It may be more than 35 years since Terry and Julie's Waterloo Sunset descended from the hands of Ray Davies, but his passion for music remains ever-present.
The Kinks may not have roused themselves for a number of years, but their leader has carried the torch on his one-man Storyteller tour, now in its fourth year.
Ray confessed to being excited about taking a new backing band on the road, appearing at the Basingstoke Anvil this month.
Breaking from laying down some new material in the studio, he spoke frankly to The Herald of his plans, and recalled glories past.
His latest work of warm acoustic material brims with the lyrical wit of the debauched, carefree Kinks of the Sixties.
"There is a bit of experimentation with the new stuff. I have been doing this tour for the last four or five years, but I have a support band for the first time which is all very exciting, but mixed with trepidation," he explained.
The Storyteller show is a compelling musical mural of classic 60's songs and fresh tunes interspersed with Ray offering readings from his autobiography, X-Ray.
Its great strength he says, is that people come away knowing not only the songs, but also the stories behind them.
"One of the things I do is tell how the Kinks got together. We had a beaten up old green amp belonging to my brother, which we butchered by putting it a needle through it - and out came You Really Got Me."
Although he has toured the world on many occasions, it was surprising to learn Ray still gets a little edgy before performances.
"I never thought I had nerves, but do go through phases. I have a routine before I go on, I pace around a bit, I do something different every night," he said.
Recalling his early days, Ray says life so very nearly turned out completely differently.
Attending the fashionable Hornsy Arts College, the young Ray had entertained ambitions of becoming a painter.
"I was playing in a blues band before the Kinks to pay for my grant, but I did not like the material people were giving me (Beatles and Stones covers), so decided to write my own. I joined my brother's band and went from an arts student to being on Top of the Pops.
"We found it difficult as I had barely left school and my brother was only 15. Back then no-one was prepared to be in a band for a living."
Despite his large family nagging him to "get a real job," he says they were eventually quite supportive; especially his five older sisters, were into music themselves.
"I used to play songs of mine to them in the front room - they were the hardest audience and hardest critics," he laughed.
Working in an unforgiving industry, such appraisals appear to have served him well, but what has the music meant to him?
"All those songs from the early days could have been written within a square mile of each other and come from experience, and are about staying in touch with my origins, which is important to me," he said.
Proving this point, he says one of the favourite songs he has written is the lesser-known B-side "This Is Where I Belong," which Ray was impressed to hear covered by singer Ron Sexsmith.
As his autobiography reveals, Ray still believes "rock and roll is great," but its very nature has, he says, affected relationships which he said has been hard to bear.
Beyond the music his interests include sport and art, though his "day job" has often prohibited other activities due to punishing schedules.
Now a little older and wiser, his approach to life is of soaking up everything it has to throw at you.
"I try to do everything as if I am having fun with it. Even If I am, say, cooking a meal, I will approach it as a work of art and with a sense of fun. I try to make every day a bit more special than the last.
"So many of my early years were spent on the road and making records, we would find ourselves in places like Florence or Vienna and not see any galleries, which I now want to do, as well as making music, which I still get a kick out of."
Enjoying a 90's resurgence in popularity after a few lean years, he has affectionately become known as the 'Godfather of Britpop', and has duetted with the likes of Damon Albarn from Blur.
So then, any hope of a Kinks return?
"There's a rumour that I might do something with the Kinks, but only if it makes sense musically and we make some original material. I don't want to do a nostalgia tour and end up like a museum piece," he said.
Reassuring us the Kinks have not split up, just taken a four-year break, he is eager to hit the road again for the latest round of live dates.
Is Basingstoke ready for Ray? Or vice versa? Oh yes: "Basingstoke rocks," he asserts with the tones of a man who is at ease with a life less ordinary.
Neill Barston
l The Storyteller show comes to The Anvil on October 27.