The only thing Rod Stewart and Jools Holland love more than their new album of standards?
Were both model-railroad fanatics.
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Look there, mate,Rod Stewartsays to Jools Holland.
Discussing their new collaborative album,Swing Fever,will have to wait.
Were interested in architecture, Stewart clarifies a bit later, because of our model railways.
On the surface, Stewart and Holland are an unlikely pairing.
The other is wearing jeans.
Were a curious, perfect fit, Holland admits.
Something like this cant be forced.
But music, like a reverse-loop train track, can connect just about anything.
Rod, before you gave Jools a call, what impressions did you have of each other?
Were they accurate when you finally met?Rod Stewart:I started making this album in Los Angeles.
It wasnt turning out the way I wanted it to.
It was a bit too white-polite, if you know what I mean.
I needed someone with a bit of edge, and this man came to mind.
I knew all about his background.
Jools Holland:Ive been following him for years.
Rod has one of the greatest voices of all time.
RS:[Puts hand on heart.]
Ive discovered weve come from a similar zone.
JH:It was British blues music and songs that were in our homes.
It was very easy and pleasurable to do.
We were on the same page all the time.
All I listened to was Sam Cooke and Muddy Waters and tried to sound like them.
If there had never been a Sam Cooke, there may never have been a Rod Stewart.
I want to phrase my songs like that.
JH:Sam Cooke could sing any style of music.
RS:Gospel music.
JH:Theres only a handful of singers in the world who could do that.
Some people are great singers, but they just stay in one zone.
Rod is in his own zone.
Its the singer, not the song.
Thats what he does.
Its funny, I bumped into Lady Gaga at my local pub in London a while ago.
She just happened to be in there with a friend.
Its not a groovy place or anything.
I didnt realize that the mountain I just passed was, in fact, her security man.
Within seconds he had me against the wall.
Hang on a minute, Im trade!
She realized who I was and we had a lovely conversation.
She can sing this key in of stuff too.
We had a chat about just that: There are only a few people who have this history.
Amy Winehouse understood that as well.
All of the Beatles did.
RS:Paul McCartney is a huge Fats Waller guy.
Thats what Im trying to convey.
Two Stewarts have appeared onLater… With Jools Hollandover the past three decades: Stewart Copeland and Dave Stewart.
What gives?RS:Yes, care to explain that one?
JH:We wouldve loved to have him on.
We wouldve snapped him up any moment he wanted to come.
You were probably away doing gigs and it didnt fit in.
RS:I did make up for that.
It was a celebratory evening.
I didnt pay him to say that.
An album collaboration like this, genre notwithstanding, is still pretty novel formusicians of your stature.
The only parallel I could think of is what Robert Plant and Alison Krausshave done together.
Im not sure I have an answer to that.
JH:you gotta play what you love and love what you play.
It helped that we both love this music.
Were blessed with curiosity.
Im lucky that I can get my teeth into it.
Not many piano players can play like Jools, either.
His band, especially the bass player and drummer,wow.
You cant make a swing record without a bass player and drummer like he has.
Its the fairy on the top of the Christmas tree.
I was just thinking, why is it that we knew these songs in our youth?
Its weird, innit?
We both grew up in a rock-and-roll era.
Somehow, whether its our parents or friends, these songs entered our brain boxes and stayed there.
All of our songs I knew before we recorded them.
Same with Jools, except one.
I didnt know Almost Like Being in Love.
You cant know all the songs.
There are people who come in and out of the limelight.
It doesnt matter if the piece of music is 500 years old or five minutes old.
Its new if you blow life into it.
RS:Oh, blow life into it.
That was a good quote, Jools.
Listen, I just want to keep singing.
I love being out with my band.
I have six gorgeous-looking girls in the band.
Not because theyre gorgeous, but they can all play.
Theyve given me inspiration.
Theyre fiddlers, theyre backing singers.
I couldnt ask for anything more, except singing with Joolss band.
Hopefully well do that.
JH:If this album does well, then I think well do a second one.
But its a distant dream.
We both have shows booked up until the end of the year.
It would be such a dream to play at Carnegie Hall or Radio City Music Hall.
RS:Ive never played at Carnegie Hall.
Can you believe that?
There were young people and kids clearly surprised at how fun it was.RS:What a compliment.
Ill miss my train just to listen to this music!
JH:There were no actors or stunt doubles, we swear.
I noticed that as well.
On a railway platform, you get a complete cross-section of the public.
RS:We got babies.
JH:You didnt need any sort of explanation of what it was.
It was just great.
That was a lesson for me, actually.
There are a lot of songs Ive written that I havent put out and nobody knows about them.
My songs are like my children.
Were still struggling to make this album.
Some of them might see the light of day.
This is a delightful project that confirms its never too late to befriend or work with new people.
You two must have been cold-called with great frequency through the years with opportunities youve declined for whatever reason.
Im going to need more information.RS:Were model railroaders.
We dont want to buy one.
Its far too big for us.
Weve got enough on our hands with running our bands.
But if we could be on the footplate behind a steam engine, Id love it.
Just smell the smoke.
How did we realize we loved trains, Jools?
JH:I remember a mutual acquaintance telling me about it a few years ago.
One of the first pieces of advice Rod gave me was, Youve also got a model railway?
Youve got to put it in the biggest room youve got.
If you have an elderly relative, kick them out.
But he was right.
What happens is the biggest space you use, the happier and the more content you feel.
RS:Yeah, rock on.
JH:I didnt make anyone in my family homeless, of course.
But building a big space to put it in was the advice I followed.
It makes all the difference.
It was a vast expense.
I constructed a building.
My wife asked what I was doing.
Well, Rod told me to do this.
He knows about these things, so were going to build this for the trains.
RS:A model railroad is never finished.
Mine got moved all the way from Los Angeles to England.
My dear wife persuaded me to do it.
She said, Youre going to be miserable without your model railroad to work on.
you should probably build things.
I didnt think it would make it, but it did.
It took 18 months to get it over and rebuild it.
Do you typically travel with a select few?RS:Yes, always.
I got some up in my room now.
I travel with big suitcases for them.
A model railroad goes everywhere with me.
Where do you stand onThomas the Tank Engine?RS:Ringo was good at it.
Ive watched it with all of my boys.
Ive got four boys and they all went through that phase, watching Thomas and his friends.
Rod, you were knighted a few years ago for your services to music and charity.
Theres a committee that you write to.
They look at it and check that he hasnt been in prison and has paid all of his taxes.
We just need a few people.
You dont ask the king.
Charles cant give it to you.
JH:Rod is an ambassador for Britain, really.
He grew up in a tiny little house in London and sent up this fantastic music globally.
Thats why he was knighted.
RS:Thank you, old boy.
Well get you that CBE.
JH:I should note that I do have an OBE.
Order of the Bastards Efforts.
