He tells The Telegraph: "Nowadays the Kinks wouldn't even get on TV. I shouldn't by any stretch of the imagination be the lead singer. I've seen myself on television and I'm not as pretty as I should be."

He was never particular sure of the way he looked, but says the 1960s allowed him to press ahead without bowing to pressure to look a certain way. He adds: "I had a bit of a hang-up because everybody wanted to change the way I looked. I'm just the way I am."