Sir Rod Stewart, 79, has opened up on the unique way he destresses nowadays – and how it laid the groundwork for his newfound friendship with Jools Holland.
Together, Stewart and Holland, 66, are set to release their first joint album, Swing Fever, this month which is a collection of all-new singles dedicated to the music genre of the same name.
Both Stewart and Holland have spent decades in the spotlight but Swing Fever marks the first time the duo have collaborated.
The idea was born from Stewart who contacted Holland with a brief phone call after admitting he felt some of his music had gone “stale”.
Holland jumped at the chance to work with Stewart and in a new interview, the pair have revealed it isn’t just their love of music as to why.
Stewart insisted the pair are “made for each other” due to their shared passion for model trains.
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland share a love of model trains as well as music
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“When I’m having the worst day ever, when things are not going as they should, I go into my workshop and the whole world can p**s off,” Stewart told the Sun.
“I walk in and I’m thinking, ‘I’m really happy to be doing this’.”
Fellow hobbyist Holland echoed Stewart’s passion, revealing he’s the proud owner of a model train track that spans through Britain, Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
“I’ve got the Berlin Wall and a Stasi building,” Holland also added.
Earlier this month, Stewart told Radio Times exactly why he decided to enlist Holland’s help on the new album.
The pair had previously teased the record on Holland’s New Year’s Eve show on the BBC – although fans were more distracted by what Stewart had decided to wear.
Stewart told the publication: “I’d already started making a swing album, but it didn’t turn out how I wanted it.
“It was more Frank Sinatra than it was Louis Prima, let’s say,” he added before he backtracked slightly.
Rod Stewart is returning to the charts at 79
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“Nothing wrong with Frank at all, he’s the greatest. But the arrangements were very, very polite,” Stewart said.
He continued: “I could see while I was there [in the studio] the guys reading the music. And that’s not how I wanted it.
“It’s okay to read the music. But it was stale, and it was white, to be quite honest with you.
“So I said to myself: now, who can I turn to? And the Right Honourable Jools Holland OBE came up.”
