Story Teller

But for most of the '90s, the Kinks -- with just Ray and Dave left from the original lineup -- became inactive, mostly owing to bad brotherly blood. The brothers' always tempestuous relationship was exacerbated by Dave's 1996 autobiography, Kink, in which Dave paints Ray as selfish, egotistical and cold. Dave also accused Ray of blatant thievery when it came to songwriting credits.

Ray claims not to have read the book. "It's…it's a difficult thing, really," he says. "With Dave coming in so late with that…it's an issue that he should have dealt with at the time if he had a gripe about it. I don't know the precise songs Dave feels that he's been badly done by, but I think the [existing] songwriting credits accurately reflect our individual [contributions]."

An item on his Web site (www.raydavies.com) says the brothers had dinner together last year, but there was no talk of music or reviving the Kinks. Still, Ray says any group that would tour under that name in the future would have to include both brothers. Dave is currently on tour with his Kink Kronikles show.

"I'm trying to contact Bill Gates to see if he can invent some kind of artifact to do my brother's work!" Davies says. "The thing about Dave, he's a great hooligan, a real wild card. I'd come in with a careful plan for each song, and he would deliberately do something outrageous…But I always tell [the engineer] to press the record button. Because no matter how outrageous his playing is, it will be usable -- and it will be better than any other guitar player can do."

In addition to Storyteller, Ray has been busy directing films and documentaries. He's also writing -- plays, a book of short stories, a choral piece and a full-blown musical loosely based on the video for "Come Dancing." His better-late-than-never debut solo studio record is also in the works.

Meanwhile, a new generation of Britpop stars have been singing Davies's praises, much as he once did for Chuck Berry and James Burton. It's clear the Kinks' impact has resounded long after those of more successful contemporaries have been forgotten. After all, there's a reason you find the Kinks -- and not Herman's Hermits or the Dave Clark Five -- in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.