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Rating: 
Summary: funny ha-ha, or just ... funny
Review: "Kink" may not be as literate or as cerebral as "X-Ray," but it offers a very personal insight into Dave Davies' life as the greatest guitarist in rock history. The most compelling aspect of this book is Dave's straight forward, almost conversational narrative. After reading it, I really felt like I got to know this great man.
Rating: 
Summary: Was a very personal account of a real person.
Review: Although I bought this book to find out the stories behind the Kink's music, such as Lola and other hits, Dave Davies spent most of the book telling of his days of debauchery. But I came away feeling almost like I knew him, because he told his story, however pathetic at times, in a very pesonable, unaffected way. The driving force behind the Kinks is really the screwed-up relationship between Dave and his genius brother, Ray. I would recommend it to any Kinks fan.
Rating:
Summary: Good music doesn't necessarily beget good writing...
Review: Dave Davies' book is good simply because it talks about all those things that Ray didn't in his autobiography. And I only recommend this book as a companion piece to 'X-Ray' because to be perfectly frank, it's kind of a stinker. As a writer, Dave is serviceable...telling us what we want to know with a minimum of flowery language and a barrage of exclamation points and embarassing asides. But if you want to know what the Kinks were thinking when they nose-dived in the 80's...this will help. Much has been made of Dave's claims of visitation by an unnameable intelligence. And yeah, it's strange and I don't really believe it...i believe he believes it....but it's not really the point of reading this book...unless you like to laugh at your rock stars (i do! i do!) A nice glance into the hedonistic excesses of rock star life, but one that paints a fairly unflattering portrait of Dave. An interesting view into the brother dynamic but without any real insight or information. All in all, it made time pass.
Rating:
Summary: 'Kink' is an understatement
Review: Having listened to and lusted after Dave Davies for over 20 years, I was extremely curious to read the auto-bio of the "Jan Brady" of the fabulous Kinks. I was surprised and amused at his early escapades, but what overwhelmed me was his shameless attitude towards his hedonism, infidelity, and general confusion of why his genius brother Ray treats him as he does. And still, he ends his book sounding like a man happy with his life and at peace with himself. When I was first done reading it, I wasn't sure if I was happy or upset that I now knew so much about him, but that's pretty much how Dave seems to make people feel. But I went right back to playing his solo stuff, so he is still a welcome entity in my psyche. All in all, entertaining. God save the Kinks!
Rating:
Summary: "Death of a Clown" Davies !!!!!
Review: I've always been a LIFE-LONG Kinks fanatic, but I MUST say, Dave's so called "honest" account of those legendary days he spent as the innovative lead guitarist of one of rocks greatest bands leaves a lot to be desired..... A writer he's NOT. His true fame, in the hearts of of those who, like myself, LIVED THROUGH the glorious Brittish Invasion--- will always be the underappreciated(and underated)creator of the regal riff that opens "You really Got Me". There is absolutely no question that Dave has opted here not to concentrate on his formidable musical abilities, but to convey to everyone just how much of a PARTY ANIMAL he was..... this was a mistake. It makes him look foolish. Brother Ray, as usual, comes out looking the most dignified of the two. Perhaps it wasnt easy living in the shadow of such an enormously talented sibling, but Dave has squandered here his opportunity to blow his own horn. His geniune contributions to the Kink's remarkable legacy is trivialized in this rather poorly written book. Instead of touting the Kinks undoubtably secure place in musical history, "Kink" is little more than a tale of mindless debauchery. To cop a line from one of Dave's own songs, perhaps this haphazard (and self-rationalizing)literary "effort" should have been titled instead, "Let's all drink to the EXCESSES of a rock Clown"....Sorry, Dave.... nice try.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT BOOK ABOUT THE KINKS, BY KINKS FOUNDER DAVE DAVIES!
Review: Now here is a great book about life in The Kinks. Dave Davies who founded The Kinks with his brother Ray in the early '60s
has written his autobiography. The book is simply titled Kink/Hyperion Books and is a must read for every Kinks fan the
world over. The legendary Kinks guitartist/Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer tells his story from life as a child in the Davies
family, the formation of The Kinks, their success at the top , their lows at the bottom, the constant bickering between him &
Ray, his spiritual quest and his own role as a family man. He gets right to the point on his and The Kinks past & future as of
the mid '90s. This book came out in '96 so it makes you wonder if a follow up book may appear somewhere in the future. He
wrote this book in a very simple, easy to read fashion without drifting off into fantasyland, somewhat like brother Ray's book
X-Ray . His story is that of joy and pain, heaven and hell and shows his rise, decline and rise again over the years both as a
band member and as a person. And he makes no bones about the constant feuding between him and Ray and his struggle
fighting his own personal demons that have finally been put to rest. Sounds like The Kinks tune "State Of Confusion" to a
degree. A complete Kinks/Dave discography is featured along with lots of unpublished pixs. I highly recommend this book to
anyone whether they are a Kinks fan or not. It is a wonderfully written book by someone who has lived the music life as a performer in one of the most loved Rock 'N' Roll bands of all time. He sets the tone with the view of 'outside looking in' &
'inside looking out'. No rose colored glasses here. Just direct and to the point with a lot of humor! Honestly, as Dave told me
in an interview... 'I wrote this book for the fans, not the critics. Because after all these years the fans are still there. I wrote it
for them and I wanted to set the record straight on a lot of things.' Remember Dave's '84 Kinks tune "Living On A Thin Line"
or his '93 tune "Close To The Wire"? Well, that title rings very true with this book. A Must!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing....
Review: On the good side, it's more emotionally direct that the memoir of his sibling and Kinks leader, Ray. But it's pretty shambolic and its nowhere near as well written as his brother's work. The high points should be the 1960s part - the Kinks in that time produced some amazing music. But we don't get much about the music, we get a lot of stories about the general debauchery. Tales of drink, drugs, and non-choosey sex from that time are a dime a dozen and, frankly, are now getting pretty tired. The book takes an unusual twist when Dave gets visited by alien life forms. When I got to this bit I thought 'this is a wind up, right?' but no, he is deadly serious. The most unusual thing about the extra-terrestials part of the book, though, is they seem to be the only life-form the author met that he didn't try to have sex with.
Rating: 
Summary: Space Aliens Kidnapped My Hero
Review: This story of Dave Davies and the perennial underdogs of rock music, The Kinks, starts off more or less as what you would expect. A tell-all, sometimes scary and often extremely funny, story of the wild excesses of the '60s rock scene. But as Dave evolved as a person, the story evolves into a tale of one man's spiritual quest. I recommend this book not just to fans of rock music and of The Kinks, but to those who are interested in alternative spirituality.
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