by Sally Barr
John Densmore, the pulse of the legendary rock band The Doors, will be co-hosting this year’s benefit for the Rhythmic Arts Project on February 17th at the Lobero Theater. This wonderful program is dedicated to educating thousands of individuals with intellectual and developmental differences in Santa Barbara and around the globe by embracing a curriculum that encompasses rhythm as a modality to address basic life and learning skills as well as reading, writing and arithmetic. TRAP is the brainchild of drummer Eddie Tuduri, whose survival of a terrible surfing accident included musical rehabilitation. Actor/activist Edward James Olmos will co-host the show that will feature Santa Barbara favorite Robben Ford and the Yellowjackets. Brazilian legend Airto will also be on hand to give a special blessing at the performance. I was fortunate to have a conference call with John and Eddie one fine January morning.
How did you first become involved with the Rhythmic Arts Project?
JD: Our mutual friend Mo (Maureen McFadden) turned me onto what Eddie was doing. Gosh Eddie, do you remember when we met?
ET: You and Hani Naser were playing down at the Lobero, and Mo introduced us and you invited me to sit in a little bit.
JD: That’s right! That’s right! And so, I noticed that Eddie was a world class drummer and thought ‘I’ll hang around this guy, see what he can do!”
ET: (Laughs) I can’t wait to hear Eddie Olmos and John together – they’ve been wanting to host something for a long time – so I’m really looking forward to that. I talked to Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets yesterday – and they are raring to go! I’m going to get off the line and let you two talk!
JD: Ok, man. (Eddie hangs up.) I just want to say about Eddie: I was just watching Tavis Smiley who was doing a show on Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor of the LA Phil who is a friend of mine. I’ve always known that music shouldn’t be cut from the curriculum because it helps with mathematics and all kinds of brain connections. Dudamel was saying that playing in the orchestra teaches you community and harmony and that it kind of teaches you how to live in the world. And so, that’s what Eddie is doing with these kids.
And that’s so sweet! And that’s why Airto, “The Soul of Brazil,” is involved [in this project] – he senses something really special here.
Let me say something else about Eddie: He’s a really wonderful drummer. The feel in drumming is the most important thing. You can have all the technique in the world, but if you don’t have the feel, it doesn’t mean anything. Eddie has a beautiful rhythmic feel and that’s everything!
After the accident, he took his not-good karmic thing and turned it into a blessing for the world. Helping others and setting an example of having a bad situation and flipping it over, that’s a real teacher. He’s a guru!
Your work with the Doors was so influenced by jazz and world music, and indeed those influences really come through with your bands TribalJazz and The Reluctant Gurus. Do you have any performances lined up with these groups?
Right now, I’ve put my musical endeavors on hold because I’ve got a book coming out in the fall. I’ve been looking for the music in between the sentences for the last year. I’ve been working on it for years but it’s coming into fruition, so I’ve really been focusing on that.
That’s wonderful! What’s it called?
Well, Sally, that’s a good question! Let’s go with: The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial. Maybe that’s the title. Music of course is my life, but I found another avenue of expression through writing and I’m enjoying that as well.
What motivates you to write?
Well, I wrote an autobiography, Riders on the Storm, when the Oliver Stone movie came out. I felt I needed to write it, for whomever was interested; I wanted my take on the journey to be out there. And since then, I’ve written a piece for the LA Times on Dudamel, one about Arthur Lee and Love, one about Elvin Jones. I’m writing about music as it helps to write about what you know. This new book I had to write, too. The articles are a labor of love for people I respect.
And you wrote a one-act play called Skins.
Well, that was way back before the autobiography, when I was in an acting class. After a peak like The Doors, some people get into substance abuse, but I found myself in an acting class, which terrified me! I found that I was the instrument and not my drums, and with that I realized I wanted to write my own work. So, that’s how Skins came about.
And so, I have this second self-centered memoir coming out – ha ha – which I felt I had to write. I was in this horrible litigation about who owned the name of The Doors. It’s metaphoric for these greedy times. The inequities of who has and who hasn’t in this country are huge. It’s bigger now than in the whole history of our country.
Do find any similarities between the music and writing worlds?
They are all similar! Writing music, writing words, it’s all just trying to get a story out with some substance. It’s all rhythm. It’s all drumming in a way. The length of a sentence is kind of musical.
Tell us about your work with Persian musician Reza Derakshani. Do you feel that music has a responsibility to raise awareness of political and social issues?
Well, I wouldn’t call it a responsibility, but I think that music is a way of accessing different cultures and teaches them how to get along. I just stumbled into meeting Reza at the time during the Bush years where the policy was not to talk to the Iranian politicians. We fortunately got to play at the Kennedy Center right about that time and I walked on stage and said ‘Well the Iranian and US politicians aren’t allowed to talk to each other in this town, but Reza and I are going to have a musical conversation!’ and the audience roared!! The people in all of these countries are wonderful. If we can learn about each other’s cultures, I think it will really help, and music can do that. It crosses all the borders – language, whatever.
What would be your advice to a struggling musician in 2012?
If you are just absolutely obsessed with music, go for it! Otherwise, keep doing it, but don’t worry too much about making a living at it, because it’s a total crap-shoot! (Laughs!)
I’d say he’s rolling sevens….
For more information on The Rhythmic Arts Project concert on February 17th at the Lobero Theater, please visit http://traponline.org For tickets, please call 805.963.0761 or visit http://lobero.com
What a cool drummer this cat is man! A drummer myself in a cover band, we play one of The Doors songs, “Love Me Two Times.” I so dig that drum groove and how John came up with that lovely Bossa Nova beat on “Break on Through” blows me away. Bossa Nova is played in a 4/4 pattern so it worked nicely as he changes the pattern in the chorus. Nobody else was doing that in those days! That was like what? 1966, 67?
John, all of us in the drumming community appreciate you man. And you’re still plugging away. Well, good for you old man!