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Blogfest 2005 - Jul 24, 2006 - Printable Version
- Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star
by Mark Faulk
Anyone who’s read more than one or two of my blog entries, especially on The Faulking Truth, knows that I’m a Ray Davies groupie. Wait, maybe I should rephrase that....I’m a Ray Davies “fanatic.” Pete Townsend once said that Davies would be remembered as the greatest songwriter of all time, and that he “should be Poet Laureate of England.” His influence on future generations of bands is undeniable, and even his least commercial albums have recently experienced a rebirth with the so-called “indy” music audience, who see the obvious connection between 90% of the indy music of today and Kinks cult-classic albums like “The Village Green Preservation Society,” “Muswell Hillbillies,” and “Arthur.” I first remember hearing the Kinks in 1965, at the still reasonably innocent age of nine. First it was on the radio, with “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and all of the Night,” and, the one that really made me take notice, “Tired of Waiting for You.” It was a little slower that the first two rockers, and gave a hint of Davies penchant for the emotional ballad. Then, my older sister (I think it was Karen) bought Kinda Kinks, the album with “Tired of Waiting for You” on it. I listened to the album from start to finish, and it changed my outlook on life from the moment I heard the songs that didn’t make the charts as singles, especially “Nothing In This World Can Stop Me Worrin’ ‘Bout That Girl,” and “Something Better Beginning,” which is still my favorite ballad of all time…41 years later. I stole the album from my sister, and it’s still tucked away, worn and scratched from thousands of playings on a $30 record player with a needle so dull that we had to tape a coin to the top to weight it down to keep It from skipping, first a dime, then a nickel, and eventually a quarter. Those were the good old days.
Two days ago in Austin, Texas, I saw Ray Davies in concert for the sixth time, four times with the Kinks, and twice driving almost 400 miles from Oklahoma City to Austin to see “the greatest songwriter of all time.” To paraphrase our esteemed president, “It took us seven hours to drive there. Oklahoma is big, and so is Texas.” It was worth every damn mile.
The first time I saw the Kinks was after Everybody’s in Showbiz was released in 1972, and I still remember hearing “Celluloid Heroes” live, one of the best songs ever written, period. Davies played it again last Saturday, and thirty four years later, it was just as stirring and relevant as ever. Great art never goes out of style.
I don’t really know how to do justice to seeing Ray Davies live, other than to say that he is one of the true treasures of rock music, as witnessed by the series “Storytellers,” which was inspired by his appearance on VH1, and recorded for posterity on the album of the same name.
My 16 year-old daughter came home and posted a bulletin on her MySpace that said simply, “I have great plans to marry Ray Davies, even though he's 62. He's something amazing, I tell you. INCREDIBLE=concert.”
And the 18 year-old daughter of one of my best friends, who has been with me at every Kinks/Ray Davies concert since, well, since 1972 (the father, not the daughter. duh.), put it this way:
“last night was the best. really. it was. here is the set list.
I'm not like everybody else
Where have all the good times gone
After the fall
Next door neighbor
Creatures of little faith
Over my head
Run away from time
OKLAHOMA USA (phenomenal)
Sunny afternoon
20th century man
The tourist
Til the end of the day
Celluloid Heroes
Things are gonna change
All Day and all of the Night
------encore--------
A Long way from Home
The Getaway
You Really Got me
------encoreII-------
LOW BUDGET
and did i mention that this was one of the best moments of my life?”
Enough said. Thanks Ray, for being a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. I hope someday to drive 400 miles with my grandchildren to see you perform. And if I do, I have a special request. Will you (please) perform Celluloid Heroes, for old times sake? I'm certain it will be just as good in another twenty years as it is now, and as it was thirty four ago. See you then.
Celluloid Heroes – The Kinks (Raymond Douglas Davies)
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star,
And everybody's in movies, it doesn't matter who you are.
There are stars in every city,
In every house and on every street,
And if you walk down Hollywood Boulevard
Their names are written in concrete.
Don't step on Greta Garbo as you walk down the Boulevard,
She looks so weak and fragile that's why she tried to be so hard
But they turned her into a princess
And they sat her on a throne,
But she turned her back on stardom,
Because she wanted to be alone.
You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Rudolph Valentino, looks very much alive,
And he looks up ladies' dresses as they sadly pass him by.
Avoid stepping on Bela Lugosi
'Cos he's liable to turn and bite,
But stand close by Bette Davis
Because hers was such a lonely life.
If you covered him with garbage,
George Sanders would still have style,
And if you stamped on Mickey Rooney
He would still turn round and smile,
But please don't tread on dearest Marilyn
'Cos she's not very tough,
She should have been made of iron or steel,
But she was only made of flesh and blood.
You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of.
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star
And everybody's in show biz, it doesn't matter who you are.
And those who are successful,
Be always on your guard,
Success walks hand in hand with failure
Along Hollywood Boulevard.
I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.
You can see all the stars as you walk along Hollywood Boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Oh celluloid heroes never feel any pain
Oh celluloid heroes never really die.
I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.
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