Not that sort of kinky! Dave Davies calls out Elon Musk over Kinks Twitter warning

Dave Davies and Elon Musk headshots
(Image credit: Dave Davies: Debra L Rothenberg | Elon Musk: Theo Wargo)

If falling out with Trent Reznor wasn't enough, beleaguered Twitter head honcho Elon Musk now has another scrap on his hands, and this time it comes in the unlikely shape of Kinks legend Dave Davies.  

The furore started when Davies posted a tweet in which he shared a TikTok video celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Kinks. Cut to next scene, and the part of Twitter's algorithm that deals with "sensitive content" has been triggered, and a warning attached to Davies' tweet, advising users to show caution and giving Davies the option to appeal.

Davies took the decision to his timeline, tweeting, "Dear @elonmusk and @twitter would please stop putting warnings on everything from ‘the Kinks’. We are just trying to promote our Kinks music," before ending with a defiant hashtag: #thekinks60

The warning on the initial post has now been removed, although some other tweets containing the word "Kinks" remain flagged. 

"The Kinks are a brand name. We have been called the Kinks since 1963," Davies tweeted later, before adding, "We liked the name the Kinks because it represented being outsiders, people that were different… the unusuals or people that weren’t like everybody else."

“It’s been going on for quite a while,” Davies told Rolling Stone. “It’s been a good few months… I don’t know what’s going on, if they’ve got a block on my name, or the Kinks’ name, we don’t know. I wish I had better answers.”

“It’s not him that’s doing it,” Davies added, referring to Musk. “I’m sure he’s a very interesting man. It’s the AI thing that I’m a bit concerned about."

The fracas is perfectly timed to generate publicity for The Journey, a two-part anthology celebrating the band's 60th anniversary, the first part of which is due for release on March 24, with the second part following later in the year. Part 1 will be released in 2LP and 2CD editions as well as via streaming platforms. Full tracklist below. 

See more

The Kinks: The Journey - Part 1 tracklist

LP Version

Side 1: Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl
1.    You Really Got Me (UK#1, 1964)
2.    All Day And All Of The Night (UK#2, 1964)
3.    It's All Right (1964)
4.    Who'll Be The Next In Line (1965)
5.    Tired Of Waiting For You (UK#1, 1965)
6.    She's Got Everything (1968)
7.    Just Can't Go To Sleep (1964)
8.    Stop Your Sobbing (1964)
9.    Wait Till The Summer Comes Along (1965)
10.    So Long (1965)

Side 2: Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the back-side
1.    Dead End Street (UK#5, 1966)
2.    Schooldays (1975)
3.    The Hard Way (1975)
4.    Mindless Child Of Motherhood (1969)
5.    Supersonic Rocket Ship (UK#2, 1972)
6.    I'm In Disgrace (1975)
7.    Do You Remember Walter? (1968)

Side 3: Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times
1.    Too Much On My Mind (1966)
2.    Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (1965)
3.    Days (UK#2, 1968)
4.    Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1965)
5.    Strangers (1970)
6.    It’s Too Late (1965)
7.    Sitting In The Midday Sun (1973)

Side 4: A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl
1.    Waterloo Sunset (UK#2, 1967)
2.    No More Looking Back (1975)
3.    Death Of A Clown (UK#3, 1967) 
4.    Celluloid Heroes (1972)
5.    Act Nice And Gentle (1967)
6.    This Is Where I Belong (1967)

CD Version

CD1: Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl
1.    You Really Got Me (UK#1, 1964)
2.    All Day And All Of The Night (UK#2, 1964)
3.    It's All Right (1964)
4.    Who'll Be The Next In Line (1965)
5.    Tired Of Waiting For You (UK#1, 1965)
6.    Dandy (Germany#1, 1966) 
7.    She's Got Everything (1968)
8.    Just Can't Go To Sleep (1964)
9.    Stop Your Sobbing (1964)
10.    Wait Till The Summer Comes Along (1965)
11.    So Long (1965)
12.    I'm Not Like Everybody Else (1966)

Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the back-side
13.    Dead End Street (UK#5, 1966)
14.    Wonderboy (1968) 
15.    Schooldays (1975)
16.    The Hard Way (1975)
17.    Mindless Child Of Motherhood (1969)
18.    Supersonic Rocket Ship (UK#2, 1972)
19.    I'm In Disgrace (1975)
20.    Do You Remember Walter? (1968)

CD2: Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times
1.    Too Much On My Mind (1966)
2.    Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (1965)
3.    Days (UK#2, 1968)
4.    Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains (1968)
5.    Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1965)
6.    Strangers (1970)
7.    It’s Too Late (1965)
8.    Sitting In The Midday Sun (1973)

A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl
9.    Waterloo Sunset (UK#2, 1967)
10.    Australia (1969)
11.    No More Looking Back (1975)
12.    Death Of A Clown (UK#3, 1967) 
13.    Celluloid Heroes (1972)
14.    Act Nice And Gentle (1967)
15.    This Is Where I Belong (1967)
16.    Shangri-La (1969)

Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.