Fact #98530
When:
Short story:
On the same day that they release their debut single, Long Tall Sally, The Kinks make their UK tv debut on weekly pop show Ready, Steady, Go!.
Full article:
Pete Quaife (bassist, The Kinks] : We realised how important that show was. That was the big time for us. One day our manager, Robert Wace, just turned around and said (adopts twit voice) "Oh, by the way, you're on Ready, Steady, Go!."
It was very much a 'Dahling, how lovely to see you," set up at Ready, Steady, Go!. It was run by Vicky 'Sticky Wicket' Wickham. Did you know, by the way, that Ray actually tried to pull Dusty Springfield? That was on the steps outside Ready, Steady, Go!, and he was trying to chat her up. We all knew he was doomed to failure, but he evidently didn't.
Vicky Wickham : Dusty knew people realised she was gay. What good would it have done to make a big public announcement? When I was her manager I agreed with her: I always felt it was nobody's business. And anyway there is still a double standard. If a big female star suddenly said 'I'm gay', I think it would kill her career dead in its tracks, I really do.
We both knew we were gay right from the start and I think that helped enormously. We were totally platonic, though, which I think is why it lasted. We really were just mates and because of that she could tell me about her affairs and I could tell her about mine." Didn't she ever wish she had been Dusty's lover too? "Not remotely! She really wasn't my type and I'm sure I wasn't hers
Pete Quaife : And that Mike Aldred guy, the interviewer, I could have killed him. He just put the shivers up my back. But when you were doing the show you didn't actually have much contact with the tv people.It looked like you did, onthe tv, but in actual fact we had nothing to do with Cathy McGowan or the others. We were on the other side of the studio being told what to do.
I remember it caused great excitement at home because mum and dad were watching us on tv. I ran into Fred, my old boss, outside from the advertising agency I'd worked in. He'd heard we were on and he'd come along to say hello. He was standing there with his autograph book, so times had obviously changed.
Funnily enough, I knew Cathy McGowan before Ready, Steady, Go!. I was working at an ad agency called Menswear, and one of the extremely good looking, very avant garde secretaries downstairs was one of Cathy McGowan's friends. So we'd knock around and have coffee from time to time before she was famous.
Ray Davies (leader, The Kinks] : When we did Ready, Steady, Go!, our first tv appearance, I was the lead singer but the presenter, Michael Aldred, walked over and interviewed Dave. But of course, Michael ended up being Dave's slave (laughs).
I don't think I was ever a teen idol. I had odd teeth. My hair was odd. I had a spotty face. I wrote the songs, which gave me a certain amount of credibility but, you know, I was in the league of the keyboard player of The Nashville Teens or the bass player of The Mojos. I was in the ugly set. It didn't really affect me.
I was just a really shy person and that's it. I always thought Dave was the obvious stand out.
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It was very much a 'Dahling, how lovely to see you," set up at Ready, Steady, Go!. It was run by Vicky 'Sticky Wicket' Wickham. Did you know, by the way, that Ray actually tried to pull Dusty Springfield? That was on the steps outside Ready, Steady, Go!, and he was trying to chat her up. We all knew he was doomed to failure, but he evidently didn't.
Vicky Wickham : Dusty knew people realised she was gay. What good would it have done to make a big public announcement? When I was her manager I agreed with her: I always felt it was nobody's business. And anyway there is still a double standard. If a big female star suddenly said 'I'm gay', I think it would kill her career dead in its tracks, I really do.
We both knew we were gay right from the start and I think that helped enormously. We were totally platonic, though, which I think is why it lasted. We really were just mates and because of that she could tell me about her affairs and I could tell her about mine." Didn't she ever wish she had been Dusty's lover too? "Not remotely! She really wasn't my type and I'm sure I wasn't hers
Pete Quaife : And that Mike Aldred guy, the interviewer, I could have killed him. He just put the shivers up my back. But when you were doing the show you didn't actually have much contact with the tv people.It looked like you did, onthe tv, but in actual fact we had nothing to do with Cathy McGowan or the others. We were on the other side of the studio being told what to do.
I remember it caused great excitement at home because mum and dad were watching us on tv. I ran into Fred, my old boss, outside from the advertising agency I'd worked in. He'd heard we were on and he'd come along to say hello. He was standing there with his autograph book, so times had obviously changed.
Funnily enough, I knew Cathy McGowan before Ready, Steady, Go!. I was working at an ad agency called Menswear, and one of the extremely good looking, very avant garde secretaries downstairs was one of Cathy McGowan's friends. So we'd knock around and have coffee from time to time before she was famous.
Ray Davies (leader, The Kinks] : When we did Ready, Steady, Go!, our first tv appearance, I was the lead singer but the presenter, Michael Aldred, walked over and interviewed Dave. But of course, Michael ended up being Dave's slave (laughs).
I don't think I was ever a teen idol. I had odd teeth. My hair was odd. I had a spotty face. I wrote the songs, which gave me a certain amount of credibility but, you know, I was in the league of the keyboard player of The Nashville Teens or the bass player of The Mojos. I was in the ugly set. It didn't really affect me.
I was just a really shy person and that's it. I always thought Dave was the obvious stand out.