Hi there, my name is Conor, and I’ll be your guest NAPster for today while Doug is away, no doubt cavorting with an assortment of mermaids on some sort of enchanted isle somewhere, lured by their irresistible siren song. I’m extremely adept at the fine art of procrastination in all its various manifestations, and thus am writing to you while on a road trip en route to SXSW and fine friends along the way and back, rather than in advance, as would’ve been more sensible. Just though I’d take this opportunity to resolve another item of procrastination by writing up a little bit of documentation concerning the time I spent in Chicago in July 2006, and the music I did hear there. This trip was aided by the generous support of the Kilian & Tricia Sweeney Foundation, viewers like you, and, of course, the Chubb Group. Webster’s dictionary defines July 2006 in Chicago as:
2006-07-04 Tue : Ray Davies, My Morning Jacket @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL
This was part of the multimillionperson madness that is “Taste of Chicago”. Despite indications in print about the scope of the mayhem, I was unprepared for the reality of a million billion Sagan-trillion sweaty people all walking down the same street. All of them somehow managed to get in my way at the same time; quite a feat. Anyway, I eventually made my way to the band shell where the music was going down. Unfortunately, even though there seemed to be room, the designated authority types weren’t letting any more people into the fenced-off area wherein the white seats sat. I sat outside the fence on the grass, along with the rest of the plebes, where I faced a dilemma. Either I could gaze toward the stage, and see small stick figures presumably playing music, or I could direct my vision toward a huge TV screen behind the fence, where I could see close-up views of the musicians, but at the cost of feeling like I was merely watching TV outdoors. I went back and forth on this issue, but probably watched the screen more often than not.
I only got to see a few songs by My Morning Jacket. I dig their stuff, but have to admit that it’s something of a weird hybrid. They’ve got the whole southern-rock thing happening, but with the reverbed vocals and certain other elements, there’s a Coldplay vibe that tempers the Skynyrd action. Ignoring the “you put your chutney in my brain taco” sonic taste sensation implied by the previous statement, I though they were pretty rockin’.
Ray Davies. The man. The legend. The Kinks… were not there, but head Kink Ray (announced to the crowd by some jerk-off as “Ray Davis”) was. A bit weird having this quintessential Brit up on stage on our nation’s holiest holiday, but I guess he’s lived in New Orleans long enough for it to be okay. For some reason, though, he felt compelled to wear a red velvet jacket in the eXtreme swelter of the Chicago heat. He took it off for a song or two to display an English soccer jersey, in support of his country’s World Cup hopes. This is all if memory serves, of course; I could’ve been violently hallucinating from heat exhaustion, who knows. I thought, “how sensible”, but then he donned the red velvet once again. Brother Dave Davies was unfortunately not in tow, having suffered a stroke some time previous. And, being that the brothers are well known for their frequent mutual antipathy, and that this show was part of Ray’s tour in support of his first ever solo album, he might not have been there anyway. Ray gave a somewhat muted shout out to his missing brother at one point, after introducing his band. Instead, there was a guy with super bright red curly hair playing guitar. I was initially pretty worried that his tone was too high-gain for my taste, but for the most part he avoided the guitar center excess I had feared, and was even quite good on several songs. I can’t remember the full set list; I think they started with “Low Budget”. You got your “Waterloo Sunset”, your “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”, and of course your “You Really Got Me”, along with some I didn’t recognize and a few mediocre, but not bad, songs from Ray’s solo album. Ray seemed like a cool guy, but just in the way he talked and acted there was a definite sense of lingering self-obsession and self-importance that I found slightly disturbing, but also amusing and ultimately a little sad, albeit in an endearing sort of way, if that makes any sense whatsoever, which I have no doubt it does not. Toward the end, he invited the crowd to join him after the show at a typical American BBQ, saying that just because he’s a vegetarian doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy BBQ parties. Instead, I watched fireworks explode and smoke drift over the L tracks on the way home, a nice way to end a good day.
[Okay, I was originally going to write about several more shows I went to, but it's going to have to wait because I'm literally about to collapse. To make up for it, I'll get you started on a comment war. Hmm, how about who's the better band, Kinks vs. Beatles. Or better yet, with apologies to AP in SF, who would you rather be, David Bowie or Freddie Mercury (keeping in mind that Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar). Definitely not a question I would've ever thought of in a million years...]
We thought there was a mis-pronunciation of Ray Davies’ name as well, but came to find out, he’s switched back to the original British pronunciation and it now IS Ray Davis.
Thanks for the post Conor, reading it made me relize that even with my distaste for crowds of more than 100, one band i might be convinced to venture to a festival to watch would be the kinks. Not sure if i would do it for Ray Davies solo. Which surprisingly makes me pick the kinks over the beatles, mainly cuase i listened to so much beatles between ages 5 – 14 when i religiously collected all their records (british and american releases) that my curiosity about them is totally gone. Whereas the kInks… i still find, here and there, intersting new nuggets i never heard before.
as for freddie vs. bowie. freddie, hands down. bowie might have had his music in Life Aquatic, but freddie could rock circles around him.
I’m positive there was at least one more Ray Davies solo album.
Oh and Looking forward to your Houston appearance this week. You couldn’t have picked a better time.
I’d probably rather listen to the Kinks right now, but their output is pretty uneven, so if I were going to have to pick one or the other for a desert island it would have to be the Beatles.
And as I told AP, I’d pick Bowie. Freddie Mercury is dead. I don’t want to be dead. Duh.
Yeah, I guess you must have beeen suffering from violent hallucinations from heat exhaustion because Ray wore neither a red velvet jacket or an English football shirt during the concert – maybe it was the screens but the jacket was definitely a brown suede one (all the way from Italy).
Also, the setlist did not include Dedicated Follower of Fashion or Waterloo Sunset; Waterloo Sunset appears to have been dropped from Ray’s setlist over a year ago.
You’re quite right in assuming that Dave Davies would not have been there, even if he hadn’t suffered a stroke, Ray and Dave haven’t played together for over a decade now, Ray has toured with his own backing band for years now.
To answer ramon medina – lp4, Ray Davies has previously released Return To Waterloo, a soundtrack record, and The Storyteller, a mainly live record, but Other People’s Lives is his first solo studio album since leaving the Kinks.
Ray has always pronounced his surname the British way (he certainly hasn’t ‘switched back’ to pronouncing it this way), he has been known to mock the mispronunciation over the years – some live recordings include him impersonating people who come up to him and ask, “Is your name Ray Dayveez?”.
Finally, the Kinks are the better band, no contest, and I’d rather be David Bowie – as well as being alive, he still has an impressively full head of hair, even if he no longer has his own teeth.
thanks for filling in conor!
kinks easy (it’s refreshing to not see this be a kinks vs. stones poll). freddie=bowie. a tie in my book.
i keep meaning to pick up that new davies solo record. i also keep meaning to pick up the new stones record. both of which i hear are worthy. anyone here heard either?
David Bowie is still alive?
Thanks for the post Conor. Wish I could have been at the concert with you except, yeah, that crowd can really get you down. The most claustrophobic I’ve ever felt is in the confluence of the main ToC intersection mid-day. Not to mention all the people, you also have to dodge cheesecakes-on-a-stick, gigantic turkey legs and sauce dripping ribs.
I think you and Mr. Anon should sing that song “I remember it well” together.
I would pick neither the Kinks nor the Beatles but combine them and listen to the beatniks.
I asked AP who is on top and haven’t heard back.
I rather be a living Bowie, or a zombie Mercury. I mean, come on, Zanzibar! Plus points for Bowie because I’m into his wife.
I went to college with a cousin of Mr Mercury (they were Persians) who told me that they had yearly family reunions at which it was forbidden to mention his name. He was the shame and disgrace of the apparently large wealthy persian family, my fellow collegiate though very liberalized by lots of American rock and roll still had mixed feelings about Mr. Mercury. Anyone who dares to go against the decendants of Cyrus, Xeres and Darius is pretty bad ass in my book.
Thanks Conor!
In the “who would I rather be” department… Freddie Mercury. My husband would rather be Bowie, because Bowie likes girls, so I guess there would be the transference of gender preference… so I’d probably stick with Freddie still, cause you know if you’re gonna turn into someone else, boning your same OLD gender (even in ghost form) ..that may be very trying. I don’t think it matters if they are dead or not.. because you can’t be someone else anyway… Its all fantasy or no fantasy. I got more space in my heart for Freddie though so, I guess thats what it comes down to for me. F.R.E.D.D.I.E. and the cruisers.
Indeed.
The thing is, the Beatles sort of invented “Beatle-esque”, which has been widely imitated, but never really duplicated, and the Stones invented their own thing, as well. Even though the Beatles sold more records, and were more of a beloved phenomenon, I think if you listen to something like the NUGGETS box set, you realize that the Stones probably won the war. Sure, you can throw in Chuck Berry, the Who, the Yardbirds, and a ton of others as an inspiration, but I guarantee, 99% of those garage boys started a band because they bought a copy of THE ROLLING STONES, NOW! in ’64. All that aside, I think Ray is…well, your blog mentioned him acting a bit strangely, which I can understand for one simple reason. How would you behave if you woke up one day and realized you were solely responsible for the creation of BRITPOP? The musical ramifications of what the Kinks started are continuing to organically mutate to this very day…I’m speaking not about Rock and Roll in the Beatles and Stones sense, but in that very quintessential English way that those bands play, and write in, and it must be a bitch to wake up and see the likes of Oasis, Blur, Pulp and others, and think “Good lord, did I spawn these monsters entirely on my own?” Still, I do love the Kinks…they had an absolutely devastating run of kickass singles in the 60′s, and I’m slowly discovering that their supposedly patchy 70′s albums aren’t really patchy at all. Well, that’s not entirely true…but all those RCA records like the ARTHURS, Preservation Acts 1 and 2, and MUSWELL HILLBILLIES, there’s some really cool stuff on there. Unfortunately, they also have that annoying habit of putting out absolutely awful records, but with one or two fantastic songs…I guess that’s why God invented “Aquisition”
Oh, and I would definitely pick Bowie. I mean, are you serious?
I always stick up for the underdog, even if the underdog is a bastard. I consider AIDS victims to e underdogs. And I also consider gay frontmen for rock bands during a time of extreme homophobia heroes.
Bowie is awesome… But Freddie stole my heart.
FIled under “Not Trying to Hijack”:
Does anyone remember the movie, Eddie and the Cruisers? I know it was crap but, great culture record crap… but I am trying to figure something out. When they go to The Palace of Depression to bury the master tapes so the record executives don’t get a hold of em… Is that scene at an excavation site or is it at a “palace of depression” mock up? The whole Palace of Depression fascinates me since it’s right up my outsider art alley… defending the underdog etc… the socially dumped on…
Welcome back matthew.
It is notable to me how Bowie is on an interesting list of people who refused to accept a British honur
Freddie has a royal postage stamp and a statue in Switzerland.
I think they filmed all of the Palace of Depression scenes within the confines of this very blog.
Thanks, I’ll be here all week, and there is a two drink minimum.
OK, here is my take:
AC/DC: Better than the Beatles OR the Kinks.
(clearly I am talking Bon Scott era here).
I would pick Bowie, because he played with Mick Ronson. Nothing against Brian May, but man… MICK FUCKING RONSON.
Hey Anonymous #1, thanks for the info. Looks like my ignorance, as well as my epidermis, is showing again.
Hey Ramon, according to that hallowed source of knowledge, allmusic.com, looks like Ray has an album from 1985, “Return to Waterloo”, which is music from the motion picture of the same name. Features story-songs, and has all the Kinks except Dave. And there’s “The Storyteller” from 1998, but that had a bunch of Kinks covers and dialogue sections. So his most recent one, “Other People’s Lives”, was not his first, but perhaps could be considered his first “proper” solo album. Yeah, that’s the ticket…
Hey Anonymous #2, do you happen to have a setlist from that show? I could’ve sworn they played those songs, but I think it’s much more likely that you’re correct. Goes to show you should blog ASAP after such events instead of in the middle of the night the next year, I guess. Yes, distinguishing red velvet vs. brown suede on the jumbotron was difficult for this reporter, not as dedicated a follower of fashion as yourself apparently. I seem to remember him saying something about having an English soccer jersey after taking off his velvet–err, I mean suede jacket, but again my eyes on the jumbotron prize must’ve deceived me.
Y’all are my fact-checkin’ cuzes, thankx.
Setlist as requested:
Low Budget
I’m Not Like Everybody Else
Where Have All The Good Times Gone
After The Fall
All She Wrote
20th Century Man
Over My Head
Run Away From Time
Things Are Gonna Change (The Morning After)
Sunny Afternoon
All Day and All of the Night
The Tourist
Till the End of the Day
A Long Way from Home
The Getaway (Lonesome Train)
You Really Got Me
(clearly I am talking Bon Scott era here)
Hmm. This would exclude both For Those About to Rock and Back in Black. Why you gotta go hatin’ on Brian Johnson?
I’m with Justin. For Those About To Rock is just a fucking masterpiece my 8 year old niece could’ve sang on that and it would still be a masterpiece. And i’m with SoH on this one. Definitely AC/DC over either the Kinks or the Beatles, and i’ll throw the stones in there too. And fuck it, every other british band ever (that i can think of at this early morning moment.)
Ok, I just thought of Motorhead. So definitely not every other british band.
STOP IT!! the ‘versus’ game can only be played with two sides. no interpleaders please. though if you want you can make combos like ac/dc and the kinks VS. motorhead and the beachboys, form your teams.
i CANNOT wait until saturday’s new napcast…
Fair enough Rosa…
The Beatniks vs. the Dedicated Followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
I pick DFoMMY because I need a new diet and my fingers don’t snap very well.
I hate AC/DC.
You are right Rosa. I apologize for breaking the rules.
Justin, I do like some of the stuff from the Brian Johnson era, I just like Bon Scott better. This has as much to do with the fact that AC/DC was getting fat & happy at that point and not putting out as good of albums in general, as it does any weakness of Brian Johnson. “For Those About To Rock” is pretty average outside of the great title track, in my opinion.
Carlos: irony of ironies, the members of AC/DC were born in Scotland, technically part of Great Britain (although there are folk who would like to change that, I hear) – and they later emigrated to Australia. That having been said, they clearly are identified more as Aussies than anything else.
And Ye who Hateth Upon The AC and the DC, Ye shall feel the Eternal Fire of Listening to Endless Tape Loops of Enya While Huffing Aromatherapy Candles, So it has been Written.
hahaha! no rules, carlos. i’m just trying to accommodate my nagging ADHD.
I generally think of AC/DC as aussies, though i know they are scotts. I knew that, and I knew you knew that, but I thought you would’ve known I knew that and that I knew you knew that. Though the reason i said better than any other british band was because we were comparing them to the Beatles nad the Kinks, brits from start to finish, as far as i know.
And rosa, no rules?? please don’t tell me it is so. I live by made up absurd rules that have no bearing on anything worth having rules about.
oh and Enya, believe it or not was born in Ireland which goes to show that cultural background can only do so much for your musical taste.
I was afraid I might be underestimating your knowledge of AC/DC lore, Carlos. I will not make that mistake again!
oh man if you’re irish the selection to choose from for “cultural background” can do mostly bad things to your tastes
Thanks for stepping in while yr. on the road as well, Conor.
Beatles because I don’t know Kinks very well. Bowie because he’s not dead and his music’s better.
Hi Conor. We’re expecting a full report from SXSW.
You might get several.
Beatles. They refused to play for racially segregated crowds. And Bowie, although I am one of the few people to admit liking Queen’s proggiest song “Innuendo”, and yes that has Steve Howe on spanish guitar.
Innuendo? From ’91? Okay, granted that song does take a sort of prog leap back in time…but the best? Clearly you’re missing out on “Ogre Battle” which goes into “The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke” off of the second album. The song titles alone win this challenge…Good God, I’m so embarrassed that I actually know these songs.
Hey, here’s one, who would you rather be: Marillion front man, Fish, or Fish, the drummer from Da Plug Uglies.
Things to consider:
The Marillion unitard.
Actual fishy odor emanating from the drummer.
Discuss. The winner gets to sniff the cloaca of their choice.