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The Kinks perforn on TV in the 1960s. (from left) Ray Davies, Pete Quaife, Dave Davies and Mick Avory. (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn Lennon didn\u2019t like the Kinks, he really didn\u2019t,\u201d Davies said, confirming something he has long suggested. \u201cIn fact, John Lennon didn\u2019t really like anybody!\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Paul McCartney, who recently released his nostalgia-tinged album<\/a> The Boys from Dungeon Lane, also came in for criticism. Davies said the 18-time Grammy winner \u201cwrote a few decent songs,\u201d but offered little more by way of praise.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Ringo Starr, who duets with McCartney<\/a> on Dungeon Lane, escaped mention altogether. Instead, Davies reserved his warmest words for George Harrison.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge Harrison was the only one I really liked,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was the nicest guy.\u201d<\/p>\n The roots of the Kinks\u2019 rivalry with the Beatles are widely traced to a Bournemouth show in the summer of 1964, where the Kinks opened for the Liverpool band. According to later accounts, Lennon approached Davies before the show and made several cutting remarks, including a dig at the Kinks\u2019 lack of hit records.<\/p>\n Writing in his 1994 autobiography, X-Ray, Kinks frontman Ray Davies suggested Lennon\u2019s put-down stemmed from insecurity. He claimed the audience was calling for the Kinks to return to the stage for an encore just as the Beatles were preparing to perform.<\/p>\n \n Dave Davies in New York City, April 17, 2023. (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n If so, Lennon\u2019s comments quickly proved ill-timed. Just days later, \u201cYou Really Got Me\u201d topped the U.K. charts and reached the top 10 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Ireland and Sweden. In a fitting twist, it displaced the Beatles single \u201cA Hard Day\u2019s Night\u201d from the number one spot.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n The song \u2014 later introduced to a new generation through Van Halen\u2019s explosive cover<\/a> \u2014 became one of electric-guitar<\/a> rock\u2019s defining moments. Davies famously slashed the speaker cone of his guitar amp with a razor blade<\/a> to create the raw distortion that helped lay the groundwork for modern rock guitar.<\/p>\n This has already been a busy year for Davies. In March, he pushed back against transphobia accusations<\/a> made by electronica artist Moby, and he has also criticized a new Kinks biography, saying it contains \u201cmisinformation<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The renewed attention has also prompted fresh questions about a possible Kinks reunion, with Davies suggesting his relationship with older brother Ray may finally be improving.<\/p>\n![\"Musician](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/VKppqWnM7Dmqz72DEQUBHa.jpg\")
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