Happy Anniversary
On Monday Rod and Penny celebrated their 18th Wedding Anniversary
The couple were married in 2007 at La Cervara, a former abbey near Portofino, Italy. The couple began dating in 1999, and had their first child together, son Alistair, in 2005. welcoming their second son Aiden, in 2011.
On Tuesday it was the anniversary of another big event when on June 17th 1995: Rod set an attendance record for London’s Wembley Stadium with a concert crowd of 90,000. In comparison, the 1985 Live Aid concert drew 72,000.
This week’s Rod Art
This week we feature the amazing work of Tony Winterbottom from drinkordraw who says ‘I’m a recovering alcoholic, I sketch to aid my sobriety’
Tony who is based in Nantwich Cheshire [Also the birth place of your SMILER news editor!] told SMILER this week “So as you will see I’m very much influenced by music, it’s a big part of my life… and while sketching and listening to music I can go off down a rabbit hole… so with Rod for instance I’d been asked to do a portrait for Ronnie Lanes family, so I’m listening to the faces, I love The stay with me track and hey presto a sketch of Rod”
To see more of Tony’s brilliant sketches, and they are really worth checking out, go to https://www.instagram.com/drinkordraw
Rod On TV
Sky Arts will be showing Discovering: Rod Stewart on Sunday 22 June at 5am
Music critics reflect on the life and career of the former Faces frontman, one of the best-selling artists of all time
Discovering: Rod Stewart airs on Sky Arts at 5:00 AM, Sunday 22 June. (Subtitles.)
From 25 to 29 June, the legendary Glastonbury Festival will take place in the English county of Somerset. And the music channel MTV is getting its audience in the mood for it in the coming days and weeks.
From 22nd to 23rd June at 3 a.m. (CEST), MTV Live will show a recording of Rod Stewart’s legendary Unplugged and Seated concert from 1993.
‘To celebrate Rod’s Glastonbury Legend slot, let’s turn back the clock to his adventurous unplugged set from 1993 with classics such as “Maggie May” and cover versions of Van Morrison, Chuck Berry and Tom Waits,’
And the start of what you have been waiting for for weeks..
On Thursday 26th July BBC Two are starting the big event with Glastonbury 2025 Live from 10:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne reveal all the stories from the first 48 hours on site at the Glastonbury Festival. The duo will be joined by special guests, feature a couple of performances, and look ahead to some of the scheduled appearances by the likes of the 1975, Rod Stewart, Olivia Rodrigo, Raye, Charli xcx and more
Glastonbury 2025 Live airs on BBC Two HD at 10:00 PM, Thursday 26 June. (New, series, subtitles.)
R.I.P. John Reid
Tributes were been paid this week to songwriter and DJ John Reid, who has died at the age of 61. The Glaswegian producer and vocalist was best known for his work co-writing songs for the likes of Rod, Tina Turner, Nightcrawlers and more. Some of his biggest hits included the house classic ‘Push The Feeling On’, Westlife’s Number One single ‘Unbreakable’, and Kelly Clarkson’s ‘A Moment Like This’ – which later topped the charts in the UK when it was covered by X Factor winner Leona Lewis.
In 2001 when Rod was working on his nineteenth studio album ‘Human’ he chose to include the very underrated track “Run Back into Your Arms” written by John along with Graham Stack and Brian Rawling.
Pollstar Top Tours List
British and Irish acts
1. Coldplay £100.9million
2. Sir Paul McCartney £23.23million
3. Iron Maiden £20.1million
4. Dua Lipa £15.4million
5. Charli XCX £13.82million
6. The Script £13.811million
7. Simply Red £10.02million
8. Rod Stewart £9.2million
9. Sam Fender £8.79million
10. Sting with Billy Joel £6million
The figures were compiled by music analytics firm Pollstar who looked at gig revenue between November 14 to May 14.
Royal Ascot
On Tuesday Penny and Alastair attended Royal Ascot at Ascot racecourse.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla also attended day one.
Radio Times
Don’t miss this week’s Radio Times featuring a pre Glastonbury interview with Sir Rod
Rod Stewart takes centre stage on this year’s Glastonbury issue to prove he’s still a rock legend at 80, along with fellow festival stars Self Esteem and Sam Ryder.
You know you will want one, so save the date.
You have all seen the Wolfie’s posts now and watched the sneak peak video from Sir Rod that they sent us about the new drop to celebrate Rod’s Legend slot at Glastonbury .
So don’t miss the exclusive fan backstage access – Your chance to grab one before anyone else. There’s only 1500 bottles, and they are never to be restocked!
On Monday 23rd June at 11am!!….The private link to purchase will be on SMILER ..Wolfie’s are looking after us fans so don’t miss out.
This will be a ship to the UK offer only
Big reveal tomorrow!!
Paris To Portafino
On Thursday Penny and Rod celebrated their 18th anniversary by taking a dream Orient Express train journey from Paris to Portafino
Each carriage of the Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient Express exudes opulence, from the polished wood finishes to the exquisite and delicate upholstery and furnishings. Each carriage has its own story; even walking down the corridors is a magical experience.
Passengers can immerse yourself in the ultimate luxury in one of the Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express suites. Inspired by a fusion of the landscapes the train travels through and designs from the Art Deco period, each individually designed cabin has a private marble en-suite bathroom and mosaic floor, a lounge area by day and a double or twin bed at night. For an extra indulgent experience on your Orient Express tour, travel in one of the Grand Suites, where free-flowing champagne, 24-hour butler service and private in-cabin dining will make you feel like royalty. You cannot get more luxurious than this when designing your holidays on the Orient Express.
And Finally..
Watch out for Penny on an upcoming podcast for We’re Not Getting Any Younger
Join pals Lisa Snowdon & Andy Goldstein as they celebrate the fact that they are indeed not getting any younger!
Throughout these light hearted shows Lisa & Andy take a look at the best ways to embrace the ageing process, how to get a healthy and happy life style and all the while tackling some serious subjects with a balance of expert advice, celebrity guests, candid conversations and a heavy dose of humour!
See you next week…