I’m continuing my series of videos of songs that pop up in the novel The Ten Weeks.  This time it’s Kevin Ayers’ “May I?” which appeared on his 1970 album Shooting at the Moon.  This rendition (I think) appeared on Spanish television in 1972.

Kevin Ayers is someone most Americans are totally unfamiliar with.  And it’s a pity; some of his material is charming in an offhanded way.  The son of a British colonial official, he grew up in Malaysia.  The exposure to the tropical climate and the non-European culture were mind-altering experiences, and his music reflects that.  (I can partially relate to that!)

Shooting at the Moon is special in that it features Mike Oldfield, who of course would go on to fame with albums such as Tubular Bells and the incomparable Hergest Ridge.