This week’s news and gossip

Belgrade Kombank Arena (Stark Arena)

Rod finished last week in Belgrade playing another sell out show at The Kombank Arena (Stark Arena) and SMILER photographer Marc Baulisch -Steines was at the show to bring you more stunning photos

Stewart v Jordan

You will remember we left the row last week Rod took exception to TalkSport’s Siman Jordan’s scathing assessment of the Scottish football system.

Rod took to Instagram to urge Jordan to “shut the f*** up” and “back off” when it came to his opinions on Scottish football, and saying he is “sick and tired of the constant deriding and disrespect” Scottish football receives.

Jordan was informed of Rod’s initial remarks while on-air with co-star Jim White and pulled no punches with his reply.

He said after reading Rod’s initial rant: “He is from bl**dy Highgate for crying out loud. I only attack Scottish football because it is a low-hanging fruit – which is incidentally what you would find under Rod’s kilt if you looked.”

Jordan went on to sarcastically call Rod a “national treasure” and didn’t want to “offend” him before unleashing another attack on the state of Scottish football.

“Why would anybody be talking about Scottish football? He should be thanking me for talking about Scottish football – especially since coming from Highgate he should be supporting Arsenal or Tottenham,”

“Rod Stewart – as far as I am interested in his witterings – attack the argument. I make the point about Scottish football. He says he is fed up with people down south where he lives criticising Scottish football, but it is like an emu mentality – he is burying his head in the sand.”

Jordan finished by encouraging Rod to put together an argument in favour of the Scottish game, but the constant jibes at his ties to Scotland

Rod then hit back in a retort sent to Record Sport, on Friday saying:

“Half the Scottish National team have English accents, we can’t all be Rob Roy.

“Criticise Scottish all you want Jordan I’m fully aware of its shortcomings. But it’s the derogatory, sanctimonious, disrespectful way you do it mate. End of story,”

Stewart v Souness

A friendlier spat from Talksport radio ended in Rangers legend Graeme Souness donating £10,000 to a Scottish hospice after losing a charity football bet with Rod Stewart.

They made the wager back in March when each backed their team to win this year’s Scottish Premiership title.

And when Brendan Rodgers’ side clinched the title on Wednesday with a 5-0 win at Kilmarnock, Souness, who managed Rangers from 1986-1991, was delighted to cough up the £10k for Rod’s chosen charity – the St Andrew’s Hospice in Airdrie.

Although he did admit he shouldn’t have taken the gamble.

Writing for the Daily Mail on Friday he joked: “A very, very bad week for me this week, given that I’m not a gambler.

“I was mugged off to have a bet with the obsessive Celtic fan, and an old acquaintance of mine, Rod Stewart on who would win the Scottish Premiership and ended up writing him a cheque for £10,000 last Tuesday, after watching my old club Rangers lose the Old Firm derby last Saturday.

“I should have stuck to my instincts and not accepted that bet!”

Wofie’s wins Gold

Your favourite whisky has won Gold at The World Spirits Competition in San Francisco

Well done guys..We will drink to that!

And while we are talking Wolfie’s, you may remember we reported a couple of weeks ago how Rod was singing the praises of Dundee player Luke McCowan, well Luke told the Scottish Sun this week: “I got a signed bottle of whisky from Rod. I got a wee package sent from him and his team at Wolfie’s, which is his whisky brand. It’s incredible. He’s my two grannies’ favourite, so if I don’t somehow try and half that bottle of whisky, I don’t know how it’ll go!

“There was a wee note saying ‘Have a Wolfie’s on us, Rod and the team’.

“It was a nice touch and it’s something I’ll hold on to forever.”

Ljubljana Stozice Arena. Slovinia

On Sunday Rod arrived in Slovinia for his show at Ljubljana Stozice Arena, He went for a stroll and Bart Stegemangot these shots of Rod shopping in Ljubljana Market

And SMILER photographer Marc Baulisch -Steines was again at the show to bring you ever more brilliant photos

20th Princes Trust Awards

On Tuesday Penny attended the 20th Prince’s Trust  Awards to celebrate the successes of those who have been helped by The Trust, and those who support them, in the UK and around the world.Awards

The event, in collaboration with TK Maxx and Homesense, was held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.

Daisy Fuentes Marx posted some brilliant shots on her Instagram of Penny, Rod her husband Richard Marx and Jim Cregan at The Ritz

On Wednesday Penny posted

Proud to have been an ambassador for 20years and to celebrate the @princestrust 20th awards and very honoured to be invited to celebrate all that’s good in the work that the trust provides young people and those that represent the charity and give back to society. Today, Prince’s Trust Award winners and Celebrity Ambassadors attended a special reception with our President and Founder, His Majesty The King, at Buckingham Palace to celebrate their achievements.

Bratislava Zimný Štadión Ondreja Nepelu

On Wednesday it was back to work for Rod at the Bratislava Zimný Štadión Ondreja Nepelu and SMILER photographer Marc Baulisch -Steines was at the show again t bring you the pictures

This week’s Rod Art

This week we feature two superb pencil drawings by Italian artist Dario Lo Iacono who lives in Surbia

Dario told SMILER this week “I love Rod Stewart, I grew up with his songs and I plan to create a series of portraits dedicated to him, usually I make portraits with pencils or watercolors, the inspiration comes from my childhood memories, when I listened to his songs with my mother as a child, so I have a sort of emotional bond towards Rod Stewart”.

To see more fantastic drawings by Dario go to https://www.facebook.com/darioloiaconoart

Ian McLagan

Singer Songwriter John Eddie wrote a great story about Mac this week

We are three days away from our big show this weekend at the Stone Pony where yours truly and my big bad Dirty Ol Band will be playing my debut album in its entirety and as promised I am spotlighting some of the stellar musicians who helped make that album all those many moons ago!
Today the spotlight falls on mister Ian McLagan who played piano and organ on all the tracks.
Rod Stewart and The Faces is one of my all time favorite bands and growing up I would go see them every chance I could.
My favorite Faces concert was in 1972 at the Spectrum where Badfinger opened the show and they also had something they called “The Rock and Roll Circus” in between.
The circus bit is a little hazy but I remember a very pretty woman hanging from the top of the arena by her hair and spinning wildly. Needless to say this set up wildly unrealistic expectations in the mind of a twelve year old John Eddie as far as women performing for him in the future would go.
But then it was time for Rod and the boys to come out and I completely forgot about the spinning hair lady.
The Faces were raucous and raw and everything rock n roll was meant to be. If I remember correctly they had a bar set up on stage and would get drinks served to them in between songs.
(This set up a totally realistic expectation in the mind of a twelve year old John Eddie as to what proper work conditions should be.)
The Faces with Rod Stewart had everything.
The best songs, the best hair, the best clothes and the best concerts that ended with soccer balls being kicked out into the audience. They also had one of the best keyboard players in Ian McLagan.
His organ playing could make you cry and his barrelhouse piano could make you make dance. What more could you ask for? So when Bill Drescher the producer of my debut album asked who I wanted to play keys on it I immediately said Ian McLagan never really believing he would do it. Well the rock n roll gods were smiling on me and he did indeed do it. Ian played on the whole album but the two tracks that I wrote specifically to try and capture the spirit of Rod and the Faces were the ones that stand out to me the most. My song Buster wears it’s Maggie May influences on its puffy sleeve pretty obviously so Ian’s soulful organ perfectly captured what I was going for. The song Pretty Little Rebel was definitely me trying to write a Stay With Me styled rocker and I even asked Ian if he could pay homage to his famous descending piano break from that song. He sweetly obliged and you can hear it in the second solo section under Nil’s guitar! Sometimes you shouldn’t meet your heroes but Ian was a pleasure to be around in the studio. He was absolutely hilarious and he introduced me to Indian food for the first time. Luv me some Indian food. Thanks Ian.
Looking back now I can’t believe I got to make a record with one of the Faces. Twelve year old John Eddie would be pinching himself. Sixty four year old John Eddie still is.
Sadly Ian passed away about ten years ago.
God bless you brother and thank you for making one of my rock n roll wishes come true!

Menopause Mandate’s 2nd Birthday

On Wednesday Penny celebrated Menopause Mandate’s 2nd Birthday at Parliament, She shared her personal story and has promised to share her speech on YouTube soon .

And Finally …

Anyone attending Rod’s show at Nuremberg Arena Nurnberger Versicherung tonight, Dublin Royal Hospital Kilmainham on Sunday or Monchengladbach SparkassenPark on Tuesday please let us see your photos and hear your thoughts…See you next week