Mick Avory was the drummer with the Kinks from 1964 - 1984. His self deprecating humour and laconic wit shone through during an interview at the Core Theatre, Corby in 2017.
‘First time I met Clem was at the Pye Studios when I was there with the Kinks. The producer Shel Talmy was using Clem and Bobby Graham in the studios. Later on I got to know him better when we used to play golf at the South Herts Golf Club.
It was only by accident I started playing drums. If my dad hadn’t bought me a drum kit I wouldn’t have thought of it. I used to go to senior scout meetings where they had a dart board and small snooker table there. They also played all the traditional jazz records and stuff there as well. I was told by older blokes that I shouldn’t have been there; ‘you’re supposed to be fifteen’, I was only thirteen but I lived in the same road as the bloke in the scouts who was forming a band.
He had said to me, ‘come along if you want. The guy on the drums doesn’t want to play, it was only a drum on a chair and a scrubbing brush and stick or something, it was pretty crude. He also had a really good washboard player. So I did and quickly thought this is fun. We did the Lonnie Donegan and skiffle stuff. We didn’t have any transport and our gigs were local like at Cigarette Island in East Molesey and at Eel Pie Island.
I had a job delivering stuff in a home maintenance store which lasted for over five years. Later, in 1962, I was working with a kid who’s dad was a chimney sweep, a drummer and also an accordion player. He came round my house one day to sweep the chimney, saw my drums and said to my mum; ‘ah, you’ve got a drummer in your house’. She said ‘yeah, my son’. He said; ‘well I can get him some gigs at functions and stuff if he’s interested. So I played with him for a while.
Then one day the father rang me and said he’d seen an advertisement in the Melody Maker about a some guys forming a rhythm and blues band and were seeking a drummer. ‘Why don't you go along’ he said, ‘they’ve got a gig at the Marquee and the bloke you want to speak to is Mick Jagger.’ So I said I’d go round and see what it was all about. ‘They’re all youngsters’ ‘dad’ said. ‘there’s no good me going round, I’m 62.’ So I went, and met Jagger and them at the Bricklayers Arms in Wardour Street. First of all, they wanted a drummer to do the gig but really they were looking for a permanent drummer.
I said; ‘well I’ll do the gig but I’ve got a day job and I have to travel right across London so it was a bit of a drag for me. I told them I didn’t want to waste their time so go and get somebody else.’ And I never heard another dickey bird from them! But who knows what would have happened if I’d have took it on?
I was still living in Moseley Hill when I joined the Kinks. They were another rhythm and blues band back then. That was the fad around London, bands like the Yardbirds, Downliners Sect, Gary Farr and the T-Bones, Pretty Things. The Kinks suited my style, which was a jazzy blues sort of rhythm. The day after I joined the Kinks I was on Ready Steady Go! Then we got managers and I thought ‘this won’t last long’ but decided I’d go along with it. Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife were always playing around, acting gay, and I used to think regularly, ‘Ive had enough of this lot and I’ll be glad to get back to my girlfriend’.
The infamous fight at Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre followed on from a fracas the night before; ‘I had a fight with Dave after an argument about something, can’t remember what it was but Dave was worse for wear on drink or drugs. He had a fiery nature, used to blow hot and cold and we quickly got into a scrap. It got broken up. I’d got him down and then as I let him up, he ran his tooth right across my face. He was so off his head he wanted more. I thought, fuck that, and a couple of the boys held him down, and I ran off down the stairs. Anyway, next night, as I counted a number in, he turned round and booted my drum kit, scattering them across the stage, I don't know how he didn’t break his leg. I only had the hi-hat left, and I picked it up and whacked him right over his head with it. He went down and I thought..I’ve got to get out of here.. so I ran out of the theatre, went down the road and found a cafe where one of the Kinks roadies found me. I was all upset and worried. I asked him if Dave was alright. He said… ‘unfortunately..yes’.
I went home for awhile, I thought I’d killed Dave and the police were looking me and Clem played on the Kink Kontroversy album which was due for recording shortly after the Cardiff gig. We had to patch things up in the band though because we had an American tour coming up. The managers got me and Dave together and we talked about the problem and if we wanted to carry on. So, we put our sensible heads on and we did go to America. Which was a disaster…but that’s another story!
Clem also stood in for me to play gigs with the Kinks periodically in the early days when I first joined the band. They all thought how loud he was. Even Dave, who was a loud guitarist at the time, complained; ‘Gor, ain’t he loud!’
My problem, to begin with was, I was a bit jazzy and as things got louder and louder, and with the drums not mic’d up, I couldn’t play loud enough. It was fucking ridiculous. My hands used to bleed!
The Kast Off Kinks, myself, John Dalton, Dave Clarke and Ian Gibbons have been going for 23 years. My favourite number is probably Victoria, not my favourite to play, its just a nice song. I do a comedy routine singing Dedicated Follower of Fashion. I come out from behind my drums carrying a bag like Roy Cropper in Coronation Street, with a fancy jacket in. Its part of the act, an idea Chip Hawkes of the Tremeloes came up with when we were working with them in Germany. He said ‘do you think you can sing Dedicated Follower of Fashion? I said ‘well I’m not a fucking singer but I’ll give it a go. I haven’t got a high range but I don’t think there’s too much in that song’. I had the words written down and went through it, made a few bollockses here and there, but after a while I told them… yea I could do that. It seems to go down well with audiences for some reason.’
‘Last time I saw Clem was when we went to Belgium in 2014. I was with this lot, the Kast Off Kinks, playing with the Swinging Blue Jeans. We met Clem at the airport and had a great chat. He loves meeting the old guys, Pete Oakman, Alan Lovell and all them. We were also at the funeral of singer Danny Rivers when we said; ’who’s next to climb in the box?’
Mick; ‘I’m still enjoying playing, wouldn’t want to do it every week. We decided to cap the gigs at around 70 a year which is about a gig and a half a week. They are usually in blocks. if one comes up during the middle of time off its a pain. I prefer gigs around my home in Moseley Hill, Richmond, Barnes. And I usually play the 60s All Stars shows as well when they come up.’
‘I’ve done some interviews which have been sent to me through the post. I type them out, and always fuck them up! The computer never sends it or something else happens and I have to start all over again.’
‘I’ve had a lot of influences as I’ve gone along. In the Rock world in the 60s, Clem was an influence, as was Bobby Graham. I never took much off them though, you think well that’s quite a nice thing and you try to emulate them.
Brian Bennett was another influence. Brian’s done well writing film scores and jingles for television. He wrote the theme tune to the Golf show on television.He also co-wrote Cliff Richard’s hit Summer Holiday, adding an extra string to his bow. It’s a good job he wasn’t in the Kinks though, he wouldn’t have got a look in even if he could write!
It was great to be part of all the Kinks hits but when you look back you think some of it could have been better recorded, but it wasn’t the best recording facilities at the time. Some of it was a bit flat, there wasn’t enough time to spend on it. Thats why they used session musicians though, ain’t it? So they could get the job done quick time.’
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