Keith Richards Shrugs Off Attack

A spokesperson for Keith Richards has laughed off reports the rocker smacked a journalist on Tuesday, insisting the Rolling Stone merely "tapped" his interviewer on the head.

Swedish reporter Markus Larsson claimed the guitarist threatened him during a chat in a Paris hotel before lunging at him as revenge for giving his band a negative review.

However, Richards' publicist has contradicted Larsson's account of events, insisting the star was fooling around when he lightly patted the writer's head. A statement from the representative reads: "At the conclusion of the 20 minute interview Keith Richards jokingly tapped the journalist on the head after his questions got a bit silly.

"From the people in the room during the interview they would suggest that the writer has allowed his imagination to get the better of him."