Rod Stewart transcript

Reporter: Molly Meldrum

Producer: Mick O'Donnell

MOLLY MELDRUM: All of this believe it or not is a dear friend of mine's house, it's called Celtic House and it's the house of Rod Stewart.

Here we go.

ROD: Hello Molly.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Hello.

ROD: Hi darling how are you? Sorry to keep you waiting.

What do you call this?

MOLLY MELDRUM: Something dressed for soccer so I can play with you.

ROD: I think we better go and stretch.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Stretch first, I've heard your very fit, every day.

ROD: Get your hands off my bottom.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Ow! Well it's all very well for you, you're at the gym six days a week.

ROD: Well so should you be.

MOLLY MELDRUM: I know.

You love soccer.

ROD: Football.

MOLY MELDRUM: Football yes ok.

I mean you could've played and were playing you know. Was that a hard decision? I'm going to go off and do that now?

ROD: No they both came along at the same time. I don't think, I think you know I was playing football because I wanted to keep my dad happy - he had three sons, me and me two brothers and I think he wanted one of us to become a footballer because he was a good footballer. I didn't have the commitment to it you know, I was too lazy.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Well yesterday you put me through the rigours...

ROD: That wasn't the rigours, that was just one, a rigour.

I didn't do it for long, it was like a couple of weeks and then I went straight into the music business.

MOLLY MELDRUM: When did you discover you had a unique voice?

ROD: I knew I could sing when I was in school because I was in the Sciffle group so I didn't think I was going to last in the business, you know I did it for six months when I was 19 and I've been lucky. Here we are 40 years later.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Back then did you have to work on your voice, like to get that uniqueness in your voice or did you just have it?

ROD: I used to copy Sam Cooke and Otis Redding and wound up with a sore throat. But then after listening to those guys and trying to sound like those guys I washed up sounding like Rod Stewart.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Once you were solo it was you really, I mean you had the band around you but you were solo as a performer you know. Not like the rest who had the props like Elton John had the piano, Billy Joel had the piano. You just were you.

ROD: I had the microphone stand.

MOLLY MELDRUM: You ad the microphone stand.

ROD: I did things with the microphone stand that no-one else has attempted to do.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Maggie May, a definitive moment. Did you think ok, this is a good song?

ROD: No in fact it nearly didn't make the album. The record company thought well it hasn't got a beat you can sing along with. We've only got nine tracks so let's put it on anyway and they all said the old story of a disc jockey who played it in Ohio because of course it was the b side of 'Reason to believe' and he flipped it over and played it and it certainly took off. It was you know a simple twist of fate.

MOLLY MELDRUM: The times then like I mean hit after hit, tours - American tours, UK tours, European tours, Australian tours you know, did you enjoy those times?

ROD: Very much so yeah, very much so. A lot of drinking, a lot of shagging and a lot of singing.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Is it hard being a star?

ROD: No, not from where I'm sitting, it's pretty good. I don't, I live a very low key life. Penny and I have an understanding of the paparazzi. If you want to go to Mr Chow then you'll get bothered. If you don't want to get bothered don’t go there. You can avoid the press if you really want to and I don't walk around with five security guards either because I think that just draws attention. You know my wife, she's 6 ft 1 she can beat anyone up.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Through your life you've had some amazing relationships.

ROD: Haven't we been through this before?

MOLLY MELDRUM: Now you have seven children, and you love you kids and you're a family man underneath it all aren't you?

ROD: Yes, yes. When we're planning tours I plan it around the kids you know and around Penny and I miss them when they’re not here you know. Of course we’ve got the little one now, he'll be four in November.

MOLLY MELDRUM: And there’s the thought you might have another one?

ROD: We're working on it, yeah.

MOLLY MEDRUM: When you started to do the American Songbook albums, stroke of genius.

ROD: It certainly was.

MOLLY MEDRUM: Apart from your ego, stroke of genius.

ROD: Yes well I didn't say it was my idea but it was.

As a singer you want to sing those songs because they're beautiful to caress and like eating chocolate, they're fabulous to sing.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Back with your new album Soulbook, you were saying yesterday that this was the album you were scared of, why?

ROD: Well the obvious reason, I was scared of, I hold these guys Sam Cooke, Otis in such hight esteem. There's no guarantee this will be a big success but you know I like to please myself first and if the public like it then that's wonderful.

MOLLY MELDRUM: You always have fun, I man you've got a great sense of humour you know. Where did that come from? Your dad, your mum?

ROD: Oh I can be a miserable bugger sometimes trust me, I'm not always Mr Happy, but. The Stewart's are pretty known for their light heartedness and their piss taking.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Did you enjoy making videos back then as well?

ROD: Yeah I used to do the casting for the girls, I used to like doing that. There'd be hundreds of girls and I used to like being in on the castings, not anymore of course!

MOLLY MELDRUM: You've done so much with your life, is there anything you feel you haven't done that you want to still do?

ROD: Um you know whata, no. I feel that if I wanted anymore I'd be selfish and greedy and I've had a wonderful life and I'm so blessed. You know I think I could give a little more back to charity.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Well when you had your throat cancer thing did that scare you?

ROD: It scared more than the shit out of me, yeah. I was dead lucky, I went for a scan which I try and do every year, which I do every year and they said well it looks like you’ve got something in there and I was in hospital Monday night and out Tuesday morning, it was gone. If I had waited like a lot of men do, you know a lot of men are really frightened to go to the doctor’s and find things out. If I had waited, I may not be here now.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Did you think going into the operation I may not sing ever again?

ROD: Well no-one told me that going into the operation and I think they were wise to do that. Because it would’ve really scared me. It took me nine months to get my voice back. Because what it is it's like two muscles so they have to be taught to speak and sing again. Even the talking voice wasn't normal. So thank the Lord everything worked out good.

MOLLY MELDRUM: Alright now listen you're going off to do more interviews. Congratulations on the Soulbook. Do you think I've improved at interviewing or not?

ROD: Yes, no you're great. You're easy and relaxed and it's a wonder you're still getting away with it.