When I was fourteen I started going through a phase. Actually I’m still in it – but I’m sure I’ll come out of it soon.
I had a little bit of a rebellion going on. It brought me into conflict with my school, parents and society in general. The only people I wasn’t in conflict with were a few of my mates who thought like me. I did not want to go down that path that everybody seemed to want me to go down. The thought of a career, family and a life in suburbia, mowing the grass, washing the car and cutting the Sunday roast looking like a nightmare to me – death by boredom.
I wanted a life on the road – Strolling Down the Highway – as Bert Jansch so eloquently put it. Of course I was a little romantic and idealistic back then. So I haven’t changed that much.
My life seemed to develop into one long round of – Turn that down! Get your hair cut! You can’t wear that! Do some homework! You can’t keep going out! and What about your future? You have to think ahead!
I didn’t want to think ahead. I didn’t want to do homework or worry about exams, careers or reality. I wanted to grow my hair, listen to loud music, wear my own style, chat up the girls, hang out with my mates, go to parties, concerts and get drunk.
I think my life plan was to drop out and bum around the world.
As I say – I wasn’t very pragmatic. I had not experienced too much and this was before Kerouac and Roy Harper came into my life!
One of my favourite bands was the Kinks. Ray Davies wrote a few songs that I could totally relate to. He seemed to have a knack of putting words to the things I was feeling all pent up about.
Back then I was looking at my old man and his life and it did not seem much of a life. He got up at six thirty, caught the train to London, worked in a high stress job, got home at six thirty, ate his tea, read the newspapers, watched a little light entertainment and went to bed – six days a week. Sunday was mowing, washing and carving. Occasionally he had a pint at the pub. He did not seem to have time for friends, hobbies or interests.
I promised I would never be like that.
So when Ray spoke of a well respected man I could not help making comparisons. Except we didn’t have maids to pull or councillors coming round for tea. It was the routine and hypocrisy that I railed against.
I would sit in my bedroom, put the single on the turntable, lift the arm and play it endlessly.
I did not like the society it described. I wanted something real, something alive, something with creativity and passion.
I didn’t know what it was – but I wanted it.
I wanted some excitement!! I wanted sex, drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
A Well Respected Man – Ray Davies
‘Cause he gets up in the morning and he goes to work at nine
And he comes back home at five-thirty, gets the same train every time
‘Cause his world is built ’round punctuality, it never fails
And he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
And his mother goes to meetings while his father pulls the maid
And she stirs the tea with councilors while discussing foreign trade
And she passes looks, as well as bills at every suave young man
And he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
And he likes his own backyard and he likes his fags the best
‘Cause he’s better than the rest and his own sweat smells the best
And he hopes to grab his father’s loot, when pater passes on
‘Cause he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
And he plays at stocks and shares, and he goes to the Regatta
He adores the girl next door ’cause he’s dying to get at her
But his mother knows the best about the matrimonial stakes
‘Cause he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
Back in the 60s, when I was a mere slip of a lad, and the Kinks were the height of rebellion I used to endlessly play ‘Well Respected Man’ and ‘I’m Not Like Everybody Else’. Those two songs seemed to summarise my feelings towards the bourgeois society that was going on all around me.
I wanted no part of that status-ridden culture – mowing the grass in straight lines, polishing the car, looking neat and tidy and carving the Sunday roast. I wanted freedom and adventure and the Kinks represented full-blown rebellion.
I was only fifteen. I hadn’t discovered Kerouac yet and I was only just getting into Dylan but I knew they were out there waiting for me with a new perspective on life. I wanted it to rage!!
It is quite a shock to find the rebels of yesteryear being absorbed into society and becoming part of the establishment – Sir Ray Davies – Sir Mick Jagger.
It is how the revolution is subverted; it is absorbed and becomes fashion.
It is worth a revisit to the lyrics of ‘Well Respected Man’ to see how well they fit with a knighthood. It described the hypocrisy and double standards of respectable society. I loved it:
“A Well Respected Man”
‘Cause he gets up in the morning,
And he goes to work at nine,
And he comes back home at five-thirty,
Gets the same train every time.
‘Cause his world is built ’round punctuality,
It never fails.
And he’s oh, so good,
And he’s oh, so fine,
And he’s oh, so healthy,
In his body and his mind.
He’s a well respected man about town,
Doing the best things so conservatively.
And his mother goes to meetings,
While his father pulls the maid,
And she stirs the tea with councilors,
While discussing foreign trade,
And she passes looks, as well as bills
At every suave young man
‘Cause he’s oh, so good,
And he’s oh, so fine,
And he’s oh, so healthy,
In his body and his mind.
He’s a well respected man about town,
Doing the best things so conservatively.
And he likes his own backyard,
And he likes his fags the best,
‘Cause he’s better than the rest,
And his own sweat smells the best,
And he hopes to grab his father’s loot,
When Pater passes on.
‘Cause he’s oh, so good,
And he’s oh, so fine,
And he’s oh, so healthy,
In his body and his mind.
He’s a well respected man about town,
Doing the best things so conservatively.
And he plays at stocks and shares,
And he goes to the Regatta,
And he adores the girl next door,
‘Cause he’s dying to get at her,
But his mother knows the best about
The matrimonial stakes.
‘Cause he’s oh, so good,
And he’s oh, so fine,
And he’s oh, so healthy,
In his body and his mind.
He’s a well respected man about town,
Doing the best things so conservatively.
If you love Rock Music you will find this interesting. I started getting into Rock when I was ten years old with the likes of Little Richard and Buddy Holly. I went to my first gigs when I was fourteen seeing the British Birds (with Ronnie Wood) and Them (with Van Morrison). It was a baptism of excitement. Since then I’ve been to more gigs than I care to think about and I’ve seen nearly everyone worth seeing close up and personal. I’ve been a regular at Abbey Road studios, behind the scenes in festivals and mega-concerts and met most of the major players.
Rock has been a great passion to me.
I’ve lived through it all from Beatles to White Stripes, Bo Diddley to the Kills, and I’m still at the front!
The masses of LPs and CDs I’ve collected are testament to my love of the music. I ran Britain’s first History of Rock Music course (An excuse for me to play loud music) and introduced it into the school curriculum.
When I was fourteen I started going through a phase. Actually I’m still in it – but I’m sure I’ll come out of it soon.
I had a little bit of a rebellion going on. It brought me into conflict with my school, parents and society in general. The only people I wasn’t in conflict with were a few of my mates who thought like me. I did not want to go down that path that everybody seemed to want me to go down. The thought of a career, family and a life in suburbia, mowing the grass, washing the car and cutting the Sunday roast looking like a nightmare to me – death by boredom.
I wanted a life on the road – Strolling Down the Highway – as Bert Jansch so eloquently put it. Of course I was a little romantic and idealistic back then. So I haven’t changed that much.
My life seemed to develop into one long round of – Turn that down! Get your hair cut! You can’t wear that! Do some homework! You can’t keep going out! and What about your future? You have to think ahead!
I didn’t want to think ahead. I didn’t want to do homework or worry about exams, careers or reality. I wanted to grow my hair, listen to loud music, wear my own style, chat up the girls, hang out with my mates, go to parties, concerts and get drunk.
I think my life plan was to drop out and bum around the world.
As I say – I wasn’t very pragmatic. I had not experienced too much and this was before Kerouac and Roy Harper came into my life!
One of my favourite bands was the Kinks. Ray Davies wrote a few songs that I could totally relate to. He seemed to have a knack of putting words to the things I was feeling all pent up about.
Back then I was looking at my old man and his life and it did not seem much of a life. He got up at six thirty, caught the train to London, worked in a high stress job, got home at six thirty, ate his tea, read the newspapers, watched a little light entertainment and went to bed – six days a week. Sunday was mowing, washing and carving. Occasionally he had a pint at the pub. He did not seem to have time for friends, hobbies or interests.
I promised I would never be like that.
So when Ray spoke of a well respected man I could not help making comparisons. Except we didn’t have maids to pull or councillors coming round for tea. It was the routine and hypocrisy that I railed against.
I would sit in my bedroom, put the single on the turntable, lift the arm and play it endlessly.
I did not like the society it described. I wanted something real, something alive, something with creativity and passion.
I didn’t know what it was – but I wanted it.
I wanted some excitement!! I wanted sex, drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Well Respected Man – Ray Davies
‘Cause he gets up in the morning and he goes to work at nine
And he comes back home at five-thirty, gets the same train every time
‘Cause his world is built ’round punctuality, it never fails
And he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
And his mother goes to meetings while his father pulls the maid
And she stirs the tea with councilors while discussing foreign trade
And she passes looks, as well as bills at every suave young man
And he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
And he likes his own backyard and he likes his fags the best
‘Cause he’s better than the rest and his own sweat smells the best
And he hopes to grab his father’s loot, when pater passes on
‘Cause he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
And he plays at stocks and shares, and he goes to the Regatta
He adores the girl next door ’cause he’s dying to get at her
But his mother knows the best about the matrimonial stakes
‘Cause he’s oh, so good, and he’s oh, so fine
And he’s oh, so healthy in his body and his mind
He’s a well respected man about town
Doing the best things so conservatively
When I were a young lad I used to play this non-stop. I would sit in my bedroom with my Dansette record player with the arm raise so that it played on repeat. If memory serves it was the B-side of Sunny Afternoon.
I was about fourteen/fifteen and was nuts about Rock Music (still am). This was way back in 1964/5. Very exciting times. The Beatles, Stones, Who, Downliners Sect, Prettythings, Yardbirds and Smallfaces were storming my head. Every week seemed to throw up a new bit of magic. It was as if something had been unleashed and all that pent up creativity was pouring out into music. This was our stuff. Music for my generation.
This was the era of ‘TURN THAT RACKET DOWN!’. As my Mum and Dad repeatedly shouted to me.
I was particularly fond of the Kinks because of the lyrics. This number summed up exactly how I felt. I did not fit in. I was a million miles away from my parents world and not in tune with my mates at school.
I was shortly to discover Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie and find that there were other people I could relate to.
For then – this was my song. I still love it.
“I’m Not Like Everybody Else”
I won’t take all that they hand me down,
And make out a smile, though I wear a frown,
And I won’t take it all lying down,
‘Cause once I get started I go to town.’Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
But darling, you know that I love you true,
Do anything that you want me to,
Confess all my sins like you want me to,
There’s one thing that I will say to you,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else
And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else.
If you all want me to settle down,
Slow up and stop all my running ’round,
Do everything like you want me to,
There’s one thing that I will say to you,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else.
As a fourteen year old I sat on the bed in my bedroom endlessly playing this song. It seemed to sum up how I felt about myself. I didn’t seem to fit in. I didn’t like the mainstream stuff.
One you’ve accepted that you’re an outsider you begin to look at things objectively.
I looked at the life my parents led and it seemed shallow.
I looked at the career path laid out for me and it seemed dreary.
I looked at the world I lived in and it seemed drab.
I yearned for something with more meaning, purpose and bigger horizons. I was after more colour. The post-war society of Britain seemed black and white and all veneer. I wanted depth and colour.
Ray Davies was one of the first singer-songwriters to say things. He connected with me.
This was around the time I discovered Dylan.
My life has never been the same.
“I’m Not Like Everybody Else”
I won’t take all that they hand me down,
And make out a smile, though I wear a frown,
And I won’t take it all lying down,
‘Cause once I get started I go to town.
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
But darling, you know that I love you true,
Do anything that you want me to,
Confess all my sins like you want me to,
There’s one thing that I will say to you,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else
And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else.
If you all want me to settle down,
Slow up and stop all my running ’round,
Do everything like you want me to,
There’s one thing that I will say to you,
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
And I don’t want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else,
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else,
I’m not like everybody else.
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else.
