X-Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography"Like his songs, Davies's book is alternately poignant, funny, and bawdy . . . indispensable for Kinks fans and recommended for anyone interested in 1960s pop music." — Library Journal This subversively brilliant, one-of-a-kind rock autobiography is ingeniously styled as a biography, written by a nameless, faceless writer hired by an Orwellian entity called "the Corporation" to capture the essence of Ray Davies, lead singer and songwriter of the Kinks and one of the greatest rock and rollers of all time. The Kinks frontman reveals his life and times to the young writer, often seemingly passing his stories directly into the writer's consciousness. Carnaby Street, Top of the Pops, the Cavern Club, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who and other fixtures of the times fade in and out of this compelling narrative. Part autobiography, part social history, part psychological thriller, this elusive and daring book exposes rock stardom as the heaven, hell, and purgatory it is. "In an age when everybody's in show business and writes a lousy book about it, Ray Davies is to be honored for not doing the usual thing. We would expect no less of him." — Rolling Stone "A major addition to pop-culture literature." — Booklist |
Contents
To help classify my disease | |
All your smart modern painters | |
Here come the people in grey | |
The contenders | |
Mixed up with a floosie | |
Me and my babys gonna get on a train thats gonna take us away | |
Complicated life | |
Cut out the struggle and strife | |
Theyll move me up to Muswell Hill tomorrow | |
Too much on my mind | |
Powerman | |
The age of insanity | |
The Moneygoround | |
Girl | |
Leaving insecurity behind | |
Top of the Pops | |
A promised land | |
If lifes for livin then whats livin for? | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
album America Anita arrived Arthur asked audience Avory band Barry Fantoni Beatles Billy Fury Brian called club concert Corporation dark Dave Davies decided dream eyes face fans feel felt front girl going guitar hair head heard inside Julie Finkle Kassner Kinks Klein knew Larry Larry Page live London looked manager Mick Mick Avory Muswell Hill Muswell Hillbillies never night Number Perhaps Pete Pete Quaife piano played Pye Records Quaife Rasa Raymond Douglas Ready Steady Go realized record Robert and Grenville Robert Wace Rolling Stones seemed Shel Shel Talmy shouted singer singing smiled song sound stage started stayed Street studio suddenly Sunny Afternoon talking television tell thing thought told took tour tried turned voice Wace waiting walked wanted watched Waterloo Sunset