Dave Brainard discusses assault in first interview

Speaking in a mumbled voice through a jaw that has been wired shut, Nashville producer Dave Brainard gave his first interview since the brutal assault that left him unconscious and sent him for emergency surgery on his face.

Brainard, who has produced country artists Brandy Clark, Jamey Johnson and Jerrod Niemann among many others, spoke with The Tennessean’s music business reporter Nate Rau about what happened the night of the incident. Brainard also opened up about the generous response he’s gotten from Nashville’s music community, his appreciation for the work of the Metro Nashville Police Department and his hope to get back to making music sooner rather than later.

Brainard and a friend were crossing Demonbreun Street in the early morning hours of Sept. 27 at a crosswalk when they were lightly hit and then confronted by a couple in a four-door Infiniti. A physical altercation ensued and the couple in the Infiniti left the scene, prompting a police investigation.

On Tuesday a Maury County couple surrendered to police on assault charges, including a felony charge for the driver of the vehicle.

First question, how are you feeling?

Actually, I’m feeling pretty good. I’m walking up to my studio now. I’m feeling real good.

A lot of people worried when they read the initial story because the details were so scary. But it sounds like all things considered the surgery went well.

Absolutely. (Plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Kelly) at Vanderbilt was just fantastic. The whole staff at Vanderbilt was amazing. What’s weird, I guess, is just because of my demeanor I try to maintain a sense of humor, even throughout the hospital stay. I just enjoyed all the visitors, and the laughing. The healing process seemed to go a lot quicker just because of all the love and support.

I’ve been off of pain meds since three days after the surgery. I just really tried to get off them and see how far I could push it. Just four days into it, I was taking Tylenol. So the healing’s been great and the surgery went well.

Because of the damage, most people look at me and go, “I thought you were going to be a lot more beat up than you are.” But, you know, most of it was underneath the hood. My chin had a big cut and also the broken jaw and broken teeth — they don’t really show up on the outside.

That’s where it all occurred. But everything is great.

Is your prognosis a full recovery?

Yeah. I mean we’ll see. I think so, whatever long-term risks there are of arthritis and stuff like, we’ll see. Everything is going great. The doctors told me I’m going to be even better-looking, so I’m happy with that.

As soon as I get my teeth fixed, everything will be fine. When I get the wires off it’ll be a couple months from now. It’s a process, but that’s all it is, just a process I have to go through.

What’s your reaction been to the response you’ve gotten from people in the music community and people you didn’t even know?

I’ve been sort out of the loop. People have been telling me the response, but just the texts I received from friends and people throughout my life, it’s been just overwhelming. Everybody has been so sincere and supportive.

I just never really experienced that. I choked up a lot seeing people’s responses. Basically, it’s almost like seeing what people say about you after you might have been dead and still being around to read it. It’s been absolutely overwhelming. Everything from past friends to people at all levels of the industry just reaching out and showing the love, it’s overshadowed any of the pain I went through. It’s made the pain seem like such a small thing.

It’s been amazing to me to feel that kind of love and support. It’s overshadowed the negative. I’ve been telling people it’s like a silver cloud with a dark lining.

Do you have a sense of how your recovery will affect your work?

I’m kind of fortunate in that because of what I’ve built independently I have people working for me who are really great. I have to adjust my own stuff because I love to work. But things have been so great moving forward because of the people around me.

I think about next Monday I want to start tiptoeing back into the studio and getting my head wrapped around projects I’m involved with. I can’t wait to get back to making music and making it all about the music again.

The main question I’m getting from readers is what do you think the motive was of the couple in the car?

This is my own theory, and I don’t want to make it out to say it’s official. But from what I experienced, it didn’t seem alcohol-related. It seemed drug-related to me. It was kind of a rage that came out of it, and being influenced by that.

The rage was over the top. It wasn’t normal. I’ve never experienced it personally, but I’ve seen people talk about it and in movies. The sort of steroid rage. That’s what it felt like to me. I feel like because of the one minor incident — which we were in the right, regarding pedestrians having the right of way — for some reason whatever their reality was, I have no way to explain it.

So whatever it was, they acted irrationally.

It was beyond irrational. It was just an uncontrollable rage. At the point I was attacked, I hadn’t even made contact with the male driver. At the point I was attacked, I was pulling Deborah out from in front of the car and the next thing I know I’m looking at him and he’s basically cussing at me saying, “You think this is funny? I’m going to kick your dah-dah-dah.”

He just came at me. But for some reason, and I smile naturally, but I was trying to defuse the situation. That simple act alone caused so much rage in him to come after me. That’s how irrational it was. It wasn’t like I was looking at him going, “Hey clown, what the heck?” It was simply my face and my demeanor towards trying to defuse the situation created a reaction out of him that he misunderstood for some reason as provoking. Whatever did it, I have no idea.

You complimented police in your initial statement, and Detective Anthony Chandler in particular. Can you go into any more detail regarding the work they did to solve this case?

All I know is that from the beginning, from the incident itself, and I’m sorry I can’t remember the name of the officer who drove me to the VA Hospital. I need to look that up because it’s an important detail.

He basically took me to the hospital and stayed with me in the emergency room until everything was clear. The police in this case are so great. He stayed with me at the VA Hospital until I was cleared to go to Vanderbilt.

Anthony Chandler has been so impressive in how quick and professional they’ve been. And how they were able to get to last night was so impressive. I have total trust in the process. I’m just blown away by the process and the work they’ve done.

You were knocked unconscious. Was it one moment you’re in a skirmish and the next moment you’re out, or do you remember anything from that point? Did you fear for your life?

I woke up on the median. Blood was flowing out of my mouth and I was coughing up teeth chunks. It was kind of a crazy scene. I was waking up from a peaceful sleep. At that point, I was having some really peaceful dreams and then woke up into the chaos. It was just like in the movies.

You live in the area where the incident took place. Do you feel like that’s a safe neighborhood? I heard from many people who said they feel like that area is unsafe sometimes, particularly at night when the bars get out.

I would agree with that, but I wouldn’t point my finger at anything. That area has developed so fast. All within context, all of a sudden it’s become what it is. You’ve got apartments there and construction there. It’s an evolving thing.

It is dangerous obviously. Even when I’m driving, I’ve always noticed there’s a crosswalk. Sometimes people stop. Sometimes people are in a rush. Sometimes one car stops for somebody and somebody else rushes through. What it’s evolved into, I think it’s become a dangerous intersection.

I think they need something, whether it’s flashing lights or something to slow down traffic, speed bumps or something. I don’t think some people take that stretch seriously in terms of all the bodies going back and forth. I think that’s something that can’t be done that’s already probably been thought up by the city.

The construction has caused a lot of it. In our case, it was someone probably seeing the road and not caring or being aware of all the pedestrians in that area. Most people I see definitely stop and are aware, but there’s definitely something that can be done.

It’s only been 10 days, but where’s your mind at looking at the future?

I trust the process, and like I said police have done a great job. I’m happy to help out. Like I said, I want to get back to making music. I’ve been told it will be a process I need to be involved with. I’ll do my part, but I don’t want to engulf myself in it. I want to do music and do what I love to do, being in the studio.

Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.