15 years ago today (January 4th, 2004), Ray Davies was shot in the leg while chasing thieves who snatched a purse from a woman he was with in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Back in 1965 the Kinks were rich and famous but Ray was uncomfortable around “rich people”. The Kinks song: “A Well Respected Man” was all about those people observed on a vacation. Here is his observation:
“We’d just returned from America and I’d been working non-stop, and they sent me for a holiday to a place called Torquay in England, which is a very comfortable place, full of successful people. And this was the first time outside of touring with the band that I had encountered that lifestyle as an individual. I felt completely out of place and people were asking me to play golf and stuff with them ‘cause I was famous. So I withdrew and I wrote that song.”
Photo: Landmark/PRPhotos.com.
