Charlotte, Tampa
    2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
    2004: Kissimmee
    2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
    2010: MSG2
    2012: Music Midtown
    2014: Memphis
    2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest
    2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
    2022: Nashville
    2023: Ft. Worth II
  • guacamolejoeguacamolejoe Posts: 2,396
    Damn sad, i grew up getting stupid drunk & listening to the Doors by the beach thanks for the music RIP Ray ...

    Me too 8-) ........ looking for the Crystal Ship :mrgreen: .

    Got a chance to see Ray perform in a little church in NYC with George Wilson, performing music from the Doors. The pianos were back to back & I was 2 pews away 8-) .

    The Doors were my favorite band as a young teenager. I can still remember where I was the very 1st time I heard Light My Fire in 67...........damn I'm old :fp: .
    So, What you Giving ?........ (Thanks Speedy, Alesek, & Arq+friends)
    What You Giving

    I suggest you step out on your Porch.
    Run away my son. See it all. Oh, See the World!
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