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| Rod Stewart on ‘Closing Up the Office’ After Kid No. 8 The incomparable Rod Stewart is back on the charts with another album, called 'Fly Me to the Moon …The Great American Songbook: Volume V.' On it he reinterprets classics by Porter and Mancini. Oh, and his wife Penny Lancaster is pregnant and due in February. The raspy-voiced icon talked to PopEater about his shift from rock to standards, the recent hub-ub about the daughter he gave up for adoption, and how he's "closing up the office" after his eighth child is born next year. So are we going to be getting Rod Stewart the Opera Album next? The next album I will probably be doing is a blues album, another genre that I'm very comfortable with. Ever think 20 years ago you'd be doing so many standards albums? Well they've always been very much a part of my life, like everybody else. I sort of grew up with them, my parents played them, and they're sort of the background of your life. I would always sing them any chance I got and I said to my record company 20 years ago I'd like to do a standards album but they laughed at me. But I don't think I was ready to do it anyway. With the voice the way it is, it's matured. I caress the songs a lot better than I would have 20 years ago. Do you think it helps being older to sing these songs? Yeah I think so. I love my rock and roll, I proved myself as a rock singer but you're right, it's something you want to do as you get older. I try to please myself now and not worry too much about the audience. I think I've reached that age where doing projects that mean a lot to me, I have to get them done. I really admired you for being so honest about the daughter you gave up for adoption. It's a difficult subject because people draw their own conclusions and there's bound to be a bit of negativity about it. But I feel good I'm making the effort. You know her mother and father (who adopted her) passed away three years ago. Up until then she's had a mother and father she adored so it wouldn't have been wise for me to, and I wouldn't have wanted to anyway, step in and appear out of the blue. It's good; we email each other now and then. We're working on it, let's put it that way. That bugs me that people would judge you over this. I'm afraid it's the day and age we live in. There's a lot of negativity about. Does it take you a long time to do your hair in the morning? I don't usually do it in the morning. If I'm not going anywhere I just leave it as it is. It's always standing up. I usually do it in the evening if I'm going out. It's all still mine and it's all still there. Very little grey, I'm very lucky. I guess it's because I'm in a stress free business, I don't have to get up and go to work every day. That's the only thing I can put it down to. That and lots of pretty blondes. Apart from my children there are no more pretty blondes. And your wife! Of course my wife, that goes without saying. As a brunette I was always a little hurt that you were only involved with blondes. When I was a kid there was Jayne Mansfield, Bridget Bardot and Marilyn Monroe. I thought the world was full of blondes. So, you're having yet another kid (No. 8). Is it true you did this album because you've got a soccer team to support? I'm going to have eight all together. There are eleven in a soccer team. So nearly there. No, no it's all finished now. Closing up the office. Still play soccer? Still play every Sunday. I just got over an ankle injury that I thought might wreck my career said with sarcasm but thankfully I'm back playing again and I love it. You're playing Vegas. Do you like to gamble? No I don't gamble. My Dad gambled a bit and I saw what it did. He loved the horses but he always lost, we starved in the house. Really? Not really starved but he liked to spend his money on the gee gees cockney slang for race horses. It was not good. Rod Stewart be appearing at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Vegas starting this Saturday until November 21st. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |