Spinner

Ray Davies Concerned by Simon Cowell's Influence

Ray DaviesAfter four decades of writing hits, Kinks frontman Ray Davies continues to rejuvenate the art of songwriting, an art he feels has been tainted by music reality showman Simon Cowell. Davies, who penned hits like 'You Really Got Me' and 'Lola,' says he's concerned that musicians today might be motivated more by reality television stardom than making music that matters. "I think what Simon Cowell does brings enjoyment to many people," Davies tells Spinner. "It's entertainment but it should be treated like that. My concern is that a whole generation of people will just be growing up thinking that that's the only sort of music that people can do.

"When I was a kid making music, I did it to please myself and the world would have to come to me and listen to what I was doing," he continues. "Now I think people write songs just because someone like Simon could enjoy them but his taste isn't everybody's taste. Music represented freedom to me when I started out but I was lucky -- I got hit records but still remained I think to a degree, free. I think there's a danger that musical aspirations might get trapped in a bubble of mass media acceptance. It's the desire to be on TV over the fact that you want to say something and be an individual. I think if it's accepted that it's just a popular TV show ['The X Factor' in England and 'American Idol' in America] that's fine. I'd like to think that there are young musicians growing up and evolving all over the world, that they're not influenced by it and are just going to do their thing."

Davies has done just that, taking Kinks songs for a new generation to appreciate and reinterpreting them for 'The Kinks Choral Collection,' which features the 65-member Crouch End Festival Chorus. "One of my big rule of thumbs at the beginning was not to make it a karaoke record," he says. "I think 'Lola' might have ended up a bit like that. I didn't want to show just the famous songs but a broad breath of what I'd done, like the six-song suite from the 1968 album 'The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.' which artistically has made a big impact and has built fans over the years. To the real Kinks followers, it's uppermost in their collection of Kinks records."

Davies returned to his roots, recording the CD at his own Konk studios in London and rehearsing with the choir at his boyhood school. "It was the school where I went as a teenager," he recalls. "It was called William Grimshaw in my day but now it's called Fortismere. It's the last school I went to before I went to college so it was quite a mind-blowing experience going back into that school and walking down the halls. It felt weird because I still expected some of the friends I knew then to open a classroom door and expect them to be there but it's all changed."

Davies is embarking on West and East Coast tours in support of 'The Kinks Choral Collection' with the Vox Society Choir. He will perform in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York starting on Nov. 12.

All the AOL Music info you want to know

Dierks Bentley, 'Live on Letterman'…

The Boot

Ethan Miller, Getty Images Country takes over the city, as Dierks Bentley is…

Drake, Juno Awards 2012: Young Money MC…

The Boombox

Getty Images After hosting the Juno Awards last year -- the Canadian…

Grammy Awards: Hip-Hop and R&B Albums…

The Boombox

Amazon.com The Best Rap Album category was born in 1996, during the…

See all AOL Music »

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

11 Comments

Filter by:
weskirk1

The chart,s can be easily manipulated these day,s,
the true winner,s are often swept aside.
Very unfair too other,s with real talent.
And i say this without malice.
wes

May 27 2011 at 10:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jo

Check out these great songs about Cheryl, Simon, and The X Factor at youtube.com/thisisjohnnyblack

November 10 2009 at 5:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DemolitionBoy

Cosy conformity? A muzak biz holding hands under the table? Now where have we heard that one before? Pub Rock anyone...h'mmm now what did that lead us too? Given that the godawful Green Day in the ad opposite ( a Broadway musical?!!!) have usurped the Corporate Punk Rock mantle - but not punk music, perhaps it's time for something a little more primal to again rear its head? And please - don't mention any bleating indie bands as rock 'n' roll's next saviours . For Radiohead, Coldplay et al and their clones just substitute Prog Rock - same attitude, different decade. Simon Cowell or Chinnichap - same difference. This time around though, the music biz with Cowell as one of its hydra heads and everything so conformist and controlled it's difficult to see where real music can get a break. Nuff said.

November 10 2009 at 4:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Oakmeman

X Factor is not about music it's about making millions for a few people..... Please please please don't call this TV dros music

November 10 2009 at 4:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
judi

Instead of berating Simon Cowell, why doesn't someone decide to give him some competition and run against him? If the right person can be persuaded to do a similar show on BBC, the prob is solved. Who's really cool and could do it? Offer Cheryl Cole her OWN talent show and run her against Simon, BBC? Play him at his own game. He is certainly not the only expert either.

November 10 2009 at 12:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jon

i am 20 years old and an aspiring music producer i am not in the slitest interested in any of the reality tv shows as in my oppinion has no real passion or substance most of the people who go on to win fade into mediocraty or disapear completely and simon cowell is an awful producer and had a good idea for a tv show his back log of music before the x factor
was simple bubblegum pop for non real music fans or teenage girls the sooner there over the better and there will be more music moguls like spector quincy dre and people that put there heart and soul into it not just about making a cheap bit of money

November 10 2009 at 11:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to jon's comment
Steve.

As clever as he is and you do have to respect Simon Cowell but the X Factor and similar programmes have not produced any true original talent and real stars like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Marc Bolan, David Bowie etc who all were/are in a different league beyond comprehension to the winners so far. None of them have any of their own material (that we've heard of anyway).

November 10 2009 at 12:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John

People like the Kinks, Beatles, Hollies and Rolling Stones, got their craft the hard way, with years of trying, there was no X-Factor then, yes the X-Facter CAN be entertaining to a lot of people but the little I have seen of the X-Factor makes me believe that Simon Cowell thinks he is gods gift to to the Music Industry, as far as I am concerned he is NOT, he is so controlling in what he does, this is not the way to make REAL music that LASTS. closing comment, I hate the X-Factor and Simon Cowell.

November 10 2009 at 10:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to John's comment
kevin

so much hate makes you taste bitter, each to their own iam from the beatles, kinks generation and to me that will always be music,and good luck to them at least they get their year of stardom then pouf,,,,,,, they dissapear, but real musicans stay around forever.

November 10 2009 at 4:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David

The trouble with X Factor is that it has meant the number 1 single at Christmas for I think the last five years has been sung by the winner.
It's almost certain the same thing will happen this year, even though we still don't know who will win or what the song will be.
The trouble is that the programme gives such massive exposure, and you only need a small percentage of the audience to buy the single to be virtually guarenteed the no 1 single.

November 10 2009 at 9:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Keith

I didnt read all of this but Ray states facts. Now, Simon IS one of the ways anyone can get on.. so of COURSE hes a main man.. almost controlling the industry.. hes doing it in the states too.. thats way too powerful? One can say good luck or how dare he, hes always been a business man. Some luck involved too.

November 10 2009 at 9:15 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply