John Densmore Quotes

“Fortunately, an extremely sexy, pixie-voiced blond named Ronnie Harran, who booked the Whisky, saw us ... She had an ear for talent ... the Whisky was finally a gig we could be proud of ...”

— John Densmore

“Being in a band is like polygamy without the sex.”

— John Densmore

“I don't play just one-two-three-four. I try to play melodies.”

— John Densmore

“Going first is courageous. I'm just talking on a spirit level now.”

— John Densmore

“Those who go ahead provide a little light into the unknown.”

— John Densmore

“Bass players and drummers are brothers in the basement cooking up the groove that makes people move.”

— John Densmore

“The more the ensemble, the duet or the forty piece orchestra, plays as one person, the more it makes people dance, because you're back in the womb. You feel mom's heartbeat. It makes you move. It reminds you of that warm, groovy space you were in.”

— John Densmore

“If you're playing live, I like to think of the ensemble, whether it's the duet or a forty piece orchestra, as one person. And the entire audience, whether it's twelve people or twelve thousand at Madison Square Garden, is the other person. The two of you are going to dance together tonight.”

— John Densmore

“If an ensemble - I don't care if it's a duet or a forty-piece orchestra - the musicians, the two of them or the forty of them, are all trying to play as tight as possible, as one person. They're trying to play like they are one person.”

— John Densmore

We have our own little heartbeat, too. We already have what I would call polyrhythms going on.

— John Densmore

“The first drum beat we all heard was our mother.”

— John Densmore

“In your twenties, everything makes you crazy.”

— John Densmore

“Why is there such passion for any sort of gossipy, provocative sensual stuff? It sells!”

— John Densmore

“People forget that public people and celebrities, they too have to go to the bathroom and get divorced.”

— John Densmore

“When an ensemble is really tight or playing as one, it's a transcendental experience. It is spiritual. It goes beyond the ensemble. Ray and I and Robby and Jim were pretty tight, musically and spiritually.”

— John Densmore

“I've been a longtime supporter of all sorts of environmental groups.”

— John Densmore

“I believe in the mystery, and I don't want to take it any further than that. Maybe what I mean by that is love.”

— John Densmore

“I was raised Catholic. I didn't appreciate the guilt and sin part of it.”

— John Densmore

“I've been very blessed to make a living in stuff I love and am totally passionate about, music and writing. So I'm eager to see what the day will bring, how I will feed that passion.”

— John Densmore

“When I wake up in the morning, I meditate immediately, before I even get out of bed.”

— John Densmore