Misplaced Pages

#428571

55-488: Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any writer or director. Shepard received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child and

110-558: A 1960s contract requiring unanimity among Doors members to use the band's name or music, ended with total victory for him and his allies in the Morrison estate. Densmore has also worked in the performing arts as a dancer and actor and written successfully as both a playwright and the author of two books on the topic of the Doors and a third book, The Seekers (2020), about a selection of notable people he has worked with and encountered. Densmore

165-598: A Horse Dreamer at La MaMa in 1985. Several of Shepard's early plays, including Red Cross (1966) and La Turista (1967), were directed by Jacques Levy . A patron of the Chelsea Hotel scene, he also contributed to Kenneth Tynan 's Oh! Calcutta! (1969) and drummed sporadically from 1967 through 1971 with the band The Holy Modal Rounders , appearing on their albums Indian War Whoop (1967) and The Moray Eels Eat The Holy Modal Rounders (1968). After winning six Obie Awards between 1966 and 1968, Shepard emerged as

220-594: A claim to the psychological terrain of classic American theater. True West and Fool for Love were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Some critics have expanded the trilogy to a quintet, including Fool for Love and A Lie of the Mind . Shepard won a record-setting ten Obie Awards for writing and directing between 1966 and 1984. In 2010, A Lie of the Mind was revived in New York at the same time as Shepard's new play Ages of

275-455: A drum, and they're right, they're absolutely right! Now, you can't plan those things." - Doors' producer Paul Rothchild , from a March 1967 interview published in Crawdaddy . The quartet, after two years of work, became star attractions in 1967, and released six studio and several live albums, eventually selling over 100 million units. According to Densmore's autobiography, he had quit

330-872: A feature role in Band Dreams and Bebop at the Gene Dynarski Theatre. He developed and performed a one-man piece from the Donald Barthelme short story, The King of Jazz , at the Wallenboyd Theatre in 1989. With Adam Ant , he co-produced Be Bop A Lula at Theatre Theatre in 1992. He has acted in numerous TV shows, most memorably as himself in the show Square Pegs , working as a drummer for Johnny Slash's band Open 24 Hours, and in an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 in 1992, in Series 2, Episode 23, where he plays Ben, Dylan's sponsor. He also produced and co-scored

385-565: A few exceptions, he did not direct plays by other playwrights. He also directed two films but reportedly did not see film directing as a major interest. When Shepard first arrived in New York City, he roomed with Charlie Mingus III, a friend from Duarte High School and the son of jazz musician Charles Mingus . Shepard then lived with actress Joyce Aaron. From 1969 to 1984, he was married to actress O-Lan Jones , with whom he had one son, Jesse Mojo Shepard (b. 1971). From 1970 to 1971, Shepard

440-612: A great impact on him and others. Densmore appears alongside Krieger and Manzarek in 2012's RE:GENERATION , a documentary directed by Amir Bar-Lev . It features Densmore collaborating on a new song with Skrillex entitled "Breakn' A Sweat". Densmore, Manzarek and Krieger, after Jim Morrison's death, allowed " Riders on the Storm " to be used to sell Pirelli Tyres , but in the United Kingdom only. Densmore later stated that he "heard Jim's voice" in his ears and ended up donating his share of

495-548: A member of the Doors, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Along with his 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Densmore, as a member of the Doors, was recognized in 2007 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Also in 2007, Densmore and his band mates were awarded a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement . The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame webpage on

550-417: A period while he was both married and having an extramarital affair with tour manager Christine O'Dell with the lines: "He's got a woman at home, another woman down the hall, but he seems to want me anyway." Meanwhile, in "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter", written during the same tour, Mitchell referenced the closeness between their birthdays, calling them "twins of spirit". Shepard met actress Jessica Lange on

605-559: A screenwriter with Robert Frank 's Me and My Brother (1968) and Michelangelo Antonioni 's Zabriskie Point (1970). Cowboy Mouth , a collaboration with his then-lover Patti Smith , was staged at The American Place Theatre in April 1971, providing early exposure for Smith, who would become a well-known musician. The story and characters in Cowboy Mouth were inspired by Shepard and Smith's relationship. After opening night, he abandoned

SECTION 10

#1732851831429

660-712: A television interview and was shocked by the news, ending the interview saying: "See you in the next one, Sam." Sam Shepard's papers are split between the Wittliff Collections of Southwestern Writers at Texas State University , comprising 27 boxes (13 linear feet) and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin , comprising 30 document boxes (12.6 linear feet). Obie Award The Obie Awards were initiated by critic Jerry Tallmer and Edwin (Ed) Fancher, publisher of The Village Voice, who handled

715-432: A turbulent trip on an airliner returning from Mexico in the 1960s, he apparently vowed never to fly again. Despite this longstanding aversion to flying, Shepard allowed Chuck Yeager to take him up in a jet in 1982 in preparation for playing the pilot in the film The Right Stuff . Shepard cited his fear of flying as a source for a character in his 1966 play Icarus's Mother . His character went through an airliner crash in

770-464: A young colt named Drum and rode double with his young son on an appaloosa named Cody. Shepard continued to write plays and served for a semester as Regents' Professor of Drama at the University of California, Davis . Shepard accompanied Bob Dylan on the Rolling Thunder Revue of 1975 as the screenwriter for Renaldo and Clara that emerged from the tour. However, because much of the film

825-487: Is a $ 2,000 grant awarded to a theatre that nurture innovative new plays. Previous recipients include: John Densmore John Paul Densmore (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band the Doors and as such is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . He appeared on every recording made by the band, with drumming inspired by jazz and world music as much as by rock and roll . The many honors he shares with

880-432: Is also a Ross Wetzsteon Grant, named after its former theater editor, in the amount of $ 2,000 (in 2009; in 2011 the grant was $ 1,000), for a theatre that nurtures innovative new plays. The first awards in 1955-1956 for plays and musicals were given to Absalom (Lionel Abel) as Best New Play, Uncle Vanya , Best All-Around Production and The Threepenny Opera as Best Musical. Other awards for off-Broadway theatre are

935-990: The Lucille Lortel Awards , the Drama Desk Awards , the Drama League Award , and the Outer Critics Circle Awards . In September 2014, the American Theatre Wing joined the Village Voice as co-presenters, with the Wing having "overall responsibility for running" the Awards. In 2021, the Wing took over as sole presenter of the Obie Awards. Obie Grants are awarded each year to select theatre companies. Previous recipients include: Ross Wetzsteon Award

990-666: The 1980s, moving to the world of dance as he performed with Bess Snyder and Co., touring the United States for two years. In 1984, at La Mama Theatre in New York, he made his stage acting debut in Skins , a one-act play he had written. In 1985, he won the LA Weekly Theater Award for music with Methusalem , directed by Tim Robbins . The play Rounds , which he co-produced, won the NAACP award for theatre in 1987. In 1988, he played

1045-714: The Bishop's Company, a touring repertory group . Shepard moved to New York City in 1963 and found work as a busboy at the Village Gate nightclub. The following year, the Village Gate's head waiter, Ralph Cook, founded the experimental stage company Theater Genesis , housed at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery in Manhattan. Two of Shepard's earliest one-act plays , The Rock Garden and Cowboys , debuted at Theater Genesis in October 1964. It

1100-534: The Doors observes that "As a drummer, Densmore had a creative, dynamic flair that lent itself to the Doors' surreal, kaleidoscopic music." He and the Doors have been saluted twice by the City of Los Angeles, which in 2017 issued a proclamation at a public gathering in Venice Beach observing January 4 as the 'Day of the Doors' in honor of the 50th anniversary of the group's self-titled album release on that date in 1967. At

1155-466: The Moon opened there. Reflecting on the two plays, Shepard said that the older play felt "awkward", adding, "All of the characters are in a fractured place, broken into pieces, and the pieces don't really fit together," while the newer play "is like a Porsche . It's sleek, it does exactly what you want it to do, and it can speed up but also shows off great brakes." The revival and the new play also coincided with

SECTION 20

#1732851831429

1210-483: The Morrison estate's behalf. In 2013, Densmore released The Doors Unhinged , a book covering his lengthy but victorious legal battle with Krieger and Manzarek over their use of the Doors' name and logo in their touring and Densmore's veto of the Cadillac commercial offer. Manzarek and Densmore reconciled shortly before Manzarek's death in 2013. Densmore and Krieger have occasionally appeared together on stage again. As

1265-569: The Navigators at the nearby Astor Place Theatre in 1970. Shepard's play Shaved Splits was directed at La MaMa in 1970 by Bill Hart. Seth Allen directed Melodrama Play at La MaMa the following year. In 1981, Tony Barsha directed The Unseen Hand at La MaMa. The production then transferred to the Provincetown Playhouse and ran for over 100 performances. Syracuse Stage co-produced The Tooth of Crime at La MaMa in 1983. Also in 1983,

1320-498: The Obie Awards, and the winning actors and actresses are all in a single category titled "Performance." There are no announced nominations. Awards in the past have included performance , direction , best production, design , special citations, and sustained achievement. Not every category is awarded every year. The Village Voice also awards annual Obie grants to selected companies; in 2011, these grants were $ 2,000 each to Metropolitan Playhouse and Wakka Wakka Productions . There

1375-559: The Overtone Theatre and New Writers at the Westside co-produced Shepard's plays Superstitions and The Sad Lament of Pecos Bill on the Eve of Killing His Wife at La MaMa. John Densmore performed in his own play Skins and Shepard and Joseph Chaikin 's play Tongues , directed as a double bill by Tony Abatemarco, at La MaMa in 1984. Nicholas Swyrydenko directed a production of Geography of

1430-456: The band on one occasion in reaction to Morrison's increasingly self-destructive behavior, although Densmore returned the next day. Densmore repeatedly suggested that the band stop touring, but Krieger and Manzarek were resistant to this notion. After the Doors' disastrous performance with a gibberish-spouting Morrison in New Orleans on December 12, 1970, the band agreed to stop performing live, and

1485-602: The beginning of his career, Shepard did not direct his own plays. His early plays had a number of different directors, but were most frequently directed by Ralph Cook, the founder of Theatre Genesis . Later, while living at the Flying Y Ranch, Shepard formed a successful playwright-director relationship with Robert Woodruff , who directed the premiere of Buried Child (1982). During the 1970s, Shepard decided that his vision for his plays required him to direct them himself. He directed many of his own plays from that point onward. With only

1540-551: The concert was the Doors' last public appearance as a quartet. When Morrison died in 1971, the surviving trio recorded two more albums of songs and an instrumental backdrop for the late singer's recorded poetry. Densmore remained a member until the band's dissolution in 1973. Densmore formed a musical group with fellow ex-Doors member Krieger in 1973 called the Butts Band . The group released two albums with two different lineups, and disbanded in 1975. Densmore left rock and roll in

1595-771: The event, Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin introduced Densmore and Krieger who ceremonially lit a Doors logo beneath the famed 'Venice' letters. A year later, on January 4, 2018, Densmore accepted a second proclamation from Los Angeles Council member Paul Koretz at the junction of Densmore Avenue and Morrison Street in Encino, Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley in which honorary street signs were unveiled. Densmore has married four times. He married his first wife Julia Brose in 1970 with Robby and Lynn Krieger as best man and bridesmaid. They separated in 1972. A few years after their divorce he married Debbie Fife but they divorced

1650-495: The feature film, Window of Opportunity , a dark comedy about corporate greed written and directed by Samuel Warren Joseph. His other film credits include Get Crazy with Malcolm McDowell , Dudes directed by Penelope Spheeris , and The Doors directed by Oliver Stone . In the Stone film, he appeared as the recording engineer to Morrison’s solo sessions, which would eventually become An American Prayer , while his younger self

1705-673: The film Voyager . In the early morning hours of January 3, 2009, Shepard was arrested and charged with speeding and drunk driving in Normal, Illinois . He pleaded guilty to both charges on February 11, 2009, and was sentenced to 24 months probation, alcohol education classes, and 100 hours of community service. On May 25, 2015, Shepard was arrested again in Santa Fe, New Mexico , for aggravated drunk driving. Those charges were later dismissed as having no likelihood of conviction at trial. His 50-year friendship with Johnny Dark, stepfather to O-Lan Jones,

Sam Shepard - Misplaced Pages Continue

1760-467: The financing and business side of the project. They were first given in 1956 under the direction of Tallmer. Initially, only off-Broadway productions were eligible; in 1964, off-off-Broadway productions were made eligible. The first Obie Awards ceremony was held at Helen Gee 's cafe. With the exception of the Lifetime Achievement and Best New American Play awards, there are no fixed categories at

1815-463: The latter's Kinnara School of Music in Los Angeles. "John—a brilliant drummer, " The End " proved that, in my book; that's some of the greatest drumming I've ever heard in my life; irrespective of the fact that I'm involved in this album, it's incredibly creative drumming— has an instinct for when. During a very quiet part he'll just come in with three drum shots that are about as loud as you can hit

1870-561: The mid-1960s Densmore joined guitarist Robby Krieger in a band called the Psychedelic Rangers; shortly thereafter he began rehearsals with keyboardist Ray Manzarek , Manzarek's two brothers and Jim Morrison in the group Rick & the Ravens . On the brothers' departure from the band, Densmore recommended Krieger join them, thus forming the Doors in 1965. In 2010 Modern Drummer magazine referred to his ride cymbal work as some of

1925-540: The money earned to charity. In 2003, Densmore vetoed an offer by Cadillac of $ 15 million for " Break On Through (To the Other Side) " citing Morrison's historic and vehement opposition to licensing the Doors' music, notably their best-selling single " Light My Fire " for a Buick television commercial, as well as Densmore's strong negative views on the subject of commercially licensing Doors songs and recordings. Densmore also objected to Manzarek and Krieger touring using

1980-505: The more significant was Joseph Chaikin , a veteran of The Living Theatre and founder of The Open Theater . The two worked together on various projects, and Shepard has stated that Chaikin was a valuable mentor. In 2011, Shepard starred in the film Blackthorn . His final film appearance is Never Here , which premiered in June 2017 but had been filmed in 2014. Shepard also appeared in the television series Bloodline from 2014 to 2017. At

2035-470: The most distinctive in classic rock, and noted "Working without a regular bass-playing foil   ... Densmore favored a lean, crisp, clear style in feel-good rhythmic explorations that, like the band's songs, gathered together ideas from blues, pop, jazz, classical, and Latin, Eastern, and African music. There are many reasons to love this slyly inventive, often underrated drummer." Together with Krieger, Densmore studied under Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar at

2090-610: The name "Doors of the 21st Century." In a subsequent court case, in which Densmore was joined by the Morrison estate, opposing lawyers attempted to portray Densmore as un-American, a communist and an eco-terrorist . Notable musicians who testified in support of Densmore included Bonnie Raitt , Randy Newman , Neil Young , Tom Petty , Eddie Vedder , and Tom Waits . Stewart Copeland of the Police , who had also performed with Krieger and Manzarek in 2002 and 2003, also testified in Densmore's and

2145-495: The other Doors include a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Densmore is also noted for his veto of attempts by the other two Doors members, in the wake of singer Jim Morrison 's 1971 death, to accept offers to license the rights to various Doors songs for commercial purposes as well as his objections to their use in the 21st century of the Doors name and logo. Densmore's lengthy court battles to gain compliance with his veto, based on

2200-537: The outskirts of American society. His style evolved from the absurdism of his early off-off-Broadway work to the realism of later plays like Buried Child and Curse of the Starving Class . Sam Shepard was born on November 5, 1943, in the Chicago suburb of Fort Sheridan, Illinois . He was named Samuel Shepard Rogers III after his father, Samuel Shepard Rogers Jr. (1917–1984), but was called Steve Rogers. His father

2255-481: The plays in the trilogy, Buried Child (1978), won the Pulitzer Prize , and was nominated for five Tony Awards . This marked a major turning point in his career, heralding some of his best-known work, including True West (1980), Fool for Love (1983), and A Lie of the Mind (1985). A comic tale of reunion, in which a young man drops in on his grandfather's Illinois farmstead only to be greeted with indifference by his relations, Buried Child saw Shepard stake

Sam Shepard - Misplaced Pages Continue

2310-506: The production and fled to New England without a word to anyone involved. Shortly thereafter, Shepard relocated with his wife and son to London. While in London, he immersed himself in the study of G.I. Gurdjieff 's Fourth Way , a recurring preoccupation for much of his life. Returning to the United States in 1975, he moved to the 20-acre Flying Y Ranch in Mill Valley, California, where he raised

2365-907: The publication of Shepard's collection Day out of Days: Stories . The book includes "short stories, poems and narrative sketches... that developed from dozens of leather-bound notebooks [Shepard] carried with him over the years." Shepard began his film acting career when cast in a major role as the land baron in Terrence Malick 's Days of Heaven (1978), opposite Richard Gere and Brooke Adams . This led to other film roles, including that of Cal, Ellen Burstyn 's character's love interest in Resurrection (1980), and, most notably, Shepard's portrayal of Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983). The latter performance earned Shepard an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor . By 1986, Fool for Love

2420-456: The set of the 1982 film Frances , in which they were both acting. He moved in with her in 1983, and they were together for 27 years; they separated in 2009. They had two children, Hannah Jane Shepard (b. 1986) and Samuel Walker Shepard (b. 1987). In 2003, Shepard's elder son, Jesse, wrote a book of short stories, and Shepard appeared with him at a reading at City Lights Bookstore . In 2014 and 2015, Shepard dated actress Mia Kirshner . After

2475-756: Was a teacher and farmer who served in the United States Army Air Forces as a bomber pilot during World War II . Shepard characterized his father as "a drinking man, a dedicated alcoholic". His mother, Jane Elaine (née Schook; 1917–1994), was a teacher and a native of Chicago. Shepard grew up in southern California. He worked on a ranch as a teenager. After graduating from Duarte High School in Duarte, California , in 1961, he briefly studied animal husbandry at nearby Mt. San Antonio College . While at college, Shepard became enamored of Samuel Beckett , jazz , and abstract expressionism . He dropped out to join

2530-462: Was adapted by Robert Altman with Shepard in the lead role; A Lie of the Mind was being performed Off Broadway (with Harvey Keitel and Geraldine Page ); and Shepard was working steadily as a film actor. Together, these achievements put him on the cover of Newsweek . Over the years, Shepard taught extensively on playwriting and other aspects of theater. He gave classes and seminars at various theater workshops, festivals, and universities. Shepard

2585-584: Was around this time that he adopted the professional name Sam Shepard. In 1965, Shepard's one-act plays Dog and The Rocking Chair were produced at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club . These were the first of many productions of Shepard's work at La MaMa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. In 1967, Tom O'Horgan directed Shepard's Melodrama Play alongside Leonard Melfi 's Times Square and Rochelle Owens ' Futz at La MaMa. In 1969, Jeff Bleckner directed Shepard's play The Unseen Hand at La MaMa. Bleckner then directed The Unseen Hand alongside Forensic and

2640-701: Was born in Los Angeles on December 1, 1944, to a Catholic family, the son of Margaret Mary ( née Walsh) and Ray Blaisdell Densmore. He grew up playing piano and later took up drums/percussion for the marching band at his school. He also played timpani in orchestra. Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and California State University, Northridge ; at the latter he studied ethnic music under jazz cellist Fred Katz . Densmore's drumming influences included hard jazz figures Elvin Jones (drummer for John Coltrane ), whom he referred to as his idol, and Art Blakey . In

2695-578: Was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1986, and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1986. In 2000, Shepard demonstrated his gratitude to the Magic Theatre by staging The Late Henry Moss as a benefit for the theater, in San Francisco. The cast included Nick Nolte , Sean Penn , Woody Harrelson , and Cheech Marin . The limited, three-month run

2750-521: Was improvised, Shepard's work was seldom used. Rolling Thunder Logbook , his diary of the tour, was published in 1978. A decade later, Dylan and Shepard co-wrote the 11-minute song " Brownsville Girl ", included on Dylan's 1986 album Knocked Out Loaded and on later compilations. In 1975, Shepard was named playwright-in-residence at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, where he created many of his notable works, including his Family Trilogy . One of

2805-578: Was involved in an extramarital affair with musician Patti Smith , who remained unaware of his identity as a multiple Obie Award -winning playwright until it was divulged to her by Jackie Curtis . Smith said: "Me and his wife still even liked each other. I mean, it wasn't like committing adultery in the suburbs or something." Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell wrote two songs about her affairs with Shepard during Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour of 1975. In " Coyote ", from her eighth studio album Hejira , she recounts Shepard's seduction of her at

SECTION 50

#1732851831429

2860-520: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of pilot Chuck Yeager in the 1983 film The Right Stuff . He received the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award as a master American dramatist in 2009. New York magazine described Shepard as "the greatest American playwright of his generation." Shepard's plays are known for their bleak, poetic, surrealist elements, black comedy , and rootless characters living on

2915-558: Was portrayed by actor Kevin Dillon , who also worked with Stone on Platoon (1986). Densmore wrote his best-selling autobiography, Riders on the Storm (1990), about his life and the time he spent with Morrison and the Doors. In the first chapter Densmore describes the solemn day on which he and the band finally visited Morrison's grave around three years after Morrison's death. Densmore's other books include The Seekers (2020), in which he discusses notable people in his life who have made

2970-523: Was sold out. In 2001, Shepard played General William F. Garrison in the film Black Hawk Down . Although he was cast in a supporting role, Shepard enjoyed renewed interest in his talent for screen acting. Shepard performed Spalding Gray 's final monologue Life Interrupted for the audiobook version, released in 2006. In 2007, Shepard contributed banjo to Patti Smith's cover of Nirvana 's song " Smells Like Teen Spirit " on her album Twelve . Although many artists had an influence on Shepard's work, one of

3025-653: Was the subject of the 2013 documentary Shepard & Dark by Treva Wurmfeld. A collection of Shepard and Dark's correspondence, Two Prospectors , was also published that year. Shepard died on July 27, 2017, at his home in Midway, Kentucky , aged 73, from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Patti Smith paid homage to their long collaboration in The New Yorker . Fellow actor Matthew McConaughey , who had co-starred with Shepard in Mud , learned of Shepard's death during

#428571