Riders on the Storm : My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors

Rating:
Summary: DON'T READ THIS BOOK!!!
Review: Everyone who has rated this book very highly, obviously has no idea what they're talking about. Sure, if one would love to read about John Densmore and his life, and his thoughts, and his family, his dreams, and learn everything there is to know about John Densmore, and everything he has done in his entire life, well then, open up this book. He's obviously not a fan of Jim Morrison, so why would he ever write a book about him. However, the book is mainly about John Densmore. So, if you would like to waste some time, knock yourself out.

Rating:
Summary: Informative
Review: Although I was somewhat disappointed at the beginning of the book, I was satisfied with what I ended up learning from this book. Densmore included many detailed stories which differed from other Doors books. I felt it was worth getting the story of Morrison from a band member's point of view. He seemed to jump around (chronologically) a bit, but it was easy to picture where in time events took place.

Rating:
Summary: Riders On The Storm: very informable
Review: This book is, in my opinion, the best of any about The Doors. It is very well written by one of the band's own members. Densmore, unlike Manzarek, reveals more. Manzarek makes everything seem happy and perfect, as though he is covering something up, while Densmore seems to tell the real story. Robby Krieger (Doors' guitarist) himself even said that this was the REAL story! He doesn't nag on Manzarek and say nasty things about how Morrison disliked him or anything like that. Densmore tells the story in a mature and orderly way. Densmore also surfaces on Jim Morrison's drinking problem, admitting that Jim, his bandmates, and he himself weren't perfect. If at all interested about the Doors, I would definately pick this one up!

Rating:
Summary: Densmore Shows Us a Way In
Review: John Densmore's account of his life with Jim Morrison is a sensitive, searching memoir that invites readers to share its intimate point of view. Densmore details the genesis, breakthough, and dissolution of The Doors with an honesty made palpable by his obvious need for truthful answers. Anchoring the narrative are excerpts from a long letter Densmore wrote to Morrison after his death, and it is through this letter that the drummer enables us to understand how haunted he is by his time working and touring with Morrison, a gifted and difficult artist capable of both clear-eyed transcendence and frustrating childishness, of lucid grace and drunken mumblings. Densmore's reconciliation allows us access not only to his life with Morrison, but to our own lives with people who might similarly inspire and baffle us. RIDERS ON THE STORM makes for a wonderfully moving read, and Densmore's deft placement of Morrison's lyrics and poetry throughout illuminates what a fine and pioneering rock lyricist he was.

Rating:
Summary: densmore needs professional help
Review: This man was being eaten alive by his jealously of Morrison and this thread runs through the whole book. This was the second book I read about The Doors and I picked up on this immediately. I had to force myself to finish it as dealing with Densmore's insecuritites and paranoia were almost unbearable. If you're a die hard Doors fan you need to read this but if you want to find out about the other 3 Doors and not just Densmore, then go elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Too much boomer angst and analysis
Review: I've been out of my full-on "DOORS"-mania about 10 years now, but I still read what I can. This book, though informative from yet another perspective (a band member, no less), was a tough read. I have little patience for the reflective baby boomer self analysis, and Densmore offers way too much here. I really wish all three surviving Doors would have worked together on a book. Then Ray's hippy-dippy Greek meanderings could have been minimized, John's apologetic frustrated jazz rantings could have been purged, and perhaps Robby may have articulated a few more things. Then some writer (Jerry Hopkins would be nice) could have distilled it all once again into the definitive volume. The commentary on the Doors DVD by all three shows that this could have been possible. Especially since the Doors were one of the few sixties bands where most of the guys were pretty sober during their heyday and seem to remember quite a bit! The sad fact remains, you've got to read most of the popular biographies (No One Here Gets Out Alive, Patricia Kennealy's book, and others), factor in the ultimate truth that Morrison was a HUMAN BEING (albeit amazingly gifted and horribly difficult), and come up with the truth somewhere in between the different perspectives. I once paged an old book about the Doors that showed Morrison FISHING and PLAYING TOUCH FOOTBALL. I had to really process that, because the books I'd read to that point didn't portray a guy that could do such mundane things as these. It was a wonderful revelation, even though I like my dead rock stars larger than life most of the time. At any rate, Densmore's book can fill some spaces in the Doors story, but by itself, I dunno--let me just say its one of the only Doors biographies I had to make myself to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Breaking Through
Review: John Densmore's Riders on the Storm is a true and exact account of the band the Doors. It tells of his life leading up to the arrangement of the group, and his hard but powerful friendship with Jim Morrison. It includes many detailed experiences the Doors went through while performing and creating. And it creates a sense of what the Doors were trying to Break through to by making music, writing, and film. He has put together a very dramatic story of life and tradgedy as seen from the drum stool.

Rating:
Summary: this book was very good
Review: i really liked this book ive read alot of others and this one really explains alot.john densmore wrote it very well, he told about concerts some of his life how he ment the other 3 band members and so forth. this book made me cry about 10 times in the book. it was a big loss when jim died. if hes dead....

Rating:
Summary: We are what we write
Review: John Densmore's book was very different from the other books I've read on the Doors, and the life of Jim Morrison. These books, written by Ray Manzarek, Jerry Hopkins,(who has written two books on the subject) and Patricia Kennealy-Morrison were a pleasure to read. Mr. Densmore filled his pages with interesting first-hand observations but his anger and dislike of Jim Morrison was very obvious. Some comments in Mr. Densmore book struck me as homophobic. These comments along with statements about himself bordered on narcissism.

Rating:
Summary: YEs! This is the real thing and it was a good story.
Review: If you are interested in the doors or Morrison especially, this is for you. Densmore was a normal kid with ideas that most everybody dreams of. It was cool that Densmore found himself though the years after Jim's death which had a great impact on his life. Most of all, the best plus about the story was to here of some of Jim's crazy, yet meaningful actions that support his philosophy of life which he held to till he died. A MUST READ FOR ANY DOORS FAN INTERESTED IN MORRISON!