Do you have a great story to tell about being a Kinks fan? Or photos to share?
A new book will collect the best fan stories from Kinks fans throughout the band's remarkable 60-year(!) career, and you're invited to submit yours!
We're looking for memories from 250 to 750 words that are tied to one incident or time. The book will be organized by decade (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc.) — so even if you don't have an exact date, the year that the story takes place is essential.
Stories from after the final Kinks concert in 1996 are welcome. So that includes Ray and Dave Davies solo tours, the Come Dancing and Sunny Afternoon musicals, even the Kast Off Kinks.
Here are some general examples (but obviously there are other possibilities):
- How you first encountered their music
- The concert that made you a fan and why it was special
- A time when the music gave you joy or solace
- How you met your spouse or best friend because of the Kinks
- A time you interacted with band members and what made it memorable
- General sentiments about the band and how great they are (we know that!)
- Album / song reviews
- Fabricated stories (if we question a story's authenticity, we will not use it)
If you're worried that you're not a good enough writer, don't be! I'm a longtime editor, and if your piece is selected, I will work with you to shape your submission to be the best it can be. Having a good story is the important thing here.
You're welcome to submit multiple stories. We can then discuss which one would be the best fit. Contributors will be limited to one published story for now, but we will re-evaluate depending on the final number of entries.
We're also looking for cool photos! Something beyond the usual "here I am with Ray or Dave" photos (as wonderful as those are for us as keepsakes). Concert photos, behind-the-scenes shots, anything rare or unusual. These must be your photos and you must own the copyright. Should be in focus and able to be sent as a high-resolution .jpg. Any questions on this, ask me.
Please send your entries or questions to kinksfanbook@gmail.com. Please include your full name, town/city of residence and any other relevant biographical info with your entry.
The deadline for submissions is
Chris Kocher
(Editor)
Update: Deadline extended to Nov. 15th!
From Chris:
Hi all! I am so grateful to everyone who has sent stories and photos for the Kinks fan book so far. I read one just tonight that reminded me why I wanted to do this in the first place. It's SOOOO sweet!
We're at about 25,000 words, which is about halfway there. To give people more time, I'm extending the deadline a few weeks to Nov. 15.
I'd love to include your story! It can't be a laundry list of concerts and other highlights, though - we all could do that to varying lengths. Tell us about ONE concert or ONE experience and why it meant so much. Make us laugh, make us cry, or make us feel all fuzzy inside! Maybe a combination of all 3!
You're welcome to write about anything from 1963 to today. However, here are stories I'd like to see more of:
- 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
- Dave Davies solo shows.
- "Come Dancing" or "Sunny Afternoon" musicals
- Kast Off Kinks
And just general stories about how the Kinks affected your life. You don't need to have met the band or even seen a single concert. You're all on this [mailing list/Facebook group/fan web site] for a reason. Tell us why! One fan wrote about how "Autumn Almanac" made him miss his old neighborhood where he thought he'd live forever. (Thanks, Jerry!) There are also a couple of stories about how people met / fell in love because of the band.
If you think you're not a good writer, no worries! I've been editing people's stories for 20+ years. Together we can hone it until it's something both of us are happy with.
Length is around 750 words maximum but could be shorter. Please send to kinksfanbook@gmail.com. (I'm trying to keep everything in that inbox so I don't lose anything.)
Let me know if you have questions.
Thanks so much!
- Chris
KindaKinks.net E-mail Dave Emlen
