John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza
Monday's 6-8PM Pacific
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When I was in my early teens, I heard The Doors for the first time, or at least it's the first time the resonated with me. I'm sure it was "Light My Fire". And regardless of its status as a FM radio hit for the band, that song blazes hot! Robbie Krieger's blistering guitar lines. Ray Manzarek's hypnotic keyboard/bass runs. John Densmore's jazz sylings. And all of this topped with the man who wanted to "take you higher", Jim Morrison.
Morrison-led Doors LPs within a year, and wore them all out by two. I read "No One Here Gets Out Alive", by Jerry Hopkins and didn't care if half of the stories were rumor and conjecture. I was working at Tower Records in San Mateo, which had a Tower Books next door, when the two volumes of Morrison's poetry were published. Hot damn, I bought those up and devoured them overnight.
I was happily getting stoned, watching the "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" concert film. I actually saw some of it again recently, and surprised myself how I recalled so much the banter between songs. Morrison was such an instigator, wasn't he?
I read John Densmore's book "Riders on the Storm" when it came out, and regardless of how angry he obviously has been over the years, the stories are great.
And to top it all off, I was an extra in The Doors film, by Oliver Stone! That was a trip. No pun intended. The indoor concert scenes were filmed at The Warfield in San Francisco, and the outdoor concert scenes were filmed at the Pulgas Water Temple in San Mateo county. I have a very vivid memory of being pulled to a set that was made to look like the backstage of a concert, where the band was going to come from their limo, head into the theater, and straight onto the stage. I was one of about 20 extras that were supposed to be clamoring for Morrison, played by Val Kilmer, as he drunkenly stumbled onto the stage while holding onto his girlfriend Pamela, played by Meg Ryan. In the film this lasted all of about 10 seconds. It took about six hours to film.
In between takes I would rouse the extras and other stagehands into singing theme
songs from shows like "The Brady Bunch", and "The Jetsons". More than once I caught both Kilmer and Ryan laughing about the goings on. I got to meet them both, as well as Oliver Stone. What a trip.
during the live shows.
For tonight's bootleg bonanza, I offer you two, count them two shows. Well, actually one show, and one private recording. The first 70 minutes features a stellar set from the Aquarius Theater in Hollywood, July 21, 1969. Hot damn, this is a great show! WOW! The balance of the show features private recordings of Jim Morrison on March 1969 and June 1971 (weeks before his death), reading his own poetry. There is some organ accompaniment, but not much. It is very well recorded.
I still think of this band as a go-to band. Can you imagine seeing them in a small Hollywood club, or at the Matrix in SF, which sat about 50 people, back in 1966 or 1967? I often still think about that when I listen to them.
Enjoy the hell out of this. I know I still do.
jh
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