The Kinks star Dave Davies believes Moby made “a clumsy mistake” by condemning their song Lola as “gross and transphobic”.
Dave Davies has opened up about his feud with Moby
Porcelain star Moby hit headlines after he told The Guardian that hearing the 1970 track on a Spotify playlist left him “taken aback” by what he viewed as outdated themes and Dave – who rose to fame in The Kinks alongside his brother Sir Ray Davies – hit back declaring he was “highly insulted” by the musician’s comments about his sibling’s lyrics.
Now Dave has opened up about the row and revealed he was worried Moby‘s comments could cause a major backlash against the band even though there is “nothing nasty” about Lola. He told The Telegraph newspaper: “I found it quite upsetting that he said it [Lola] was transphobic and old-fashioned.
“I worried that it could turn people against us because it can feel like people are becoming weirder by the day. They are always quick to judge and make assumptions about others. It is very rigid thinking. They don’t know that there is always a backstory. It can be dangerous to smear people.”
However, Dave is adamant he’s not angry any more, adding: “I try and put a positive light on everything.
“I don’t bear anyone malice. I think he made a clumsy mistake. All music, all art, should be applauded. It’s not for me or for anyone else to decide what is right or wrong. We should be grateful that we live in a world where people are free to make music and say what they want to say.”
He said of the song: “It was fun and quite beautiful. It was about real people and real people’s antics. There is nothing nasty about it.”
Lola’s lyrics were inspired by Ray’s conversations with drag queens and describe an encounter between a man and a transgender woman at a bar in London.
Speaking to the Guardian, Moby said of the song: “Lola by The Kinks came up on a Spotify playlist, and I thought the lyrics were gross and transphobic.
“I like their early music, but I was really taken aback at how unevolved the lyrics are.”
In his interview with The Telegraph, Dave added of the song: “We had a lot of people like that backstage, which is what happens when you are called the Kinks. What we learned growing up in that band is that everyone is different: No one is one thing …
“People were quite shocked by it [the song at the time]. But we loved it, and the world seemed to love it too. No one mentioned the word transphobia then. I don’t think the word existed”.
