WRKR: Rocker Buzz

The WRKR-website has unfortunately no archives. So I copied the news from their site and post them here. All news are from their "Rocker Buzz"

(4.3.2003)

RAY DAVIES AND DAVID BOWIE PERFORM TOGETHER AT CARNEGIE HALL

Ray Davies, legendary lead singer of The Kinks, joined David Bowie on stage at New York City's Carnegie Hall last Friday during a star studded benefit for the Tibet House organization. Bowie himself sang "Loving The Alien," and "Heathen," before bringing on to the stage a man who he said he had last played with "many, many years ago." Ray Davies came on stage and with Bowie sharing vocal duties, the two played The Kinks' classic "Waterloo Sunset." They had last played together in the mid '60s when Bowie, who was then only sixteen years old, was the opening act on a Kinks tour. Ray Davies then played The Kinks' hit "You Really Got Me," and had nearly the entire sold out crowd standing and dancing in the aisles. Other performers at the event included Lou Reed, Ziggy Marley, Rufus Wainwright, composer Phillip Glass, and longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti. To close the show, all artists participating in the event came on stage together for a stirring version of Bob Marley's protest song, "Get Up, Stand Up,” with Marley's son Ziggy at the lead. We caught up with Ziggy before the show, and asked him about why he felt an attachment to the Tibet House, an organization that fights to preserve the culture and wisdom of the Tibetan people. “We, we have to be that army, that army that fights for the rights of people who the world don’t know, or who the world don’t see. Or who is not important to the world. And we are part of that army. We are that army, musicians and people who organize stuff like that, this is the army of those who will fight for the unknown, the unseen. We are the army, and the guitars are the guns, and the drums is the bombs, and the bass is the stealth bomber, and whatever. You know, so that’s how I see it.” This was Tibet House's tenth annual benefit concert at Carnegie Hall, which is known for its exciting stage collaborations and diverse musicianship.

(5.3.2003)

RAY DAVIES TALKS ABOUT PERFORMANCE WITH DAVID BOWIE

We reported yesterday that the Tibet House Benefit at New York’s Carnegie Hall saw two of rock’s biggest legends, David Bowie and Ray Davies, performing together for the first time since the ‘60s. When we caught up with Davies before the show, we asked the former Kinks frontman about the circumstances of their last duet. “Well, interestingly enough, we were on the same stage together where he was David Jones. He was in a band called the Mannish Boys and The Kinks were playing, but never actually together singing. So we're singing one of my songs tonight. David wanted to do Waterloo Sunset which is an old Kinks record.” So you might be wondering, why did Davy Jones change his name to David Bowie? Wel,l the name Davy Jones was, of course, already taken by one of The Monkees and, to avoid confusion, Bowie made the switch.

(7.3.2003)

RAY DAVIES SPILLS THE BEANS ABOUT SOLO ALBUM

Ray Davies of The Kinks has finally come clean about the solo record he's rumored to have been working on for well over a year. But, he says, don't be fooled by the notion of a QUOTE "Ray Davies solo record." It's much more than that. “I wanted it to sound like a band, not Ray Davies with session musicians, and it was a long time finding a band that I could feel that way about. Not the top players, but players that worked for each other. My dream target is to have it out in the late fall, you know, for this year.” Davies also said he's working on the album -- which he describes as a "rock album" -- in his studio in London, and that he's looking for a label to release it. He also promises to launch a tour in support of it when it finally does come out.