It is a little strange how time can heel some deep wounds. I hadn’t spokem to my own brother since 1984 and we made up last year, some times you’ve just got to let stuff go. And while I think I only had a handful of punch ups with my brothers till 30 year rifts are pretty big, right?
And we weren’t even in a band together, the way Ray Davies and kid hbrother dave were, Dave was the guitarist par excellence but Ray? Ray was the lead singer and wrote all the songs who wrote all the songs but Ray? It all ended up after on stage punch ups and off stage very serious and intense calling out, with this from Uncut via Contactmusic:
“Dave Davies, who suffered a stroke in 2004, explained that he’d caught up with his brother last summer in a London pub, where they chatted about the possibility of reforming the band for their 50th anniversary. “I said to Ray I thought that it’d be a great shame if we don’t try and do something,” he told Uncut. “I don’t think our love has diminished. I think the stage-play has played itself out a bit, the pretence and the acting. I think it’s time reality took over, and started directing the last years of […] whatever it is. It’s like Cain and Abel.”
So far so good but how about this from Ray? “”I don’t want to see the legacy of the Kinks soured by two miserable old men doing it for the money,” he said. “I saw Dave a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned the idea of doing a tour. I said, ‘Yeah, but you’re the guy who keeps saying it’ll never happen’,” said Ray, adding “I don’t know what next year will bring. Let’s see if he’s polite to me the next time we meet.”
My bet: everything else notwithstanding, I bet they’ll settle their difference and tour. … two miserable old men doing it for the money, perhaps. But it is a lot of money and if they perform “Harry Rag” I will personally flip out.
On a personal note, I interviewed Ray Davies around the time of Think Visual and he called me out for not knowing his work well enough. he was right but I didn’t use the quote in the story and I’ve always regretted it. Sorry, Ray.