Although heavily associated with rural residents of the Appalachian Mountain region of USA (especially West Virginia), the term "Hillbilly" (Hill Billy) actually has Scottish roots, with many Scottish Presbyterian highlanders being supporters of "King Billy" (William of Orange).
@limeginger Don't be ridiculous, he's always introduced him that way. It's a take-off on the way bandleaders would introduce their singers in the 30s and 40s, putting the title of their latest hit between their names.
well, what can i say, i totally agree with you. here in Italy we call this kind rivalry as "fratelli coltelli", a funny thing which means that the two brothers they are really in competition. i think that it's not easy sometimes to understand Ray, but a genius he's a genius..about Dave, i love every single note of his sound, and i'm so happy that is well recovering after the stroke. roumors about a Kinks reunion: i believe that is the truth, can't wait! thanks for the kinds words.
I actually that was kind of a crappy thing to say, cruddy way to introduce his brother, a back-handed compliment, given how much Dave wrote, and how fundamental he was to the band's success. Ah...sibling rivalry. Love me some Ray, but Dave is extraordinary, and Ray's always had a bit of an older brother attitude about Dave. C'est la vie -- glad to see this great clip up -- thanks for posting!
Did you see Dave's expression? I think Dave "Death of a Clown" Davies or whatever he said was meant to be a little (sarcastic) dagger. I'm the last person to criticise Ray, because as I said I practically worship him, but I know plenty about sibling rivalry...and have heard some of Dave's interviews!
I agree, but why did Ray have to be so obnoxious to Dave?!? In the world of rock and roll, Dave is probably comes close to sainthood, LOL. In Dave's autobiography, it almost sounded as if Ray fundamentally changed after his first major nervous breakdown, and it just went downhill from there and things got psychotic. Considering the incredible music they created and the personal costs they paid to create it, it's amazing in a way that they still communicate at all.
I remember reading a review of a live show in the mid seventies where Ray said "This next song will be sung by my darling brother Dave,if the little twit can remember the words".
brother bands seem to always inevitably drag their fans into the shitty sibling rivalry. i love ray and i love dave. dave is obviously more than "dave death of a clown davies" but i cant stay mad at ray. i'll never choose. never ever ever ever never ever ever . you cant make me.
@yellowpowerranger94 Know what you mean, you obviously know your Kinks. Wondering though, do you think the production has stood the test of time as well as those records by the BeaTles and Stones?
Not all that subtle if you ask me! Ray must have felt threatened, jealous, etc. of Dave to keep doing that, when he knew that it hurt Dave. He probably felt he couldn't help acting like such a dick to his brother, but probably hated himself in a way for doing it.
@LongLiveRock87 It's not my favorite show, but you know that Family Guy joke about the other Beatles putting Ringo's songs on the fridge "so everyone can see"? That's what Ray's doing. He's putting Dave down for not being as prolific or successful a songwriter, even though he wrote a lot of terrific tracks. Ray also used to interrupt performances of Death of a Clown by standing in front of him and playing something else.
*high fives pjbrubak* Good call, fuck the Doors. Actually I like the Doors, but now that you mention it it does sound like they ripped off the song - I never noticed it, but thanks for pointing it out..
I adore ...well worship Ray, but admit he was pretty cruel to his brother here, and probably on other occasions, I can't believe Dave took the insult smiling, I personally would have punched Ray in the face...no I couldn't do that! Sorry to disagree with limeginger, but I think that there is no comparison between Ray and Dave at least as far as songwriting goes, Ray's talent is unequalled
