Don't expect Rod Stewart to be sitting in the Grammy audience Sunday night with fingers crossed waiting nervously to see if his latest release As Time Goes By ... The Great American Songbook Vol. II wins the best traditional pop album category.
In fact, don't expect him to be in the audience -- period.
As he told a handful of North American journalists yesterday, during a teleconference interview to support his upcoming tour, he doesn't plan on being there as he has other things on his mind.
"The most important thing for me right now is doing this first show on Friday," says Stewart, who kicks off his From Maggie May to the Great American Songbook tour in Florida before bringing it to the Saddledome March 15.
That doesn't mean the veteran rocker wouldn't like one of the shiny industry trinkets -- finally, after 40 years in the business.
"I've been nominated 13 times and 13 times I've lost so it would be nice to win one before I'm on the wrong side of the grass just so I can show it to my kids," Stewart laughs.
"They're always going 'Well, Sting's got 20,000 of them and you haven't got any, dad -- what's wrong with you?' It would be nice to get one."
His reference to Sting's Grammys continues a light-hearted tangent he started late last year when he commented that the Grammys don't normally honour the British, with the exception of the former Police frontman, whom Stewart jokingly referred to as "Mr. Serious who helps the Indians."
"It was meant to be a bit of a laugh, but they do tend to lean more towards the American artists than they do British artists," he says of the Grammy voters.
"I think the Stones have only won one, The Beatles haven't won any, Led Zeppelin never won a Grammy."
As for his shots at Sting, that rivalry -- which goes both ways, he's quick to note -- extends well beyond his well publicized October statements.
"You've got to understand, this has been going on for 25 years between me and Sting -- this is nothing new," the 59-year-old says.
"It certainly isn't malicious.
"When I carved into an airplane chair that he was a miserable old bastard he went round and padlocked my Beverly Hills gates to my mansion from the outside and ran off.
"So it's been going on like this ever since."
And when confronted with Stewart's statements, Sting, who's not only up for a couple of awards and will perform at the show, but also will be honoured as 2004 MusiCares Person Of The Year in a ceremony two days prior to the Grammys, did his part to keep the rivalry alive. "He was more than a gentleman," says Stewart.
"He was interviewed about it and he said, 'Rod does deserve a Grammy. If he doesn't win I'll give him one of my lesser ones.' "
Most people are betting that Sting won't have to follow up on that offer, expecting Stewart to beat out the field that also includes Rosemary Clooney, Bette Midler, Tony Bennett and k.d. lang, and Barbra Streisand.
Stewart's Great American Songbook albums have been unequivocal commercial successes, helping to rejuvenate a career that had, admittedly been lagging.
It makes his decision to record songs such as I Only Have Eyes for You and I'm In the Mood for Love all the wiser, even knowing, as he did, that he -- Rod the Mod, Rocker Rod -- was going out on a limb. "For obvious reasons, it was a real risk ...," he says.
"I felt like I was almost being a rock 'n' roll traitor, but it's something I've always wanted to do ...
"So it started out as a labour of love and lo and behold we have this tremendous success with it.
"I would have been happy if it had sold 30,000 copies -- I mean I'm much happier that it's done four million but I just wanted to get the things off my chest."
And if Stewart's success stops just short of a Grammy, what will he tell his kids? "(I'll) say, 'I've done pretty well without a Grammy.' "
