Ray is sitting with Jim among the gods, and Ray has the opportunity to tell Jim, I love you man🎹🎼🎵🎶❤. R.I.P. They will never die, they will live forever🎤🎹

Who needs actual video when you have Ray Maz telling you a story, a freaking brilliant man.

My hero. He passed away before I could even appreciate him😔.

What a great soul. RIP Ray Manzarek.

I live in Los Angeles and ran into Ray at a DVD store on Pico Blvd. called Laser Blazer in the early 2000s. I would go there every Tuesday to load up on new releases. I saw someone with their back to me with a stack of DVDs that matched mine and made some offhanded comment that I can't exactly remember. He turned around and we started talking about film and the whole time I was thinking _"Oh my God, I'm talking to a legend."_ I finally worked up the nerve and casually said, _"I'm a big fan of your music."_ He was very gracious and we continued to talk about film and "Jimbo" and Ray's refusal to watch _The Doors_ by Oliver Stone because he felt like it didn't honor the memory of Jim. I countered that the movie had its merits and turned on a lot of young people to their music, which he appreciated. We talked about when he knew it was over, when the spirit had left Jim. He seemed very protective of him, like an older brother. Anyway, his wife Dorothy finally walked up, he introduced her and they left. Sweet guy.

My God what a lesson in the origins and formation of the chord structures of Light My Fire. I've heard the song my whole life (60 yrs) but to have it described the way only Ray can just made my night R.I.P. Ray.

"There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother." - John Densmore

He writes exactly how he speaks! His book 'Light My Fire' is an awesome book about Ray and Ray's life with The Doors. I love how he has nothing but love and positivity to say about everything and everyone - God rest his soul.

My god that guy was brilliant!

Ray was the heart and soul of The Doors. RIP

Ray was a wonderful story teller 😉 ... and an amazing 😉 musician .

Ray is what you call a musician. My god he’s a genius.

The Doors were great. How a great song comes too life. Genius.

It's 20 may 2020, 7yrs ago today we lost Ray .... god bless him.

I still remember (and will always remember) this interview when it was on Fresh Air. By far the coolest rocker ever interviewed. You can just feel his love for music and creative process. Can you imagine Ray being a music teacher available to the world? There would be 6 billion musicians on earth...

Ray's the best! When he passed away I was at a Poetry reading in Glasgow and felt something happening. I met a lovely English poet at the time also called Ray, coincidence, later I found out after the poetry reading that Ray died. What a band! Best band on this planet by far!

My grandma was with one of The Doors members when they were on tour in California in the 60's and had my dad, for some reason she would never tell us which one but I really think it's Ray. My dad looks so much like him, and by hearing Ray's voice I can hear so much of me and my dads in it. The way we put an emphasis on certain words than others and talk with drama / life is completely shown here it's crazy how similar it is

I wish Ray was still with us.....wait ...he still is....

What a voice like a radio broadcaster

This is great! Ray was so articulate. It was such a treat to hear how Light My Fire was composed and how Ray gave a lot of credit to Robbie. The Doors were truly one of the greatest bands of all time!

such an awesome band--Ray is a brilliant raconteur--his book is excellent-read it

God I love Ray, a music genuis! He's so great and funny rip man ♥️

I loved the bit where he talked about writing songs. For the most part, they only had Jim's poetry and melodies, but they were still able to figure out what chords worked with them. I think they are undoubtedly the best American band of the 20th Century. Jim never told anyone what he was going to do on stage, yet they still managed to put on great shows and kept it together like it had been rehearsed. This interview is a real gem and I'm glad we have KZfaq to preserve these moments for those of us who were too young to experience it for ourselves.

"that little turnaround thing". Such humility, the most inspired and defining riff in R&R history

What a fantastic story teller.

Such a humble good man. Ray and Jim together again, rocking in Heaven. #RockGods #RIPRayManzarek #RIPJimMorrison 🙏🏼

What an amazing human being.

Ray was a genius, the whole band way ahead of their time.

Iv listen to this so many times. You gotta love him. RIP Ray❤️

I remember hearing this Terry Gross interview for the first time. I was in my car but when I got to my destination, I couldn't get out. It was Ray Manzarek giving a history lesson in the process of making one the greatest songs ever made. I'm so glad this interview has been preserved. I keep coming back to it over and over again.

Ray was one fourth of my favorite band! Sad he passed at74! At least he didn’t go in his prime and got to enjoy the fruits of his labor! He did more to promote the Doors than anyone! No other keyboard player enhanced their band except maybe lynyrd skynyrd, yes, Deep purple and a few others ! But to hold the bass as well is quite remarkable!!

Love the Doors, Ray is pure genius. Was lucky enough to see The Doors 21st Century in 2002 and was invited onto the stage by the band during the last song, got to touch Robby & Ray will never forget it. RIP Ray.

they actually had good interviews back in these days, they asked good questions, touching questions

I recorded this on cassette years ago. What a fantastic story teller and musician. Ray was pure genius,

A motivational speaker once told me, "Whatever the mind of Man can Conceive and Believe, He can Achieve." Listening to Ray tell the story of how it all came together. Their creative process. Rare joining of great and Talented Musicians. They Conceived, Believed and Achieved! Sometimes I listen to song after song while relaxing on a Sunday morning! Just great music from a Group that has stood The Test of Time. I can only Imagine how much more we would have gotten if Jim came back to the guys from Paris? In a short 4 years not a bad song written. Amazing group of men. Destined to meet and give the World their gifts of Lasting Music. Amen.

This is so good. Thanks for posting.

Love hearing Ray speak, hes the master voice. No better.

Every Doors fan needs to make a pilgrimage to the beach. I walked it in '89 and felt Jim walking with me. I need to go back and walk with Ray.

Manzarek was definitely "the musical director" of The Doors.

I wish I could retire, live in Pacific island, and to listen to The Door all the way

Two Guys from Venice Beach sounds like a surf band. It would have been a terrible band name for the kind of music the Doors eventually made. The Doors was the perfect name.

Jim seems to have Strange Days (second album) written before the band even began.

Always loved listening to Ray.

I could listen to him speak for eternity

The first song Robby ever wrote was "Light my Fire." Imagine that. Of course, Ray and Jim helped it along. But still...

a true and brilliant gentleman

Beautiful guy...

What a musicien. WHAT A MUSICIAN!

Holy shit, this guy knew how to tell a story, i could listen to this for hours non-stop

"The band that backed Jim Morrison" No, you can't say something like that and claim to know about The Doors.

Ray was great, and Terry's an awesome interviewer. And this recording sounds really good. Well done and thanks.

RIP Ray Manzarek

He was so handsome. RIP ❤

He was such a great talent as well as a terrific story teller.

Genius my Mum (RIP) who won a scholarship went to the Guildhall school of music sane year as George Martin was a great admirer of Ray's skill as a musician

Thanks for uploading and very cool story of recording onto your Sony Boombox :). God bless ✌️♥️✌️

The hand of the cosmic gods was all over the formation of The Doors. Jim and Ray meet on the beach by "accident." Ray meets John and Robbie in a meditation class by "accident." Jim didn't sing and Robbie had never written a song before.

I love listening to Ray talk, I was in 3rd grade when they wrote this, still remember the times.....

These guys were the life of the party... A kickass band that pushed the boundaries of art and music

In some Doors gigs, because Morrison was pissed up, Ray played keyboard bass with one hand, keyboards with the other, and sang as well!!! FUCK ME I struggle to even play a song on the guitar!!! FUCKING GENIUS!!!

Wow. My favorite things.

So many iconic bands seem to be a random union of genius.

Poetic

"Sure enough that's what they wanted to see" I'm cracking up. That's mad funny

Ray must have told the story at least a million times in the last 47 yrs...lol

Awesome Interview Thank You

Jim was the muse Ray the electronic engineer.

This is magnificent.

Ray Manzarek was Made for Fresh Air!

I love Ray Thank you 🙏

RIP Genuis ,prime example were two minds joined & made music thats up there with other legend duos Paul & John ,Mick & Keith Everyone young & old knows The Doors esp Light my Fire is Doors Satisfaction song

Who plans to go listen to Light My Fire after this😀

"you know how that goes, you've heard it a million times"

GENIUS!

william blake was a big influence.

Love me some Ray

and, he walked on down the hall.

Now jim & Ray are writing new music. And playing on the other side.

When NPR used to be great! It’s been horrible for years now.

This was great

That was awesome

Everyone extolling Jim all the time, it was Ray who was my favorite

The heart of the doors

Ray was the brains of the group. Like he said, "I was the Polock of the group."

A band of genius.

Robby actually has another story about the intro of light my fire!

Looking at this thumbnail photo it hit me how much Jani Lane resembled Manzarek.

I like Ray telling about how they met on the beach. I also respect and am saddened about the Miami incident. Jim the shaman, I believe Jim was trying to have fun and let the audience 'imagine' things. I believe Ray that nothing obscene ever happened. So wrong they convicted Jim.

You gotta wonder had Jim remained alive what might have happened to The Doors as a band . . . would they have survived and evolved onward to even more great songs?

...William Blake inspired Neville Goddard who expanded on Blake's Philosophy that "Imagination Creates Reality" !

Did he ever make an audiobook?

The joke of Miami was on Jim...

This is not the whole interview.

Cathy Young: "So what you are saying is, Jim tried to pull down his pants and expose himself while you played your organ?"

Hearing from the actual musician is gold. Usually the closest we’ll get to truth over cynical “journalists.”

moonlite drive is probably my least favourite doors song. but they are probably the #1 american band ever!

"M&M* lol

good - no bass players,,,,,, haha

Sometimes I wonder if Ray didn't have a crush on Morrison. 6ft 135 lbs sounds like a cancer patient to me - I once was that whe I smoked 3 packs of Camels a day

Space out nut ...booze , drugs, and occult