The Kinks were one of the great bands of the 'sixties, but sadly, they never went quite as stratospheric as the Beatles, the Stones or The Who. It's a pity, as Ray Davies wrote some really beautiful songs, like Waterloo Sunset, Days, and Lola.
There's a fascinating interview with Ray Davies in this morning's Daily Telegraph. He sounds slightly the far side of sane, but the insight that fuelled his song-writing is still with him. The interviewer, Neil McCormick, asks him what it was like to hear Chryssie Hynde, Davies' former wife with whom he has quite an acrimonious relationship, sing two of his songs during Davies' induction to the UK Hall of Fame recently. This is what Davies replied:
"She only sang. I didn't have to talk to her. I was quite uncomfortable, but I thought it was a nice moment. Love ends, but songs are for ever. They capture a moment and an emotion. You can have two human beings who should not be in the same house, or possibly even the same country, but the music tells you that it really could have been for ever. In those three minutes, there are no hard feelings."
Heavy, heavy jelly indeed. Rock on, Ray. Thank you for the days.
culture, music, kinks, Ray Davies
