The Last Gig you did with The Doors

[Stuart]

Vince, what are your thoughts and memories of the last gig you did with the doors? i cant mind the date or location but they dedicated"Hang on to your life" to you at that gig if i am correct, how did that feel and what do you think now all these years later about that night?.

[vince]

The last performance that was involving all the original people was, of course, the New Orleans.

It was a very bad show. There was more groaning than singing. Ray and Robby were playing more than Jim was singing. He was absoluted sotted when he came on stage - the idiots working for the promoter though they were doning someone a favor by pringing 4 six-packs in the dressing room.

Jim forgot the words after an instrumental break. He was sitting on the drum platform sort of slumped over while Ray and Robby exchanged themes. When things were getting really tedious, Jim stood up, grabbed the mike stand and beat it on the stage until he drove it through the 2 layers of plywood. The base broke off, Jim hurled the shaft into the audience and walked off the stage and up the stairs into the dressing room.

We kind of stood in shock, John stoood up and said the he "Would never play on stage with the asshole again" and left. Robby unlsung his guitar, ray sood up and the followed John off stage. We began to clear the stage, pack the van and head for Los Angeles.

We did not talk much about Jim or the show. I am sure that things like, "What is the matter with him?

Who put the beer....

Now what....

What a fool...

So it ended. Personally - I was ashmed and disgusted.



and so on.

[Stuart]

Uhhh Vince, I meant the last gig you did with the doors, didnt you go with them after jim passed?! im very sure you did, im talking about when the doors were Ray, John and Robby!! didnt they dedicate a song to you at the last gig you worked with them?!!.

[vince]

Have you ever been swimming and you dive deep, I mean really deep into the water. When you are there you feel so light and floaty and free and you are absolutely immersed in pure ecstacy.
Finally you come up through 100 feet of the purest most comfortable water, not because your lungs are screaming for a breath - that has passed, just because something calls you back ot the real world.

I have been listening to the 12 surviving pieces written by Ceasar Franck played in a French cathedral. If you will excuse me I will make this short as I am writing it climbing up the tower again. You know, I cannot speak from experience bu this is better than drugs. I think so anyway.

the last perfamce I was with the "Other voices - a 5 man band, 2 guitars, bass guitar, hammond B-3, and drums.

It was in the lodge atop the mountain in Palm Springs for the celebration of the Elektra-Warner buy-out.

I certainly did not know that this was to be my last work with the group. There was a tour scheduled for late spring and as far as I knew I was to be part of it.

It is possible that, at that time, Bill had already convinced the guys to toss me out. I do know that when I was scheduled to come back and prep the equipment for the tour I was told I was no longer needed.

Did they dedicate a song to me. No. At least, if they did, I was not made aware of it. that was a bad night on a bad stage, bad location. We were tired from having to frag all the equipment up that tram and through the lodge. I really do not emember any special announcement of a dedication piece.

The long and short of it is that if that was to be my last performance with the group, I was the last to find out about it. And, I have the feeling that Bill wanted it kept quite for as long as possible.

Se we packed the equipment, went back to the second rate motel we were staying at (The crew) and slept the dreamless sleep of the exhausted. Next day we returned to LA, put the equipment away and a couple of days later began what should have been a two week vacation that has lasted for 34 years.

If there was some farewell song, I surely was not aware of it.