The Kinks’ Ray Davies looks back on being shot, and his sympathy for the gunman
Ray Davies has recalled being shot almost 20 years ago, and explained that he now has some sympathy for the gunman.
The former Kinks frontman was involved in a shooting in New Orleans back in 2004, leading to him being hospitalised.
He and a friend were walking home from dinner when a mugger attacked them both, threatening the woman with a gun before taking her handbag and piling into a getaway car.
Davies chased after the assailant, who turned, aimed the gun and shot him in the leg at point-blank range.
The musician went on to recount the ordeal in his 2013 memoir Americana: the Kinks, the Road and the Perfect Riff. During a new interview with NME, Davies was asked about how it felt to relive the incident while writing the book.
In response, he said it was a “cathartic” experience because he “didn’t feel like the good guy” when he replayed the scene on the page.
“Just before he shot me, he looked afraid – and he had a gun,” Davies told NME. “You know, I was thinking of the world he came from, the challenges in his life…”
NME then suggested that now many people have seen that look, to which he responded: “It’s utter desperation.”
Davies also spoke about a potential of a full reunion of The Kinks, and revealed that they have enough material to create “about 20” new songs.
As for the prospect of a full-blown comeback, Davies told NME that the idea remains “in the lap of the gods”, and would only come to fruition if they could lock in “a show that gives us the credit we deserve”.
Elsewhere in the conversation with NME, Davies shared his thoughts on the long-awaited “final” track from The Beatles, stating: “It’s alright, but it’s nothing really different for them”. Additionally, he revealed that he is a fan of The Rolling Stones‘ new album ‘Hackney Diamonds’.
Meanwhile, The Kinks are set to release the second edition of their two-part anthology series, ‘The Journey’, this Friday (November 18).
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Tom Skinner
NME
