Ray Davies in NYC: "Americana" Discussion and Book Signing

Disclaimer: I wrote this after a long, tiring weekend and admit that I'm too tired to thoroughly edit this post. I do that enough at my job during the week. So this blog post will stand as is and I apologize for any misspellings, grammatical issues, or non-sensible fangirl ramblings that you, as the reader, may encounter.

Much of the past two days I spent debating how to approach writing about the Ray Davies book signing (for his book Americana, which I reviewed in my previous blog post) in New York City this past Friday. It's not a show or a performance of any kind and admittedly the "Talk" part was brief, so the event itself is nearly a non-event. Most of the hours were the actual signings by Mr. Davies for the hundreds of people who showed up, who each have their own individual tales of the experience. I will write a bit about the Talk Ray Davies had with DJ Pierre Robert, and I will offer an anecdote of my own interaction with this musical genius, but first I want to discuss what makes events like this special for me.

Enduring the wait. Photo by me.

I will always be a comparatively inexperienced fan just for the simple fact that I was born in 1988, nearing the end of the Kinks' career as band, before Ray and Dave Davies went separate ways. I didn't see the Kinks perform and perhaps I never will. (I'm not going to get into the reunion rumors/debate today.) In spite of my age, through my attendance of Ray Davies' solo shows, for me starting in 2008, and more recently Dave's shows, as well as the wonder of the Internet age, I have met and befriended numerous Kinks fans, young and old (or maybe I should say well-seasoned) who have accepted me as part of the cult. My generation has developed the term "fandom" to describe a group of people united by an interest in some area of pop culture. I am a member of the Kinks fandom, as my generation would say, and it is such an interesting and eclectic group of people.

Going to any Kinks-related event, such as a show, a convention, a signing, or what have you, is basically like a family reunion. Everyone knows everyone else and knows everyone else's business. You have your favorite aunt and a crazy uncle and people who are nearly like sisters and brothers. Just sitting down for a bit and observing, you hear people asking questions like "how are the kids?" and "what are you up to these days?" or "Oh, you know so-and-so too?". This signing was exactly the same. I arrived early, having met up with my closest Kinks-companion and headed to the Union Square Barnes and Noble several hours before the event. We arrived to find other well-known faces already waiting. All of my friends were there and all of the usual suspects. And it really does become like a big Thanksgiving dinner, of sorts. Everyone is hugging everyone as they arrive, hours are spent catching up with everyone else through the afternoon. People who don't entirely know you get introduced, you are recognized by others who have seen who at other shows or even from Facebook posts, and everyone starts telling their Kinks-related stories of past show and experiences.

It really helps to pass the time, for one, but really it just makes the even more fun. The event itself is so relatively short that the conversation and fan interaction leading up to it really becomes half of the event. So I spent my afternoon talking to other fans (when I wasn't nearly falling sleep, but that's another story) and showing some interested parties some of my artwork. Another friend, who is a Kinks fan but not a "fandom member," showed up and we discussed non-Kinks stuff (I know, but sometimes you need a change of topic), which also passed the time. He was a bit unsure of the enthusiasm of some Kinks fans, which admittedly to an outsider would seem a bit deranged and even at times I wonder how I ended up as part of this unusual family. But I fully embrace it and really I wouldn't give it up for anything. Plus the sing-alongs are great.

About an hour before the event was scheduled to begin, the rather friendly Barnes and Noble staff offered us the chance to write questions that could be asked to Mr. Davies. I declined the offer simply because my mind tends to go blank if I'm asked to come up with a good question immediately. If you gave me a few hours to think about it, I could probably come up with some killer questions to ask, but alas, I could not do it on-the-spot. The staff also informed us that we would be able to take as many pictures as we would like throughout the event (which did surprise me). My excitement grew and it was around this time that the fans near the front, where I sitting, began a round of sing-alongs. I recall "Sunny Afternoon," "Alcohol," and "Harry Rag" among the selected tunes. It was also during this time that I finally decided I was going to grow a pair and give Mr. Davies a print copy of one of my watercolor portraits of him when I was getting the book signed. This has been something I've long debated on, and though many other Kinks fans have encouraged me to show Ray my work (also easier said than done), my reserved nature, general shyness, and tendency to suffer from anxiety have long prevented me from doing such a thing. More about this print later.

Just before he arrived, I took a look around from my spot in the fourth row and I was simply amazed at the number of people who had turned up. I found out later that people were waiting on the third and second floors, and others had been turned away. I even heard that more people had shown up for this than for Pete Townshend's appearance last October; I don't know how true that is, but the number of people was truly staggering and warmed my heart a bit. At the same time, I'm not entirely surprised at the turn out. This was Mr. Davies' only US promotional event for this book, compared to the four or five appearances he made in the UK earlier this month; if you wanted a chance to get the book signed, this was it.

Ray with his Starbucks. Photo by me.

I'm going to skip ahead to Ray Davies actually appearing, because I'm sure I've bored you all enough by this point. Ray came out to great cheers and applause, as we would all expect and he sat down for his interview with Pierre Robert, looking in high spirits and sipping from a Barnes and Noble Cafe/Starbucks cup, which somehow I still find to be an amusing image for no real reason. I can't recall every detail from the talk, admittedly. Mr. Davies did a hilarious impression of Keith Richards at one point and there was a lot of the usual talk about why the Kinks were banned from the US and about Ray's shooting in New Orleans. I won't go into any of that because reading Americana will give you the details. Perhaps for this reason I found the discussion and much of the preceding US press about this book to be exasperating; the questions asked are clearly answered in the book. I would be more impressed if someone would ask Ray questions inspired by the book, rather than answered by it. Or perhaps more could be discussed about the book's structure or a detail that wasn't entirely expounded upon in the book. But what do I know? I was only a Literature major in college.

The painting I did of Ray. I gave him a print.

There were a few interesting fan questions, such as the origins of the song "Wonderboy," whether Mr. Davies had ever met Bob Marley (a bit out of left field, but it led to an interesting anecdote about Chris Blackwell), and what his favorite Cary Grant film was (I can't remember his answer now). Naturally he was asked about his younger brother Dave ("He's a punk!) and about the chances of a reunion, to which he responded with his standard answer: not likely at the moment and only if there was new music.

Although at this point the details of the talk have faded a bit from my mind, I can say that his responses were always interesting, calculated, and humorous. Listening to Ray speak or sing is truly to witness a great mind, as many Kinks fans know (and will tell you ad nauseum). A point that Pierre Robert brought up is that the Kinks are never truly lumped in with contemporaries of their time (The Rolling Stones, The Who, etc.) despite how many memorable songs and well-composed albums they had. They are and always were a cult band and honestly, while I wish Ray Davies and the band were given more recognition, I'd rather the Kinks remain a cult band. Perhaps it's a bit "hipsterish" to say, but I enjoy that the Kinks are still something of a dirty little secret amongst fans of that genre.

The interview part of the event was over rather quickly, less than fifty minutes, I'd say. Row by row of fans were called up for their turn to get the books signed. I had a copy for myself and a friend, as well as my print that I nervously handled, still wondering if I would actually be able to give it to him; I've rather unfortunately

Me not crying or vomiting while talking to Ray. Photo by D. Badessa.

put Mr. Davies on a rather high pedestal over the years and on past occasions where I've had the opportunity to interact with him, I've found myself struck dumb or slinking back with nerves.

As I got closer to the stage, I felt my anxiety getting the best of me, but once I finally got to Mr. Davies, I found myself almost miraculously able to speak. I gave him the print, explained that it was a copy of one of my watercolors, to which he said it was lovely and that I was "very good." So I accomplished at least that and I can now say that both Davies brothers own a piece of my artwork (although Dave Davies actually has an original rather than a print). I was lucky enough too that a friend with a very good camera was able to snap some pictures of me as I talked to Ray. Needless to say, it is going to be my desktop background for a very long time.

Afterwards, as Kinks fans often do, we journeyed elsewhere for food, drink, and conversation, and to revel in what we had all just experienced. It was a lovely time, as is to be expected. Many of us will be meeting again in just a few weeks to attend the Dave Davies' fall tour, enjoying the companionship of the cult and continuing to celebrate the genius of the Kinks.