Was Rod Stewart, Freddie Mercury, Elton John Supergroup a Joke?
Rod Stewart said he wasn’t certain if the idea of forming a supergroup with Freddie Mercury and Elton John was a joke.
The trio, who used to spend a lot of time in each others’ company, considered creating a band called Nose, Teeth & Hair, referencing each singer’s prominent physical attributes.
In a new interview on British TV presenter Chris Evans’ How to Wow podcast, Stewart said: “Those were great nights, mate. I don’t know if we were kidding each other about forming a band, but it just shows what a little cocaine and alcohol will do for you!” Stewart added that they “used to have singalongs quite a lot” when they lived nearby each other in Los Angeles.
The possibility of the band becoming a reality died with Mercury in 1991, but Stewart also revealed that he and John were no longer on speaking terms. “We don’t take to each other anymore,” he said. “Big falling out.” Asked if the friendship was damaged beyond repair, Stewart replied: “I don’t know. The last time I emailed him, I said, ‘I’ve got this football pitch, would you like the boys [John’s sons] to come up? You don’t have to come, but if they want to come up and play on this, they’re quite welcome.’ He never got back to me. So … ”
Their friendship featured a high-profile rivalry that, it seems, may have spun out of control around the time John announced his farewell tour, leading Stewart to observe: “"I did email her and said, ‘What, again, dear?' … It’s dishonest. It’s not rock 'n' roll.” He told Evens that he’d never thought the situation would get as bad as it did. “We were real close. I mean we were very close. … Yeah, it’s sad.” Asked if he should just “pick up the phone” and call John, Stewart responded: “Let me think about it.”