Kevin Ayers: An Interview

2013 NOTE: The interview was ostensibly for the "Hello/Goodbye" feature in MOJO 184 (March 2009), on Ayers's time in Soft Machine, but was opened out a little to take in more of his early life and his current modus operandi. Unfortunately, by some oversight, the tape wasn't dated, but the interview took place in the autumn of the previous year. Kevin was friendly and articulate, but was, by his own admission, "A bit pissed", having made inroads into a bottle of vodka by the time of our midday interview slot. Just before I left, I broke protocol and told him that I had been a fan of his music since my teens, that it had continued to inspire me, and that when I went back to it, it always sounded fresh. He raised his eyebrows, looked at me and replied, "You know, that's one of the nicest things that anyone's ever said to me".