Cost: $3.00US
Page Count: 319
Riders On The Storm by the venerable drummer of the rock band The Doors was a refreshing read. For once, a rock star didn't recount his inability to kick drugs and speak of his ever-so-public fall from fame. Nope, this was a straight up biopic on the life of Densmore, his career with The Lizard King, and his frustrations in working with such an unstable human (Morrison).
The book is Densmore's account of the band and how frustrations grew within the band because of their troubled lead singer, Jim Morrison. Unlike No One Gets Out of Here Alive, another book on The Doors, Riders On The Storm is full of flashbacks, flash-forwards, and the narrative is continuously interspersed with a long, heart-felt letter to Morrison. The effect is kind of trippy and fun. Sure, at times the overuse of these literary devices bogs the narrative down. But, at least Densmore is trying something different than what is usually put forth in these music biographies. Give him props for that.
Riders On The Storm was a great book for a weekend read. As with most of the books within the genre, it helps if you are or were a fan of the band. But, with this one...well, it's just pretty good. So, I don't even feel like you need to be a fan of the band to get some enjoyment from the book.
Through Densmore, you really get a feel of what the other members of The Doors were like during that time period. Here's kind of a run down of those personalities:
Densmore (Drums): Fun, lively, creative, and always ready for a new challenge.
Krieger (Guitar): Talented, quiet, reserved, yet still ambitious.
Manzarek (Keyboard): Driven, reserved, talented, and exceptionally normal.
Morrison (Vocals): Fucked-up and confused, genius lyricist.
A little more on Morrison. Not too much, though, since so many books and articles have been written about the man. Anyway, it struck me as how naive and "soft" Morrison came off during the early stages of his career. It was hard for me to read about his decline in mental state and about his inability to separate Jim the performer from Jim the philosopher-dude. You hate to see that sort of mental decline. But, there is a fine line between genius and insanity. A fine line, indeed.
Anyway, Densmore created himself a pretty decent little book. No, it's not in the same literary vein as Flannery O'Connor or Hemingway, but, it's still pretty fucking good.
Check it out.
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