When Nina Simone Fired a Gun at a Record Label Executive
Nina Simone, the high priestess of Soul was notorious for her unapologetic personality.
In a recently resurfaced 1999 BBC interview, she revealed a long-buried story.
This is a story about her clash with a record company executive who, in her view, had stolen her hard-earned royalties.
Simone’s memory of the incident was as candid as it was shocking. She remembered confronting the executive and insisting on her rightful earnings, but received a far from satisfactory response; “We’re not going to give you any money,” they brazenly told her.
This is when Nina Simone’s determination turned fierce. In her own words, “I said, ‘oh yes, you are.’” She wasn’t armed with just a stern letter or a lawyer; she brandished a gun, and decided to take matters into her own hands.
Simone tracked down the executive to a restaurant in Switzerland, admitting, “I got a gun...and I tried to kill him.”
The interviewer, seemingly taken aback, asked if she had indeed pulled the trigger. Her response, unapologetically, was a resounding “of (bleep) excuse me, yes I did.”
The audacity of her confession is astounding, but what’s even more striking is her unrepentant tone.
When questioned about whether this act of aggression made her feel better, Simone’s response was chillingly straightforward, “Oh yes. Sorry, I didn’t get him.”
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