The Seekers
Meetings With Remarkable Musicians (and Other Artists)
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- 4,49 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
The iconic drummer of The Doors investigates his own relationship with creativity and explores the meaning of artistry with other artists and performers in this compelling and spellbinding memoir.
Whether it's the curiosity that blossoms after we listen to our favorite band's newest record, or the sheer admiration we feel after watching a knockout performance, many of us have experienced art so pure-so innovative-that we can't help but wonder afterwards: "How did they do that?" And yet, few of us are in a position to be able to ask those memorable legends where their inspiration comes from and how they translated it into something fresh and new. Fortunately for us, this book is here to offer us a bridge.
In The Seekers, John Densmore—the iconic drummer of The Doors and author of the New York Times bestseller Riders onthe Storm—digs deep into his own process and draws upon his privileged access to his fellow artists and performers in order to explore the origins of creativity itself. Weaving together anecdotes from the author's personal notebooks and experiences over the past fifty years, this book takes readers on a rich, thought-provoking journey into the soul of the artist. By understanding creativity's roots, Densmore ultimately introduces us to the realm of everyday inspirations that imbue our lives with meaning.
Inspired by the classic spiritual memoir Meetings with Remarkable Men, this book is fueled by Densmore's abundant collection of transformative experiences—both personal and professional—with everyone from Ravi Shankar to Patti Smith, Jim Morrison to Janis Joplin, Bob Marley to Gustavo Dudamel, Lou Reed to Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis to his own dear, late Doors bandmate Ray Manzarek. Ultimately, the result is not only a look into the hearts and minds of some of the most important artists of the past century—but a way for readers to identify and ignite their own creative spark, and light their own fire.
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Densmore (Riders on the Storm), drummer for the Doors, meditates on creative personalities in this scattershot memoir. He revisits encounters with musicians including his high school band teacher and country legend Willie Nelson, as well as nonmusicians such as poet guru Robert Bly, whom Densmore accompanied on drums at a reading, and mythologist Joseph Campbell. Densmore offers some piquant memories "ganga wafting from the room was so thick that it felt like I had to break through a barrier to enter," he recalls of reggae superstar Bob Marley's dressing room and vivid evocations of people he knew well, including Doors singer Jim Morrison, whose trademark scream sounded "like someone being crucified, a moan from the bowels of his soul." But many of the connections he recounts feel perfunctory, as when the Dalai Lama pushed Densmore away after he made "intrusive" eye contact in a handshake line, which prompts vague ruminations on the need to "listen to the silence." Densmore's insights into creativity, meanwhile, rarely go beyond uplifting platitudes. ("Music and poetry are two of the very few salves that can quell our warlike spirit.") The result is an effusive but unsatisfying rehash of wan recollections and truisms. Doors fans might enjoy this, but for general readers it may leave something to be desired.
