Stewart, the quintessential rock star, is refreshingly honest and forthright in his autobiography, which I recently listened to in audiobook format. Even the title is straightforward. Rather than some profound or poetic statement, it's simply titled Rod: The Autobiography.
There are many surprises in Stewart's life story. Among them, that he came to music relatively late. He was in his late teens in the '60s when he started hanging around clubs and stumbled into singing and playing harmonica in bands. Of course, he ended up having more success than many classically trained musicians who dreamt of being professional entertainers since they could walk.
Stewart is frank that he has enjoyed the perks of being a rock star, and at the height of his fame in the '70s and '80s, he lived up to the stereotypical "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" lifestyle. He makes no pretensions about the fact that when he was out on the road, he wasn't exactly faithful to his succession of wives and girlfriends. And when it comes to women, he acknowledges that he has a type: blond models and actresses.
But for a man who so prides himself on macho bravado, he's progressive-minded about his gay and bisexual peers. He remains close friends with Elton John, whom he has hilarious arguments with about who has more money in the bank, and hung out with Freddie Mercury of Queen.
Stewart is extremely candid about his life, from his successes to his mistakes and career missteps. But there are stories he shares that seem incomplete.
For example, he's a big fan of American soul music, but barely says a word about Tina Turner when describing the recording of their remake of Marvin Gaye's Motown classic "It Takes Two." His scant description of Tina is that despite her wild image onstage, she was surprisingly shy about ad-libbing during the recording and wanted to stick to the scripted lyrics.
And there are digressions that slow down the narrative in which Stewart goes on about his love of cars, soccer and the joys and challenges of being the father of seven children by different women.
It's always preferable for an author to read his own work in an audiobook - especially an autobiography. But narrator Simon Vance, with his English accent, does a decent job of relating Stewart's life story.
One very intriguing sequence described how in the early '90s, Stewart was on the verge of losing his voice due to years of screaming to be heard over screeching guitars and pounding drums when performing live. Stewart became addicted to steroids, which temporarily subdued the inflammation of his vocal chords.
A modern technological innovation saved Stewart's voice and, most likely, his career: the in-ear monitor that helps singers and musicians hear themselves when onstage. Since Stewart no longer had to scream, he was able to kick his steroids habit and his voice soon recovered.
Before listening to Rod: The Autobiography, I didn't know much about Rod Stewart other than a handful of his songs. After hearing his life story, I came away respecting his brutal honesty, self-awareness and all that he has accomplished in his 50-plus years in the music industry.
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