The legendary songwriter behind the likes of 'You Really Got Me' and 'Waterloo Sunset', Ray Davies has turned his hand to the medium of print of late, penning Americana, a memoir on his experiences in the US. It moves between moments of his career, from arriving with The Kinks in the '60s and their later ban from the country that decade, to his move in middle-age to New Orleans, where he was shot in 2004.

Ahead of an appearance at Dublin Writers Festival, Davies caught up with Hot Press' Craig Fitzpatrick for a chat about the book, how songwriting was his way of communicating as a "quiet kid", America, and whether his old band would ever perform together again.

"When people ask me about Kinks reunions," he tells Hot Press. "I tell them we're not savvy enough or business-like enough to say, 'let's do the Albert Hall in a year's time. We'll probably meet in a pub somewhere and play, unannounced."

In the new Hot Press issue, Davies also discusses his shooting a decade ago. He had been trying to apprehend a mugger when he was shot in the leg. Davies feels the attitude that got him shot ("I don't stop coming") was central to the Kinks' story.
"The Kinks would still be waiting to get their visas," the 69-year-old says. "Or have given up. We went from playing big arenas like the Hollywood Bowl to playing little clubs with two or three hundred people. So it was determination. We did keep coming, and that's indicative of the Kinks' music. We were also a band that didn't always have hit records. We'd put a hit record out and the follow-up would be a complete bomb. But we kept coming. I think it's a very good way of describing myself and the Kinks particularly."

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