Adventure

The theme of adventure—to leave the familiar in search of a new experience—recurs throughout Rod: the Autobiography. Adventure begins for Rod Stewart at a very young age. He remembers staying up late and hiding behind furniture, watching his parents dance at parties they hosted. Cheering for Scottish football teams also deviated from the norm of his community, although he learned this from his adventurous father (adventurous at least when it came to sneaking into football matches). As an adolescent, Stewart entered a period of tremendous change and exploration. He traveled to continental Europe on an impulse, slept under bridges, played music in the streets, and hopped trains. He refused to wash, change his clothes, or cut his hair. Stewart even became involved in subversive socialist politics by subscribing to the London Daily Worker. This "beatnik" phase was certainly a form of rebellion; but it...