The Kinks' rumoured reunion in doubt after Dave Davies brands brother Ray 'a megalomaniac'

22 July 2022, 14:55

We all know there's no love lost between the two brothers behind The Kinks.

Despite their creative success together, Ray and Dave Davies have never had the best of sibling relationships outside of the band let's say.

And their constant feuding even made its way onto the stage at points, much to the dismay of The Kinks' fanbase.

The legendary band behind influential hits like 'You Really Got Me', 'All Day and All of the Night', and 'Waterloo Sunset' managed to keep it together for over thirty years even throughout the in-fighting.

• Gold's Hall of Fame: The Kinks
• Ray and Dave Davies are reuniting The Kinks for new music
• The Ultimate Kinks Quiz

That was until 1996 however, after tensions hit an all-time high and they finally called it quits.

Since then, the Davies brothers have had limited contact calling each other a "nightmare" to be around.

But singer Ray Davies hinted in 2018 that he was working on a new album with Dave as The Kinks, which set tongues wagging about a full-scale reunion.

In his new book, Dave might have potentially dampened those hopes by branding his older brother "a megalomaniac".

Dave claims in his book Living On A Thin Line, that by 1971 Ray was "feeding his narcissism" and controlling the band's entire creative output.

"It was unnerving to see how quickly someone could disappear up their own a**e", he said.

Although Ray Davies was the singer and focal point of The Kinks, they arguably may've not had the enormous success without the relationship with Dave.

Feeling continually sidelined throughout their time in the band, during the writing and recording process for 1983 album State Of Confusion he asked for a sleeve credit for “writing, arranging and collaborating”.

After reading the linear notes however, he was "stunned to see everything credited as per sodding usual, to Raymond Douglas Davies."

Obviously that wasn't to be the end of their sibling squabbling, and more rows continued throughout the duration of the band being together.

The animosity came to a head with a legal row in 2014 as Dave’s part in creating the guitar sound for 'You Really Got Me' was fairly acknowledged.

Dave puts Ray's behaviour down to the attention he received as a child, being his older brother of three years.

"My sisters and aunts used to coo over me. Ray was loved just as much but went from being the youngest and the only boy to, in his eyes, competing with me for affection."

"Whenever there was jealously or bitterness later on connected to The Kinks, I believe it was because of underlying resentment" Dave admits in his book.

“I sometimes feel he’s like a vampire the way he draws so much energy from people."

"The way he was absorbing my energy during those two weeks, eventually I thought...really I don’t have much to give at the moment" reads the book's prologue.

Dave said he wanted to tell the truth about his and Ray's relationship in his book, and he uncertainly doesn't mince his words.

But he also admits that in spite of all the fights and feuds, he still dearly loves and admires his older brother.

"Ray is my brother and I love him. I want this book partly to stand as a tribute to Ray and to The Kinks – and especially Ray’s writing."

"There really is nobody else like him" he states poignantly.

Dave later took to Instagram to confirm that he was misquoted in a recent interview after a journalist said he called Ray a narcissist, and that it was paraphrased from his book.

He confirms they've talked since, so hopefully the damage hasn't already been done and the reunion will still go ahead as reported.