X-ray cover

X-ray

by Ray Davies

The shocking and edgy memoirs of Ray Davies, a dedicated enemy of fashion and the lead singer of The Kinks, is the must-read rock book of the year. Subversively brilliant, this one-of-a-kind rock autobiography, ingeniously styled as a biography, is written by a nameless, faceless writer hired by an Orwellian entity called "the Corporation" to capture the essence of Ray Davies, lead singer and song writer of The Kinks and one of the greatest rock and rollers of all time. "R.D." tells the story of his life - or does he? Tales of London and the rock scene of the swinging Sixties evolve in a labrynthine and thoroughly engrossing fashion as 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.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?