The intersection of rock history and true crime is often a dark, speculative space, but for The Kinks, it was a tangible, albeit brief, brush with a nightmare. Decades after the fact, Dave Davies has opened up about a surreal encounter he had with the notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy during the band’s ill-fated 1965 US tour.
The story surfaced during a recent appearance on The Magnificent Others, a podcast hosted by Billy Corgan. As the two musicians discussed Davies’ 1967 solo track “Death Of A Clown,” the conversation took a sharp turn into the macabre. Corgan, who grew up in the Chicago area where Gacy committed his horrific crimes, prompted the discussion by asking if Davies was aware of the local history surrounding the “serial killer clown.”
Davies, now 79, offered a startling revelation: “I met him! He was so nice! I just couldn’t believe it!”
The context for this meeting dates back to 1965, when Gacy was living in Springfield, Illinois, working as a shoe salesman and serving as an active member of the Jaycees, a civic organization. The Jaycees were responsible for promoting a Kinks concert at the Illinois State Armory—a show that was notably poorly attended. According to historical accounts, Gacy extended an invitation to the band to visit his home for drinks. While the band members did not stay, the invitation was accepted, leading to a brief, unsuspecting interaction with a man who would later be revealed as one of America’s most prolific serial killers.
Ray Davies, Dave’s brother and bandmate, previously recounted the incident in a 2014 interview with Louder Sound, noting that bassist Pete Quaife had spent time at Gacy’s residence. “I didn’t stick around,” Ray noted, reflecting on the unsettling nature of the encounter. “You’d meet a lot of people like that, hanging out with promoters. That could have been a potentially scary time. I’ve worked with a lot of dodgy people in my time, without knowing their connections.”
For Dave Davies, the realization of who he had actually met came long after the fact, leaving him with a lingering sense of dread. During his conversation with Corgan, he admitted that the memory of Gacy’s outward friendliness—a trait often cited by those who knew the killer before his arrest—was deeply disturbing. The exchange serves as a haunting reminder of how easily the monstrous can hide behind a veneer of normalcy.
