Ray Manzarek (placeholder)

I had the pleasure of opening for Ray Manzarek and Michael McClure at Washington State University a few years back. If you haven’t heard Ray play rollicking jazz piano lately, try your darndest.

I used to work for a grad student who was writing his dissertation on the beat poets and outlaw culture. I was doing transcription of interviews he’d done with ye’ old beats. I’d written a song about jack kerouac that he liked. So, when he convinced Michael McClure (who I now jokingly refer to as my beat boyfriend) to come to WSU, he asked me to open with that song.

We did our sound checks together and he was very solid, cool, calm, friendly. When show time came and there were 450 seated, sold out, I was the first to face the crowd. After my one song, Ray gave me a big hug (that guy is TALL) and told me I had the voice of an angel. I said (not really) Hey, what do you know? Oh yeah.. :)

LJ

I suspect he’d be a fascinating way to spend a weekend jamming & talking.

i think there’s a lot more to this guy & suspect he simply keeps a low profile.

You can’t have lived like that without having had some brilliant insights. It says a lot about his vision & talent that Riders on the Storm is a dynamic show with a lead stand-in.

BlueBerry Pick’n
can be found @
www.ThisCanadian.com