|
In the second part of the interview, we asked Mick about events in his long Kinks career :
KOK : Was Dave the cause of you leaving The Kinks in 1984? Is it true that you have made peace with him now?
MA : The reason I left The Kinks was a lot to do with my relationship with Dave, which had been pretty fragile for years. But, having come this far, I wanted to accomplish as much as possible with them before I left, I think leaving after a world wide hit with Come Dancing was a good note to leave on.
KOK : You are such an easy-going sort of bloke, it seems strange that anyone would not get along with you. It seems you have always been Ray's friend. Presumably you always got on well with the other band members over the years?
MA : I don’t think Dave particularly liked the idea of me being in the band in the first place. I didn’t have too much problem with Ray on a working basis - although he could be difficult, it wasn’t so personal. |
|
“Not many drummers from West Molesey have done that!”
The Mick Avory InTerview Part 2 |
|
Clem Cattini and Bobby Graham |
|
KOK : Who was the funniest member of the band? (apart from yourself)
MA : They all had their own brand of humour, but Baptist was the one who made us laugh the most. |
|
KOK : Is it true that on the first Kinks album (on which session man Bobby Graham played drums) you played tambourine on all tracks and drums on Stop Your Sobbing?
MA : I played drums on three or four tracks on the first album, Stop Your Sobbing being one of them. I can’t remember the tambourine tracks.
KOK : Is it true that on The Kinks Kontroversy album you were taken ill and were replaced by Clem Cattini on Till The End Of The Day?
MA : Clem Cattini played on the whole of the second album except for Where Have All The Good Times Gone, because of my illness and my membership of the band at the time was dangling by a dwindling thread. |
|
KOK : Did you write any songs for The Kinks?
MA : No, I was never a writer, I don’t think I would have got a look in even if I had been.
KOK : You have told how you were instrumental in the genesis of "Lola" by introducing Ray to a club frequented by transvestites. Do you remember other instances of incidents, places or people that inspired Kinks songs?
MA : Not really - the only other track I had any influence on was Mick Avory's Underpants!
KOK : What was your most enjoyable period of your Kinks career?
MA : Probably from about 1966 to the mid 70s.
|
|
KOK : Do you have a favourite Kinks album?
MA : It is hard to say now, but I liked Arthur a lot at the time.
|
|
KOK : What was/is your view on the concept pieces -- Did you enjoy them, the stage shows, costumes, etc?
MA : They were quite fun to do, although hard work to tour with. It was really only something Ray wanted to do as a writer and then involved the band with it.
KOK : What was your favourite tour?
MA : My favourite tour was the Cocktail Tour when we drank continually through out the whole tour. Quite a challenge. (Mick did not elucidate, so we asked Dave Clarke about this — ”The cocktail tour, as far as I remember from silly conversations, was exactly that - they drank through the cocktail list wherever they went - a real challenge, especially in the US. I've done it myself, it's wonderful if the tour is less than six months, after that it's fatal.”)
KOK : What is your favourite Kinks song...and why? and your memories during it's recording.
MA : Hard to pick one but Sunny Afternoon has to rate pretty highly, as it was my first number one. It was recorded on Friday the 13th in 1966, the year England won the World Cup.
KOK : What songs are you most proud to be associated with?
MA : All the popular ones, Lola probably stands out the most, it was recorded at Morgan Studios. It was fun, as it was the Baptist's first recording with us.
KOK : What were the highest/lowest points during your time with The Kinks?
MA : There were lots of ups and downs with the Kinks and a volatile atmosphere . So it was hard for me to fit in with them initially and finally I had a bust up with Dave, that was a real low point. The high point came we were allowed back in America.
KOK : What is your most treasured memory/ item of memorabilia from your time with The Kinks?
MA : One of the most treasured memories with the band was in the USA in 1965 when I met Shelly Manne and Joe Morello and Dean Martin. The treasured item : The Kinks red hunting jacket. |
|
KOK : What was the most challenging Kinks song for you to drum to?
MA : Power Man was a bit of a challenge at the time.
KOK : If you could re-do a Kinks song again, what would it be and why?
MA : Little Miss Queen of Darkness comes to mind, as I did a 16-bar drum solo with phrases as an over dub and it went out of sync with the track near the end. The producer thought it was ok, but I hated it, particularly as I could have corrected it in a few minutes.
KOK : There has been talk of a possible Kinks reunion recently. What is your view? Do you think it could happen? The line-up on stage in Utrecht recently was pretty close to a full reunion anyway. If there ever was a reunion, should it be with new material or not?
MA : A reunion would not be possible with the originals, for a start due to ill health. But it would be possible with the Kast Off Kinks plus Ray. In any event Ray would record new material. We have some old tracks from the 80s as well. |
|
KOK : What was your reaction to Pete Quaife's recent Garbo-esque posting wanting to be left alone? ("I know that this might sound self centred but I have had enough of the transparent, overblown nonsense of what they call 'show business'. This is where I want to be. Surrounded by my own friends and family and able to put the past behind me. As it is, I am more content and happy, painting the Danish countryside and seashore, talking with peers and relaxing as a pensionist should!" )
MA : As far as Pete Quaife is concerned, he left the Kinks over 40 years ago and has spent most of his life outside of music. Because the music is still popular, people think he should still be involved, but he hasn’t lifted a bass in anger for ages, he is in a poor state of health and he doesn’t get any income from it, so he isn’t interested any more. I can see his point, though slagging off the music business may be sour grapes. |
|
Pete Quaife playing with the Kast Off Kinks in Utrecht |
|
Shelly Manne |
|
Joe Morello |
|
Dean Martin |
|
KOK : Do you know of any recorded Kinks songs that haven't been released that are available to be released? If so, is there any chance they could be released in some package?
MA : I believe there some tapes we recorded before I left the band, which will probably be used for something in due course.
KOK : Were any early era Kinks live performances ever recorded professionally live other than Kelvin Hall?
MA : I can’t recall any other live recording of early Kinks other than Kevin Hall. Only Bootleg Hall recordings . |
|
John “The Baptist” Gosling |
|
KOK : You introduce your performance of Dedicated Follower Of Fashion with the Kast Off Kinks by saying you weren’t allowed to sing with The Kinks. When did you discover that you could actually sing?
There was reportedly a song “Lilacs and Daffodils” which featured you singing. Is that true, and was it actually recorded?
MA : I don’t think anyone thought it appropriate for me to sing in the Kinks. In fact it was Chip Hawkes in the Class of 64 that suggested it.
I don’t where Lilacs and Daffodils came from, I don’t remember The Kinks recording a track with that title, let alone me singing it. |
|
Mick – the Dedicated Follower Of Fashion |
|
KOK : Did you ever see a Kinks concert after you left the band? If so, what did you think of them?
MA : Yes, I saw the Kinks three times after I left and they sounded pretty good, considering I was in the bar.
KOK : Did you hear The Kinks records after you left the band? Opinions?
MA : Yes, I used to get copies of everything they recorded. I particularly like Scattered and Still Searching. They are two of my favourites.
KOK : What are your memories of your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
MA : The Hall of Fame 1990 was quite an event .We were introduced by Graham Nash There were lots of stars there that night: Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Carol King, Bruce Springsteen , The Four Tops, The Who, Paul Simon and others. After the induction we all jammed together, playing each others’ songs. |
|
Amazing! Not many drummers from West Molesey have done that.
Original photographs by Olga Ruocco Brigitte Jeffs
© Kast Off Kinks Website 2009
|
|
We hope to publish further interviews with Mick in the future. |