True Phenomena
Kinks show
Excerpt from 'Kink' - An Autobiography by Dave Davies
True Phenomena
During the first Sleepwalker tour I struck up a friendship with one of our girl
singers, Shirlie Roden. Baptist never really liked having girl singers in the band
and I would often catch him grimacing at me from across the other side of the stage
during shows. Baptist and I named their singing style 'Posh Rock' because both girls
had posh accents. We would often make comments and jokes about them, taking the piss.
They were good sports and just laughed it off. During rehearsals or sound checks,
Baptist and I would mimic their singing, stuff like (sung in an upper-class accent
to a slow twelve-bar blues) 'Oh darling, I really do have the blues, don't you know,
oh yes, indubitably so. Oh yes, I most emphatically have the blues, baby, indeed
I do, it is really such a ghastly feeling, you cannot possibly imagine just how awful
I really feel, oh yes.' You get the idea.
Shirlie was good company for me and we had a great deal in common. We would talk
for hours about religion, magic and philosophy. After a few shows I decided to try
a psychic experiment, with Shirlie's help. Performers are subject to an incredible
amount of focused energy from an audience during a show, and I thought that if we
could harness that force in some way it could maybe be channelled or redirected,
that I could transform emotional and psychic power into 'something else'.
I taught Shirlie a few techniques and after a couple of days we tried out our experiment
during some shows. It was a practice based on a mental visualization technique where
you draw energy into the body, fill it with light, and project it out again, as healing.
After a few days things started to happen. We kept this a secret since we didn't
want to freak anyone out or give any sceptics in our party the opportunity to create
bad vibes, which would interfere with what we were doing. It was important to the
experiment to 'have faith' that it would work. As with most magical actions, 'belief'
forms a platform for success.
I won't go into details about what we did but during one show in Seattle something
amazing happened. The show was going quite well but the house was only about half
full and Ray was having difficulty getting the audience 'up'. Midway through the
show Shirlie and I did our 'thing', and all of a sudden the crowd instantly came
alive and Ray became more in control of the audience. It was an incredible feeling
and the atmosphere in the hall was scintillating.
After the show neither Shirlie nor I said anything to anyone. The following morning
we met for breakfast. Shirlie was reading a newspaper and when she saw me she looked
up from it and said, 'Dave, you won't believe this, it's a review of last night's
show.' With a shocked look on her face she handed me the paper. The reporter stated
that the show was OK but that the Kinks had some difficulty getting the crowd going,
since the house was less than half full. All of a sudden about half-way into the
performance it seemed as if the place was suddenly full of people, as the show came
alive with energy. People danced in the aisles, singing and shouting, transforming
a good evening with classic rockers into a memorable one.
Unbeknown to every one in the band, Shirlie and I did our 'thing' night after night
on that tour. Nobody knew what we were doing, but they all seemed happy with the
results, so we decided to keep it our secret. One night Shirlie told me in private
that it made her feel so good that she wouldn't have minded doing it for the rest
of her life. It was an unbelievably fulfilling sensation.
Excerpt from 'Kink' An Autobiography
by Dave Davies ©1996
Dave Davies Esq.
Konk Studios
84-86 Tottenham Lane,
London N8 7EE
17th February 1998
Dear Dave ,
A few months ago, I had to do a re-write for the 97 tour of the Roy Orbision musical
(on which I am scriptwriter) and was browsing through the rock section of Dillon's
Bookshop, insearch of inspiration, when I suddenly saw ... 'Kink.'
Of course, I immediately bought it and was amazed to read what you had written about
our experience together so long ago. I was equally amazed by your memory. I have
absoloutley no recollection of saying that the process we did ' made me feel so good
that I wouldn't have minded doing it for the rest of my life.'
So I am writing now for two reasons: firstly, to say how much I enjoyed your fascinating
and heart-opening manuscript, which I must say would (or hopefully will) make an
incredible film or stage musical.
And secondly, to tell you that, joyfully for me, I continue to do 'the process'.
For some strange reason, they love my voice in Slovenia, where I am now known for
my music and the healing quality of my voice. The energy that comes through my crown
and channels out through my heart often lifts me so high, I don't feel I'm on the
stage! I also work widely as a 'sound healer', teaching workshops and using pure
tones on the chakras to clear cellular patterns - all totally intuitive knowledge
which I'm now writing into a small book.
From breakfast all those years ago, I kept the newspaper report you mention, and
thought you might like a photocopy. I have never forgotten how I felt when I read
the words 'The tension eased from the air, and Davies began to glow a peace and contentment
strangely antithetical to the blaring reverb ...!' Many things from that time I no
longer remember, but I do remember that 'Lola' was the point when you and I locked
together right and left sides of the stage in an arc of light and channeled the energy
into Ray.
I hope things are going well for you. Can't believe it, but I will be fifty in March,
and I continue to enjoy my life more and more!
So - from an old 'posh rock' singer turned healer - thanks!
Shirlie Roden
