Robby Krieger Tells His Doors Story, March 7, 1986

Off The Record, Joe Smith Interviews Robby Krieger, March 7, 1986
Robert Alan Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as the guitarist of the rock band the Doors; as such he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", and "Love Her Madly". After the Doors disbanded, Krieger continued his performing and recording career with other musicians including former Doors bandmates John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. He was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Krieger was born in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family. His father, an engineer, was a fan of classical music, while his mother enjoyed "Frank Sinatra and stuff like that". Peter and the Wolf was the first record that captivated him. When he broke it, he started listening to other records. The radio introduced him to the likes of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and the Platters. At the age of 10, he tried the trumpet but found it was not for him. He began playing the blues on his parents' piano with much more success than the trumpet. At 13, he enjoyed playing a friend's guitar.
While Krieger was a boarding student at a private school called Menlo School in Menlo Park, California, there was study time at night that allowed him to teach himself to play the guitar. He began by first de-tuning a ukulele to the bottom four strings of a guitar and mimicking a record he had. Later, in the mid-1960s, scholar Frank Chin taught Krieger how to play the flamenco guitar. During a Christmas break, Krieger and two classmates took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta where he purchased a peg-tuned Ramírez guitar and took lessons for a few months. He bounced around genres, including flamenco, folk, blues, and jazz and played in a jug band-the Back Bay Chamber Pot Terriers-at Menlo.
After high school, Krieger attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. Krieger listed guitarists Wes Montgomery, Albert King, and Larry Carlton among the biggest influences on his style. Krieger's flamenco guitar playing can be found present in the song "Spanish Caravan".
Source; wikipedia
#TheDoors
#RobbyKrieger

[@TheDutchGuy]

The Best Doors Playlist; kzbin.info/aero/PLC52FA81D86EB92A7

[@BillySBC]

I like Robbie, he's very frank and doesn't sugarcoat any of his memories of things. He's the one guy you will get the real story from.

[@wesleybrown4397]

I like how Robby talks about all this

[@wlc1980]

I’m glad he could stay awake for the interview.

[@arvidsmith1038]

listening Robbie's audio book "Try To Set The Night On Fire" , he was in the throes of his heroin addiction when he gave this interview...patient and gracious nonetheless...

[@jeffthepoet7]

Robbie seems like a nice guy. Met him once after a show to sign autographs in 90s; courteous, generous, and humble.

[@MrOctober44]

Fantastic player. Ridiculously underrated

[@SuperNuttyPuddyBuddy]

This is the best interview of robbie. This guy knows how to interview and presses for details.

[@leebaker5755]

Because it's frank Luciadrno, Jim morrison,s good friends.

[@jodichristensen9536]

Robbie Krieger sounds, super humble, and laid back, in laughing off, what several personal, still painful questions, in his monotone style, that he’s obviously been deflecting in interviews for years at this point. Sadly they really did end up F’ing up the movie, where Oliver Stone took great liberty with the truth license in savagely bastardizing Jim true reputation, just for entertainments sake. No one coulda came along to fill the shoes of Jim Morrison, he was a force of nature, Robbie could’ve given Jim more musical credit here for his lyrics timing cadence and rhythmic delivery, Jim overall vibe was is as specifically and uniquely irreplaceable as a Hendrix, Miles Davis, SRV, or Randy Rhoads. Robbie had a short window yet still, he is a towering genius on guitar with his style and feel. It’s a real shame that Robbie, never latched onto a less wild hit singer, or reformed into a super group, or even went instrumental like Jeff Beck, and Harvey Mandel, Robbie Krieger and extended his catalog over the decades. I have always had Robbie Krieger ranked among my top 10 guitarists. This was cool interview...8)

[@TheDutchGuy]

"or even went instrumental like Jeff Beck" open.spotify.com/artist/6sKdTMcmqO5te16RNTmp0Z?si=mPfpiN6JTiK8UWINvNz3qQ

[@riccardocondorelli2220]

Yeah he sounds so stoned here lol, and I can't understand if he's chewing a lollipop or what because of those weird mouth sounds, but he's chill af

[@professormacdeezy]

@@riccardocondorelli2220 Cigarettes I would wager maybe

[@twomindz79]

@@professormacdeezy Robby never smoked .

[@calebc.6377]

@@riccardocondorelli2220 In his book he wrote about how he became addicted to heroin in the 80’s. It was a full-tilt addiction, too. His friends (Densmore, Manzarek, and others) actually staged an intervention because they were worried that he would die. I’d say he was strung out here!

[@mtp4430]

He said Jim was a scatterbrain. And he was, but he was a charismatic, creative, impulsive, addictive, Adonis type scatterbrain. As great as the rest of the band was, it was the Jim Morrison persona that put them on the map. I'm not saying that's fair, but that's what happened. When you think of the Doors you naturally associate them with Jim. But make no mistake, this was an excellent band of excellent players and writers. It's just that Jim was the front man.

[@jbrownelf59]

Greatest band of all time Beatles said let it be the stones said let it bleed the doors said let it roll❤

[@drumsleuth]

Robbie is a great guitar player a humble guy great sense of humor.

[@jackprescott9652]

And he can write very fine tunes too.

[@jlbaker2000]

A bluesman at heart.

[@pauldudakadanielthomson8890]

I was a big Doors during my high school years , 1967 - 1971 , back in N.J... The energy I got from their music had the most influence on me. Their music made me want to build better hot rod cars ! We revived a few nice cars back then. Then those days ended around 1973 when gasoline shortages started and environmental concerns got to me.

[@stevedoingstuff3960]

I'd like to hear more about these cars. Sounds like a great time, chilling in the garage and listening to the doors.

[@ludwigfan3013]

I bought a create of records in the early 1990's at a yard sale when I was a kid for a dollar. That Doors 13 album was in there with them.. I never knew it was a greatest hits at the time. I just thought I had a really bad ass Doors record that most people didn't know about.

[@jeffreybealer2054]

About Robby’s answer to Jim being musical…..I believe he was thinking the question was about Jim playing musical instruments and not a vocal question. This is why he added he can play the piano a bit. Just a thought.

[@ViziaFilms]

No youre absolutely right.

[@aprilapril2]

He was using heroin a lot for years probably during this interview .. I just finished his book… he started using when he was old enough to know better, at this point he wouldn’t have been going to admit it … he was always a functioning addict . Lovely guy though isn’t he .

[@danneeson7056]

The best filmed version of The End was done at the CBC studios in Toronto ,where the broadcaster had flown The Doors in from L.A. and invited the local Yorkville kids to the private show.

[@chrisalberts9414]

I feel like rays beginning and ending in light my fire really made the song.

[@destinationssa]

This interview must have been popular back in the day. John had access to this interview before he wrote his book. He has quoted parts of this interview in his book.

[@wesleybrown4397]

This is soo cool

[@wormsnake1]

One of the greatest guitar/songwriters of all time. The legacy of the Doors brilliance will never be forgotten. Thank you for the music Robbie.🙏❤️🎼.x

[@timotley2100]

I thought I had heard and knew a lot about the Doors, but I learned some new things with this interview. He's about 40 here, so I imagine a lot of the memories and impressions are still fresh and we get a different perspective then his more recent interviews over the last 20 years where he glosses over more. Aside from the Doors name issue he and Ray later had with Densmore, it looks like there was already underlying tension. Different personalities can clash I guess.

[@Daneiladams555]

Great interview Such a humble man

[@2011woodlands]

It's funny that the guy doing the interview sounds so much like the Tony Thomas, Howard Smith, Bob Chorush, Ben-Fong Torres interviews with Morrison in the late 60s & 70-71, seems like the person would have done a little more research, but the style of questioning is so much like the earlier interviews. It never comes up, but Harrison Ford worked as a cameraman for the Doors early in his career. The connections between Morrison, Manzarek, Coppola and Milius are interesting when it came to putting music to the movie Apocalypse Now.

[@leebaker5755]

It's frank luciandro jaime morrison's good friend

[@thomasbrown8468]

Love all the albums. Ohhh moon 🌙 of Alabama

[@Otis-uz1tf]

Robbie is the doors secret weapon ...ray is the genius ....john is the transporter ....Jim is the shamen that guided among other things The doors

[@emotionalmodels8463]

This is good

[@luish777]

I'm sure Jim had the ear for music and had a musical direction of where he wanted a song to go ,a blend of lyrics and music.

[@vincentdaversa776]

Yeah he was a natural

[@paulcasino1]

great interview

[@sharonedwards6010]

I love this. Thanks.

[@eastwoofer]

Important interview. Thanks

[@chesterlane3032]

It's been over thirty years since Robby Krieger spoke up about his hey day in the 60's

[@merriemisfit8406]

New book!

[@e-lai-sahealingshare144]

What is it? ​@@merriemisfit8406

[@patrickmccutcheon8860]

The thing about needing to find band mates who are on the same psychic plane as you is very insightful. I’ve played with tons of guys and very rarely does that spark happen, and that’s almost always the reason why. Different reasons for playing music.

[@kikiu2619]

Best interview incolving The Doors

[@smokefeet]

robby is great

[@vanjaeriksen4263]

Gloria a te Robby 🥂

[@sarahdaw6648]

I grew up in Coronado and knew the family (never met Jim). Anna Morrison was married to an English guy named Allen Graham, who was total conartist. He burnt down the family home, with the family in it (everyone got out ok) for insurance reasons. She divorced him soon after! Andy Morrison, Jim's brother, also had a substance abuse problem, but he was a nice guy.

[@felipepereira4015]

He had brothers?

[@yvonneleslie7681]

@@felipepereira4015 One brother and one sister. Jim was the oldest sibling.

[@Monster_Mover_Stocks]

@@felipepereira4015 He had ONE brother and ONE sister.

[@twomindz79]

She was my English teacher in high school. Mrs.chewning. Didn't know that . She was very sweet lady .

[@Sidneyyoungblood75]

The brother in law was a scouser so no surprise that he was a con artist or general wrong un. It's part of their DNA

[@edwilliamson956]

Cool interview. Krieger was in the middle of a serious heroin addiction at this point in his life. He still comes across well in spite of his crazy lifestyle

[@vicvega3614]

Never knew Robbie had a heroin problem, i know he wasnt using back in the late 60s when did he get into that?

[@kevinlylemartin1503]

​@@vicvega3614Robby talks all about it in his book Set the Night on Fire. It's a very interesting read. Highly recommend it.

[@josephschlichting4339]

After the Doors back in the 1980s… It’s in Robbie’s book, which was a great read… I was totally surprised by the heroin part of the book…✌️✌️✌️

[@clausm2203]

Gret interview

[@Abruzzo333]

Saying that Morrison wasn't musically inclined is inaccurate. In ray Manzarek's and John Densmore's books they describe how Jim remembered his lyrics by making them into little melodies and songs. He would sing the melody and the band would flesh it out. Not every musician can read music or is classically trained.

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

Yes you are right I read those books to and he is credited as writing a lot of songs mainly the Melody but he had to have had some idea of how the background music would sound and then the rest of the band would build on that. I think it was John Densmore book where Jim Morrison was credited as having written the song people are strange So he was musically inclined he just lacked the discipline to pick up an instrument and master it

[@Pimp-Master]

The Doors was a garage band before Morrison joined. Then they morphed somewhat into the groovy sounds of the day (jam, psychedelia), but essentially they did hard core blues sounds in public when possible. Coming up with chords isn't that freakin' difficult. Even Densmore could suggest chords possibly.

[@movid]

What is this? You're not musical if you're not with an instrument? Jim wrote all their songs before he asked them to start writing some too, he sang like a god, the melodies, voice is an instrument - He's not musical?

[@vicvega3614]

​@@Pimp-Mastergarage band? Dude Ray was a classically trained piano player, in fact the intro to Light my fire is like something Bach would write, Densmore is like a jazz drummer doing weird bossa nova beats, and Robbie had a very strange background with guitar like Flamenco and then you got Jim lol . Sorry ive just never heard something so wrong. They were very very far from a garage band sound and thats why they are still loved today, great musicians all 4 of them.

[@robaquarian]

He forgot the incident in Amsterdam when Jim passed out on stage and Ray had to sing

[@TheDutchGuy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnSsm6dnZbl1aZo

[@mrmaestro04]

He mentions Eddie Hoh, a great drummer from that era, who disappeared for many years, and unfortunately passed a short while ago, after being found. He appears on many records, notably the Monkees.

[@KellysMagicalRealm]

❤️❤️

[@Nominay]

Have to correct Robby around the 9 minute mark. Jim was quite musical for someone who didn't play an instrument. For a lot of their songs, including Hello I Love You, Jim would sing the melody and the guys would build the music around that.

[@voidburner8271]

It's a known fact that he ripped off the Kinks "all day and all of the night" on Hello I love you so it's a bad example

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

@@voidburner8271 Wrong.

[@lance7799]

That was all bs

[@lance7799]

That's very true

[@e-lai-sahealingshare144]

Glad to hear it from someone who was there

[@Theakker3B]

"Let's hope they don't fuck the movie up." If he was referring to Oliver Stone's movie... Oh man.

[@thomasbrown8468]

Know it by heart

[@thomasbrown8468]

The End is the best peice I believe.

[@manlymen552]

Robbie is the man lol

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

Robert Alan Krieger (Los Ángeles, California; 8 de enero de 1946) es un guitarrista de Rock and roll y compositor estadounidense. En la banda The Doors actuó como guitarrista y escribió algunas de las canciones más famosas, como Light my fire, Love Me Two Times, Touch Me, Peace Frog y Love Her Madly. En 2011 la revista Rolling Stone lo puso en el número 76 en su lista de los 100 mejores guitarristas de todos los tiempos.

[@user-rl4dm8wy1z]

I really dig Robbie's music ! A great guitar player. The song when the music over says it for me. . Time for Jim to look for some soft asylum . He's headed for the big sleep. So when the music was over he became screwed up on alcohol and was out of control until the end. Or it could have been all those Indians that jumped into his head. You know what they say about giving whiskey to Indians. Yeah if he hadn't wiped it out in Miami he might still be with us today. Yeah mr mojo rising.

[@robaquarian]

Ray was the 12th of February

[@leebaker5755]

J.D.Ms good friend doing interview frank luciandro

[@kl7051]

With a friend like Robby who needs enemies

[@adamdavies6281]

✍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@garycarlson6859]

The thing was Jim...the musicians were & still are best on the Planet... But JIM was driving through the spirit of RIMBAUD... THEY KNOW THE VALUE OF SEASONS. Jim was telepathic. But Robbie, I will never forget Your Guitar work....transcendental

[@kristijanknezevic4725]

32:10 mann,Robbie just said it😂😂

[@BillySBC]

She was a military wife of a very very high ranking officer in the US Navy. Not many men reach the rank of Rear Admiral Morrison in a career, he was also a naval aviator. Jim's father was quite an interesting man in his own right. His father was the equivalent of a two-star General.

[@kikiu2619]

What book did the interviewer write?

[@FULLmeltHASH]

22:33 ok now i see why he was mad at Jim

[@richardheinz]

I really don't understand Robbie's contradiction. At first he said that Jim didn't really have any input. Then he said Jim stayed with him for a couple of weeks and they wrote a bunch of songs. I'm confused.

[@BillySBC]

He didn't say that, he said Jim didn't have any input into the instrumental part, the musical part. His job was to come up with ideas for songs and come up with interesting lyrics and then work those lyrics into the music the other three would make.

[@MannySimoneCards]

He said he didn't have input on arrangement. Jims talent was making lyrics

[@twomindz79]

47:00

[@ernestoaparicio3772]

The Doors

[@llpo9627]

32:08

[@theonlyantony]

My heart sinks, when the name Jerry Garcia, is mentioned Not in the same or similar or adjacent leagues

[@johnbecker9976]

Does anyone know who is interviewing Robbie?

[@jeff-9608]

13:47

[@ernestintownandjackintheco1024]

“Let’s hope they don’t fuck the movie up.” 🤦‍♂️

[@kikiu2619]

Who's the interviewer?

[@Neal_Schier]

He is the dictionary definition of laconic.

[@bluerfoot]

I think he was shot up on heroin for these years,

[@theonlyantony]

I hate hearing squares talk to the talented

[@charleswinokoor6023]

He rattles off a number of British and American rock bands he listened to way back when but doesn’t mention the Beatles. How can the interviewer not follow up and ask him if he was at all impressed with the Beatles? Talk about being oblivious. And I’m surprised no one remembered or knew that Eddie Hoh was the drummer on Al Kooper’s “Super Session” album with Bloomfield, Stills and Harvey Brooks. Krieger in this interview sounds like he’s slightly high or sleepy. The interviewer does his best to get him to articulate answers.

[@tomato1040]

It sounds like a 51:50🤺 more than a 50:50, or a 90:10, or a 10:90, to🧐ME=mc2, regarding Being Sober 👍,or being drunk 🍻👎Be Aware Now & thank G👁️D🔯& the⚛️Gods in opening Our🌎Doors🚪of Perception🧘!

[@marylee4849]

Kreiger is so effin lucky he had the as he states "non musician" Jim Morrison with an incredibly sensual voice and poetic lyrics in a band that did not act to help an alcoholic even as it was detrimental to the band. But kreiger reaps royalties for the songs he wrote - that would have went nowhere without Jim's vocals. He also cashes in on songs that the poet Jim Morrison wrote - "This is the End", "Moonlight Ride" etc.

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

Exactly.

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

Like it or not Jim Morrison was a musician he just didn't play an instrument

[@frankiebutler2894]

@@joaquindelarosa1215 Jim Morrison’s VOICE was his instrument. (Imagine that pre-pubescent sounding voice in this interview singing songs! Not happening). BYW, Robbie sounds like a braggart naming HIS songs. In each one of HIS songs, words & lines were changed/reworked to change or make better certain phrases of his songs by Jim. Neither Ray nor John contributed to words, only Jim & Robbie on those 4 songs. All the rest of words were Jim’s. It was at Jim’s insistence that all 4 names appear as writers, all the time. It seems to me that ALL 3 members should remind themselves every time a royalty check is cashed & family is taken care of, tuition paid.etc., that it was Jim’s idea that everything was equally divided. Also, Jim heard songs in his mind which he hummed to the others when they were writing, & then they all wrote together. How quickly they forget, or should I say, “ how quickly they conveniently forget the truth”, but they didn’t forget to cash royalty checks!!

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

@@frankiebutler2894 I still like Robby Krieger but as a musician I can tell you that Jim was definitely a musician!

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

@@frankiebutler2894 also, well said!

[@bluerfoot]

Just listened to his book, seems like he was in his messed up heroin phase here.

[@riccardocondorelli2220]

definitely, you can tell he's high as fuck

[@ernestintownandjackintheco1024]

Can a guy be that mellow without pharmaceutical help 🤔?

[@riccardocondorelli2220]

If you read his book you’ll realize he was 24/7 blasted on heroin throughout the 80s

[@frankiebutler2894]

@@riccardocondorelli2220 Yes, he had a problem. LSD was NOT illegal in US until 1968, then the culture turned to mushrooms (remember the mushroom tatoos on Jefferson Airplane?)

[@drewbostonian7949]

wow, if i didnt know any better the Krieg Meister is totally jealous of old Jimbo

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

I like Robby Krieger but it does sound like he doesn't want to give Jim the credit he deserves Both John Densmore and Ray manzarek give give much credit to Jim Morrison's musical abilities I would like to read krieger's book so that he may prove me wrong

[@BillySBC]

He wasn't jealous of him he was angry with him, as many people were, because the other three guys in the band wanted to take their music career seriously and Jim just didn't.

[@BillySBC]

@@joaquindelarosa1215 Jim didn't have any musical abilities, that wasn't his job, he didn't play an instrument. His job was to write lyrics, come up with ideas for songs, and work those lyrics into the arrangements conceived by the other three musicians.

[@mariah3654]

@@joaquindelarosa1215 If you read Robby's book you'll know exactly what happened + what was going on with Robby during the time of this interview.

[@Monster_Mover_Stocks]

Krieger sounds like a 13 year old kid who hasn't yet gone through puberty. Hilarious!!!

[@ShaneBermingham616]

What was Rothchild in jail for?

[@TheDutchGuy]

20lbs weed in a locker

[@peterm1826]

LA lady ? lol

[@riccardocondorelli2220]

Awkward

[@Pimp-Master]

Joe signed The Grateful Dead to Warner's, so he wasn't used to those Doors records.

[@davidaldridge5716]

•• I’m driven nuts by him having a sucker in his mouth the whole time …..I couldn’t live with myself if I was doing this interview and I didn’t ask him to hold off on that. I don’t care who it is it’s weak to listen to someone’s mouth noises while acting like nothing is happening

[@rusamousika9813]

"Haranguing" 🤣🤣

[@scottavett3189]

He did not have one kind word about anyone else the entire interview. Dare I say he is a self absorbed, bitter narcissist?

[@julllysergik9800]

But Jim was drunk ;)

[@vicvega3614]

Is this Alec Baldwin interviewing Robbie? Lol

[@joer1678]

Obviously stoned lol

[@djshad1885]

Jim was MKultrad by his own Father.

[@theonlyantony]

What a wasted opportunity

[@mariah3654]

If you read Robby's book you'll know exactly what happened + what was going on with Robby during the time of this interview.

[@Daneiladams555]

I think Robbie was on heroin around this time

[@eigenstatezero]

So this must have been during his heroin-years, he sounds so incredibly laconic it isn't even funny. Interesting still.

[@mns8732]

Not impressed with the individual members.

[@sterlingcooper3978]

Like Robbie but man that is annoying nasal voice.

[@hotwings757]

Great archive clip, but terrible interviewer! Geesh sounds like a damn policeman grilling a suspect. No flow at all

[@Lord_Hillcrest01]

Didnt like that interview at all.

[@jeffreybealer2054]

About Robby’s answer to Jim being musical…..I believe he was thinking the question was about Jim playing musical instruments and not a vocal question. This is why he added he can play the piano a bit. Just a thought.

[@joaquindelarosa1215]

Jim was musical he wrote many of the doors songs, acapella Style, because he did not play any instruments he is even credited in John Densmore book as having written people are strange in an instant after being very depressed and then the band came to talk him out of suicide and they went out for a walk and Jim drifted off somewhere nearby and came back with that song.