Rating: 
Summary: Manzarek Takes You With Him
Review: Of all the books I've read about The Doors, my favorite has always been "No One Here Gets Out Alive," by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman. Until now. Now, unequivocally, it's "Light My Fire: My Life With The Doors," by Ray Manzarek, the keyboard player and co-founder (along with Jim Morrison) of The Doors. What makes this book so great is that Manzarek has a way of making you feel like you're there with him, and Morrison and the others, as he recounts that magical, psychedelic period of time between 1965 and 1971. As he puts it: "In that year we had an intense visitation of energy. That year lasted from the summer of 1965 to July 3, 1971." And as he writes, he as much as welcomes you into their lives, sharing their most intimate and personal moments. You're there with them on the beach in Venice, California, when Morrison first mentions to his friend Ray that he's been writing some songs; and it is in that moment that "The Doors" are born, and you're there, and it's as if it is one of your own memories. Manzarek writes with such obvious joy and fondness of this period of time in his life; of his memories of Jim Morrison, the charismatic and enigmatic poet whom he loved as a brother and still misses to this day; of his then girlfriend (now wife of all these many years), Dorothy Fujikawa, whom he adores; of finding guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore and making The Doors a reality; and it's all done with such a Bradburyesque style and flair that by the time you're through you feel as though you're one of them, part of that unique inner-circle of friends. Of course, there's the down side, too, about which he is equally as candid as he is about the rest of it. How devastating it was, for example, to watch Jim Morrison's decline, his descent into the void of the bottle; how it began and why, and the reasons neither he, nor anyone, could help Morrison. He discusses quite frankly how his friend, Jim, the gentle poet with an exuberant love for life, would become "Jimbo," the self-destructive, counter-productive redneck. But throughout, Manzarek manages to remain upbeat and positive, concentrating on the love and good times, debunking many of the myriad myths about Morrison and the others, while painting an intimate portrait of who The Doors really were, and are. "Light My Fire," is poignant, incisive and alive; it is one of those books you are sorry to see come to an end. Like the short life of Jim Morrison, it's a shame there isn't any more.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting and comprehensive memoir by far!
Review: This book has been one to wait for by the man who formed the doors and was a big part of their "Comnmunal Mind". This is one of the best books written and is honest and revealing account of Ray's and Jim's friendship and what the doors went through in their brilliant career. The book clearly captures all insights into the doors formative years, their ups and downs and the sadness over Jim's demise which still saddens Ray. The book goes very well in depth with all details. The chapters Forming the doors, The Beach house and the story of the first demo are humorous and very interesting to read. Manzarek covers 1967 very well and offers some first hand information including his wedding (Jim dedicating the next nights doors concert to the "Newly Weds") and how Oliver Stone's film exaggerates the facts. The rest of the book covers facts that the real fan would know and contains some very interesting pictures. I think that Ray rushed a bit when discussing the rest of their career from 1968 onwards but still covers details well. What he did after the doors and the making of the American Prayer and an index would of been nice but all in all this book was worthwhile ordering and waiting for. Its nice to see that 2 members have written their memoirs (Riders on the storm by John Densmore) being the other to give us their own perceptives of the band.
Rating: 
Summary: Youch! Ray the Historian...
Review: Since this book appeared in 1998, The Doors--sans John Densmore, who had an iota of self-respect--have played Las Vegas. Thank God Jim Morrison didn't live to see his bandmates mutated into an embarassing lounge act, singing his songs in the performance graveyard that is Vegas.It's clear Ray Manzarek does not like Densmore. It's clear now and it's bitingly clear in this book. Ray Manzarek has a real go at the history of The Doors, rewriting it exactly as he'd like it to sound in his mind. Ray conveniently ignores entire albums, tours, and other events in favor of waxing on about the chi, about how unbelievably incredible The Doors were and still are. He has a lot of love for Jim Morrison, but even this is tinged with a nasty shade of green. Instead of facing the fact that Morrison had a serious drug and alcohol problem, Manzarek creates an alter ego for Morrison known as 'Jimbo'. See, it's all 'Jimbo's' fault. Jimbo is the redneck alcoholic idiot that Morrison would become at random times, not the regular Jim Morrison who was a brilliant poet and all around nice guy. You can imagine why he hates Densmore. Riders on the Storm, Densmore's version of the story, clearly shows that the drummer felt guilt over Morrison's spiral downward. Densmore came off as honest; he didn't beat the reader over the head with endless babble about Dionysus or the Age of Aquarius and the massive amount of acid Ray appears to have taken. Meanwhile Manzarek would rather attach some kind of cosmo-spiritual explanation to Morrison's decline. He claims to have seen the spirit literally leaving Morrison's head the night of the final Doors performance in New Orleans in 1970. It's embarassing, it's manipulative and it speaks volumes about Ray's character. Ray always looked like an erudite. He was well-spoken and he loved Morrison, backing his friend up as a serious poet. However, Ray comes off as vindictive, clouded, and plain silly in this book. He has a serious beef with Oliver Stone, referring to him as a fascist, a term Ray still throws around like it's 1968. Ray was horrified at another version of The Doors' story by another artist since Ray wants it told according to hiw own memory. Unfortunately, what Ray remembers is very selective. This book spends eternity to reach the release of the first Doors album in 1967 and the same year follow, Strange Days. Ray just doesn't want to get too involved in the REST of The Doors' days. He hardly makes mention of the fact that after Morrison died the band kept going, releasing two studio albums and touring. Conveniently, those two albums STILL have never been released to CD. As with their impressive resume of doctoring live albums, The Doors are unmatched in selling the same material over and over while keeping the stuff fans really want tucked away (hence the boxset delay and its underwhelming content). I would recommend this strictly as an offical version of the story from one of the band. However, be very careful in reading Ray's story. He wants everyone to remember The Doors only as he does...
Rating:
Summary: Plays Keyboards Way Better than He Uses It for Words
Review: I suppose the book would be VERY readable if one were completely zonked on acid throughout....Most people just don't write, think, read or speak the way Ray writes. Well, most people post-1968... There is a "charm" factor to the nostalgia, and The Doors often bordered on genius. But Morrison DID succumb to excesses, and Ray soft-pedals everything stupid, self-destructive, boring and depressing about him. It is as if he is afraid to somehow "betray" sex/drugs/rock-and-roll so it is better to adopt an "orthodox" hippie party-line... O.K...acid is great -- I'm going to guess Ray encourages judicious use of the same for his family? -- and Jim's death was...some sort of cosmic coincidence not really caused by lots and lots of alcohol and/or stupid behaviors. Anyway...if you want to read a really honest book about The Doors, read the John Densmore's book. He pointed out, quite accurately (it would seem), that one never knew if one was going to be dealing with Jim the Poet and Genius, on a given day, or Jimbo, The Raving Alcoholic Idiot. I guess that's not as mystical and uplifting though...
Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read w/ previously unrevealed insights.
Review: Having been a lifelong Doors fan from age 11 (1966), I found the book to be thoroughly enjoyable. Having also read almost every other book written about the band I particularly appreciated the unique insights that only Ray could provide. The details and nuances of how the songs were written and recorded, down to keys, chords and inspirations for the actual licks and riffs the band played. I also particularly enjoyed the excitement that Ray captures as the Doors were born and sky-rocketed to the top. It recalls the actual feelings I had the first time I heard "Light My Fire" and looked at the radio and said - "Whoa, what a sound! A song like I've never heard before!" The very human and touching recollections, feelings and the descriptions of the real Jim Morrison that none of us will sadly ever know are captured here like no other author could have. The sadness and loss all Doors fans felt when we heard Jim had died are also powerfully portrayed. I like other reviewers felt the book should and could have been longer. Maybe the writing of the end times was just too emotionally draining for Ray that he had to end it. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of Ray's life in Chicago, how he discovered the blues and jazz and how they contributed to his unique keyboard style which was the essence of the band with the most unique sound of any band from that era. Those readers who disliked the "preaching" aspect of the book should perhaps be less defensive and really listed to what Ray is saying about life, love and philosophy. Much is to be learned here that could benefit our modern times. To this day I am proud of the fact that a Doors song has never been used for a commercial, they way so many great songs have been, and I hope Ray and the other Doors never let that happen, as Jim so effectivly did (described by Ray - i.e.; Buick/Light My Fire). All in all - a great book for Doors fans or anyone who wants to know what the 60s were really like and to learn the inspiration behind the art of the Doors. Thanks Ray!
Rating: 
Summary: Of the Doors, Ray was the closest to him.
Review: Mainly an autobiorgraphy covering his early childhood till the demise of Morrison. Manzarek's charm is clearly evident in the writing. Insight into Morrison's personality as well as his personal motivations are offered. Manzarek is one of the very few people who truly knew Morrison well enough to write intelligently about him personnaly and is willing to talk about his experience. A must read for anyone interested in The Doors.
Very much a man of his times, Manzarek also provides some insight into the mindset of psychedelic hippie philosophy.
I was however, after reading the book, left wondering why Manzarek (who seems to have clearly been a father figure both to Morrison & the other Doors), was so tolerant of Morrison's destructive behavior. Manzarek expresses a fear of Morrison's alter-ego, which has a ring of truth to it...but still?
No matter how you slice it Manzarek, The Doors, us and even Morrison himself, all suffer from a tragic and senseless loss.
Rating:
Summary: Hippy dippy Doors
Review: This book is a must-read only because Ray Manzarek wrote it. He was in the band, so I'm willing to overlook his many "hippy-dippy" tangents. I don't particularly care for Manzarek's writing style, but there are some interesting anecdotes. I particularly enjoyed hearing about Jim, Ray and Dorothy Manzarek all living together, during the "starving artist" years before the Doors broke on through. They go to the grocery store to buy dinner and Jim shoplifts!!! Ray comes off as an easy-going, amiable guy with a pretty good sense of humour. But he does gloss-over a bit. It sounds like Jim was closest to Manzarek, out of all the Doors. When Jim tells Manzarek he's having a nervous break-down and needs to rest, Manzarek doesn't want to hear it. I guess he couldn't understand what Jim was going through, Manzarek is so stable and never had the demons Jim had. But he does come off as a bit insensitive, someone who just wanted to keep on rolling in the big bucks, no matter what Jim's frame of mind, although he won't admit it. At least John Densmore admits his mistakes, saying he was taken over by greed and the one thing Jim taught him was integrity. Don't pass Manzarek's book up, just read John Densmore's "Riders On The Storm" first. It's a more enjoyable, well-written, at times funny book. Manzarek's book has too many hippy-dippy ramblings, absolutely nothing to do with the Doors, that should have been edited.
Rating:
Summary: Light my fire.... and did it ever.
Review: After reading this book, I feel like all my questions about the doors have been answered. Ray Manzarek gives the correct view of the doors. Very down to earth and honest... this book is awesome and so are the Doors. Ray... Write more!
Rating:
Summary: Alright.
Review: I kinda suspected what kind of book this would be like when I saw Ray Manzarek's name as the author. Reading it, it became a cross between myth-making and hippie-babbling. A lot areas have Manzarek attacking Oliver Stone and his film "The Doors," claiming it is fiction. Really? Then why should we even take Manzarek's claims as fact? Jim Morrison is not alive and therefore can't defend himself or set the record straight, Manzarek has proven to be a little "strange" when detailing Doors stories, oh, it's fun to read, of course, Jim Morrison is now first and foremost, a mythic icon of popular music. I suggest you read it but not ready to take it all in as the truth. Many parts seem to walk away from Morrison and The Doors' story and turn into weird, sometimes hard to understand hippie philosophies that have quickly died-out (Morrison was reported to dislike the hippie movement in the first place), it gets tiresome to hear Manzarek just say some "babblings," especially when he tries to support the use of pot (he obviously hasn't seen the many teens today ruined by drug-use and still thinks acid is a "spiritual" thing), never really realizing that excess never did any good for Morrison, it just killed the guy. It is neat the way he incorporates classic Doors lyrics into the text, and there were some parts that though obviously fiction, were entertaining in a cinematic sort of way. I had a good laugh during the part where Manzarek describes sex for teens in the 50s. I suspect a lot of the text works for people who around in the 60s, but for those of us born in the current generation that embraces Doors music in a more powerful, emotional way (as seen in the bands the group has influenced like Creed, Stone Temple Pilots and The Cult), a generation that looks at the poetry and power of the music which is more timeless today than ever, the hippie stuff can get boring. When you listen to songs like "People Are Strange," "Break On Through," "Five To One," "The End," "When The Music's Over" and "Strange Days," you don't get flower-power, you get violent, atmospheric, gothic and powerful experiences. "Light My Fire" is surely 60s myth-making at it's best, while Stone revealed an artist brought down by excess who was still brilliant, Manzarek tries to make it all sound innocent and yet mythic like Greek mythology with a dose of acid, what he describes doesn't fit with the picture. When you're talking about a guy who wrote lyrics even Marilyn Manson sings (check out his cool "Five To One" cover), I don't think hippie dreams is a fitting way to remember him.
Rating:
Summary: Doors of "perception", indeed!
Review: This is an entertaining book, for its ambience if nothing else. Informative, though? I think not. Author Manzarek (who was truly there from the "beginning") castigates director Oliver Stone for not getting it right in his movie THE DOORS, yet this book is replete with dialogue in quotes. Now, as I understand accepted literary convention, quoted dialogue is to be taken as verbatim, right? That is, the speakers actually spoke the words attributed to them. Oliver Stone had his vision of the reality and aura that was The Doors. Ray Manzarek has his. I suspect that Manzarek's is closer to the truth. But, c'mon, Ray, don't pretend those conversations are REALLY what happened.
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