Ray Shell has his finger in so many pies as a singer, actor, writer, and manager of the soul band Damage. Now his first novel, Iced, is about to hit the stage. Five years ago I met him at a Jamiroquai party in a castle. Jay [Jamiroquai's lead singer] needed a vocal coach to show him warm-up exercises and rehearsal practice. Ray gave him tips. So I've endured this warbling for an hour before every show for the past four years. I like to throw in an obtuse harmony to confuse Jay.
Ray's a level-headed, together kind of guy. I couldn't believe this was the same person who'd written Iced. He's so quiet and sweet, not particularly streetwise. Yet the book is incredibly graphic. Iced is about a young black guy, Cornelius Washington Jnr, who starts taking crack - and the relationships that evolve from this.
Ray's from New York and while he's never experienced crack addiction first hand, he's seen it. He's also putting his money where his mouth is and sponsoring a kids workshop about crack addiction. He's an all-round good guy.
Iced tackles race issues head-on - Cornelius has an argument with a nutty Irish woman who defends the enslavement of blacks. The Black Theatre Co-operative and the Nottingham Playhouse are staging the show with a hip-hop and acid-jazz soundtrack. Ray's band Damage (they're the All Saints of boy bands) have recorded one of the tracks.
This has got to be the first-ever hard drugs musical. The more I think about it, the more of a contradiction it seems. It's an interesting concept and because of Ray Shell's involvement, it should be an excellent production.
