Rod Stewart Tribute by Bob Wyper

In being Rod Stewart, have you gone all the way? Or did you get this look naturally? Like plastic Surgery???

Ha... no surgery... not for me.   I can't even have my ears pierced for an earring as I don't think people should do that sort of thing to their bodies. The hair is all natural and I recently started putting a little blonde colour on it to make it more like Rod, but that's all I'll be doing. 

How long have you been a Rod’s fan, and what made Rod stand out for you when you first became aware of him?

Knew about Rod in Steampacket way back in the sixties with Long John Baldry.  My friend was a singer and songwriter who wrote songs for John.   Stay With Me and Maggie May were huge influences on me and, along with my love of The Beatles, started my interest in music.  Rod was known for singing hard and the unique rough edge on the voice meant you knew it was him the moment he came on the radio...  that uniqueness was a very important part of his appeal in those days when radio play was so important to an artiste's career.   He wore strange clothes as well, often experimenting with colours and styles until something worked for him... he certainly stood out.

What is the best thing about being in Rod’s tribute band?

Just singing those great songs...  wish I could write songs like those.

Did you meet Rod in personal? How did they react?  

I have never met Rod and I don't know how either of us would react.   I hear that he's a good bloke and very straightforward, especially talking about football, so we would probably get on well on that subject alone.  I used to be a photographer working with all the big name players in Scotland and England and they were all great as well.   Football and music have a lot in common when you work with the real people in the business.   I think Rod would be one of those real people.  Coincidentally, I found one of my songs on an album alongside two of Rod's songs.   It was an album of Tartan Army Football Anthems, a collection of songs for the Scotland football squad going to the World Cup from 1974.

Do share with us any funny or weird experience you had with your fans?

I have still not recovered from going into a fast food takeaway in Lanark (Scotland) after a show there....   the whole place just started singing Maggie May to me.  It has happened a few times since then as well...  a very strange but very nice feeling.

What are going to perform at the upcoming concert in Abu Dhabi and Dubai?

Looking to sing most of the favourites as always... depends on the time I have in each show... about an hour I think on each...   I normally do 2 to 3 hours straight through on the UK shows, so I get to sing everything I want, but the shows in Abu Dhabi and Dubai need a bit of trimming down and I won't know what to do until I see the crowd...  I'll probably speak to them before finally deciding... that's what I normally do.

Which of the Rod’s hits would you regard as your favourite?

I love "I Was Only Joking" mainly because it also has a superb section with acoustic and electric guitar solos... it's got everything really, with Rod's vocals sitting perfectly on this biographical song.

How did your recent gig go? Where was it?

Stirling in Scotland for last two nights, both sold out just like the last 7 or 8 shows have been.   It's really picking up momentum now as people get to know about the show.   I think they like the longer shows here because it's more like going to a real Rod Stewart concert...   a bit of fantasy for everyone including me.

Now that you are so famous…why do not you have your own ‘individual’ band or own recordings? Or is it that you enjoy emulating Rod?

I don't regard myself as famous...  certainly not like Rod anyway.  Recording Rod's songs would work against my idea of a tribute but I would like to record some of the songs I have written myself.   I feel that my tribute show is a vehicle to introduce Rod's music to the public.  When I am asked for CD's at a show, I encourage people to buy Rod's albums instead, usually by asking which songs they liked best and then telling them which albums to buy to get that type of music.

So you believe it is all about getting inspired, not being a copy cat?

It's a bit like Rod copying original songs by Sam Cooke and Otis Redding...  songs get handed down..   the difference is that Rod did his own version of the songs and made them personal with his amazing vocal style.   I use my voice more like an actor learning to play a character, also learning as many little mannerisms and dance steps as I can.   It's all done to entertain audiences who can't get to Rod's concerts and to encourage them to get into Rod's music more.

Is there any dream place where you would like to perform?

Last year, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were dream venues, now they are real.   New dreams come and go and that is what makes the business exciting.   If you asked me what would be the ultimate performance, it would be any room filled with Rod Stewart fans, because they respond to the songs and give me back as much as I ever give to them.   Every show is a privilege to perform.

What is next for you?

A few more shows this year and then start looking at mini-tours and shows in UK for the next couple of years, hopefully a return visit to UAE.

How do you go about setting the standard that Rod Stewart possesses?

Watching DVD's and old videos of Rod performing is the best way to pick up the accent points and the little movements that his fans love so much.   The more I practise the more chance I have of recreating an accurate performance, as I say... more like being an actor learning a part.

What are your views about other Rod Stewart Tribute acts – like Des Martine, Paul Metcalfe, Garry Pease, Dylan Cassidy, Jack Danson, Steve Mathieson?

I am delighted just to be mentioned in the same company as these guys...   they have worked extremely hard at what they do, just as I have done.  If you work as hard as this, you will eventually get the rewards, depending on whether you are seeking fame or fortune.. or even both.   Personally, I do this because I love it, the income it generates is a consequence of being fairly good at what I do...   it would be the same if I was a joiner or an electrician or something, but music is easier to love than jobs like that.  I have heard Des Martine and a couple of others not listed, and tonight (Sunday 14th) by coincidence, I am going to see Jack Danson's show in Glasgow before I fly out to UAE.  All these guys are worth seeing because they are good at what they do.

Can you share with us something about your latest tribute album?

It was something I looked at doing, but I shelved the idea in favour of getting more people to buy Rod's music...  see answer to previous question...

When did you first get involved in music? What’s your earliest memory of expressing an interest in this?

1972 was the year I changed my love of listening to music into a love of playing it.   I learned drums and later keyboards which I used for writing songs.   Everybody should learn an instrument of some kind as it gives you a great feeling of achievement to get a tune out of something.   I've loved music from a very early age, producing makeshift shows in the garden at home at a very young age.  I was a huge fan of Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Carl Palmer so it was inevitable that I would start out as a drummer....  they are 3 totally different types of drummer as well which makes it all the more puzzling what I actually saw in each of them....   professionals at what they did.

What about working on Rod's latest offering called Still The Same...Great Rock Classics Of Our Time, and it's being hailed as his return to the rock genre?

I already perform some songs from the album...   Have You Ever Seen The Rain, It's A Heartache and Day After Day.   To be honest, some of the songs on the album are a bit too soft to be called "rock" songs, but I enjoy hearing them sung by Rod anyway, so he can call them anything he likes.  I chose those 3 songs because they suit my singing style.   I have sung Day After Day since it was released by Badfinger, a brilliant band who went through a lot of troubled times in their short career...   I only found out recently that Badfinger actually performed a tour with Rod Stewart in the early seventies.  Rod always said he wanted to record the Bonnie Tyler song It's A Heartache because of the likeness of styles they had.   Have You Ever Seen The Rain was written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival and he is another singer with a style like Rod's, a very unique singing voice with a real rough edge to it to add character.

If not tribute, then you would have been…

I would still have been playing or singing.   I love music too much not to.   I like getting involved in the business and marketing of it all as well, so who knows what else I might try.  Photography has also been important, so maybe even a music photographer...  maybe one day.

Have heard many tribute artistes try to emulate Rod's voice and NONE of them come close to Rod in terms of delivery except you. What is it that defines a tribute act as the ultimate?

I don't claim to be an exact copy of Rod...   I firmly believe that no-one is close to having the singing voice Rod has...   tribute acts take their own voices, some of them pretty good too, and add a characteristic rough edge to create a sound that represents their version of Rod's voice....   that's exactly what I have done as well.   It's only an impersonation using what I have, to the best of my ability...   if I could sing as well as Rod I would be making records and money like him, but I am not.   I think it's the same for the other tributes.   We are all just entertainers using our ability to entertain to the highest level we can...  some are better than others.  As I have said on my website (www.rodstewartshow.co.uk) , I am guided by the audiences...   as long as they are enjoying the shows, I am doing something right...  it is usually measured by applause at the end of each song.  The ultimate tribute act will leave the audience believing they have just seen the real artiste perform, or very close to it at least.   That is the fantasy part...  reality is that it was an act, a performance, just like being in a film or a theatre production, and if it portrays the artiste in a good way, then the tribute has done the job properly.  If we can all have some fun along the way, that is my personal target.  If I stop enjoying it, I will change something...  maybe even try another show completely, but at the moment, I want to be doing the Rod Stewart Tribute and keep developing the act to the highest level I can.   I just hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.