The Third Mind

The Third Mind, directed by William Tyler Smith, is a documentary focusing on the collaboration of Michael McClure and Ray Manzarek. You can see the film's introduction & hear the piece, "Rose Rain," by clicking here. (1.3 MB. You'll need Quicktime) The video, narrated by Peter Coyote and screened to critical acclaim at the 1996 Venice International Film Festival, was also shown at other film festivals and on the Sundance channel.

Kevin Thomas' review in The Los Angeles Times read, in part:

... William Tyler Smith's The Third Mind, an incisive and engaging exploration of McClure and Manzarek's collaboration. Smith has struck a deft balance between the concert film and the documentary in which we can both enjoy McClure and Manzarek in performance and get to know how they feel about their collaboration. There are plenty of insights from other Beat era figures, including the late Allen Ginsberg, who sees their working together as "ripening of good karma."

Diane Di Prima, quoting William Burroughs, remarks that a good collaboration results in a "third mind." Lawrence Ferlinghetti describes McClure's poetry as "a beautiful cry of the beast," and McClure's soaring poems celebrate the human spirit and express a fervent concern for the preservation of the environment. Of his widely varied accompaniment, Manzarek says that he combines "a little collision" -- i.e., occasional counterpoint -- with "making love to the words." The Third Mind has lots of energy and style, with its many participants sharp in their commentaries, and it is an altogether stimulating work. Ferlinghetti salutes McClure's sense of commitment, observing that "We can no longer afford art for art's sake."

Ray Manzarek is interviewed about The Third Mind and other topics here.

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