America, You Really Got Me

8saturdayreview 1GR SaturdaySeptember 28 2013 | the times TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, PÅLHANSEN theconversation America, you really gotme RayDaviestells Will Hodgkinson aboutbeing shot, depression andalove-hateaffair with theUS fewminutes intoour in “I still can’twork the placeout,” he says. terview RayDaviessays: “I don’tthink it’s real, or at leastitisn’t real “I’m not anormal to me, and the overall takeofthe bookis rock’n’roller.” Frankly,I that AmericaisabeastI’velearnt to live could have toldhim that. with. It’s about my search forbelonging.” We’re meetingtotalk Davies grew up with six elder sisters and Aabout Americana,the the three years’younger Dave.One of the leader of the Kinks’bookabout his lifelong sisters movedtoCanada when he wasa love/haterelationship with the United little boy, while the others regaledhim States.The arrangedmeetingplace is a with talesofwartime adventureswith GI branch of CaféRouge in Highgate, near boyfriends. “Americawas the land of where he grew up in Muswell Hill, North opportunity, the betterplace to go.I London. As soon as he arrives, however, remember usingthe ration booktoget 2oz Davies decides he doesn’tfeel comfortable of dolly mixturesand comingbackhome talkinginarestaurant and suggestsamore to read aletterfrommysisterinCanada, conducive spot: apark bench. tellingushow great it all was. Alot of peo “It’salonely profession,”Daviesreflects plethink of me as beingtypically English, gloomily,asplatoons of mums chatter but there’sanunderbelly of wantingtobe happily nearby. “There’santhere in the songs I’vewritten.” element of dysfunction with the artist, Early Kinks albums displayedalove of otherwise youwouldn’t bother.Some of American music,with their blend of my fans work on buildingsites,and Iad Chuck Berry coverversions and R&B mire them. IwishIhad the mindset to get influencedoriginals, but the band had a up and work on abuildingsite.” difficult relationship with the US from the Since formingthe Kinks in 1964with his start. When they arrivedatKennedy Air younger brother,Dave, the 69yearold portinJune 1965 fortheir firstUStour,a Davies has never really actedlikearock customs officer lookedatDavies’ longhair star.Hestill liveswithin amile of where he and asked:“Are youaBeatle or agirl?” grew up.Hehasn’t battledaddictions to Davies replied: “I’m agirl, and so is my drugs, drink or sex. And he has not owned brother.” The Kinks were held in customs ahouse since his firstmarriage ended in forthe nextfew hours and were almost 1973.“Iwouldn’t sayI’m afree spirit,but I sent home. They missedtheir press con well-respected man which eulogisedeverythingfromstraw me, but now Irealise it did. It wasdelayed do needsome guidance on how to be aper ference, puttingpaid to chancesofaBeat RayDavies; below,with berry jamtoTudor housesatatime when shock. Goingbackoveritput me through manent person,”saysDavieswho,inhis lesstyle welcome from screamingfans. theKinks in the1960s, other bands were singingabout dropping alot of unhappiness.” worn tweedjacketand jeans, looks as Things gotworse. Afteraconcertin secondfrom left out of societyand killingtheir mothers. He There is little in Americana about the though he might have been bettersuitedto Illinois alocal promoter asked the band if wasdevelopinganobservational song American Chrissie Hyndeofthe Pretend alifeinacademia than rock. “I wasalways they wanted to stay the night at his house. writingstyle that has been much copied, ers, with whom Davies has adaughter,and frightenedbyhavingthe house and the Theyturneddownhis offer, only to discov never matched. Lola,basedonthe time the there’slittle on his brother Dave,with garage and all the things that go with it. At er later that he wasthe serial killer John Kinks’firstmanager dancedwith abeauti whom he has afamously fractious rela Wayne Gacy.While filmingaspot on The fulgirl in aParis nightclub,only to go back tionship.Did he avoid writingabout them ‘Withoutthe banwe Dick Clark Show,Daviespunchedaman to her hotel and discoverthat shewas ahe, forfear of emotional or legal ramifica who wastauntinghim about England fall is one of the best pop songs ever written. tions? “Itwould have been remiss of me to wouldhaveplayed— ingtocommunists. The Kinks’comanag Americana featuresaquoteabout writeabout Americaand not mention ers were filinglawsuits againsteachother. Davies from Travis Davis, atrumpeter and Chris,”hereplies, “but Iwanted to do it in what wasthatbig Davies spent mostofthe tour in his hotel bar owner from NewOrleans. “Some sing the mostdelicateway possible because the festival? —Woodstock’ room, terrifiedofbeingshot at. ers are likeactors,”Davis said. “They’re no problems of our relationship were nothing “If Iknew the exact reason forthe good without the lines. Without linesto to do with us; they were problems Ihad the same time Idon’t want to be homeless. American ban Iwould have writtenabout express the wayyou feel, yourun away.” Is anyway.And the thingwith my brother is That’s abig fear.” it,but it wasdown to amix of bad luck and that true? “Travisisentirely right. When so deep that Icouldn’t begin to go intoit. It’s unlikely that the man who wrote You bad behaviour,” Davies says. The impact I’m writinginfull flow,Iget animated.I He went and did his thing, Idid mine, and Really Got Me,Waterloo Sunset, Lola and so Britishmusic had on Americawas political walk and runalot. With writer’s block, the the closest we gotwas in the studio.” manyother bighits forthe Kinks will be and the BritishInvasion wasareal threat. entire systemseizesup. My body literally Our park bench interview ends with reducedtoriflingthrough bins anytime It wasn’t justabout teenyboppers scream gets blocked.Ican hardly move.” some reflections on where RayDavies, as soon, but that fear adds to the contradic ingatthe Beatles. American musicians In January2004, Davies could hardly Britishasthey come but forever dreaming tions of someone whose lifelongobsession were worriedabout their jobs. move foradifferent reason. He waswalk of an Americathat exists only in his imagi with Americastands againstthe very Brit The experience threw Davies intoa ingthrough the NewOrleans French nation, fits in to the musical landscape. ishnature of his work. Americana is book deep depression that has returnedinter Quarterwith awoman he refers to as JJ “I’m not agreat singer.I’m afair to mid ended by twoincidents that soured mittently ever since. And while he remains when aman approachedthem. “His dlingguitar player.But songs have aplace Davies’s view of what had seemedtoaboy talkative on the bench, there’safeeling strange, shufflingwalk, full of urban atti in my psyche and Ican’t justwalk away growingupunder rationinglikethe Prom that despair is never toofar away. tude, seemedout of place,”Davieswrites. from them,”hesays. “I’m acreative.IfIhad isedLand. In 1965, at the height of the “When the ban came Iwas kind of glad ‘When I’m The man grabbedJJ’sbag, Davies chased abusiness card it would say: RayDavies, band’ssuccess, the American Federation because it meant Ididn’t have to go to writing, Iget him. The mugger stopped, turnedaround, Creative Spirit.” of Musicians bannedthe Kinks from tour Americaagain, but in commercial termsit and shot him before jumpingintoageta “Then he gets up from the bench and ingAmerica, effectively killingoff their wasdevastating,”hesays. “Without the animated. waycar.Daviesstill walks with alimp. says, with the sensitivity of adamagedsoul, chance of gettingintothe same league as ban we would have been on the treadmill, “The thingthat played in my mind was: “Thank youfor beingunderstanding.” theBeatlesandtheRollingStones.Thenin makingtons of money and playingat— With writer’s ‘This guy isn’t goingtojusttakethe Americana: The Kinks, the Road and 2004, by when Davies had reestablished what wasthat bigfestival? Woodstock. By block,my money,’”saysDavies. “There wasnobody the Perfect Riff by RayDavies is his love affair with American music and stayinghere we retainedsome humility, else in the street,and he had that lookin published by Virgin BooksonOctober movedtoNew Orleans to work with local whereas Isaw my contemporariesget ... entiresystem his eyethat said he might justkill us. It was 3at£18.99.Toorder it for£17.09inc musicians, amugger shot him in the leg. not pompous exactly,but overblown.” bad luck, but bad luck rides with you. You p&p, call 0845 2712134. RayDavies is at The booktriestoreconcile the twoevents Stuck in Britain, Davies developed siezes up.Ican spill your coffeeand the nextthingyou The Times Cheltenham Literature with his feelings foracountrythat seems masterpiecessuch as 1968’s The Kinks are hardly move’ know someone’sshootingatyou. At the Festival (0844 8808094) on Oct 6. to horrifyasmuch as it fascinates him. theVillageGreenPreservationSociety, time Ididn’t think the shootingchanged cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature.

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