The rock band “The Doors” came into being one July day in 1965 on Venice Beach, California. The band’s keyboardist, the late Ray Manzarek, reveals in a fascinating video just how important the beach played in the group’s formation.
The video segments below (Video credit: cjlg999) featuring Ray Manzarek, the keyboard player for The Doors, seem to back up the universal idea that going to the beach can have a positive impact on your health and creativity. Come along as we explore this theory by highlighting key moments in the video Manzarek and cjlg999 created to promote Manzarek’s 2000 film, “Love Her Madly.”
“It wasn’t like this when we were down here…”
Before he gets into his fateful meetup with The Doors’ future lead singer, Jim Morrison, Manzarek talks about what Venice Beach, California was like before the hippies and the Summer of Love arrived.
He describes it as a dark place, a gathering point for beatniks, a place where writers like Charles Bukowski hung out.
Video credit: cjlg999
“Let’s swim to the moon,
let’s climb through the tide,
penetrate the evening that the city sleeps to hide…”
In this video segment, Manzarek begins a fascinating account of just how much Venice Beach not only helped form The Doors but also help the band members write some of their songs.
He starts off talking about his first meetup on the beach with Morrison, two months after they graduated from UCLA.
Video credit: cjlg999
“This is the end, my only friend, the end….”
In this clip, Manzarek steps out of the bright sunlight of Venice Beach and into the darkness underneath Santa Monica Pier.
According to Manzarek, it was the perfect atmosphere for Morrison to write “The End” and some of the band’s other songs.
Video credit: cjlg999
“All your love is gone,
so sing a lonely song,
of a deep blue dream…”
Exercising, getting “buff” and pushing their physical limits.
Here, Manzarek talks about working out at the original Muscle Beach at Venice Beach with Morrison as they talked about their plans for the future. Manzarek also talks about his 2000 film, “Love Her Madly,” which was originally conceived by him and Morrison working out on the rings at Muscle Beach.
Video credit: cjlg999
“The only problem with being an immortal is…”
In this last segment, Manzarek takes the viewer to the famous mural of Jim Morrison at 1801 Speedway Street in Venice, California. Manzarek laments the loss of his friend and reads a poem written by Morrison about cinema.
Video credit: cjlg999
A curious fact about ‘The End’
At the beginning of the video, Manzarek mentions that Morrison was also living in Venice California, not far away from where Manzarek was, sharing an apartment with Dennis Jakob. “I’m up on Dennis Jakob’s rooftop, looking out over the ocean at Venice Beach and writing songs,” Manzarek said, quoting Morrison.
Who’s Dennis Jakob? Why did Manzarek mention him? Why should it matter?
Well if you’re a fan of the movie “Apocalypse Now” and movies in general, you might care.
In the video, Manzarek explained how another one of their famous songs, “The End” came to fruition. Morrison first intended for it to be a breakup song to Jim’s girlfriend at the time, Mary Werbelow, but as he and the other band members further refined The End, it became the apocalyptic classic that it became, inspired in part by the darkness under Santa Monica Pier.
Famous director gives ‘The End” new life
In 1979, long after The Doors attained their legendary status in music history, the director of Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola, used the song to score an iconic scene in the film.
How it happened, according to Far Out Magazine, was Coppola visited his editing department one day to say goodbye to a crew member who was leaving to work on another project. Not sure, but we think it was Barry Malkin, since Copolla specifically recalled the meeting in one of his Instagram posts. (It’s in this post somewhere, Coppola is replying to a question about his relationship with Jim Morrison and how he ended up using “The End” in the opening scene) While there, Coppola spotted a stack of records near some reels of film footage he eventually used for the scene. One album in that pile was The Doors’ self-titled 1967 debut. One of the songs on the album was “The End.” His Instagram post explains the rest of the story, but there is no mention of Jakob in there.
The Coppola Connection
However, The Far Out Magazine article writer then connects Coppola with Manzarek and Morrison, saying that Coppola was a classmate and friend of Manzarek and Morrison at UCLA Film School. Jakob also happened to be an editor on the film and was also a classmate and friend of Morrison’s at UCLA.
How did that Doors record get there? Coppola said “The End” was picked by chance, We want to think that it might have been one of Jakob’s albums? Maybe someone can help us out with that in the comments.
Another connection between The Doors and Apocalypse Now…
Harrison Ford has a small role in Apocalypse Now, but before that, he had a brief gig as a second unit cameraman documenting a Feast of Friends, a Doors concert tour, according to Far Out Magazine. Harrison described the experience as, well, memorable…
The elusive link between creativity and the beach
Some say sea air makes us more relaxed because sea air contains more negative ions than other types of air.
Others say it’s just our brains trying to take in the vastness of an ocean horizon.
Health gurus claim we become more relaxed by the sea because our brains (and bodies) naturally tune in and sync with the sound of the waves as they come to shore.
To be honest, though, there isn’t much scientific evidence to back any of those claims up.
But one thing many experts seem to agree on is people are much more relaxed and happier when they are near an ocean.
They claim that creative powers seem to increase as well. Ideas come quicker, and, those same ideas seem to be more refined and detailed.
Perhaps we’ll never know the real reason why people feel better when they visit the beach.
However, we do know that the beach has always been a place to seek inspiration.
So, the next time you’re feeling down and out, think about those two college friends who never thought they’d see each other again, only to meet up on a California beach in July 1965 randomly.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Definitive Doors biographies you want to check out
The entire “Ray Manzarek in Venice” video
The video featured in this post isn’t ours, of course, it belongs to and was created by cjlg999. We just pulled the parts that we thought were relevant to the blog post, but the whole video is great too, as it gives insights into Manzarek’s relationship with Morrison and touches on some other Venice Beach landmarks. Plus, there is the lady with Jim Morrison’s watch… Go over and give their channel a look. It’s worth it!
Venice Beach can always use some help…
Heal the Bay and The Bay Foundation are two organizations that work to preserve and protect the beaches (which include Venice Beach) that line Santa Monica Bay. Their efforts keep the beaches clean and safe for you, me, and the thousands of tourists that come to the bay’s beaches every year.
Heal the Bay owns and operates the Heal the Bay Aquarium at Santa Monica Pier, organizes cleanups on the beaches, and advocates locally, statewide, and nationally for clean water in an effort to protect public health and the environment.
The Bay Foundation is involved in many projects too. Some of those projects include ongoing efforts to restore several species of abalone to the bay’s kelp forests, encouraging boaters to reduce pollution, beach restoration, and other important preservation and community outreach projects.
Heal the Bay is always looking for volunteers and The Bay Foundation is also looking for volunteers.
But do you know what all these groups really need? They need financial support. Donate here to Heal the Bay, and donate here to the Bay Foundation.
Your support will guarantee that the beaches of Santa Monica Bay will continue to be catalysts for creativity and places where people will be able to renew their connection to nature.
What do you think?
What do you feel when you go to the beach? Do you feel excited? At peace? More creative?
What did you think about the connections to The Doors featured in this post?
When we first started our research, we weren’t expecting the Dennis Jakob, Apocalypse Now connection or the Harrison Ford connection.
Do you know of any other connections Doors fans would like to know about? Comment below!
This post contains affiliate links. When you buy the product, Fantastic Thalassic gets a small commission of the sale at no extra cost to you. The commission helps with the cost of running the site. Thank you!
Sources
Places
Venice Beach — Wikipedia
The Traveling Rings of Venice Beach
A writeup on Dennis Jakob’s apartment — Rock and Roll Roadmap
Organizations
Studies
Coastal proximity, health and well-being: Results from a longitudinal panel survey
[The historical-scientific foundations of thalassotherapy: state of the art]
People
Francis Ford Coppola recounts his friendship with Manzarek and Morrison at UCLA Film School Due to how Instagram posts work, you will have to do a little digging… It’s a question that Coppola replies to. You’ll know it when you see it.
Articles about ‘The Summer of Love’
“Suddenly That Summer” — An article about the Summer of Love in Vanity Fair
“Summer of Love” — Wikipedia
Articles about the health benefits of being near the ocean
Thalassotherapy — Wikipedia
“Why Being Near The Ocean Can Make You Calmer And More Creative” — Huffington Post
“What the beach does to your brain” — NBC News
“5 Reasons why the beach is good for creativity” — LinkedIn
“The health benefits of sea air” — Sainsbury Magazine
“Does the sea air have curative powers?” — The Wall Street Journal
“Fact: Being by the seaside is good for your health” — Sun International
“The health benefits of swimming in the sea are astounding for the body, mind, and soul” — Woman and Home
“The 4 science-backed health benefits of living by the sea” — Happiness
“The Benefits of Ocean Air” — Sand Dunes Resort
“The Benefits of Breathing Ocean Air” — Indoor Doctor
“How being close to water can boost your creativity” — Your Story
“Being Near the Ocean Has Unlocked My Creativity” — Anyone at Home
“Blue Mind: The Neuroscience Behind Water’s Creativity-Boosting, Stress-Reducing Effect on Your Brain” — Next Big Idea Club
“Ten Reasons The Sea Makes You Feel Amazing” — Common Seas
Articles about the Apocalypse Now connection to The Doors
“The strange coincidence that led to The Doors’ perfect Apocalypse Now intro” — Far Out Magazine
“When Harrison Ford worked as a roadie for The Doors” — Far Out Magazine
Photo credits
Pedro Szekely, “Venice Beach Sunset“
Ronnie Macdonald, “Ian and Susan jogging on Maunganui beach 1“
Rudi Riet, “soe writes at Bournemouth Beach”
Brian Leon, “Meditating on the beach”
This post contains affiliate links. When you buy the product, Fantastic Thalassic gets a small commission of the sale at no extra cost to you. The commission helps with the cost of running the site. Thank you!
