Interview: Chris Kocher: Editor of Kinks fan story anthology Thank You For The Days

Earlier this month, I reviewed the book Thank You For The Days, which is a book full of stories from Kinks fans from their start to the present. It’s a very well put together book and I’ve learnt a little bit about The Kinks thanks to these stories and I love seeing the points of view of the fans. Like I said before in that review, for a band member, concerts and gigs are a blur and often musicians forget where they are and they see it as just another gig, but for a fan who has hoped for their favourites to play in their hometown, this is a memorable day for them and that’s where their story comes in, what made that concert special to them.

One of my favourite things about being a writer is interviewing people in the classic rock and music space and I’m very happy to have the editor of the book Chris Kocher on the blog to talk about his story of getting into rock music and The Kinks. So without further ado, here’s the interview:

Angie: How did you get into The Kinks?

Chris: I had a friend in high school in the late 1980s and early ‘90s who was a big fan, talked about
them often, but he never sat me down to make me listen to the tunes. I really wish he had! A lot
of things in my life might have been different. So it wasn’t until 1995 or so that I finally bought a
few albums and got into them. I’m an unrepentant Anglophile so the Kinks fit right in there!

Angie: You’re into British pop culture in general, how did you get into it?

Chris: That’s a great question, and I think I’ve traced it back to seeing episodes of the TV show Danger
Mouse as a kid. The cheeky humour, him and Penfold flying over (cartoon) London, the subtle
tour of the UK as they traveled around to have adventures — just fab! It primed me for Doctor
Who, The Prisoner, Inspector Morse, British sitcoms, The Kinks and everything else that came
after.

Angie: What other classic rock bands do you like?

Chris: I enjoy a wide swathe of classic rock, but some of my other favourites are Rush, Warren Zevon
and (in the last 15 years or so) David Bowie. Love Robyn Hitchcock, too. I’m also a big fan of
Britpop from the mid-1990s, especially Space.

I have a lot of favourites in other genres as well — if we ever meet, I can bore you with all of
them! But I want to give a special plug to Spottiswoode & His Enemies. A seven-piece band
(sometimes more!) with a horn section that blends rock, jazz and cabaret with some truly
heartfelt, uplifting and funny songwriting from Mr. Spottiswoode himself. A Brit, of course!

Also, my friends in the Slambovian Circus of Dreams — who are from New York’s Hudson
Valley — have caused a stir in the UK when they’ve toured there in recent years. They’ve been
described as “hillbilly Pink Floyd,” but they channel elements of Bowie, Donavan, Bob Dylan
and more, held together with their own special brand of whimsy.

Angie: If you were to introduce The Kinks to a new listener, which album would you pick and
why?

Chris: It’s hard to pick just one, because The Kinks had a few different eras: early raucous hits, the
classic Something Else/Village Green/Arthur era, rock operas, arena rock, etc. So I’m going to
cheat and suggest two compilations that give the best overview: The Kink Kronikles (1960s) and
Come Dancing With The Kinks (1970s-‘80s).

Angie: If you could go to any Kinks concert ever, which one would you go to and why?

Chris: I would love to have attended the small private session at Konk Studios in 1994 where the band
recorded live versions of Kinks classics for what became part of the To The Bone album. Bill
Orton from the Official Kinks Fan Club tells in the book about how 14 lucky fans got to be there.
So much of what the band recorded that night — audio and video — has never been made
public. I say a little prayer almost every night right before I go to sleep!

Angie: Where did you get the idea for a book of Kinks fan stories?

Chris: The Kinks held a private event in London in early 2023 to kick off celebrations of their 60 th year.
Ray Davies, Dave Davies and Mick Avory were there, and lots of fans and friends. I read about it
online, a little jealous to be honest! But I thought: What could I do to add to the celebrations? It’s
such a huge milestone.

There have been a good number of books about the Kinks over the years – Ray and Dave each
wrote two autobiographies, there have been biographies of other people, other books have
analyzed the music and the lyrics and the cultural context of their work, especially Britain in the
1960s. What could I do that was different?

I’m a writer but also an editor, and for a while in my career I ran the editorial page of the daily
newspaper here in Binghamton, NY. You might think that’s a thankless job, but I really enjoyed
the process behind the letters to the editor – someone who isn’t a professional writer submitting
something and me working with them to make it publishable. Also, I tend to gravitate toward
projects that give other people a chance to shine.

When I realised that there had been no organised effort to collect Kinks fan stories, I ran the idea
past a few Kinks friends, and they agreed it would be cool to do. I thought maybe it could be a
self-published book but decided to pitch it to a few publishers of music books. Stephen Lambe
from Sonicbond said “it’s not the kind of thing we usually publish but let’s do it.” Shoutout to
Stephen for giving it a chance!

Angie: How has the book been received?

Chris: It’s not in too many hands yet, but those in the UK who have it seem to love it. Hopefully more
people will get it soon when it’s released in the US and elsewhere at the end of January or early
February.

Angie: Have you learnt anything new about The Kinks because the stories you’ve collected?

Chris: I don’t know that I learned any new facts, but the stories colour in around the edges and
humanise the band a bit more. I think one reason why fans love The Kinks is that they don’t
seem like rock gods — they’re regular blokes you could have a drink with, and some lucky fans
have.

Angie: Which stories in the book are your favourites?

Chris: Oh man, that’s hard to pin down — there are so many great ones! A fan named Konrad Kauczor escaped from East Germany to the West in the 1970s, mostly inspired by his dream to see the Kinks perform live.

Another good one is from Bernard de Gioanni, who used to run the Kinks French Konnektion fan club. He put an ad in a magazine looking for fellow fans, and the magazine made it to the Netherlands. One girl responded, they started a long-distance romance, and later they got married and had two kids. They’re still together!

Longtime fan Olga Ruocco had bassist Pete Quaife show up at her house in 1965 and have tea
with her and her mum. And guitarist Jonathan Lea tells the behind-the-scenes scoop about the
Davies brothers performing onstage together in 2015 for the first time in nearly 20 years. Those
are just a few, but I could mention a dozen more off the top of my head!

In addition to collecting fan stories, I reached out to some “celebrity” fans who love The Kinks
or have worked with band members over the years. David Temple, who is the artistic director of
the Crouch End Festival Chorus, talks about his working relationship with Ray Davies over two
decades, including live performances and the Kinks Choral Collection album.

There’s a great story from Canadian musician Ron Sexsmith, who talks about the concert that
inspired him to become a songwriter. I also got my good friend Kirk Madsen to contribute – he
was Ray’s stage manager and guitar tech for a few years from the mid- to late ‘90s. He shares a
funny little story from the road.

Angie: What do you like about The Kinks fandom?

Chris: Maybe it’s partly because Ray and Dave Davies are brothers, but Kinks fandom feels like a
family. Sometimes it’s a dysfunctional family, but that’s keeping with the band’s history too!

In all seriousness, I’ve met so many great people over the past 30 years because we share a love
for the band, and now I know even more thanks to this book. Some have been very kind and
generous in various ways, and I do what I can to pass on that spirit.

Angie: What is an unpopular opinion you have about The Kinks?

Chris: I’m not sure how unpopular it is, especially among Kinks fans, but I always say that the last
couple of studio albums – UK Jive and Phobia – had some great songs on there, for a band that
had been making music for 25 or 30 years by that point. Phobia is chock-full of themes about the
burdens of modern life in a world spiralling out of control, and that’s maybe even more relevant
today than 30 years ago.

Angie: What is your opinion on Millennials and Gen Z getting into classic rock?

Chris: I think it’s great. Since 2011, I’ve had a radio show on a college/community station (WHRW in
Binghamton, NY) – it’s one of the last true free-format stations in the U.S. You can play pretty
much anything you want within FCC regulations (no profanity, etc.).

I see students who are 18, 19, and 20 years old discovering and sharing classic rock, soul and
R&B from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. They love it because it sounds nothing like in the Top 40 or
pop culture now. I’m not going to be one of these guys who says all current music sucks —
there’s good stuff and bad stuff just like any other era. But music from the 1960s through the

‘80s just sounds different and is built differently. Rock has not been a factor on the charts for 15
or 20 years now, and there’s a hunger for it.

Angie: What are your plans for 2025?

Chris: Keep talking about the Kinks fan book until people are tired of hearing about it! And who knows
what else the new year will bring. Two years ago at this time, I had no idea I’d be doing this
book — and now it’s out!

Angie: Any other books planned?

Chris: Not at the moment — or at least none that I’m ready to talk about yet!

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