WORDS AND IMAGES : High on Life : Former Doors drummer John Densmore will sign his new book Saturday in Santa Barbara.

The new year has delivered cleansing rains after years of drought and even the nihilists among us are conceding the possibility of a bright future. For instance, some superstars of the drug-crazed rock world (who survived) are singing a different song these days. John Densmore, drummer with the Doors (1965-1971), told me in an interview this week: “I get high now just breathing deeply.”

He’ll sign his book, “Riders On the Storm, My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors,” at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Earthling Bookstore, 1137 State St., Santa Barbara. After the signing, Densmore will appear with author Robert Bly at a benefit celebrating the dedication of the Joseph Campbell Archives and Library donated to the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Summerland. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara are still available. Call 963-4408.

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Blase Bonpaine, director of the Office of the Americas and a radio commentator, will lead a discussion on Latin American experiences after the screening of the Bolivian film “Blood of the Condor” at the Classic Cinema series at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road. The film describes how a United States population-control program led to the sterilization of Quecha Indian women without their knowledge. Call 495-1392 for details.

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Director Robert M. Young will participate in a discussion after the filming of “Triumph of the Spirit” at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the Ojai Playhouse, 145 E. Ojai Ave. The movie, starring Robert Loggia and Willem Dafoe, is the true story of Salamo Arouch, a Greek boxer who survived Auschwitz by fighting boxing matches to entertain his Nazi captors.

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National Public Radio’s coverage of the inauguration of Bill Clinton and Albert Gore will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and can be heard on KCRW (89.1 FM) in Ventura.

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A Sports Card and Comic Book Exchange for youngsters up to 16 years is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Thousand Oaks Library. This is a trading-only, no-cash sales event. Admission is free and a library card is not required. Call 497-6282, Ext. 213 for details.

Also at the library at 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Friend’s Family Fest will present for children 6 years and up a dramatized tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, performed by Teresa Dayley and Tom Provenzano of the Imagination Company.