Rod

By: Rod Stewart

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

The long-awaited autobiography of one of rock's true megastars. Rod Stewart (aka Rod The Mod and to a very select few, Dad) was born the working-class son of a Scottish plumber in North London. He was never, as some stories later had it, a professional footballer or a gravedigger, though he did become a bit of a singer - and a fairly good one at that. Rod started out in the early 1960s, playing alongside acts like The Rolling Stones, before his distinctively raspy voice and natural onstage presence caught the eye of the iconic guitarist, Jeff Beck.

An often-interesting two year stint with Beck’s group paved the way into the angst-inducing (for the world's hoteliers) five years with the Faces, whose offstage antics with alcohol, hotel rooms, and groupies have become the stuff of legend. And during all this, he found a spare moment to write "Maggie May", among a few others, and launch a solo career that has seen him sell in excess of 200 million records, be inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, and play the world’s largest ever concert. Not bad, as he says, for a bloke with a frog in his throat.

And then, there is his not so private life: marriages, divorces and affairs with some of the world’s most beautiful women - Bond girls, movie stars and supermodels - a struggle with steroid dependency, and a brush with cancer which very nearly saw it all slip away. Rod’s is an incredible life, and here, thrillingly and for the first time, he tells the whole thing, leaving no knickers under the bed. Joyously entertaining and at times deeply moving, this is the remarkable story of a guy with one hell of a voice - and one hell of a head of hair.

©2012 Rod Stewart (P)2012 Random House Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

“Gravel in his voice, silk in his soul. The singer’s list of blondes is almost as long as his list of hits but behind the rock'n'roll persona, vividly portrayed in his new memoir, is a self deprecating man of manners...highly entertaining.” ( The Sunday Times ‘Profile’)

“…one of the most entertaining, revealing, captivating books of the year...There's enough sex, drugs and rock'n'roll to satisfy even the most jaded of palates, and the tales from the wilder shores of showbusiness, from his three marriages to his passion for model railways, is captured with wit and panache…” (Simon Kelner, Independent)

“What we loved about this book is the feeling that you are having a personal conversation with Rod Stewart…there is a refreshing honesty and humour as he charts his life. Through decades of his music, he describes how his career has developed, his relationships with his children and the women in his life, his passion for football, as well as behind the scenes at his concerts…For the Rod Stewart fans this will be a wonderful Christmas present, but it also is a fascinating read for anyone. Highly Recommended!”( Hot Brands Cool Places)

“ridiculously funny and astonishingly… the most outrageous – and wittiest – rock autobiography of the decade…sensational” ( Daily Mail)

"…amiably and self-knowingly told... the tone pitched right and the jokes good…He writes articulately about music: where a drummer sits on the beat, or what makes a song bombproof. It's the work of someone who really knows his craft, and loves it" ( Guardian)

"...the book is funny, vivid and even, at times, self-critical..." ( Daily Telegraph)

"an eminently readable and richly entertaining journey through Rod’s life...with a real sense of fun pervading...a rollicking read" ( The Beat Magazine)

"Quite the life you've led... the stories in here, I mean, I blushed a little" ( Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show, BBC One)

"It really is a rollercoaster ride...It’s a proper book. It’s not frothy. It’s not candy flossy...It is no holds barred. You wrote it yourself, it’s so obvious. It’s your voice all the way through" ( Chris Evans, The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 2)

"Rod Stewart’s The Autobiography...is bright and funny and candid on the hair, the women, the drugs and the music. More than once Stewart will metaphorically throw his hands up, grin lopsidedly and admit he was someone who stumbled, time and again, upon outrageous good fortune, first with the Faces, then as a solo artist and catch-all celebrity jack the lad. Happily, you'll come out genuinely caring about him again..." ( Rob Fitzpatrick’s roundup of the year’s best rock books The Sunday Times)

"Laugh-out-loud funny….entertaining romp through 50 years of bad behavior" ( Neil McCormick’s ‘Books for Christmas’ The Daily Telegraph)

"by far the best read...thanks to the singer’s warm, funny and unpretentious style...easily the rock star you’d most enjoy a drink with down the pub" The Sun)

"a well-written traditional rock'n'roll saga" ( Mark Sanderson, The Sunday Telegraph, Seven Magazine)

"The perfect balance of braggadocio and self-deprecation...remorselessly entertaining...a deserving winner of 2012’s big beast sweepstakes" ( Ben Thompson, Independent on Sunday)

"well written…told with rollicking good humour and a complete lack of pretension and self-importance" ( Daily Express)

"There’s only one essential Rod Stewart purchase this Christmas: his autobiography...hilarious, frank and self-deprecating" ( NME)

"A terrific book and a great read..he has lived a life, he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he has the luxury of hindsight and a kind of Rod-ish wisdom…hilarious" ( Daily Mail)

"it’s impossible not to warm to him in this account of booze, drugs and blondes…The tales of on-the-road bad behavior…leave nothing to the imagination…his painful admission of how ex-wife Rachel Hunter broke his heart reveals a man happy to wear his heart on his sleeve….And he wears it well…" ( Daily Mail)

"In Rod Stewart’s raucous, laddish autobiography….his attitude towards women in his life is frequently indefensible but otherwise it’s often laugh-out-load funny" ( Herald)

Totally Entertaining

I knew his life would be full of fascinating, entertaining, funny stories and I fully expected to enjoy it, but I had no idea he's such a fantastically entertaining writer.

If you're interested in him already - definitely get it, you'll love it even more than you expect.
Detail, honesty and humour by the bucketload. Particularly loved hearing about the process of how certain classic songs came to be written, and all the detail about different bands and people he played with over the years - all written in a totally entertaining way. Always fast moving and entertaining. Never angsty or plodding. Of course not, it's Rod.

And even if you're not particularly interested in him - get it anyway. It's a brilliant read, never a dull moment. Everything you'd expect, plus fantastic descriptions of life in London and L.A the 50's, 60's, 70's. Lot's of it is hilarious and he comes across as such a likeable person, with the exception of how he treated some women along the way, but even that's O.K since karma eventually got him for it.

Not only highly recommended - he should write more books!!

Funny and Fascinating!

Funny, honest, interesting and excellently read! A social documentary of our times and an honest insight into an amazing life.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

A candid insight into a charmed life

I really like Rod Stewart's music and his highly entertaining performances. So, I wanted to read more about his life, beyond what I had read in the tabloids. This autobiography provides a candid insight into the charmed life of a talented, but non-academic artist. It is completely congruent with the tabloid image of a free spirit who has had more than his fair share of fast cars, beautiful women, drugs and immense luck. On the one hand Rod appears to be amoral, self-centred and above the law. On the other hand, his honesty, charm and young at heart approach is hard not to warm to. He was a working class boy who grasped opportunities with both hands and brought joy to the masses, through his music and songs. This is a well told story of Rod’s life so far.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Our Rod

When I first saw this book I thought - good, a Rodders autobiology but why is Rod not reading it himself. Maybe he wants to save his voice. I have to say though that Simon Vance does a very good audition and makes it easy to come to think you are in fact listening to Rod. If you love Rod you will definitely love this book. He tells everything, warts and all.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

What a nice guy ....

I am an avid reader (listener) of biographies and couldn't wait to start this.



I loved it! I loved how open Rod was. What a thoroughly nice, self-depreciating and down to earth guy(who happens to be a rock star with millions).



There are some great stories in here, warts and all about his many romances and broken hearts.



Warmth when he speaks of his family, his football (c'mon the hoops) and his blessed life.



Rod fan or not, give it a go, you won't regret it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An Excellent and Highly Entertaining Read...

I was a teenager in the early 70s, and although not a fan of Rod’s there was no escaping his “Every Picture Tells a Story” album, complete with the iconic image of Rod, microphone in hand, which seemed to be playing from every radio in the land. There’s no denying the amazing career he’s had, and the times he has lived through, and so this book promised to be a most entertaining read, and so it has definitely proved.

Rod tells it like it is from the very start, from humble beginnings in North London, through the nights of dragging himself around smoky nightclubs, riding in barely-legal vans, meeting heroes and villains along the way, as he slowly but surely learns how to front a band. Months become years and, almost before he realises it, Rod finds he is a bona-fide Rock Star, a role he plays with gusto.

From the initial blues clubs with Long John Baldry, through the highly respected association with Jeff Beck, Rod seems to relish in the world of late-nights, boozy conversations and one-night stands. But it is when he joins The Faces, the 60s pop group who had just lost their lead singer and leader Steve Marriot, that the world starts to sit up and take notice.

It becomes clear that Rod can really tell a good story, and he has a wealth to choose from. He pulls no punches when recounting the years of heavy touring in The Faces, the high jinks and pranks on the road, and the stream of young women who suddenly seemed always available to him. He also talks frankly about his experiences with cocaine, the fashionable drug of the day, and how his life became one long party.

On a personal level, Rod also talks openly and with affection about his previous partners and wives, and his shocking behaviour toward them all, which he recounts with a notable air of regret.

The narration by Simon Vance is first-rate, and keeps you engaged and entertained throughout.

Park any preconceptions you may have about Rod and give this book a try. It really is excellent.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Pure crap .

I have just gone right off Rod who I always thought was a good lad.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Rod Tells All (nearly)

What an enjoyably honest book..it was well paced ,well written with just enough scandle to keep you hooked, i look forward to reading Rods book again ,

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great listening & entertainment all the way....

From start to finish this listen held me all the way...excellent in every way! He's very honest & blimey has he enjoyed himself & why not as he still remains very down to earth...I would love him as my mate, although I would probably have trouble keeping up with him and I'm 10 years younger!!!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Rod

I'm a big fan of rod Stewart and found this book a great listen. Sometimes you loose the will with current music and the industry. This book takes you from the beginning of his music through to his obsession with model railways which is fantastic.Rod did not think people's knowing his passion for modelling was rock and roll but to me ,we want to know what people do with the other twenty two hours of the day to keep us all sane. Brilliant get it !

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Rodrick Rocks

A very good book from a true Brit gent,would reccomended to anybody interested in Rod& the Faces

1 of 1 people found this review helpful