John news only for 2003
December 28, 2003
new Densmore fan site
John Densmore has been honored
with a new fan-run website. Check
it out at:
http://weatherstation.tripod.com/johndensmore/index.html
(thanks, Alex)
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November 19, 2003
John appeared last month at a
conference
John Densmore appeared on October 18th
in San Rafael, California at
Bioneers Conference, a 3-day annual gathering of
visionaries with practical solutions for restoring the earth. John's
program on Saturday afternoon traced his journey from playing drums with The
Doors to getting arrested protesting logging of old growth forests.
He was joined by singer / songwriter Holly Near, and motion pictures producer
Paula Silver.
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November 16, 2003
John was interviewed by
Drummerworld
John Densmore
was interviewed by Drummerworld in 1995 as
he toured his one-man "Riders On The
Storm" show. This is that
archived interview. There are alot of photos, so if the page loads
too slowly, then use the link at the top of the page.
go
here
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July 23, 2003
John will appear in Flagstaff
John Densmore
performs on August 1
with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and
Burning Sky at Fort Tuthill County Park
Amphitheater in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tickets are $20.
http://www.flagstaffsymphony.org/special.php
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July 9, 2003
John Densmore on L.A. radio today
John
Densmore was an in-studio guest
on L.A. radio station
KFPK 90.7 this morning on a world music program
called Global Village. During the interview, he discussed
The Actors' Gang a
100-seat theater where he first met his wife, Leslie Neale.
He currently is on the Board of Directors there. This coming Sunday
evening, and the second Sunday of every month, John will be co-hosting 'World
Music Night" along with David Robbins, brother of actor Tim Robbins.
Armenian percussionist musician
Arto is this
month's performer, and John "may sit in" with him.
In the interview, John said his Tribal Jazz album will be out this fall on Hidden Beach Records, and that the band will play live to support the album. He described the music as a synthesis between a traditional jazz quartet (Coltrane) with African and Brazilian drumming.
John went on to say that he has found himself writing quite a bit. He has been involved in some legal battles, and he hopes to put a book out, about money. He said it might be called 'The Greed Gene.' John added that "money doesn't talk ... it swears."
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July 4,
2003
John will be on local radio <>
John call-in to radio station last year
John
Densmore will be a guest
on L.A. area radio station
KPFK 90.7 FM sometime between 10:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. next Wednesday, July 9th. (thanks, David my son)
John Densmore called in to Bob Rivers Show on radio station KZOK 102.5 FM last year. If you click on this link and search on Densmore, you can listen to the phone interview.
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June 29,
2003
Densmore petition
John Densmore participation with
The Doors of the 21st Century is
now the subject of a petition which was sent to me for sharing on this
website. If interested in viewing the petition or signing it,
go here
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June 28,
2003
Densmore performance videos
John
Densmore can be seen
in two performance videos, with
Michael C. Ford and with Reza Derakshami by
going to this link and scrolling down to find the John
Densmore listings:
http://www.henhousestudios.com/video/index.php
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June 17,
2003 John
in 'Square Pegs' TV re-run
John
Densmore
appeared in several episodes
of
"Square
Pegs"
in 1982, which get re-run periodically on TV Land channel. June 28th is
another broadcast of the "Open 24 Hours" episode #1.8, first broadcast November
22, 1982. Storyline: Marshall appoints himself as Johnny Slash's
manager. Johnny's band 'Open 24 Hours' plays a gig in a grocery store, and
John is introduced as "John Densmore of the original Doors."
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June 11,
2003 review
of John Densmore appearance
John Densmore and Adam Saroyan performed in Los Angeles last night at
Skirball Cultural Center in an evening of poetry and percussion, spoken word,
and music.
read review
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May 25,
2003 John
Densmore appearance
John Densmore and Aram
Saroyan will be performing on June 10 at Skirball Center in L.A. for an
evening of poetry and music, voice, and percussion. Tickets are on sale.
more info (thanks,
David my son)
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May 15,
2003
more media stories about John's lawsuit
John
Densmore's lawsuit again Robby and
Ray is covered in several more media stories.
The second one in this link includes a photo of Ray
and Danny Sugerman, mis-identified as Ray and John
along with a few errors in the story. read
here
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May 13,
2003
update on John's lawsuit
John Densmore's lawsuit against
Robby and Ray
suffered a setback in court on Monday, according to two similar media
stories that can be
read here
(thanks, Beverly)
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April 22,
2003
update on John's lawsuit
John Densmore's
lawsuit against
Ray, Robby, Ian, and Stewart (!!)
was continued yesterday until the next hearing
on June 24, according to the L.A. Superior Court website. The progress of this
case can be followed by going to this link:
http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/civilCaseSummary/
and inserting Case Number: BC289730 JOHN DENSMORE ET AL VS
RAYMOND MANZAREK ET AL
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April 18,
2003 John
Densmore appearance tomorrow is cancelled
John
Densmore was scheduled to perform
tomorrow at a
poetry celebration in the L.A. area. I was notified by the organizer that
John had to cancel. The event is still on, in case anyone was planning to
attend.
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April 3,
2003 John
Densmore organizing benefit all-star concert
John Densmore is organizing an all-star concert
for early 2004 as a major fund-raiser to benefit 'For The Arts,' a
community organization dedicated to establishing a $15 million endowment fund to
support programs in the Santa Monica - Malibu Unified School District. More
details will be provided as they become available. The story from the April
3rd Santa Monica Mirror can be
read here (thanks, Beverly)
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April 2,
2003 John
Densmore performs as part of Earth Day poetry celebration
John Densmore will perform as part of the Freshwater Marsh Ecopoetry
Celebration on Saturday, April 19 between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at Playa
Vista's Fountain Park in the L.A. area.
Parking is very limited and is by permit only; carpools are encouraged, and the
park is easily accessible by the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus.
Go here to get more details about the event, its purpose, the
performers, parking permits, and public transportation.
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March 24, 2003
John in 'Square Pegs' TV re-run
John Densmore
appears as himself in a 1982 episode of
"Square Pegs" entitled 'Muffy's Bas Mitzvah' episode #1.9, first
broadcast November 29, 1982. Devo performs in
this episode, and John appeared at the very end drumming behind 'Johnny Flash'
singing onstage at the end of the show. John was mentioned by name early in
the episode, and in the credits he is listed as appearing as himself. The
episode will be re-run again on Saturday night, April 5, on TV Land channel
according to TiVo.
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March 22,
2003 John
in 'Square Pegs' TV re-run
John
Densmore
appeared in several episodes
of
"Square Pegs"
in 1982, which get re-run periodically on TV Land channel. Yesterday was
another broadcast of the "Open 24 Hours" episode #1.8, first broadcast November
22, 1982. Storyline: Marshall appoints himself as Johnny Slash's
manager. Johnny's band 'Open 24 Hours' plays a gig in a grocery store, and
John is introduced as "John Densmore of the original Doors."
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March 9,
2003 John
was part of "Lysistrata Project"
John
Densmore played percussion for the reading of the recent L.A.
production of the "Lysistrata Project"
as part of a global peace effort. Julie Christie, Alfre Woodard, Christine
Lahti, Mary McDonnell, Eric Stoltz and Jose Zuniga also appeared in the L.A.
production.
read more here
(thanks, Beverly)
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February
27, 2003 John
wrote to editor of L.A. Weekly
John Densmore wrote to the editor of the
latest L.A. Weekly. His letter appears on page 8 of the February 28-March 6
issue, as follows: WHEN IS A DOOR NOT A
DOOR? If Greg Burk had turned 14 pages past his Concert Pick of the Week ["The
21st Century Doors," February 14-20], to the Politics Pick of the Week on Page
150, he'd have had the answer to his question (which was written quite
eloquently, I would like to add). Obviously, if I am playing a benefit "For the
Arts" in Santa Monica schools, I am over the ear affliction. It's the integrity
thing that is holding me back from cashing in with the 19th Century Doors (to
me, they are looking backwards). signed: John Densmore, Los Angeles
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February
20, 2003 Rolling
Stone magazine mention
Rolling Stone
Magazine (March 6, 2003 issue - cover: Phish) has a small blurb on
page 22 about John's lawsuit: "The
Doors Sued" Doors drummer John Densmore has filed suit against
his former bandmates, claiming they are deceptively touring under the group's
name. The Doors recently re-formed with a new singer, Ian Astbury, and drummer,
Stewart Copeland. "The Doors are Jim, John, Ray and Robby," Densmore says. "I
don't care if they call themselves 'former members of The Doors,' 'the Hinges'
or 'the Windows.' I just want clarity." The revamped group recently tweaked
its name to the Doors 21st Century, but Densmore claims the change is
undetectable in promotional materials. Calls to the Doors 21st Century were
unreturned at press time.
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February
17, 2003 Entertainment
Law Digest filing summary
Entertainment Law
Digest dated today
has a summary of the lawsuit, and identifies the plaintiffs and defendants.
(thanks, Beverly)
http://www.entlawdigest.com/story.cfm?storyID=2557
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February
16, 2003 "People"
magazine mentions lawsuit
"People" magazine,
February 24th issue
(cover: Love, Sex and Dating in 2003) mentions the Doors
lawsuit on page 75, under "SUED" :
On Feb 4 in L.A., John Densmore, 58, the former drummer for the Doors, sued his ex-bandmates, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, 63, and guitarist Robby Krieger, 57, for using the rock group's name in a reunion concert this month. The name and logo of the '60's band, which broke up several years after the 1971 death of lead singer Jim Morrison, is owned by the three surviving members and Morrison's estate. "It shouldn't be called the Doors .... It could be Windows, the Hinges, I don't care," Densmore said. Manzarek said the band is billing itself as "The Doors, 21st Century." (thanks, Deva)
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February
14, 2003 LA
Times Calendar today: Ray calls John a hothead
Ray
Manzarek 'fired back'
yesterday at John
Densmore on the topic of the lawsuit
according to today's LA Times Calendar.
(thanks, Felicia)
read
it here or on-line at
http://www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-boucher14feb14,0,830787.story
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February
13, 2003 Ray
and Robby respond to John's lawsuit, according to Variety
According to Variety.com
dated February 12th: (thanks,
Dave B.)
HOLLYWOOD (Variety)- By Phil Gallo - The riders on the legal storm over the use
of the name the Doors are duking it out in the press.
Drummer John Densmore (news) was widely quoted following his Feb. 4 filing of a
lawsuit in L.A. Superior Court to stop his former bandmates Ray Manzarek and
Robby Krieger from hiring a new drummer and singer and taking the band on the
road and recording a new album under the moniker the Doors: 21st Century.
Manzarek and Krieger, fresh off last Friday's successful reunion gig at the
Universal Amphitheater, aren't waiting for a court date to fight back.
"John has an open invitation," said keyboardist Manzarek. "Everybody asked him
and he said, 'No, my ears (are too damaged).' Then I said, 'Why not play hand
percussion?' and John said, 'No way. I'm not a sideman.' Instead he then chose
to sue us. He gave Robby his blessing (to use the name).
"This is ridiculous. The guy who put together the band and plays keyboards is
performing with the guy who wrote 'Light My Fire,' 'Love Me Two Times' and 'Love
Her Madly.' If we're not the Doors, then who is?" Manzarek asked.
Friday's concert was attended by concert promoters and talent buyers from across
the country in town for an industry convention. The Agency, which books the
band, is fielding offers for April and May dates in the Midwest and East and
summer shows in Europe.
Stewart Copeland of the Police, who has been rehearsing with Manzarek, Krieger
and singer Ian Astbury, bowed out of Friday's concert due to an elbow injury;
his participation in the spring shows is in doubt. Ty Dennis, a member of
Krieger's band, has filled in.
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February 9, 2003
Burning Sky benefit shows===========================================================
February 6, 2003
Official press release re Densmore's lawsuit on website===========================================================
February 5, 2003 Doors
debate on KCAL-TV tonight??
Unconfirmed so far:
it's possible that John Densmore
will appear later tonight on LA's KCAL-TV Channel 9 news program, to debate or
discuss his legal challenge to the other band members. This channel runs news
& entertainment from 8pm thru 11pm ... I'll update this item if I confirm the
appearance later. (thanks, Larry)
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February 5, 2003 another
news story about John's legal action
Yahoo! News - Former Doors Drummer Sues Bandmates Over Reunion
(thanks, nephew Tom)
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February 4, 2003 John
Densmore
has taken legal
action over use of The Doors name
John Densmore's
attorneys filed a legal action in Los Angeles County Superior Court today,
charging breach of contract, trademark infringement, and unfair competition
against Ray and Robby. The full press release can be
read here.
(thanks, John E!)
Rolling Stone has an on-line story about this legal challenge. (thanks, Avery) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16122&item=2156101970
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February 4, 2003 Burning
Sky CD with guest John Densmore
has earned a Grammy
nomination
The
Burning Sky CD
"Spirits In The Wind" released November 2002 on
Canyon Records with
John Densmore guesting on several
tracks, is Grammy-nominated in the best Native American Album category..
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February 3, 2003 Burning
Sky CD with guest John Densmore
has earned a Grammy
nomination
The
Burning Sky CD "Spirits In
The Wind" released November 2002 on
Canyon Records with John Densmore
guesting on several tracks, is Grammy-nominated in the best Native American
Album category.
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January 24, 2003 John
Densmore will perform at an art benefit auction on February 8th
John Densmore will
perform at a benefit art auction on Saturday,
February 8th in Century City, CA to support public school programs in the Santa
Monica-Malibu School District providing instruction in music, visual arts, dance
and drama. The entire press release can be
read here
(thanks, John E!)
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January 14, 2003
John Densmore spotted in Joni Mitchell DVD
John Densmore and
his wife, Leslie Neale, can be seen in the audience of a 1999
Joni Mitchell DVD called 'Painting With Words &
Music.' There are frequent close-ups of audience members at the show, which
was filmed in the round at a soundstage in L.A. At one point while Joni is
telling a story, the camera shot shows John & Leslie
enjoying the moment. (thanks, Chris)
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http://www.henhousestudios.com/ John is involved in Hen House Studios, a community recording studio in Venice, CA
return to Ida's L.A. Woman Confidential home page
for more Doors news and reviews