The Doors John Densmore: NOT a Dumb Drummer

John turned 68 on Saturday, born December 1, 1944 in L.A.

"I play the drums," says John Densmore in an article in Drummerworld.

It's interesting to note that he followed that (obvious) statement with an angry outburst because he hates the "dumb drummer" stereotype, and suddenly I felt like I was reading the script for Spinal Tap.

"The drum was the first f*cking instrument," he declares. "The reason people move and dance is that they're trying to get back to that heartbeat. It's the heartbeat you hear in the womb that started the whole deal. An orchestra, a four-piece rock band, whatever it is, they're trying to get back to that heartbeat."

And I want to add: "and I help people get to that fetal stage again by transporting them back to their mother's womb, metaphorically, of course, but with enough drug-induced flashbacks to make it seem very real."

No worries, John. As one of the most famous drummers on the planet, I doubt if the word "dumb" would ever come up.

So what's he up to these days?

Last January he joined Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger to work alongside the LA artist Sonny Moore; a.k.a Skrillex, on Breakn' a Sweat. They also appeared on the music video with him as part of the documentary Re:GENERATION music project.

And last month The Doors announced the release of Live at the Bowl '68 in multiple format (2 LP Vinyl Set), (1 CD Set), (Blu-ray Disc) and (DVD-Video) featuring several previously unreleased songs.