The season of goodwill touches the Kinks

While Liam battles on, something of a sign of hope in a miserable world - last night, for the first time in two decades... well, this happened:

Yes, Ray and Dave Davies, on stage, together, doing a Kinks Song. Without anyone getting punched at. This was at the Islington Assembly Hall.

Dave Davis: Dreamreader

For reasons that I can't still can't quite follow, Dave Davis of The Kinks is offering to interpret your dreams.

So, for example, "BJ" reports a tumultuous night being forced to feed tasmanian devils to American Indians who turned out to be "European gypsies" while horses watched on from the trees. Even with the gypsies starting to assault BJ's neighbours, Davies chooses to ignore the possibility that her subconscious might be a little bit racist and instead ponders the horses:

The fact that the horses were in trees could be symbolic of needing to branch out or achieve new heights in some aspect of your life. Although what these two images combined together make me think of is the phrase 'coming down off your high horse." Either you or someone close to you, taking a superior attitude in a situation that calls for a more grounded approach?

Really, Dave? Do dreams effectively do little more than the big screen in Catchphrase, over-literally dispensing idiom and figures of speech in simplistic images?

It's good, but it's not right.

And what of the Native Americans who turn into gypsies?

The appearance of the Native Americans, a race given to living close to the land and being more in touch with the spiritual world seems to point to this dream being about some sort of crisis of faith, either in the literal sense or in the figurative sense or losing you faith in someone important to you.

He doesn't mention the gypsies. Perhaps Dave thought about the "little bit racist" interpretation and didn't want to be rude.

Anyway, have you had a strange dream, and really can't keep it to yourself? Have you really tried to keep it to yourself? Really, really? Still can't? Why not send it to Dave, and see what it all "means"?

I'm hoping it's all a playful hat-tip to Jason Donovan's long-running Any Dream Will Do column in Smash Hits.
Jason says: That'll do

[Discovered in @alexispetridis Twitter feed]

Don't call me Dave: Kinks with just one brother?

Ray Davies has suggested that, since Dave Davies thinks that a Kinks reunion would be a night of the living dead, he'll get the gang back together without him:

"I can understand what he's trying to say. I think it's a reference to comebacks in general."

He added, "The fortunate thing for me is that I was never a sexy frontman. Dave was always the pretty kid. So maybe he feels that way about himself. But we'll do it without him if we have to. The music is the issue."

Ray also made a sly reference to his guitar-playing sibling's interest in spiritual matters. "I hear Dave's more cosmic than ever. I'm a little more based on planet Earth than certain other members of my family."

... but, hey, he won't rule out playing with Dave if they ever get a booking at Unicorn Gardens.

First comeback of 2008: The Kinks

There are bands which are going concerns and, increasingly, bands which are merely not currently going concerns. The Kinks are now considering making a new album, should the health of Dave Davies and Peter Quaife allow, says Ray:

"I spoke to Quaife about a month ago and he dearly wants to make another record with me.

"I think Dave's getting better and Mick's still playing. It would be great to get back together just to see what musical ideas we had and what would happen."

- where, of course "what would happen" is measurable in ticket receipts.

Working out the Kinks upsets the Kinks

We can understand that having a shrine in your honour taken down and broken up must be upsetting, but since the pub which housed the Kinks corner has gone out of business, it's a bit rich of Ray Davies to complain that the new owners aren't having a corner given over to paying tribute to him:

Ray Davies said he was "genuinely disappointed" at the move, while Dave Davies asked "Have they lost their dignity, sense of local history and English heritage?".

Ray has gone as far as to send an open pleading letter to pub boss Caroline Jones urging her to retain their legacy there.

It's a shame, really, and we do cringe everytime we see the guts of a nice pub being ripped out in the name of upgrade, but to suggest a publican has "lost their dignity" because they've thrown pictures of you in a skip might be slightly overstating the case, Dave.