3.5 stars.
I did enjoy the unique point of view and experiences John Densmore brought to this book, and his ability to relate the principles of sound and silence. I do wish that he would have spent a bit more time introducing us to his inspirations. While the short chapters made for a fast moving, entertaining book, I was unfamiliar with many of the people he discussed, and a bit more introduction or context would have been helpful. I found myself skimming through some chapters or stopping to google a few people for more information. However it was engaging for the most part, and it is clear that Mr. Densmore is as much a truly sincere fan as the rest of us are.

I am very grateful to the publisher who provided me with a copy of the book via NetGalley.

I'm not a huge Doors fan, but recently enjoyed a biography touching upon the early days of Jim Morrison, then naturally navigated over to this one. This offering is from The Doors' drummer John Densmore who has authored other books- including about The Doors. It focuses on the musical and spiritual mentors of John Densmore. Two of his deceased bandmates, singer Jim Morrison and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, each are graced with a chapter recounting their influences on Densmore. Some other inspirations are Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Bob Marley, Ravi Shankar, Patti Smith, Janis Joplin and Van Morrison.

The Doors got their name from an Aldous Huxley book called "The Doors of Perception". John is a "seeker" and is always exploring spiritually and musically. He delved deeply into each of his explorations of these mentors, to a point where he was on another mental/spiritual plane...and left me behind. I wasn't that heavily into... or didn't even know some of the people he admired, and so there was a built-in disconnect. I skimmed through some of it. There was also the usual one way political hostility through the decades that has become so predictable from the majority of the entertainment industry. I usually enjoy reading rock biographies, but this just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you to the publisher Hachette Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I have to admit that the author isn't someone whose name is one that I recognize right away. I read this because I like celebrity memoirs of all kinds. The author wrote a great book about the behind the scenes events of his career. I liked the layout of the book, as it wasn't chronological, so I was able to pick and choose what I wanted to read and when.

John Densmore’s readable book is a stroll down memory lane revisiting his conversations and interactions with musicians and other creative luminaries such as Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Gustavo Dudamel, Paul Simon, poet Robert Bly and many others. These brief moments and memories explore the question of what it means to be an artist and create. Of course, Densmore writes this through the lens of being the drummer for the Doors and often recollects memories about his own experience, but he also writes about the time before, when he was an aspiring musician growing up in Los Angeles. The pacing is swift, the writing is breezy and The Seekers may very well become that book that is given to graduating musicians everywhere looking to glean some inspiration from some of the world’s greatest creatives.

John Densmore may not be a name many are familiar with today, but you've heard his drumming keeping the beat along with his band mates Ray Manzarek, Robbie Kreiger, and Jim Morrison, together known as the Doors. As Densmore reminds us, the band took its name not from those everyday portals between rooms, but from Huxley's infamous book The Doors of Perception. Here, Densmore talks about how making music is losing yourself in time and, at its best, shamanistic.

In 24 short breezy chapters, he discusses artists (mainly musicians, but also others) who have crossed the mystical boundaries and break on through to the other side. It's not necessarily chronological although it begins biographically with chapters about his mother, his high school band leader, a college professor who moonlighted as a jazz musician, and of course, Densmore's greatest Elvin Jones, Coltrane's drummer. There is certainly a chapter about Jim Morrison. Nevertheless, a reader could open up any chapter at random and enjoy.

At times sounding more like a fan than a rockstar, Densmore recounts his meetings with musicians Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Ray Manzarek, Bob Marley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patti Smith, Willie Nelson, and Ravi Shankar. Other chapters are about thinkers such as Robert Bly, Joseph Campbell, and of course the Dalai Lama himself.

The writing is easy to dive into, personal, heartfelt, and sincere.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Anecdotes and musings on the origins of creativity and inspiration, based on John Densmore's (former drummer of The Doors) relationships and meetings with famous musicians and philosophers. There are some interesting stories but much of the book is his take on esoteric philosophies about how music and poetry is born and is retained by those who create it. From Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin to Ram Dass and Robert Bly, people who have inspired and influenced generations are not interviewed but are mused upon by Densmore.