Lo-lo-lo-lo Lola’s got them ma-ma-ma-ma mad.
Celebrated musician and producer Moby took a cheap shot at the Kinks biting new interview published Sunday, calling the British rockers’ classic “Lola” “unevolved” — and sparking a nasty spat with the rock icons.
“Lola by the Kinks came up on a Spotify playlist, and I thought the lyrics were gross and transphobic,” Moby said during a sit-down with The Guardian. “I like their early music, but I was really taken aback at how unevolved the lyrics are.”
The jab didn’t sit well with Kinks’ guitarist Dave Davis, the brother of front man and songwriter Ray Davies — who even invoked the name of a noted transgender punk rocker in his sharp rebuke.
“To @thelittleidiot Moby’s criticism of our song LOLA these are the words sent to me and Ray from our dear friend trans icon @jaynecounty27 #JayneCounty,” Davis wrote in a scathing X post. “I am highly insulted that MOBY would accuse my brother of being ‘unevolved’ or transphobic in any way.”.
Jayne County is a punk icon and onetime regular at CBGB’s during the 1970s punk explosion under the name Wayne County, and was one of the first transgender music industry figures to come out publicly.
Moby, born Richard Hall, uses thelittleidiot as his handle on X but has not posted in recent years.
Released in 1970, Lola is a tune about a young man who falls for a drag queen while out at a Soho nightclub, a brave statement at a time of societal uncertainty over gender identity.
“Girls will be boys and boys will be girls, it’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola,” the lyrics say. “I’d never ever kissed a woman before but Lola smiled and took me by the hand and said, ‘Dear boy, I’m gonna make you a man.’”
The tune hit No. 1 on the British charts and rose into the top 10 in the US, and is still considered one of the band’s most popular and recognizable songs.
“I did a bit of research with drag queens.” Ray Davis said in a 2020 interview with the New York Times. “I admire anyone who can get up and be what they want to be.”
Moby did not expand on his comments to The Guardian, and did not say why he found the song “gross.”
The 60-year-old musician, songwriter, DJ and music producer has been one of the most successful figures in the industry, breaking out in the 1990s as a major talent.
He is a noted animal-rights activist and proud vegan.
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