Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Mo

I enjoyed this book immensely. Densmore has a personable, clear, consise style of writing and expresses himself very well. I felt I was there as he described events that happened 30 years ago. I laughed out loud at certain anecdotes in the book, especially when he describes avoiding the draft. For being the "uptight" one in the Doors, Densmore does have a sense of humour that comes through in his writing. He neither trashes Jim, nor does he gloss over Jim. He just tells it like it was. I never sensed any jealousy, just frustration, intimidation, fear, anger, but also admiration and brotherly love. Complex feelings. Clearly that's what Densmore is trying to get through, he wants to explain himself and isn't trying to hide or gloss over. There are many great anecdotes in this book, some funny, some sad, some plain scary! I could understand why Densmore felt the way he did at any given time, he explains it so well. The Doors were 4 very different personalities, obviously. I don't see any of them as being "the bad guy", but they obviously bumped heads due to personality clashes. That's life! Densmore was a teenager when he joined the Doors, so he pretty much grew up with them as well. That's another thing I found so interesting, Densmore sharing his growing-up with the reader, the things he learned along the way. He often addresses Jim directly in the book, telling Jim he learned integrity from him. I couldn't put this book down, very addictive reading.

I enjoyed this book and found it very believable. John's insight into Jim's character sounds as sincere as any subjective view can be. This book traces the band's rise to stardom and the effect of Jim's tragic death on John. This book is essentially John's perspective of Jim, which is filled with emotions of love, regret, envy and shame. In addition to that, John infuses this book with his own personal dilemmas that consequently take us away from our insight into Jim's highly captivating personality and focuses on John's life, which remains, at times, pretty compelling. I do not find John?s divergent moments of personal reflection too intrusive because The Doors was a band comprised of four members-who were certainly overshadowed by their highly charismatic lead singer/poet-and it is refreshing to hear a bit about what was going on in the other member's lives, in addition to how Jim's personality intermingled with theirs. Also, the title of the book is "Riders on the Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison and the Doors," which suggests that John did not intend to make this book a Jim Morrison biography, but probably designed this book to be a John Densmore autobiography that concentrates on his Doors experience and one of his most memorable friendships. Though this book is not a glamorized version of Jim, it is a very frank account of how John perceived Jim, and is therefore a good book to read because it gives us additional insight into Jim Morrison from a man who worked closely with Jim, and who seems to have painfully loved Jim even though he had difficulty with truly understanding him.

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!

The book not only aided Oliver Stone signifigantly in his movie THE DOORS but enables the reader to connect with Jim Morrison through the eyes of John Densmore. Many fascinating accounts that only John had with Jim leave the reader wondering how crazy Morrison really was. It is fascinating but doesn't leave the reader with an untruthful perception by any means. Morrison was special and he was undoubtedly a poetic genius who seemed to be having an inner battle with good and and evil. Densmore justifies his feelings for Jim based on his ignorance of the seriousness of Jim's drinking problem and inner battle. A must read for any true doors fan complete with Jim's aswell as many others poetry from the time period and including many interesting stories from a racist limo driver to how John and Ray dodged the draft and how the doors seperated and became more independent and much more.

John Densmore offers to the world what only an insider can: a glimpse into the inner workings of one of the most influential musical groups of this century. This book displays Densmore's inner turmoil as he lives a public life during a period of social and political unrest. He writes clearly and honestly about his feelings, especially his feelings toward Jim Morrison. Readers are exposed to Densmore's internal battle between what appears to be love and hate for the singer. This book is not a sugar-coated tribute to Morrison, but a means for Densmore to let the fans better understand the ups and downs of the Doors as a whole. From his beginnings learing music, to the band's formation and through the band's rise and fall, Densmore explains, as only a member could, the causes and effects of every movement of the band.I am only twenty-two years old; I missed The Doors completely. But I am able to appreciate the music better now that I have been exposed to Densmore's work. It's hard for me to remember that most of the band was my age when they rose to stardom. Thank you John, you're a fabulous drummer and an excellent writer.