A Celebration of Kevin Ayers

I first discovered Kevin Ayers in a fairly roundabout manner. When I was a freshman in college, I was desperate for information about a relatively new band at the time: the Walkmen (it was early 2002). I was searching the internet for examples of the band's music when I came upon a streaming radio show on which they had been guest DJs. I hoped that the band would have played a song or two of their own. As I recall, they did nothing of the sort - they were just playing a bunch of their favorite records. The Walkmen closed the show by spinning a song that I instantly fell for: "Song for Insane Times" by Kevin Ayers.

I remember being fascinated by the track. It was the first time I had heard an electric organ through a wah pedal. The drummer was playing what I considered to be the perfect hybrid between "jazz drums" and "rock drums" (he turned out to be Robert Wyatt). The musician in me was impressed by the chord changes. Finally, I was captivated by Ayers' voice - a rich baritone that seemed nonchalant to the point of sloth.

Indeed, Kevin Ayers' career (and his life as well) has been marked by meted doses of insouciance. Ayers was the son of a BBC producer. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother remarried a British civil servant. He spent much of his childhood in Malaysia, where he developed a taste for the easygoing tropical lifestyle very early on. Eventually, he would move back to Canterbury, UK, where he fell into the burgeoning music scene. He was a founding member of the Soft Machine, leaving the group after recording one album and touring the US in support of Jimi Hendrix. Burned out by the hectic schedule, he would move to Majorca to decompress (the Softs would write a song about this, "As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still"). Only after an extended absence did he return to the music world to record his debut record, Joy of a Toy (1969).

Here's a song for 'clean machine Kevin Majorca'
He's found his own way to live in Majorca
Don't walk, don't drink
Don't talk, just think
Heaven on earth, he'll get there soon.

Kevin's highly unlikely to get ill
At least as long as he lies perfectly still
He eats brown rice
And fish, how nice -
Heaven on earth, he'll get there soon.

- from "As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still," The Soft Machine Volume Two (1969)

Joy of a Toy is a lovely record. Some of it is pleasantly pastoral ("Town Feeling," "The Clarietta Rag"), some of it ridiculously absurd ("Joy of a Toy Continued," "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong"). However wonderful the record is, the greatest highlight for me remains "Song for Insane Times" - backed by his former Soft Machine bandmates, Ayers lets rip with a beautiful piece of psychedelic-jazz-pop perfection.

In addition to "Song for Insane Times," I have also posted a video of "May I," a track on Ayers' second album, Shooting at the Moon (1970). Among the members of his band are Lol Coxhill (saxophone) and Mike Oldfield (bass).

Interesting group of guys...

Song for Insane Times

Epilogue: Subsequently, I did track down the Walkmen's debut record and loved it. They remain one of my favorite contemporary bands. In addition, "Song for Insane Times" inspired me to seek out the Soft Machine's first two records - both of which have since eclipsed Joy of a Toy for me. But that's a story for another day...