RSFC 'Fan of the Month'

Every month we choose one RSFC member  to celebrate.  If you would like to tell us your Rod story please email Ali at [email protected]

Martin Vergaij - May 2014

Our fan for May 2014 is a very special friend to the RSFC. Known as Dutch Maggie, Martin is a dedicated Faces fan and has followed Rod from the very early days of his career.  Both he and his wonderful wife Jolande are an integral part of our Rod family and he tells here, in his own words, a little of his story. 

I'm Martin Vergaij from Holland ( aka DutchMaggie ) and here's little bit of my story how i got addicted to Rod Stewart and still am after almost 45 years. I was a young boy when I saw him the first time, rehearsing with the Jeff Beck Group in Amsterdam in the Rock temple Paradiso (  in the late 60's ). I was impressed by his vocals but had no clue who he was. Then 2 years later I saw him on a Dutch music program TOPPOP and I was lost.  He was singing Maggie May. It was number 1 in the UK and USA. I started to follow him from that point,  and I saw him with The Faces 3 times. The best show of all I think was PopGala in 1973 near the Hague .The Faces were drunk and great (with Ronnie Lane ).Over the years, I saw Rod probably more than 70 times. In Holland I saw all his shows and I saw him in Belgium - UK – Germany and in 2008 in Spain. Then in the late 90's when the Internet started, I surfed around the web to look for info about Rod. Then I found the site of Ian Roberts and he was organising The Big Weekend in the UK. My first weekend was in 2003 in Manchester and I was overwelmed by the atmosphere there.   Wow!!!!  It was great and I proposed to my wife Jolande there on that stage!   We decided then that we would go each year to the Big Weekend   - and so we did,  and I have missed only one in all these years.

 I have also a great memory in 2007 in Hampden Park with all the Rod Stewart Fans in Glasgow.  God how I miss that.  Then unfortunately on Christmas Eve in 2009 I had  a stroke and my whole world collapsed.  Now I'm still recovering, but I cannot do the thing anymore which I love to  do . Partying with all my great friends from all over the world, and especially the UK and Scottish Friends.    When I was in Hospital, I received so many Get Well Cards from the fans, and even from Rod Stewart himself, and his sister Mary.

I wish all of you people out there from the RSFC a fantastic time and OMG how I miss all this.   I hope to see everyone sometime again to celebrate and party the whole night long. Almost a year ago I saw everyone in Amsterdam, and thanks to Ian for making sure I got to the front.

 Good luck everyone and stay healthy , cos life is too  short. Live the life you want.  Thanks RSFC for the Best Years of my Life

In Memory of Paul Clegg 1954 - 2014. April 2014

This month we celebrate the life of a Rod fan who sadly is no longer with us.  Paul Clegg was a lifelong Rod fan who supported Rod right from the early days of the Faces, right up until Paul's unexpected passing last month.

As Paul isn't able to tell us his Rod story himself, we spoke to Paul's partner Nicole, his brother Gary and his long time friend and fellow fan Ina Bocking  to learn a little more about the man and his life.

Paul began his Rod journey way back in the early 70's and prided himself in that he was right there at the beginning.  He used to recount the tales of early Faces gigs at the Sundowner in Edmonton and Kilburn which were near to his home.  His brother Gary was also a fan and was with him at these concerts and remembers those days well.    He tells us that Paul was a huge music fan and was always at concerts, Steve Harley, Ian Hunter included, but Rod was always his passion.

Gary tells us how one day he was drinking in the Theydon Oak way back in the 80's and was astounded to see Rod in there with his son, Sean.  He telephoned Paul who hot footed it down there, and from that day Paul would be a regular visitor to the pub, and had many exchanges with Rod over the years.    He had several items autographed, to the point that Gary recalls Rod once told him 'No mate, you've had enough!'    But Paul took that in his stride and would still be found at the bar, often buying Rod a half!  ( It was a standing joke that Rod was the only person every to be offered a drink from Paul, usually it would be Paul on the receiving end!)

Paul even managed to wangle an invitation to Rods house to watch the football, and Gary says he went with him, which was a day they will both never forget. 

Paul met his partner Nicole at a Rod gig in Aberdeen on the 1995 in the round tour.  Nicole was over from Germany with her friend Ruth Hannuschka,  and travelling around in a hired van with Ina Bocking.   Paul went over to see Nicole in the July after the concerts, and the following August she came back to England to live with him.  Their mutual love of Rod bringing them together and playing a big part in their lives since then. Nicole says that their house is still full of Rod pictures and memorabilia, cardboard cut out of Rod which took pride of place!

Ina remembers lots of trips to see Rod with Paul.  In particular she tells of the trip to Rotterdam in 2007 when they travelled by Ferry together.   Two days to get there, and then Paul spent a little too long in the pub before the gig, and remembered very little of it.... well we have all been there....

Paul worked as a taxi driver in later years and with the advent of the internet, he couldnt wait to get home to jump on his computer to get on the boards and communicate with other Rod fans.   Paul was an original member of Smiler and contributed greatly to their forum, and with the advent of the Rod Stewart Chronicle and lattlerly the RSFC, he was an active member of our forum too, finding it very easy to be part of both communities.  He wasn't keen on the advent of facebook but nevertheless was never afraid to speak out and give his opinion, which was always in support of Rod. He was overjoyed at the release of TIME and the fact that Rod was writing again, and wrote several times of his love for the album.

Many of us remember Paul from concerts and from our social events.  He was a big part of our community, and although we had seen him out a little less in recent years, he was last with us all at the 02 gig in September 2013, thoroughly enjoying what was to be his last Rod performance, and enjoying the company of other fans. 

The Stewart family were represented at Paul's funeral by the attendance of Mary Cady, Rod's sister and patron of the RSFC -  a fitting tribute to a lifelong fan, and one we are sure Paul would have appreciated.   He may well have found being ' Fan of the Month' quite amusing, but we think it's a very small tribute to a huge fan, and a friend that our Rod family will miss.   Rest in peace Paul. 

David Harper - March 2014

David, otherwise known as Dai Happy,  is a lifelong fan from Wales.  He tells us here, in his own words, how a trip to Butlins as a young boy inadvertantly led to him discovering a love for Rod's music, how his Mum supported him in that passion, and in the build up to this year's Big Weekend, what the event has meant to him over the years.....

Hazel Hutton - February 2014

This month is the turn of our bonnie wee lassie from Perth in Rod's spiritual home, Scotland.  Hazel has been a loyal and constant supporter of the RSFC and our social events from the very beginning, and here she tells us a little of her life as a Rod fan

As with many fans, my love of Rod manifested with the release of the now iconic "Maggie May". At that point, I was very much a teenybopper, rushing home from school one day in the hope that my fave band would be on one of the regular TV shows. I switched on and was faced with someone that I had never seen before..who was this shaggy haired bloke with the silk shirt?  The song was instantly addictive, along with the very distinctive voice.  I loved it and, from there on in, I was hooked.  Every future single was bought and played endlessly and I slowly added all of his albums (solo and with the Faces) to my record collection and the rest as they say, is history.

It was at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow in 1983 when I witnessed my first live Rod experience and well, I haven't looked back since, seeing Rod live is the most amazing experience ever. There's nothing quite like that excitement and atmosphere and well, I can get lost in that voice but surely that just proves how much of showman Rod is - from the intro music to the final curtain, he's mesmerising.

Next stop for me will be Falkirk in June.With every tour announcement comes a real adrenalin rush and that excitement of knowing that he's going to be standing there in front of me..added with the fun of meeting up with friends who share my passion and feel exactly the same way as I do, all adds to the day. I know alot of people think I'm crazy for going to see him so often and I get the usual "aren't all the shows the same?",  but no, to me, every show is different.  I suppose you have to be a "fan" to understand that. I know how lucky I am that I have over the years managed to meet Rod on a few occasions and, he's never been disappointing, always having time for photos and autographs, the first time I met him was at his local boozer in Epping back in 1991, I was the only fan there and I swear I was shaking from head to toe..but who wouldn't be shaking cuddling up to Rod with his arm draped over their shoulder? My last brief encounter with him was at his book signing in Glasgow in November 2013 and just as thrilling as that first meeting. Of course, until the internet arrived, I was sure I must be the only big Rod fan on the planet - but, didn't we all? Now I realise that there's loads of us all over the world and, I'm so happy to be a part of the wonderful Rod family, over the years I have made so many fantastic friends.

I met our very own Ian Roberts via the internet and well, I'm now very glad that he persuaded me to attend that first Rod fans weekend at The President Hotel in Blackpool in 2002, I've only missed one since (due to ill health), needless to say, I look forward to them with great excitement, it's just wonderful to see everyone and spend a whole weekend together, having fun, sharing our passion and raising money for charity at the same time so, thank you to all involved for bringing us all together and making being a Rod fan even more special.

Ann Martineau - January 2014

For our first 'Fan of the Month' for 2014, we visit the United States.   Ann Martineau is a dedicated Rod fan from Minnesota, who tells us here, in her own words, of how she defied her Father to see Rod in concert, which started a lifelong obsession.... and also what being a member of the RSFC means to her.

"My first Rod Stewart memory goes back to when I was 14. Maggie May came on the radio and I just remember liking it and being so excited every time I heard it. I had no idea it was Rod, I just knew I loved the song. My older sister Kim was probably my biggest influence as she was already a Rod fan and little sisters like to do what their big sisters do.

During those early years my exposure to Rod was only experienced through albums and TV appearances. No matter when he was on TV we were there watching, Mike Douglas, The Tonight Show, David Letterman, Bandstand, Midnight Special, Saturday Night Live, we had to be, no one had invented the DVR yet! Going to the record store and looking through the racks and just dreaming of what I could buy next was an almost daily occurrence. Calling the radio stations to request Rod over and over was just something we all did. Then MTV made its debut and Rod's videos were all over the place, it was heaven!

My first concert was in Minneapolis when I was 18. There was a horrible snow storm and my dad told me not to go. I went any way, it was Rod after all and my first concert. My love of Rod and his music just continued to grow. I learned early on that, when Rod tours, one show in my hometown is never enough. Being young and poor, I tried to make the most of those tours and drive where I could. Duluth, Des Moines, Lincoln, Fargo, Chicago, St. Louis. I thought I was so cool, on tour with Rod. hehehe. Then my sister moved to CA and I was able to expand my travel and see Rod many times in CA. I had my first opportunity to get on stage with Rod at a show at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. Rod has always been great about letting fans on stage with him, and this show was no different. Rod had already started letting people on stage when I said to my sister “I’m going” so I ran to the front and jumped over the barrier to my freedom on the stage next to Rod, where I stayed for the remainder of the song. Another great night!

Rod has always been “The soundtrack to my life” I walked down the aisle to Rod's Sentimental Reasons. I’ve cried to Rod, I’ve laughed to Rod. It’s always been Rod with his bluesy roughness that I crave. Then everything changed for me. Rod started his residency in Vegas and I no longer had to wait for him to tour. He was now more accessible to me. I booked that first trip to Vegas and was thrilled to get 2nd row seats. "The Hits" what a great show it was, I even launched myself through the air to try to catch a soccer ball (I didn’t get that ball but sprained my thumb in the process). The minute that show was over I ran to the box office to get tickets for the next night. With my friend Maggie (yep) trying to stop me saying “are you sure, are you sure tickets are expensive?” That night we were in the front row and Rod actually looked at me and kicked me a ball. I slept with that ball that night. That weekend was my friend Maggie's first Rod show's and she announced to me "we are going to follow Rod on tour this summer!" We didn't pull that off but I was thrilled to have her hooked. Now I am very fortunate to get to Vegas when ever Rod is there. I am proud to have danced on stage a few times, caught a few more balls and well, just loved each and every show more and more. I love taking friends with me who have not had the pleasure of seeing Rod and watch them turn into fans.

I was very happy to have found the RSFC, up until then I was sure I was Rod’s biggest fan and felt a little crazy. I quickly learned I’m one of many and not one bit crazy. I have met so many of you and have had the pleasure to join several of you at concerts. I love sharing my passion for Rod with all of you. I know I will always have the next show planned (Vegas in May) 54 so far. I hope to make it to the UK very soon to see a show or two. After all I need to see Rod at home. I can’t see this ever ending for me. I still get excited every time I hear Maggie May on the radio. 40 years later and I’m still going to concerts with my sister. I grew up with Rod and now I’m growing old with Rod... I’m still hoping for my chance to meet him face to face."

Jean and Manny Allbeury - Dec 2013

This month we have not one but two fans of the month! RSFC members Jean and Manny Allbeury really are top of the tree when it comes to getting out there and supporting Rod.  They live in Canada, but have travelled the world many times over seeing Rod perform live in every corner of the planet.  Because of their passion and enduring support, they have been lucky enough to meet Rod several times, and recently they celebrated their 250th concert in Las Vegas, ( yes you read that right, 250 concerts! ) and Rod invited them up on stage.  Here Jean tells us a little of their experiences and what it means to them to be Rod fans.

 "Our love for Rod has taken us to just over 250 concerts which include: 17 countries, 20 US states and 5 Canadian Provinces.

I knew I was in love with Rod Stewart when our friend bought his girlfriend the album ‘Foot Loose and Fancy Free’. When I heard the album I made them play it over and over again.

Our first concert was December 6, 1981, in Vancouver and we had the last row in the very back and we danced all night long.  We saw a few more shows when Rod came to Vancouver but we never travelled out of town until 1995 when Manny asked what I wanted for my birthday. I replied, “to see Rod somewhere other than Vancouver’ and as luck would have it he was playing in the UK at Wembley Stadium. After that it was all systems go!!!

Things were going quite smoothly until we saw him in Seattle May 6, 1999.  We managed to get backstage after the show with our daughter. Dee Harvey came and took us to the inner sanctum where Rod was having a drink. Rod was so welcoming and we talked with him for 20 minutes. We were so cool and nonchalant at the time however, when we got outside to the parking lot, we all started screaming ‘WE JUST MET ROD STEWART!!!!.’

Since then we have had some very memorable trips and met some really beautiful Rod friends.

·     Rod’s band and crew have always made us feel like part of the family. Davey Bryson is one of a kind, even though he is a Rangers supporter.

·     In Japan, we were looking at a menu in a restaurant window when we heard some English being spoken by the people standing next to us, turned out to be Ruth, Gillian, Megumi and Terry.

·     In Germany, we travelled all over the country with our good friend Oliver. We were in tears when we said good bye at the airport. The after shows in Berlin were phenomenal where the German fans took over the bar and it stayed open until 4 in the morning. In a small town in southern Germany, Michel and Sabine welcomed us to their restaurant, New York Grill and treated us like royalty. It was the time of the World Cup and everybody was going crazy.

·     Malta was a great experience with much laughter with Gillian and Ruth.

·     Mexico City, once again we were treated like royalty by Gabriel, Ale, Antonio and the rest of the gang, having one of the most magnificent meals before the show.

·     We loved the craziness of Rod fan parties, such as the one in Amsterdam where we all sang Forever Young on the balcony of the pub.

·     The US shows has given us the opportunity to meet truly great friends – Mike, Connie, Teresa, Theresa, Gilles, Bonnie, Sharon, Lucille, Lulu, Kathy, (and many, many others).  Everybody knows Marcy and Dave; we have had some great breakfasts after the shows and including a strange incident whilst driving with a journalist who was writing a story about fans. (Fame Junkies)

·     Then there’s the ‘Love Train’ which started in Wiesbaden with 5 people. By the time it reached Vancouver the numbers had swelled to approximately 100 people.

·     Rod knows Manny is a West Ham supporter and frequently takes the mickey out of him for this. In Vancouver, he missed his cue because he was busy telling Manny that West Ham would be relegated.

This has all happened to us because of Rod Stewart. He has always been kind and welcoming to us. His sense of humour and great showmanship keeps drawing us in and wanting more. When he recognizes us in the audience it adds to our pleasure and enjoyment of the concert. There are many stories that we could share but maybe another time over a drink.

We would like to extend a big ‘THANK YOU ROD’ and hope to see you and your great band for another 250 concerts."

Adriana Altamirano - Nov 2013

"I became a crazy Rod Stewart fan in 1977 at twelve years old, now I am almost 47. I remember as it was yesterday, I was listening  to the radio while I was doing my school homework when Maggie May song started to sound.
I was infatuated since the first minute for "that voice" so different from the others, so special.

 But...Who's belong this voice? Who is Rod Stewart, from which country he is?  Unfortunately no Google in those days to search for, just only wait for some news. I had the voice in my memory and I loved Rod Stewart without knowing who he was. I had only listened once and I had to wait a couple of months until I could see on TV - Sailing video -  and when I saw him I felt and knew he would be my love for ever.
So, I started to learn English in order to understand his songs and I loved it!! I grew up with his music living in a country where he was not so popular nor even known.
I have always said "being a Rod Stewart fan in Argentina was something really very hard" 35 years ago…when internet didn't exist". There were very long periods of time without any news about him. I remember buying a lot of music magazines "just in case" some pic or news from Rod was on it!!! It was so hard but it made my love for him stronger.
Thanks God and technology, internet appeared and I was able to get all the info about him I had always dreamt, and as more I knew about him, the more I dreamed to go to his homeland, Glasgow, Scotland.

 I was very lucky than in 1989, twelve years after I knew about him, he came to perform in my country. I was soooooo excited, I remember I went to the hotel where he was staying, I waited for him all afternoon and I finally got his autograph and a kiss!!!!! I felt so happy!!!  The concert was great, it was the Out of Order Tour and I realized I was not the only one Rod Stewart fan in Argentina, because 55,000 people
attended to that concert. What a surprise!!! A lovely surprise!!!
And now, after seeing Rod performing in my country, what else I could wait for?  It was supposed I must stay quiet, I saw Rod Stewart on tour!!!

 No quiet at all, that was the begining of what I call " Rod Stewart addiction·" and it means that once you saw him on stage performing at a concert you want to see him over and over again.
Unfortunately economics crisis in my country didn't allow me to travel abroad until 2007, but for the period of time between 1989 and 2007 I found on internet the best of the sites for a Rod Stewart fan, it was called www.rodstewartchronicle.com , a site dedicated to Rod Stewart, his career and his music, created by Ian Roberts. I remember I felt I "touched the sky with my hands" when I found this site because
I could find updated info about Rod and chating with a lot of people from all over the world and get the best pictures of Rod. I loved this site and there were a link about "tour dates" that I started to keep an eye on it.

 I wanted to see Rod on tour again and again and I was not going to wait he came to my country. So, I crossed the Atlantic, to see him. My first abroad concert was in Twickenham, I really don´t remember how I arrived there, but I did!!! Lollllllllll. It was a very nice experience because I always wanted to see Rod performing in UK, of course my goal was Glasgow but Rod didn´t perform Glasgow that tour.
Well, I saw Rod in concert outside my country,it was supposed I must stay quiet now...

 Rod surprised me and again came to my country in 2008. OH memories, memories…third row than soon became first …..Celtic jersey in order to get Rod attention, my first ball directly from his hands, meeting fans. Lovely!!!

 Well, Adriana, it is ok now, isn´t it…..I don't think so.

 Glasgow, Glasgow, Glasgow……now I want to go to see Rod performing in Glasgow. And I did!! Year 2010 I saw Rod in Edinburgh, under a heavy rain in Edinburgh Castle the first concert and with a sunny day on  the second date. Very nice experience, a concert at a Castle. Then I went to Sheffield and Liverpool concerts too. A great experience to share a lot of time with fans from differents countries, funny stories to
listened to, OF COURSE, ROD RELATED!!!

 Finally the SO AWAITED Glasgow, 3 incredibles concerts with the best audience in the world. I had the chance to meet a lot of fans from all over the world with whom I had chatted for years and years.
Well, this was the end and it was supposed I fulfilled my dream: Glasgow.  Not when is Rod related. He became as a kind of addiction, a lovely one. I decided I will go all the places I could to see Rod Stewart  performing . So I travelled  to Aberdeen, Norwich, Leeds, Atlanta, New York, Las Vegas, London, Manchester, Amsterdam.

 Am I crazy? Probably yes, but the happiness I feel when I am at a Rod Stewart concert is something that has no price and can´t be explained with words. It is just a feeling . A very deep feeling that makes me travel around the world, not matter where, no matter when, just only to be near Rod, to listend his music to look at his eyes.

 I feel so happy for being a Rod Stewart fan and being part of this extraordinary and lovely group of fans from RSFC."