CLASSIC CLIPS | with The OUTRAGEOUS Present That Sparked a RIVALRY Between Rod Stewart & Elton John

0:00Rod Stewart: And obviously music and football are your passions.

0:03Peter Crouch: Where did the football passion start?

0:05Rod Stewart: I grew up in a football household. You know, there was, my dad used to run a team called Highgate Red Wing. He'd run two teams, A team and a B team, and my two brothers used to play. So, you know, Saturday mornings for me, 507 Archway Road, around 11 o 'clock or 12 o 'clock when it was a 3 o 'clock kickoff, was full of players, you know, and the telephone's ringing, he can't play, well you play. So I grew up amongst that. So I had no option but to play football.

0:33Elton John: And was that a passion for you to be a professional? Was your mindset on being obviously a professional football player from a young boy? Yeah, yeah, it was.

0:44Rod Stewart: Yeah, it was. Mainly because my other two brothers were good, but they weren't that good. They're upstairs on the roof now. Sorry, guys. But my dad wanted one of us to be a pro. So I went down to Brentford and had trials there, but they didn't call me back. But at that same time, I was getting into the music business, so I didn't really care. I think that's where my passion was.

1:07Elton John: What position was you on? If you had to say a player now that would typify who you was, what would you be?

1:14Rod Stewart: I don't know, because in those days it was right half and left half. So I played at right half and I finished up, I only finished playing about 12 years ago, and I'm 80 now. so I finished up playing right back.

1:26Elton John: That's where most players end up going further back. Yeah, well, you always say,

1:29Rod Stewart: well, you can see the whole game in front of you, can't you?

1:34Peter Crouch: Is there one goal that you've scored that sticks in your mind?

1:38Rod Stewart: Really, I was never a great goal scorer but I did score three at Chelsea during the Soccer Six. Do you remember the Soccer Six? Yeah. George Best was there, bless him, a good mate of mine and he was most impressed. Three good goals. They weren't tap-ins.

1:53Peter Crouch: Yeah. But impressed George Best with a hat-trick as well. He was a lovely fella. A hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, was it?

2:00Rod Stewart: Yeah, they used to have the Soccer Six. I think it stopped about 10, 15 years ago. Have you scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge?

2:07Peter Crouch: No. No? There you go. You've got 1-0 up already. 1-0. I get a sense you're quite, like, in a very healthy, friendly way, quite a competitive guy on this front as well. How do you mean? Well, you were just telling the stories about, like, It's almost like a music derby, if you will, between you and Sir Elton.

2:28Rod Stewart: Yeah, it is. And it's been that way since we both used to live real close to each other in the early 70s in Ascot. So, you know, we'd spend Christmases together and, you know, the Christmas presents he bought me. See, I thought I was buying him a big Christmas present. It was like a fridge and you press a button and it comes up and steam comes up, champagne and everything like that, and then it goes down again. It was 600 quid. He gave me a fucking Rembrandt.

3:04Rod Stewart: A Rembrandt. I wasn't expecting that. Unbelievable. He is one of the most generous guys ever. Do you know the story when he shot down my balloons over we were playing the Olympia in London? What's this? I had great big balloons saying blondes have more fun and he had them shot down with a pellet gun

3:28Peter Crouch: he's been on this podcast he came on this podcast as well and he was brilliant for what it's worth if you really want to come at this from a competitive oh I have to do the podcast

3:41Peter Crouch: do you keep in touch with Sir Owen John you know rolling stones like people in music he's still pals

3:48Rod Stewart: Not really. Woody, I do a lot. Just recently, because we're going to do a Glastonbury together. Elton sometimes, you know, birthdays, but nowhere near how we used to. I think probably because he doesn't drink anymore and Woody doesn't drink and I still do. They stay away from me. I'm a double influence.

4:10Peter Crouch: Has Elton ever brought you to a Watford game?

4:12Rod Stewart: Oh, my God, yeah. We used to go, we'd be up all night doing drugs and things. and I'd knock on the door at 10 o 'clock in the morning, come on Stuart! And he'd come in, he had his top hat when I used to stay over at his place. He's like his boulder hat on and everything. We're going to see Watford and all smartly dressed and yeah, we used to go.

4:33Peter Crouch: Yeah. They sound like sometimes. Yeah, it was lovely. Do you look back on that fondly? Yeah, of course I do, yeah. What was Sir Elton John like as a football player?

4:45Rod Stewart: To Bob. Really? Yeah, he loved the game. he could never play it. Weren't bad at throwing.

4:53Rod Stewart: If you could stay in one era, where would you be? Now. Really? This is the best. You know, because the 70s were all drug and alcohol fuelled and shagging and shagging, you know, that's all behind me now. Sounds terrible.

5:11Rod Stewart: Don't tell the wife. I've got the most gorgeous wife as a view. Got a lovely wife. So it's just because you're getting up. People say, you're nervous before you go on. I say, never. It's just exuberation and excitement to get out there because unlike a football match, everyone's out there, 10 ,000 people to see me do well. Football match, I often want to see you lose, you know. So it's just, I'm a very lucky man. Some guys have all the luck.

5:39Peter Crouch: On that, what is it like to hear your song when you've been at the football and you hear one of your songs going around the stadium I mean, all Celtic fans singing along. That must be a good moment.

5:50Rod Stewart: Well, yeah, in the old days when I used to sing Sailing, but I haven't heard any of my songs recently. Are you not? No, because they're all youngsters. They don't know who I am. I'm surprised they don't play it in as a sort of regular. No, they play a lot of Irish songs. Yeah.

6:06Peter Crouch: God, it's some career you've had. Like, you must be so proud. Yeah, so proud.

6:14Peter Crouch: Could AI help you do more of what you love? Workday is the next-gen ERP powered by AI that actually knows your business. We help you handle the have-to-dos so you can focus on the can't-wait-to-dos. It's a new Workday.