Under The Watchful Eye: A Look at John Densmore
By Jayson Mello
It has been said, behind every great band, there lies a great drummer. The Doors definitely had that characteristic. The Doors had one of the more creative drummers of the 60’s and 70’s. John didn’t just play a rhythm; he pulled them apart and incorporated accents and small flourishes that make the songs of The Doors memorable and timeless. I’d like to introduce you to the less discussed member of The Doors – John Densmore.
Being a little biased on this subject, my point is to bring his contributions from the band to the forefront and to point out how creative and incredibly individualistic his playing was and still is. I understand when most people look closely at The Doors; chances are they are focusing in on Jim Morrison. Fair enough but look past the poet and you will find an amazing rhythm section that not only complemented Jim’s words but made them stand out as loud as any snare pop John could deliver.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to, John Paul Densmore.
John Paul Densmore, born in Los Angeles, California on December 1, 1944 originally played piano in his early years but eventually switched to drums during his teenage school years. He eventually found his first love in the world of Jazz, studying under Fred Katz, a jazz cellist. Densmore also has dabbled in playing the flute. Throughout the years, John Densmore has kept busy playing in various bands, written two amazing books, produces and continues to stay busy at the young age of 69.
One has to realize that not only did John bring the beat, fire, rhythm, soul and time to The Doors, most do not even know who he is or to many, do not even know his name. I constantly hear him referred to as, “The Doors drummer.” My job here is to expose you all to the members other than Ray, Robby and Jim.
They say drummers are hardheaded and very opinionated. They also say that to play the drums is not the “sexiest” instrument but they do make you move during the song. Take away the driving rhythms of “LA Woman” that John plays, and you float rather than drive in place. The drummer drives the bus. Without the driver, the bus doesn’t move and the music doesn’t move.
John brought an incredibly creative mind to The Doors. He fused different types of music together to creative a very distinct playing style that is often copied but never with the same emotion as John so elegantly did. He provided amazing drum lines that have colored many Doors songs by being the drum line that most people associate their songs with. For anyone to recognize a song solely on the drum pattern is one of the greatest complements a drummer can get. For example, the boss nova beat that introduces “Break On Through” or the simple little drum fill that starts, “Hello I Love You.” Or the signature John Densmore snare taps that begins the powerful “Five To One”. Face it, John brought an incredible amount of style to the band that continues to stay popular even after their unfortunate break up over 40 years ago.
John Densmore was not a hard hitting, fast, flashy drummer. He didn’t need to be. His sole purpose was to serve the song and make it complement not only the players in the band, but also to give Jim’s words space to breathe and grow. John had an amazing sense of “reading” the other players so well that he could tell when a break was coming up or if a passage needed to jump. The silent passage in “When The Music’s Over” has John basically reacting to the words and music of the moment, as the music jumps and slows over 11 minutes.
Another facet of John’s versatility was not only has he blazoned a trail for all drummers everywhere, but John is an accomplished writer. Having written two books, “Riders On The Storm” and “The Doors Unhinged”, he continues Jim’s fight against people using Doors music in commercials. I strongly urge you all to seek out these books and give them a read. It is from the eyes of the musician who although sat in the back of the band, got a chance to see everything from fresh eyes.
To give you some examples of the brilliance of John Densmore, I have included links in this article that highlights some of the magic John brought on a nightly basis. I’ve also included a link to his one-man poetry show that gives more insight into the brilliance of The Doors.
So the next time you put on that Doors CD and listen to the wonderful music they gave to us, step back a moment and listen to the backbeat because drummers these days are definitely hard to come by that is as talented as John Densmore.
An excerpt from John’s one man show based from his book, “Riders On The Storm”
The story behind “Break On Through”
Live on PBS – Critique Special – “The Soft Parade”
