Two quick points (OK, maybe not so quick, but they tie up nicely):

First, I think it was great that you left in Zooey Deschanel’s comment at the end of the film about the Red Sox. I’ve thought most of my life that there is some DNA link between being a Kinks fan and Red Sox fan. They’ve both always been good, sometimes great, never, ever boring, but they always seemed to screw up just when the ultimate success was in their grasp. The Red Sox finally broke through in spectacular fashion, so I still hold out hope for the Kinks. Think about it; Fenway Park is like the Village Green. Anyway, I’ve met many people who share this link.

Second, and most important, the film’s message of family and somehow holding it together really resonated. The scenes with you and your wife (and daughter) were probably the most important in the movie and said scads more about the Kinks than what anyone else or even they could offer. It’s interesting that the Kinks were at their best when Ray’s first wife, Rasa was an active part of their music, contributing to some of their most beautiful harmonies. Can you name another group who did that (even though Rasa was never credited)? The Kinks were more of a family affair than just the Davies brothers. Rasa stopped singing on their albums around Arthur, when they started touring again, which was the beginning of the end of their greatness.

Which brings me to my own wife (and briefly back to the Red Sox). She could never understand how I could be so invested in that team when they constantly broke my heart. I think she sometimes hated them for the pain they caused me (or maybe was dismayed at the hold they had on me). Anyway, when the Red Sox finally broke through and beat the hated Yankees in 2004, no one, and I mean no one, relished it more than my wife. To this day, she’ll silently break out the DVD’s of those games just to watch them again and savor the moment.

My wife had some of the same feelings about the Kinks. I kind of courted her with them as the soundtrack, and she never knew if Apeman was a bigger hit than Misty Water. She probably got tired of hearing them over the years and of me spending so much money on the next re-release with the bonus track or another concert or something. At the screening last Thursday (she had bought the tickets for me as a 5oth birthday present), she was enthralled that there were others like me and really got a kick out of the movie and your antics. Maybe she thought it wasn’t so bad being married to me after watching you!

After the screening, she was ready to stay and watch the Kinks film clips without my even asking. But I could see in her eyes it was a work night and that she needed to go home. We stopped at Cantor’s on the way and picked up a take-out Pastrami sandwich for a late night snack. Our daughter and son, 18 and 20, arrived home at the same time as us and we ended up splitting the sandwich up, eating together, and talking about the movie, the Kinks, and life. Thanks for helping me to make the decision to go home, as much as I wanted to stay.