RAY MANZAREK

"The Poet In Exile" booksigning

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 1201 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California

January 30, 2003

Ray did a reading, Q & A, and booksigning appearance at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA following the band performance at the CBS Studios in Hollywood for the Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn.

The band was finished at Kilborn's set by 6:30, so Ray must have gone directly to Barnes & Noble.   I was "stuck" in the studio audience until the balance of the show taping was finished, so I missed the first half hour of Ray's Barnes & Noble appearance.

I arrived to find a (hot & stuffy &) packed room full of fans who were rapt as Ray stood at a podium at the front of the room, telling stories and taking questions from the audience.

I missed the first half hour or so, but shortly after I arrived Ray was fielding a comment about The Doors music being used for commercials.    Ray replied that he is not against the marriage of art and commerce, when used appropriately.   He said that Volkswagen wanted to use Hello I Love You for their new VW convertible.   

Ray said he, Robby and John were all Mac users, and Mac wanted to use Break On Through.   He went on to joke about how he could envision Love Me Two Times being used for condoms, or Roadhouse Blues for beer --- except for the part about the future's uncertain and the end is always near!

Ray encouraged people to NOT drive SUVs, those great gas guzzlers.  He stated that he drives a VW and a Saab.   He also encouraged the audience to buy American, and to accept and begin buying hybrid cars.

Someone asked if it was true that he was working on a movie based on a 60's group.   Ray said no.    He said that there is some talk of The Poet In Exile being made into a movie, but it's talking only at this stage.

Ray went on to say that (70's rocker) Greg Kihn has been working on compiling a book of rock & roll short stories, and had asked Ray to contribute a story.   Ray began writing but instead of a short story for Greg's book, it turned into the novel.     He said he did write another short story for Greg's book, about a man in Napa Valley.    Ray said that this is going to be a great book when it comes it, and it'll contain short stories contributed by Ray Davies and Dee Dee Ramone, to name a few.

Someone asked if Ray had ever actually gone to the Seychelles Islands;  he said no, only in his mind.

Ray said that as a result of the Storytellers taping several years earlier,  it was Robby who had gotten the phone call from Harley-Davidson in July, asking them if they would play a show or two for their 100th anniversary road show.    They talked it over and decided to work with just one singer instead of a bunch of them;  that is how the current band project got underway with Ian Astbury.

As far as future recordings, Ray said that they have done some stuff with Jim Carroll, Michael McClure, and that even Warren Zevon has written six lines for them ... they don't know if there will be time for them to finish the Warren Zevon song.

At the conclusion, Ray signed books and memorabilia and chatted with the long line of fans.

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by Ida   1/31/03