Lillian Müller
Rod met up with the star of his iconic video ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ Lillian Müller at the recent Hollywood Bowl concert, Rod posted a photo and wrote ‘So nice to catch up with Lillian Muller ! Always a nice surprise‘ And also gave Lillian a shout out at the concert by telling the audience she was in attendance before launching into the hit song.
Lillian also worked on the Nikka Black Whiskey promotion Rod did in 1980 that included TV adverts a limited promotional 12inch picture disc and the cover for Rod’s Japanese version of the hit single ‘Oh God I wish I was Home Tonight’
Lillian told gave SMILER the photo of her and Rod meeting above and told us this week “I was blown away with the concert and meeting Rod again after 44 years” Watch for more about Rod and Lillian in our Exclusive interview with video producer Bruce Gowers in issue 101 coming very soon. And we will also be sharing more from our talk with Lillian in a future issue!
Posing in Harrods
This week UK news starts in Harrods when Rod met artist Karen Sian whose daughter Acacia took this fantastic shot and our main photo.
Huge Fundraiser Amount
Tam Cowan announced this week that the cancer fundraiser for iconic Rangers goalkeeper Andy Goram we told you about last week has raised £30,000.
250 people, including a host of famous faces from across Scottish football, attended a sold-out event at Airdrie Working Men’s Club on Wednesday in honour of Goram, who himself made a brief cameo appearance. Rod donated a prize to the auction which helped to raise further £10,000, inviting two people to attend one of his shows at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow later this year.
Tam said , “Andy himself made a wee cameo appearance which absolutely brought the house down, everybody in floods of tears.
“And the great thing was, thanks to Rod Stewart and that amazing prize, I know my Instagram followers were great and got it up to £3000, but £10,000 it went for – ten grand, amazing.”
Latest Recording Session
Before leaving the UK to continue the US Tour Rod attended the final recording session for his collaborative album with Jools Holland that is due out early next year
This weeks Rod Art
We don’t just throw this news together!…This weeks Rod art is by non other than the very talented Gilson Lavis who is not only a talented portrait artist but the drummer for Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Gilson and Jools also played together in Squeeze.
Gilson was happy to share his Rod acrylic artwork with SMILER members and Rod is obviously a fan of his work in both his careers as he signed the top photo ‘Thanks Gilson Best Back Beats Ever’
Gilson explains “My portraits feature artists and performers I have had the joy of working with and have been of inspiration to me. My art is a painted biography of my musical life, one I can never hope to finish, but what a joy it is to engage in”.
To see more of Gilson’s great portraits go to https://gilsonlavisart.uk/
Rod the Adonis
Talking to Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant recalled the first time he and bandmate John Bonham saw Rod in 1968 in their management’s office…
“Rod and I had a lot in common at that time. We were at the front of groups with these excellent musicians behind us. I guess we were living the life. I remember John Bonham and I went to the management office when we first joined the Yardbirds which became the Led Zeppelin.
We saw Rod Stewart in the reception, and he was like a tanned Adonis with his see-through shirt and hairs sticking up about maybe 18 inches off the top of his head. It was remarkable. And Bonham said to me ‘Do you think we’ll ever be like that?’ I’m still waiting for that day.”
And Finally ..
Rod and the band ended the week in Dallas to carry on the rest of the US Tour starting tonight, if any members are lucky enough to attend any concerts please send in any reviews, comments, news or pictures and we will share them with the Rod world.
See you next week.