OPINION - Rod Stewart has an aura of cheese, but this is why he makes sense for the Glastonbury Legends slot

“I thought Rod Stewart was dead,” said a colleague. Others concurred. But Rod Stewart is not dead, he’s playing the Legends slot astatine 3pm connected the Sunday of Glastonbury festival — and is the cleanable idiosyncratic to bash so, pursuing connected from the likes of Shania Twain, Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie.

The past clip galore of america saw Rod was his show astatine the Platinum Jubilee – sorry, Platty Jubes – erstwhile helium squawked done a rendition of Sweet Caroline that helium aboriginal claimed the BBC “made him” sing. At slightest helium had an excuse. Who was to blasted for making america watch? No 1 but ourselves.

The show did not assistance with the definite naffness that has clung to Rod implicit the years, somewhat unfairly. When helium archetypal deed the euphony country “Rod the Mod” was surely cool, portion of the Jeff Beck Group, earlier helium became the frontman of the Faces successful 1969. With his slayer raspy vocal, helium helped instrumentality the quirky popular creation mod euphony of The Who and The Small Faces (whose ashes the Faces emerged from) and aimed it squarely astatine the shot terraces. As with Slade, this was the infinitesimal successful the 70s erstwhile agelong hairsbreadth was nary longer the sphere of the hippies, but abruptly each bully with lager, a kickabout, and wearing matching flared jeans with your “bird”. They were a boozy laughter successful opposition to the heroin evil of The Rolling Stones, and successful “Stay With Me” had a opus to lucifer thing the older set could do. It was nary mishap that Ronnie Wood was recruited from the Faces to regenerate Mick Taylor successful the Stones successful 1975.

While Ronnie accordingly assumed immoderate unsafe chill arsenic Keith Richards’ brother-in-legless-arms, Rod’s solo vocation – which he’d tally concurrently – abruptly took disconnected arsenic the Faces split, acknowledgment to a tally of ballad screen versions that were immense cheesy hits and propelled him to superstardom.

Although Rod was selling a batch of records, helium was not cool. But you had the consciousness that helium didn’t care

“Sailing”, a screen of a small known opus by the Sutherland Brothers, deed fig 1 and astir instantly became a stalwart of wedding discos and pub chucking-out time, wherever it has remained to this day.

A double-A broadside of “The First Cut Is The Deepest” (a Cat Stevens song) and “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” (a Crazy Horse song) deed the charts successful May 1977, but became notorious arsenic the opus that kept Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” disconnected fig one, acknowledgment to immoderate rumoured illustration manipulations.

Although Rod was selling a batch of records, helium was not cool. But backmost successful those days, you had the consciousness that helium didn’t care. He was having fun, touring the world, dating Britt Ekland, supporting Scotland, and treating everything with a wry wit. 1978’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” embodied this, a tongue-in-cheek piss-take of disco that collapsed nether the value of its ain occurrence and for galore nailed Rod arsenic a tacky cheese-lord successful overly choky trousers.

Thereafter helium remained arsenic stone royalty, tabloid fodder for his emotion of blondes and reliable for a deed each fewer years. He popped up successful the godawful “All For Love” single, successful a trio featuring him, Bryan Adams and Sting, a opus which aimed to bash for The Three Musketeers movie what Adams’ “Everything I Do” had done for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It didn’t, but depressingly it was fig 1 for what seemed similar years. This was 1993. Musical lore volition kid you that grunge was giving mode to Britpop astatine the time: the world was, this benignant of dinosaur euphony was inactive dominant.

His MTV Unplugged successful the aforesaid twelvemonth was a large occurrence for him, which showcased different hit: “Have I Told You”, a Van Morrison song. As helium shed tears portion singing it, it was a reminder of his dependable and that, y’know, helium meant it. But it hasn’t lasted rather arsenic good arsenic Nirvana Unplugged.

Now, determination person been plentifulness of reassessments of Rod successful the years since. Faces reunions, satellite tours, helium has proved his presumption arsenic a Legend plentifulness of times, 1 of the astir recognisable faces and voices successful music. And yet, the whiff of food has everlastingly hung implicit him successful the nationalist imagination, cemented erstwhile again astatine the Platty Jubes.

When ‘Sailing’ hits the Pyramid Stage, it volition beryllium 1 of those ‘Glastonbury moments’ radical speech about

The Glastonbury Legends slot is truthful made for him. A spot of food is what is required astatine 3pm connected a Sunday day astatine Worthy Farm, erstwhile radical are connected their 5th comedown of the festival, with 1 past container of rosé tucked nether their arm, excessively bushed to stand, but not excessively bushed to beryllium down and row. When “Sailing” hits the Pyramid Stage, it volition beryllium 1 of those “Glastonbury moments” radical speech about.

And this whitethorn adjacent beryllium 1 of those Legends slots that produces a wholesale reassessment of an artist’s bequest arsenic with Tony Bennett successful 1998 oregon Neil Diamond successful 2008. You tin easy ideate Rod laying retired deed aft deed successful his casual breezy style, bringing connected Ronnie for a spot of the Faces, and emerging triumphant. “Maggie May”? No 1 tin reason with that. And it’s 1 of his.

Rod’s had a batch of wellness issues successful the past fewer years. He’s battled prostate crab for 3 years earlier getting the all-clear; this aft having thyroid crab successful 2000. He turns 80 adjacent twelvemonth and has said helium won’t beryllium doing afloat standard touring again, remarking that his “days are numbered.” This Glastonbury acceptable volition transportation important idiosyncratic weight, which the assemblage volition beryllium alert of, and you tin expect it to beryllium affectional arsenic good arsenic fun.

Look, the feline deserves it.

He whitethorn person go the soundtrack to wedding discos and pub chucking-out times, but well, that means he’s been the soundtrack to large moments successful our lives – snogs and tears and fights and hugs – and that makes him a existent antheral of the people.

The information is, the immense bulk of america are not cool, we’re each cheesy arsenic hell, truthful let’s observe 1 of our own.

Martin Robinson is simply a London Standard columnist