Ray news only
May 27,
2008 Ray interview
Ray Manzarek talks about the forthcoming
Doors documentary and other projects just released or in process, in an
interview on Billboard.com. He also mentions that he has four movie
scripts that he is working on. Four scripts!!!! Read the
story at:
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003808282
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May 26,
2008 Ray offers 'tips'
Ray Manzarek contributes toking tips in
a new book called "Pot Culture: The A-Z Guide To Stoner
Language and Life." Read more about this book at:
http://www.spinner.com/2008/05/23/rockers-speak-bluntly-about-pot-in-new-book/
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May 21,
2008 Ray on GoTV
Ray Manzarek has completed an interview
with talking and playing for a future episode for GoTV.
There is no broadcast info available yet, but check out the site at:
www.gotvnetworks.com
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May 7,
2008 Ray & McClure tonight <> Hard Rock Vault
on-line <> L.A. rock history tour
Ray Manzarek and Michael McClure
are performing tonight at Yoshi's in San Francisco,
along with other members of Big Mix: saxophonist George Brooks, bassist
Rob Wasserman, and drummer Jay Lane. Tonight's program is described as an
evening of sophisticated anti-politics, elegant improvisation, American haiku
and jazz-drenched dharma boogie! Sadly, this notice is too late for anyone
in the bay area who may have wanted to attend.
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April
24, 2008 review of Ray's new CD
A local newspaper's column today
on new instrumental releases included a very positive
review of the new CD release from Ray and slide guitarist Roy Rogers:
Ray Manzarek & Roy Rogers "Ballads Before
the Rain" (Friday Music) – Over the past few years,
Huntington Beach-based classic rock label Friday Music has issued a wealth of
winning releases and reissues from the likes of Deep Purple, Paul Rodgers, Tommy
Bolin, Sweet and Richie Furay. Now music fans can thank the Surf City
label for the April 8 release of one of the most stunning soon-to-be-classic
sets of 2008. "Ballads Before the Rain" may boost a new instrumental take on a
few classics (notably the Doors' "The Crystal Ship" and "Riders On The Storm"),
but Manzarek's distinctive and influential keyboard playing is a perfect fit
with Rogers' astonishing guitar work. The blend of rock, jazz, classical
and blues styles showcased here will lead to a new appreciation of Manzarek (who
co-founded the Doors with Jim Morrison in 1965), and – hopefully – greater
recognition of slide guitar virtuoso Rogers. Information: www.fridaymusic.com.
(thanks, George)
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April
17,
2008 Ray's new CD <> Ray's website contest
Ray Manzarek's new CD collaboration with
slide guitarist Roy Rogers can be ordered in Europe at this link:
http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=431798&From=EIL_ZAR-COL-02042008-0915.STT.-DOR-Wed
(thanks, Gilles)
Ray Manzarek's webmaster recently announced a new contest that relates to Ray's novel, 'Snake Moon'. For more information and to enter, go to: http://www.raymanzarek.us/snakemooncontest/index.html
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March
27, 2008 Ray wins court reversal
Ray Manzarek won in a Court of
Appeals this week in an action against his insurer for
refusing to defend him in the lawsuit over the use of the band's name brought by
John Densmore in 2003. A thorough explanation of this complicated matter
can be found at: http://www.metnews.com/articles/2008/manz032608.htm
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March 14,
2008 Ray on UCLA DVD
Ray Manzarek is one of the UCLA
alumni who contributed to "The UCLA Dynasty", out today on DVD. I think
this had been an HBO program originally. The program is about the sports
drama on and off court at UCLA during the John Wooden era there. Also
contributing to the program are Wayne's World director Penelope Spheeris, actor
and former UCLA quarterback Mark Harmon, and former basketball team member and
actor Beau Bridges.
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February 25,
2008 Ray's & Roy's release date
Ray Manzarek's album
of instrumental duets
with slide guitarist Roy Rogers has an April 1 release date. The title of
the release is 'Ballads Before The Rain'.
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February
20, 2008 happy birthday to Ray
First and foremost, belated happy 69th birthday to Ray Manzarek. I hope he had a great day, but he was
probably busy getting ready to go on the road to Mexico for several weeks.
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January
26, 2008 Ray signed to label
Ray Manzarek has signed
with Friday Music. His debut for the label is due out in April.
According to a story at Billboard.com, the album will be titled "Ballads
Before the Rain" and is a collaboration with slide guitarist Roy
Rogers. The album will reprise Doors faves such as 'Riders On The Storm'
and 'Crystal Ship' in addition to seven new tracks. Friday Music is
distributed by Ryko in the U.S., Universal Music in Canada, and Pinnacle
Entertainment internationally. Congratulations, Ray! To read
the story, go to: http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003702218
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January
23, 2008 Robby & Ray on the radio
Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek will be guests this Thursday
night, January 24th on radio's Coast To Coast hosted by George Noory. The
website previously indicated that Jim Morrison's former brother-in-law Alan
Graham, would be on hand with Robby. That has now been revised to
indicate that it will be Ray and Robby instead, and no Alan Graham. C2C
music authority R. Gary Patterson will be on the show with them, discussing
questions surrounding Morrison's death, as well as the belief that he may still
be alive. The show is live nightly from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., Pacific
time. Robby and Ray should be on starting about 10:30 p.m. For more
info, go to: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/schedule.html
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January 9,
2008 Ray at Fillmore on Friday
Ray Manzarek and slide
guitarist Roy Rogers are some of the participants at Friday night's show at
The Fillmore in San Francisco for the third annual celebration of Bill
Graham's birthday. Tickets for "Bill's Birthday Bash: An Evening of
Duets" are available through Ticketmaster (unless it is sold out,
natch). The show is a benefit for the Bill Graham Foundation.
Several Bay Area papers ran a preview story today about the show. To read
it, go to: http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_7910453
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December 29,
2007 Ray's holiday message
Before I disappeared off-line
for the holidays, I mentioned that Ray & Dorothy were celebrating
their 40th wedding anniversary on December 21st. Ray's webmaster posted a
holiday message from Ray on his website last week in which he reminisces about
that day. Check it out at: http://www.raymanzarek.us/index.html
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December 8,
2007 Ray & Roy Rogers
Ray Manzarek and slide
guitarist Roy Rogers are planning to release a piano and guitar duet titled
"Ballads Before The Rain" according to an interview with Roy Rogers
at: http://www.theunion.com/article/20071206/NEWS/112060124
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November 20,
2007 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominees
John Densmore, Robby Krieger,
Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison are one of the songwriting teams
nominated for the 2008 Songwriters Awards. The voting membership of the
Songwriters Hall of Fame vote on the nominees. The annual induction and
awards ceremony will be held in New York City on June 19, 2008. read full story
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November 17,
2007 Ray & Roy Rogers <> Ray on '34 Stars'
Ray Manzarek and slide
guitarist Roy Rogers will join Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt, Jackie
Greene and Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and Tuck & Patti and Booker T. Jones, for
"Bill's Birthday Bash: An Evening of Duets" at The Fillmore in San
Francisco on January 11th to celebrate Bill Graham's birthday. Tickets
are $85. and available through Ticketmaster.
Ray Manzarek and 33 other artists make up the '34 Stars' compilation from TuneCore, now available for free download on iTunes. Read the full story at: http://top40-charts.com/news/Pop-Rock/TuneCore-To-Help-Market-And-Promote-Bands-By-Giving-Away-7-000-000-Copies-Of-34-Stars-Compilation-As-Free-iTunes-Playlist/36740.html
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November 9,
2007 Ray & Roy in Redwood City
Ray Manzarek and slide
guitarist Roy Rogers will perform on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at the
Little Fox Theater in Redwood City, California. For theater information,
go to: http://www.foxdream.com/foxdream/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=13&cat=Little+Fox
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November 7,
2007 Ray in new film
Ray Manzarek is one of
the artists featured in a new film called 'Obscene' about a publisher's
fight to print the works of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Malcolm X, Che
Guevara and others. The movie is planned for a theatrical and DVD release
in 2008. Music by The Doors is included in the soundtrack. Read the
full story at: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i84fb2b620c84a385301f33d2631abfcf
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October 16,
2007 a new Manzarek <> Ray & Robby interview
Ray and Dorothy Manzarek became
grandparents again this week! Pablo and his wife Shar and #1 son Noah
welcomed Apollo Ray Manzarek into their lives on Sunday, October 14. He
weighed in at 8 lbs. 15 oz., and measured 22 inches long. Congratulations
to the entire Manzarek family!
Ray and Robby can be seen in a 3-minute YouTube interview with David Wohl of KPSP in Palm Springs earlier this year. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYOmr6o4QZY
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October 7,
2007 Ray in Paris on YouTube <> Ray and charity auction
Ray Manzarek was in
Paris, France back on March 21st and did a book signing appearance at
Fnac. A video of Ray at that appearance, along with the fans waiting in
line to get in to see him, is on YouTube. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6qg9ICK3q4
(thanks, Gilles)
Ray Manzarek is one of the celebrities participating in RockStarRadio's "chairidee" auction. During the entire month of October, the auction sells signed DAB digital radios and giving all proceeds to the Norodff-Robbins Music Therapy, a UK music therapy charity. Read the full story at: http://www.trustedreviews.com/multimedia/news/2007/10/07/Celebs-Line-Up-For-DAB-Charity-Auction/p1
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September 7,
2007 Ray & Roy Rogers appearances
Ray Manzarek has several
appearances scheduled in November, according to Pollstar.com.
First up is a return to the Raven Theater in
Healdsburg, California on Saturday, November 3 along with slide guitarist Roy
Rogers. Two weeks later on Saturday, November 17, the two of them will appear
at Crystal Bay Club Casino in Crystal
Bay, Nevada on the north side of Lake Tahoe. To learn more about Roy
Rogers, go to: http://www.roy-rogers.com/home.php
September 6,
2007 Summer of Love 40th celebration
A brief interview with
Ray Manzarek during Sunday's Summer Of Love 40th Anniversary celebration
can be read at: http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN0228161820070904
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September 2,
2007 Summer of Love 40th celebration
Ray Manzarek was one of
the participants yesterday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park at the
Summer of Love 40th Anniversary celebration. Read about it at: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0227235420070903?pageNumber=2
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August 5,
2007 new Ray interview
Ray Manzarek was recently interviewed
by masslive.com for a story that runs in today's Republican out of
Springfield, Massachusetts. read it
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August 2,
2007 L.A. Times story
The Doors get plenty of
mentions in a story in today's L.A. Times Calendar section about the Summer
of Love in L.A., with Ray Manzarek being quoted often. read it
(thanks, Joe)
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July 5,
2007 Ray & Robby visit Jim <> Ray on BBC Radio <>
Ray & Robby interview clip
Ray and Robby
visited Jim Morrison's grave at Pere Lachaise on Tuesday, July 3rd. Riders On
The Storm performed that night at Le Grand Rex. I don't have any
additional information other than there were huge crowds, as expected. If
anyone has story links or photos, please send along.
Ray Manzarek recorded a 'Summer of Love' radio program for the BBC Radio 2. As I understand the website, this will be broadcast on August 4th. Check it out at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/60sseason/documentaries/manzarek.shtml (thanks, Gary)
Classic Rock Central launched a website a few weeks ago which includes a 3 minute interview clip with Ray and Robby. I reported on this back on June 19th with another link, but to see it again, go to: http://www.classicrockcentral.com/more_classic_rock.cfm?ID=11
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June 12, 2007 Ray in Japanese mag <>
Ray in Japan
Ray Manzarek’s interview in Japan a few months ago appears in the summer 2007 issue of “Otona no rock”
(or, “Rock! For Adults”), a Japanese quarterly rock magazine. The story includes photos, the Doors story
and discography. This link probably
will not work for you unless your browser is set for that language, but here
goes: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000R3VO0U/ref=ase_mojosdoorspag-22 (thanks,
George)
Another link with numerous photos of Ray from a Japanese MSN interview can be found here, including a video greeting from Ray: http://music.jp.msn.com/interview/145_5.htm (thanks, George)
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May 31,
2007 Ray appearance <> Ray & Bal
Ray Manzarek makes an appearance at the Summer of Love 40th
Anniversary Celebration at San Francisco’s Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park,
according to Pollstar.com. Others on the bill include Michael McClure,
Canned Heat, Country Joe McDonald, Dan Hicks, Fishbone, New Riders of the
Purple Sage, and many others.
Ray Manzarek and trumpet player Bal released 'Atonal Head' last year. Listen to a Podcast interview with both of them at: http://blog.tunecore.com/ (thanks, Bal)
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May 28,
2007 Robby and Ray on
Last Thursday
afternoon after Ray and Robby previewed the exhibit that honored The Doors, they were interviewed
by NPR station WCPN. I do not know when this will be broadcast and could
not find it yet in an upcoming schedule. If anyone gets a lead on that,
please let me know so I can share that info with other fans. The station
website is: http://www.wcpn.org/
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April 24,
2007 Ray interview on MSN
A Ray
Manzarek interview appeared recently on MSN.com. read it here
(thanks to Larry,
Lou, and Dennis)
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April 15,
2007 Ray interview
Ray Manzarek
was recently Down Under in
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April 10,
2007 Ray in
Ray Manzarek
was encountered by a few fans at his
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April 4,
2007 Ray on Australian TV
Ray Manzarek
was in
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April 1,
2007 Ray interview Down Under
Ray Manzarek
must be in
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March 31,
2007 Walk of Fame video on YouTube <> Robby and
Ray on Dutch TV <> Ray in Paris
The Doors got
their star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame a month ago on February 28th. Sure, that's old
news, but a fan has sent me the link to a 17:24 video of the ceremony on
YouTube. This is the longest video I have seen so far of the event,
and you can see how downright ebullient Robby was, in particular. Check
it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqG8H5asL90
(thanks, Gene)
Robby and Ray both appeared on a Dutch television show on Friday, March 23rd. An interview clip
can be found on this link: http://dewerelddraaitdoor.vara.nl/nieuws_media.php?id=701
(thanks,
Mark)
Ray
Manzarek did a signing appearance
on March 21st at Fnac in
============================================================
March 22,
2007 Ray in
Ray Manzarek
appeared at Fnac in
Ray and Robby will be discussing The Doors on BBC Radio 2's Johnnie Walker show this coming
Sunday between 16:30 and 18:30 GMT. I have not calculated what time that
will be in the
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March 17,
2007 YouTube clip of Ray
Ray Manzarek appeared
on L.A.'s KTLA morning t.v. show back on July 7, 1998 to promote his book
"Light My Fire" and book signings planned for that week.
There is a clip on YouTube that runs about 5-1/2 minutes of that
appearance. To watch it, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY13HUKWdiA
(thanks, Gilles)
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March 12,
2007 Ray going to
Ray Manzarek will be
in Paris, France on March 21 at Fnac on Champs Elysees at 6:30 in the afternoon,
according to a post on the French version of The Doors message
board. That post can be read at: http://messageboard.thedoors.com/showthread.php?p=310608
(thanks, Simone)
February 27,
2007 Ray will be on
Ray Manzarek will be
on local L.A. oldies radio station K-Earth 101 tomorrow morning before the star
ceremony. I don't know what time that will occur, but the station's
website does have a link to listen live. The station's website is: http://www.kearth101.com/
(thanks, David)
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February 12,
2007 HB 2 Ray <> check out Ray's high school
yearbooks
Happy birthday to Ray Manzarek today. What a great birthday present this year, getting a
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award!
If you haven't been to Ray's website recently, Webmaster Dave has added a very cool new section
featuring Ray's
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February 9,
2007 Ray & Roy Rogers release
Slide
guitarist Roy Rogers and Ray Manzarek
have just completed a project.
Tentatively called "Ballads Before The Rain," the recording features
both musicians performing songs that include The Doors covers, jazz
arrangements and original tunes. Roy Rogers is considered one of the nation's top
slide guitar players, and will perform at Santa Fe Station in
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January 29,
2007 Uncut Mag
U.K.'s Uncut
Magazine, January 2007 issue (cover: Beatles), finally appeared in my local
bookstore. On page 116 there is a full one-page review of
"Perception" and gave it 4 out of 5 stars. The next page is a
full page color photo of the band, a shot that is not one of those over-used
group photos (I'd like to see more of that!) The last page is an
interview with Ray Manzarek. The caption inside the photo border calls
him "Cosmic Ray" ;=)
January 21,
2007 Ray does new CD with Darryl
Ray Manzarek and Darryl Read will release another CD of poetry and music called "Bleeding
Paradise" which includes a 20-page poetry booklet and photos. Also
included are 15 minutes of video of Ray and Darryl performing the works in San
Francisco's Banquet Studios. The release date worldwide is January 22 and
can be ordered from: info@darrylread.com
To see the CD artwork, go here (thanks, Gerry)
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January 15,
2007 more Doors magazines <> Ray interview from
November
Goldmine Magazine's
January 19, 2007 issue (cover:
Springsteen) contains a 2-page
interview with Ray Manzarek. Ray discusses the band's 40 year
anniversary, "The Doors By The Doors" coffee table book, the
"Perception" box set. (thanks, Dan)
Ray Manzarek was interviewed on Java John's "Live on the Acoustic Record" radio show
back in November. The interview can now be listened to on his
MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/acousticrecord
(thanks, John)
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Ray news 2006 <> Ray news 2005 <> Ray news 2004 <> Ray news 2003 <> Ray news 2002
Robby news only
John news only
http://www.raymanzarek.us/ Ray Manzarek website
return to Ida's
L.A.
Woman Confidential home page
for more Doors news and reviews