Manzarek Keeps Doors Open to New Music Projects

There’s money to be made when ‘60s bands--or what’s left of them--reunite for concert tours; just count the number on the road these days, from the Neil Young-less Buffalo Springfield to the Roger McGuinn-less Byrds.

Ray Manzarek, a founding member and distinctive keyboard player of the Doors, says he’s about to play Vegas with the remains of his old group. He has other projects in the offing, such as tonight’s program at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, where he and poet Michael McClure will present the audience with something entirely different from a conventional rock concert.

“We perform together: I play piano, and Michael reads poems,” Manzarek said. “It’s quite simple, really--poetry and music. People have been doing it since the beginning of time. But people are real confused about it, because it’s kind of a concept that doesn’t exist (in rock) right now.

“It’s kind of a variation on the beatnik thing. Beatniks read poetry over jazz. The only difference is, I listen to Michael. Jazz players didn’t listen.”

The comparison to the beat poetry movement is especially appropriate, considering McClure’s roots: Along with such writers as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, he helped create the beat scene in San Francisco’s North Beach in the ‘50s.

In addition to poems, McClure has written essays and plays, such as the Obie award-winning “The Beard” (banned in Los Angeles for obscene language in 1965) and the more recent Obie award winner “Josephine the Mouse Singer.” He has appeared in several movies, including “Beyond the Law” and “The Last Waltz.” He even has written a well-known song, (Oh Lord, Won’t You Buy Me a) “Mercedes-Benz,” which was recorded by Janis Joplin.

Several of his essays and poems have been about Jim Morrison, the Doors’ late singer and poet. He and McClure were good friends.

Manzarek has kept busy since Morrison died and the Doors broke up in 1971. He has produced four LPs for the rock band X; has recorded several of his own albums, including an electronic adaptation of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” on which he collaborated with Philip Glass; and has returned to what he calls his first love, film direction, with two Doors retrospectives: “The Doors: Dance on Fire” and “The Doors: Live at the Hollywood Bowl.”

His collaboration with McClure began last year. They’ve been touring the country, playing to audiences of Doors fans and others. Manzarek said the music he plays behind the poetry is a 50/50 blend of composed and improvised material.

He said he’s happy to see interest in the Doors continuing. “The Doors are a part of history that I wouldn’t want people to forget about,” he said. “There is a tendency in this vapid age for people to forget anything that’s older than five years. It’s heartening that that hasn’t happened with the Doors.”

He and the other two original members of the band, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger, visited Morrison’s grave in Paris in 1981, on the 10th anniversary of his death. A huge gathering of fans was there.

“Jim would have loved it,” Manzarek said. “He wants people to party! He doesn’t want people to sit around and be maudlin about him.

Ray Manzarek and Michael McClure will perform at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, tonight at 9. Tickets: $15. Information: 496-8930.