By Evie Block and Gary Geyer
In March, two icons of American music, Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks join forces for the highly anticipated "Heart and Soul Tour, stirring up rumors that these two legendary musicians may have more in common than just great music.
Rod is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and indisputably one of the most successful performers of all time. Known for his love of beautiful women, including relationships with actress Britt Ekland and model Kelly Emberg to his marriage with supermodel Rachel Hunter, Rod may have more in common with Stevie than just great music.
[Stevie's relationships have included Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Don Henley, and Joe Walsh. Both now in their sixties, neither shows any sign of slowing down any time soon.]
Far be it from us to spread tabloid rumors (we know nothing of the situation) but hey, if the shoe fits… We’ll wait and see.
So what’s the Story?
Below is an article we ran a few years back about Rod’s life. It was called, appropriately enough, "Some Guys have all the Luck."
Rod Stewart’s career has spanned five decades, and he’s been a rock superstar for more than 35 years. He’s had a much envied sex life, and is a cancer survivor.
Rod’s life has been anything but dull. As the song says, every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Starting off with a bang.
Roderick David Stewart was born January 10, 1945 in Highgate, London. Rod was the youngest of five children. His parents owned a newsagent’s shop in North London and the family lived above the shop.
A few minutes before Rod was born, a German V-2 rocket hit a police station down the street and the explosion heralded his birth.
The pre-rock star years.
It was the early sixties and Rod opened his mind to alternative ways of thinking. He found himself interested in folk music and left wing politics. He became a beatnik and a communist.
Rod described himself: "I was your actual beatnik, mate. Your actual Jack Kerouac. Ban the bomb. You name it, we ban it. Anti-apartheid. Save cats. Save dogs. Shag in tents…What a life. What a life."
He traveled Europe with a band of fellow folk singers and sang on the streets to tourists for money. When their passports had expired, Rod, along with his friends, was deported from Spain for vagrancy.
Back in England, Rod music interests began to change and he became more interested in upcoming rock and roll bands like the Yardbirds and The Rolling Stones.
Rod the Mod.
During the next 10 years Rod performed in five different rock groups* before moving to the United States, applying for citizenship and becoming a superstar. (A brief history follows this article.)
Do you think I’m sexy?
Rod Stewart, as we all know, is famous for several things other than music. Beautiful women, for example. The list of his relationships include (actress) Britt Ekland and the three women he married—Alana Hamilton (George’s ex), (supermodel) Rachel Hunter, and Peggy Lancaster (mother of his two youngest children).
Oops. Did I say that?
An unfortunate quote of Rod’s was that he would rather have his penis cut off than to cheat on Rachel Hunter. When she later sued him for divorce it was on the grounds of adultery.
Rod met his current love, (cover-girl turned photographer) Penny Lancaster, the same night he split with Rachel.
Hotel rooms and tarts.
Although mellower than he was in the early days, Rod is amazingly unapologetic of his antics of his early rock years. He condemns today’s headline-seeking rock stars. "When I was in "The Faces," we wouldn’t go and break up hotel rooms or go out with tarts to get ourselves in the papers. We broke up hotel rooms and went out with tarts because we bloody felt like it," he says.
Rod, on re-marrying:
"Instead of getting married again, I’m going to find a woman I don’t like and just give her a house."
Rod, on looking young:
"The secret is to moisturize the face, I’ve been doing that since I was 17 years old."
Rod, on songwriting:
"I wrote some of my best love songs ever when I was unhappy and my saddest love songs when I was very much in love. When I wrote You’re in My Heart, which is an uplifting song, I had just broken up with…Now who had I broken up with?"
Who thought this one up?
"The singer Rod Stewart" is an anagram for "shattered songwriter."
Britt Ekland’s revelations:
"He (Rod) very often chose to wear my cotton panties on stage. He used to take my knickers and pull them up real tight and stick the teeny-weeny part up his bum, so all that was covered were the parts he wanted covered."
She said of Rod’s scoliosis condition, "The one advantage of his curvature was that his rear end protruded, and no one wiggled it quite like Rod."
Michael Jackson’s baby.
Shortly after the incident when Michael Jackson dangled his baby from his hotel window, Rod’s record company got an e-mail from Rod’s manager. It read, "Kindly find new hotel. Cannot risk Rod being struck on head by falling baby."
Trivia question.
Q. Who is in the Guinness Book of Word Records for holding a free outdoor concert for the most people? A. Rod Stewart. One New Year’s Eve, 1994, Rod performed in front of an estimated crowd of 3.5 million people on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
He’s human after all.
Rod, who was 66 in January, has said that he can’t manage sex as often as he used to. He said "It’s quality now, not quantity. Kissing is very important." He added however, that he still counts sex as one of his favorite past-times.
Cancer
Despite the fact that Rod works out and is in good physical shape, not too long ago he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He said, "It was a terrible shock. I mean I just went into total silence for a few days.
The fact that it was detected early made a big difference. He underwent surgery almost immediately and fortunately has made a full recovery.
Rod said he realizes now that cancer can hit anyone at any time. "I’m one of the lucky ones. I thank God. He must have given me a second chance and there’s something I have to do with the rest of my life"
Finding a purpose.
Faced with such a frightening ordeal, Rod has asked "How can I help?" He wants to do what he can for others in similar situations. He has helped raise money and publicize the City of Hope Foundation’s efforts to find a cure for all types of cancer and has become a spokesman for them.
For a long time Rod has enjoyed a glamorous lifestyle. He has been seen at the best parties and dated and wed some of the world’s most beautiful women. He now realizes that he can make a significant difference.
What a life. What a Life. Funny, how it works.
Evie Block is Managing Editor of "Let Life In."
Gary Geyer is Chief Editor of "Let Life In."
Rod’s songs and the stories they tell have been part of my memories for most of my life. I had half of my thyroid removed due to a smart doctor who detected a tumor. There was no cancer so I was luckier than Rod…and all of our peers who can’t afford health insurance!