105th out of 500 books
—
861 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “X-Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography” as Want to Read:
X-Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography
by
Ray Davies
X-Ray The Kinks lead singer and songwriter tells the story of his life and career to a nameless writer hired by "the Corporation" to be the rock singer's biographer, offering a vivid account of London, the swinging 1960s rock scene, and such fellow musicians as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and others. Reprint. Full description
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
X-Ray
,
please sign up
.
Be the first to ask a question about X-Ray
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
609)
The Kinks : after two duds the hits started. They had 13 UK top ten hits between 1964 and 1970 including 3 No 1s and 3 No 2s. A much loved band. (In America, not so much – 4 top ten hits, no number ones.) I revere the great singles acts and in the 60s The Kinks were the number three group after Beatles and Stones. (Number four was The Who, the competition was fierce in those days.) Not only were the hits almost all great, the flipsides often were too. Here is the roll call
You Really Got Me (prot ...more
You Really Got Me (prot ...more
I always get rankled when I hear people (especially "professionals"-whatever that means) Saying that "So-and-So is the greatest writer, or artist, or singer, or Tea-cozy collector, etc. of all time", based solely on their own personal tastes and assumptions, rather than saying logically and correctly that "So-and-So is THEIR PERSONAL FAVORITE Jai-Alai referree, (ad infinitum)".
That being said, Ray Davies, IS THE GREATEST BRITISH SONGWRITER OF ALL TIME. Simple as that. His "unauthorized autobiogr ...more
That being said, Ray Davies, IS THE GREATEST BRITISH SONGWRITER OF ALL TIME. Simple as that. His "unauthorized autobiogr ...more
This may be the unhappiest rock memoir I've ever read.
First, a confession: I love the Kinks. The Beatles will always come first, but the Kinks will likely always be closer to my heart. The Beatles are a miracle, rising to perfection; the Kinks are a goddamned gift, that sometimes wearying companion who, nonetheless, is The One, capable of reaching you in ways that go deep into your soul. Or perhaps I should say in "Days" that go deep into your soul?
Anyway, so here's Raymond Douglas Davies c. 199 ...more
First, a confession: I love the Kinks. The Beatles will always come first, but the Kinks will likely always be closer to my heart. The Beatles are a miracle, rising to perfection; the Kinks are a goddamned gift, that sometimes wearying companion who, nonetheless, is The One, capable of reaching you in ways that go deep into your soul. Or perhaps I should say in "Days" that go deep into your soul?
Anyway, so here's Raymond Douglas Davies c. 199 ...more
Here is a book that turned out to be every bit as good as I hoped it would be. This is the story of one fascinating and complex man, Raymond Douglas Davies: rebel, oddball, head case, and perhaps a pop music genius as well. He begins by introducing a technique that is simultaneously distancing and revealing - the story is not being told by Davies, but by a young writer hired by "The Corporation" to do a biography of him. Davies gets to play with the idea of himself viewing himself, of Ray Davies
...more
Ray Davies is one of the great songwriters of his generation. No. I should say one of the great songrwriters of the 60's. The fact he is not really part of the 60's scene, although he was... Well now it gets complicated.
On the other hand this is a very interesting memoir/work of fiction from Mr. Davies. What's fascinating is you can see his mind at work. No way was he going to write a straight ahead memoir. Not his style. And surprise, it's a really good book.
And let me re-phrase my opinion of R ...more
On the other hand this is a very interesting memoir/work of fiction from Mr. Davies. What's fascinating is you can see his mind at work. No way was he going to write a straight ahead memoir. Not his style. And surprise, it's a really good book.
And let me re-phrase my opinion of R ...more
Quite enjoyable romp through the mind of Ray Davies. In trying to understand the confusion and dreams of the actors in the 1960s this is a good non-sugary portrayal of the times in a semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical story. While not high art (what of the Kinks was) it has a kind of Werner Herzog ecstatic truth to it which is also true of the Kinks music. Even though I didn't finish it, I appreciated reading it...
Read This when it came out years ago, written in a strange style but interesting nonetheless, Ray Davies was definitely a bit money obsessed!
This was perhaps the most unusual autobiography I have ever read, not that I should have expected anything else from Kinks frontman Ray Davies, who has in the past couple months mesmerized me with his lyrics.
After my yearly trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in June, I became obsessed with the Kinks (which may actually be explained by Ray Davies's fashion choices in the early 1970s). The lyrics captivated me, and I wanted to learn everything I could about this oh-so-British songw ...more
After my yearly trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in June, I became obsessed with the Kinks (which may actually be explained by Ray Davies's fashion choices in the early 1970s). The lyrics captivated me, and I wanted to learn everything I could about this oh-so-British songw ...more
I would have thought that the man who wrote and sang of characters lazing on sunny afternoons, obsessing with lust, class, and fashion, nostalgia, falling unashamedly for transsexuals, and confessing a simian nature would have provided his readers a glimpse of that same wry, quirky, satirist. It takes 30 pages for the narrative to begin; and then, it speaks through a dark, humorless victim, using a very awkward and self-conscious device.
And the book ultimately made me very sad. RD seems so disil ...more
And the book ultimately made me very sad. RD seems so disil ...more
I found this to be difficult to read and mostly boring. The first 20-30 pages set up a pointless "frame story" around the actual "biography." The fictional wrapper adds nothing to Mr. Davies' life story. The interesting bits - the actual anecdotes and stories - are much more enjoyable to read. He doesn't delve into the music much, which is frustrating. He'll make a comment along the lines of "a while back we had recorded [insert name of classic Kinks record that shouldn't be an afterthought]." M
...more
Sep 06, 2014
Jmolentin
added it
Read it when it was released. Ray Davies my rock and roll hero - never disappoints. Time to reread it. The biggest shock was that he lived in NYC for much of his life - so near and yet so far.
Dec 23, 2014
Aestelze
added it
This had an interesting way to present his story. Mixed the fiction with his biography. I do read memoirs and biography for the grit, not so much the fiction.
This memoir from Ray Davies, front man of The Kinks, is based around a fictional storyline where a reporter working for a corporate-run government (known as "The Corporation") is trying to track down and interview the reclusive singer/songwriter. This fictional Orwellian approach frames what is basically his recounting of his life, from childhood up to the early 1970's. Davies is a remarkably complex fellow, as I assumed from his songwriting. He portrays himself as a dramatic character that happ
...more
Aug 03, 2008
China Bialos
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who hangs onto every word uttered by their favorite musicians.
I got sort of tired going back and forth between the narrator's narrative and R.D.'s narrative, keeping track of who was who, but it was a creative approach. This book actually made me appreciate the quirkiness of Dave Davies a bit more, as well as Ray Davies' views on England and America. But I was hoping to hear a bit about his life after Muswell Hillbillies, and after finding out that "Two Sisters" was based on he and Dave Davies no longer listen to the song and get the same sad reaction I us
...more
When I picked up this book, I expected a fairly typical autobiography of a rock star, but I should've known better. Ray Davies of the Kinks never did anything like anyone else, and this book is no exception. Instead of telling his story in a straightforward manner, Davies creates a fictional interviewer, with his own backstory, who sets out to interview the aging rock star known as Ray Davies. The book starts off slowly, but once it gets going it's thoroughly engaging and entertaining. It's some
...more
Saw a former student recently who said that every time he heard a Kinks song he thought of me, since I was such a fan of Ray Davies. Kind of surprised he knew and remembered this....wonder if he remembered any of the curriculum I was actually supposed to teach. Hum. Anyway, his comment threw me into another Ray phase (I guess I'm never really out of that phase), and picked up this book to read -- the second time (had read probably 15 years ago). As Pete Townshend has said about Ray Davies, "he's
...more
Really enjoyed this excellent alternative autobiography by Kinks frontman Ray Davies. It should be of no surprise to anyone that Davies is an excellent storyteller, and writes with a style that truly expresses his wit, charm, bitterness, cynicism, and sense of humor. His choice of fictional structure only serves to be even more revealing of its author than had Davies choose a more conventional path. I did not want the book to end, and can only hope that Ray Davies will one day write a sequel to
...more
Knock,knock Ray! How many people have you got in there? Okay, at least two, maybe more. An unauthorized biography gave me a clue right off the bat that this wouldn't be just another rambling memory. Well it did ramble, but in an innovative way. A very complicated and high strung musical wizard. I always loved the Kinks and now I know why. Genius seems to come at a cost, but his gave us an unique style and sound.I don't discount his brother Dave as a major ingredient to this mix, either. I too wi
...more
My full and detailed review is at my site:
http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com/2014/0...
A wholly unique and entertaining take on Ray's life story (up to 1973, at least). Only Ray could come up with a way of writing a memoir like this, and it's well worth it for any fan to read this.
A wholly unique and entertaining take on Ray's life story (up to 1973, at least). Only Ray could come up with a way of writing a memoir like this, and it's well worth it for any fan to read this.
Rather than write a conventional autobiography, Ray Davies (former singer/songwriter/bandleader of The Kinks) wrote this novel (1st published in the early-'90s) set in a dystopian near future. A young man working for "the Corporation" interviews an old Ray Davies, all the while wondering to what extent Davies is lying to him. In addition, there's a psychic bond between interviewer & subject, & time travel, or something.
I almost stopped reading this book after the first two chapters, THEN, it grabbed me and I could hardly wait for the next chapter to begin. It definitely is different in that it is told within the genre of science fiction. Parts kind of reminded me of Philip K. Dick with time travel and reality confusion. As I was reading the chapters, I couldn't get the songs out of my head. He is a mad genius.
RD's "unauthorized" auto-biography has elements of Philip K. Dick-influenced paranoia, Orwell's dystopian society and mid-century film noir. Unusual narrative structure introduces fictional interviewer "assigned" to dig up info on RD. The set-up is great but at times turns into straight ahead rock-n-roll road stories. Still essential if you like the Kinks even a little bit.
Read this a second time and had to change my star rating from 3 to 5. Appreciated it more having recently seen Ray Davies in concert and indulging in yet another epic Kinks kick. First time around I think I was put-off by the fictional narrator schtick, but I softened a little this time around.
Very clever, as is Ray; illustrates very well with Ray's nostalgic vision, the postwar environment that spawned the explosion of British music. Intelligent, perceptive, the work of a writer, but still doesn't let the reader get that close.
This was a creative effort on Ray's part, to tell his story and the story of the Kinks by using a third person character to interact with himself. it works at times, and other times it's weird and gets in the way of the bio.
This autobiography is unlike any you will ever read! Has an intersting way of meandering back and forth between fiction and reality, to paint an amazingly awesome portrayl of Ray Davies' experience in the music industry.
Had heard great things about this but came across to me as a trying to be clever way of dressing up a bio of a not particularly likeable man. Frustratingly doesn't really talk about the great music all that much.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50...
Feb 28, 2013 09:44AM
Mar 01, 2013 06:03AM