“You’re not The Beach Boys or The fucking Association!”

“As producer, Ray Manzarek guided us through our first four LPs. He became a mentor to the band and a kind of father figure to both Exene and me. Ray was fucking rock ‘n’ roll royalty. He had hit songs, gold and platinum records, and, more importantly, records that changed popular culture forever. He was a member of the mutherfuckin DOORS! Dark, mysterious, dangerous, noir, L.A., murderous—not some bullshit hippie band. He believed and told us that X truly added to that legacy in Los Angeles rock music. He said, “You’re not The Beach Boys or The fucking Association!” He gave us a deeper confidence that we could step into The Doors’ shoes. We could set the record straight that Los Angeles—or “El Lay,” as the East Coast snobs referred to it—had every bit as much dark, wild abandon that any leather-jacketed punks from those other scenes. He praised Billy & DJ’s musicianship that, to be honest, compared to the other punk rock bands of the era, were several steps ahead of most players. Ray got it and gave them ideas when they needed it, and they shined be- cause of it. He exalted Exene & my lyrics and compared them to Jim Morrison’s. He saw the connection we had to our audience & the wild, bohemian life we lived. Four of us—Exene, Billy, Ray & I—were born in the Midwest and in February. He told us we could do it, and most of the time he was right”

- Uddrag fra ’More Fun In The New World: The Unmaking And Legacy Of L.A. Punk’ af John Doe og Tom Desavia. 2019.

I 2017 udkom ’Under The Big Black Sun’, John Does første erindringsbog om L.A.-punkscenen. ’More Fun In The New World: The Unmaking And Legacy Of L.A. Punk’ dækker årene 1982-1987, hvor Los Angeles-orkestrene fik både national som international bevågenhed.