Rod Stewart is waiting for the time when he will come off stage feeling "desperately uncomfortable".
The 68-year-old rocker's latest record Time is due for release next month and he will be playing shows in support of it. At the moment he can think of nothing better than hitting the road, but he's sure at some point he'll start to think he's too old for it.
"I’m not trying to fool anyone. I’ve never lied about my age. In fact, I’m quite proud of it," he told British newspaper The Telegraph. "But there will come a time, I’m sure, when the bell will ring and you come off stage feeling desperately uncomfortable about what you’re doing, and it will be time to call it quits. Maybe it will happen with this next tour, I don’t know. But then I will do [it] with a great amount of dignity, a 60-piece orchestra and a Zimmer frame.”
Although Rod is one of the biggest-selling artists of his generation, his career hasn't been easy. The star still has problems penning lyrics, which has always been the part of his job he's disliked the most.
Writing his recent autobiography has helped him somewhat though.
"My assumption was that I was finished as a songwriter. I was trapped down all sorts of unhelpful mental alleys," he explained.
"I was getting up in the middle of the night to write things down, which has never happened to me. I used to hate [song writing]. It was like being at school, 'Come on, Stewart, you’ve got to finish the lyrics!’ – and you’d get kicked into a room with a bottle of wine. But this was just a pleasure and a joy. I loved every minute of it."
His album Time includes several tracks which are dedicated to family and friends. There are songs for his children and one about divorce, which Rod has been through twice.
Can’t Stop Me Now is an ode to his father, who the star felt was unfailingly supportive when he started his career.
"Every time I got rejected, he would always be there for me. Although my big brother told me it wasn’t quite as easy as that, behind my back he was saying, 'I’m a bit worried about wee Roddie, is he gonna be all right?’" he laughed.
