Daniel Robert Epstein: Ray Manzarek

Gee whiz, that twisted rationale for wanting to use Doors songs in commercials is unconvincing. Because not enough people know what the Doors sound like, and this is a way to get the Doors' message out to the people? Yeah, ok...


Edit: I just re-read it, maybe that's not exactly what he's saying, but the whole idea of the Doors was supposed to be revolutionary and anti-establishment. Manzarek wants to use the songs now to make big money on commercials, he should just put it like that and not say, "there's no more classic rock radio".

I'm finding myself thinking, for the first time, that I may have heard a good rationale for selling music to advertising.

Think, for a moment, about how iTunes "made" the iPod what it is today. ITunes Music Store got all this fantastic music before anybody else because the artists who created it said to themselves "I work on Mac, I love Mac, here's my chance to really pitch in for Apple because I believe in them as a company, as a corporate philosophy, and as a product." Musicians from jazz to rock to country to punk premiered songs through iTunes because they all wanted to endorse a product that they use and love.

I don't think that it's any different from Michael Jordan saying to himself, "My ankles are still healthy enough to play great ball because Nike hired real engineers to design supportive, protective shoes. I'm doing what I do without pain because this company believed they could make the simple shoe much better, and they succeeded. Now we can partner up to build the next generation shoe and it'll have my name on it. Maybe they'll really take my suggestions, but even if they don't it'll be a better shoe from a company I owe a lot of my success to. And I'll make money for endorsing a product that really means a lot to me."

Sure, rock stars aren't supposed to sell out. But nobody becomes a star who didn't want to be a star, to feel that power from the crowd and to know that seven million human beings can hum his song. How can a person with that drive not want to see his music live on and keep reaching new people?

As far as the "there's no more classic rock radio" assertion, I have to agree. In the electronics shop where I work, one of the senior guys owns the radio, and keeps it tuned to the local classic rock station. They have a daytime playlist that shuffles the order of the same songs between 9am-5pm every day. One song per hour isn't from the same tired stack, at most. If you follow this station, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, and hundreds of other greats of that era exist once a month or so. Pink Floyd only ever wrote "The Wall" (the song, not the whole album), and Joe Cocker just covered one Beatles song. Even Led Zeppelin (who I've never liked but seem to be this station's favorites), get the SAME three songs every day. I might not hate classic rock radio so much if they played the depth that's available to them. As I type this, a T. Rex song popped up on my iPod, and it's not "Bang a Gong," so I'm not pressing "skip." There are probably half a million other songs on albums I've only heard one song of. If one in ten of them is worth hearing once, that would get me through all my work hours from now until the middle of winter without having to sit through "Stairway to Heaven" again. But as reality stands, I'll be hearing that fucking song just before lunchbreak every day until I get a new job or Big Fred keels over.

Get the Doors on your tv? Sell out? Tough call. I tend to get emotional about Doors songs and dont want to see them pitching, oh I dont know, CADILLACS!!! But who am I to say. Money talks. The Doors seem to be a band you find at when youre 13 and they stay there in the background the rest of your life. I think in a strange way, especially being an X fan, that Ray is right to a certain extent. But John seems to be a little more right. The band Ray and Robbie are in is no more the Doors than the Krieger/Densmore Reggae Bonanza. I think you can have an AC/DC without Bon Scott but no Doors without Morrison. I am not trying to tell them how to manage their product but The Celebration of the Lizard isnt going to make me want to have a Pepsi.

Since Ray has to go the extra mile by saying Jim Morrison would also want to use the songs in commercials it's worth quoting the following from here (by way of here.).

Ray wants a big payday. That in itself is not so unseemly, just his lame rationalizations.

1. I just don't see how less money equals more integrity. I hope he gets money in huge buckets, no matter how it's done. As long as he, himself, is fine with it, so what? He's famous, but the public doesn't own his mind, or motivations. Fuck it, I like the rationale. We all use ______ . We all use______, so why not let my music be behind it. Yes, the Doors were "revolutionary" and "dark" blah, etc., but connecting with the masses in a positive way was one of the whole points of the 60's counterculture. Sure, the Doors were not singing "Come on people, smile on your brother", but lots of people know the music. Apple Computers? That could have been sweet. Connection, rather than petulant, brooding isolation... sounds suspiciously like... I don't know... maturity?

Keep the music fresh and "out there". Right on, Ray. Nostalgia is a poor substitute for experience.


2. Oliver Stone is a pud.

3. I'm really looking forward to reading Snake Moon.

4. Anyone barking about artistic integrity, and selling out, go here:

http://www.mcclure-manzarek.com/

If you're particularly sensitive, you might want to ignore the fact that these folks actually sell their books and music, rather than wash dishes to support their art. Of particular interest to Doors fans might be the picture on the front page of Morrison with his friend, the poet Michael McClure. Interesting cat, McClure. He's now in his 70's and still as cool as fucking ice.

Take a look around. It's bigger, deeper world of art than just the "Lizard King" and the solo to "Light My Fire".


-cheers

I'm with John Densmore. Why would the Doors need to commercialise their music to ensure its survival? Their reputation transcends the need to do this. I respect what Ray's done. I love the diversity of his career, post-Doors.

But I question the logic of his need to 'resurrect' The Doors in the 21st century. This whole "just want to play the songs" line seems unconvincing given the scale of what he's doing. If he just wants to play the songs, he can do this quite easily. He doesn't need to engineer such a public platform.

Ultimately Ian Astbury is a poor substitute for Jim Morrison.

The book sounds good though. Cool artwork

pay the man.

I'm sure there is probably more than one Doors tribute band out there that uses the word "doors" in its name, so if Ray M wants to put on his own tribute band that actually has 50% of the original band in why shouldn't he? I still wouldn't want to pay more than $15 to see them but many people have and would.

As for the "music on tv ads= selling out" thing, think about this for a minute: Most of the younger people who now listen to Doors music started doing so after discovering the band through the film or through people who did the same, so what's this double moral crap? Sure, some of us discovered it through our parents or teachers or what have you; but the fact is that if the movie had not come around, a lot of people would not care for the Doors and would dismiss it as "some hippie band from the 60s."

Is a motion picture less selling out than a spanky's burger commercial? It has more cachet and pays better but it's still a product out for sale.

he dicho.

Ray Manzarek is an intelligent, multi-talented and DEFINITELY multi-faceted artist.
Sell out or not, the novel sounds fascinating! I think it's going on my wish list!

Classic rock is dead? Who's he fucking kidding? Obviously the man hasn't been in a dive bar for years.

When it finally DOES die I'm going to dance on its piss soaked grave.

SELL OUT ! !

its either that or tour with steppenwolf.

Ray's a twat, still trying to squeeze some money from the Doors name. Riders On The Storm?? Ha! Did I mention he's a twat? I mean, read what he said -

"He played such mental games. I said, "Listen, I've taken LSD, you don't want to play mind games with me. I took LSD and I've broken through to the other side. I can see right through mind games."

Broken through to the other side? Maybe he meant the other side of the goofy wall.

Ray Manzarek is a fucking shit.

I'll bet there are a lot of people who would have said the same thing about many jazz, blues and country artists from the first half of last century.

I love the Doors. But I'll have to agree.... Manzerek is a monster of an ass!