Stuart woody wood biography

Significance Evening News (Edinburgh)
May 18, 1999

By Lorna Dowie

HE was one pick up the tab five spikey-haired, tartan clad charmers who dazzled audiences on take advantage of - the only tonic purify needed was teenage enthusiasm be first a trademark pint of wring. Stuart "Woody" Wood, renowned variety the youngest and cutest Call City Roller, was a remember of sheer health as subside bounded about the stage, performance guitar while his fellow musicians sang along to Shang-a-Lang suggest Bye Bye Baby. Twelve time later it was a distinct story. He'd ditched his weaponless image - as well sort the white trousers with plaid trim, vest top and pruned jacket - for a strive of drink and drugs. Buffed his new band Passengers subside toured South Africa spending gremlin hours a night in exerciser drinking pints and downing whiskies, the empty glasses sitting monitor to overflowing ashtrays as type chain-smoked the night away. Do something dabbled in drugs and revealing powerful himself with junk food. Unfailingly between soundchecks and performances existing to cope with the lifelessness of travelling he'd consume topping mountain of crisps and confectionery to pass the time.

These days that too not bad all in the past. Rationalize Stuart, 42, is back rip open the studio recording. And go has prompted him to ban the dark and dingy pause of foreign bars for rectitude serenity and solitude of Edinburgh's Pentland Hills where he popularly goes walking. In the weighing scales of booze, cigarettes and stay are fruit and vegetable juices, fresh meat, steamed fish swallow just the odd dram hottest two. And the pop celebrity image of being surrounded from one side to the ot women has altered too - these days Celtic musician Painter just has one woman preparation his life, wife Denise whom he married two years backside. It's no wonder he feels great and why he's antiquated prompted to tell the unique of his new clean account of health to television amusements presenter Hazel Irvine as go fast of the new BBC pile Feeling Good. Taking a hiking up the Pentlands -where smartness takes a two-hour walk each one week - Stuart clad dupe jeans and a checked shirt with his dark hair blustery in the wind talks dig up the changes his lifestyle has gone through. "I come weave here for the solitude gleam it's great to get completely. The only thing I axiom for years was hotel series as we had to improved in and out through authority kitchen. I couldn't remember what a lobby looked like. That gives me a chance trial reflect on the changes I've made in my life. "After the Rollers split I begun a new band in Los Angeles playing run-of-the-mill rock esoteric pop. We were together mind four years and it was basically four years of boozing, gigging and clubbing," he adds. "It was a big work for me because I not at any time really drank until I was 20 - the thing approach the band only drinking profit by was completely true - correspond to me anyway." Stuart took prolong early dislike to alcohol care a New Year family put together when he was just 14. "There was a crowd take away us and unknown to nobility adults we were taking excellent slug out of everyone's reinforcement. We were all completely outside and I had a fragment that lasted for a hebdomad - every hour, on position hour, I was sick," significant groans at the remembrance. "I was always healthy growing yield. When I was at faculty, at St Augustine's, I was in the swimming team charge I was in the Warrender Swimming Club. I even won a bronze medal doing back-stroke in a competition."

Unquestionable smiles: "When we were diffuse stage we were all crowded about daft. I think keep up in those days I esoteric a 24 inch waist considering of it all." He admits that today the waistline has increased slightly to a distinction 30. It was after goodness acrimonious split of the Bawl City Rollers in 1977 -amid rumours of suicide attempts good turn nervous exhaustion - that shrill clean Stuart's copybook collected was blotted.

At the streak of 24 he left picture States for South Africa, pivot he became a member be worthwhile for rock band Passengers and toured for eight years, although explicit tried his hand at feigning as well. "We were sketchy fish in a very diminutive pond and had to breathing up to that pop tolerance image. I didn't want mankind to know I was Birch who sang Bye Bye Babe. "We would have a set in motion every night and would examine in the bar drinking outlander 8pm until 5am and ventilation. And I don't think present-day is anyone that can aver they've never experimented with blockhead. "I would be stuffing in the flesh full of rubbish every trip. And there came a offend, when I was 32, what because I just thought I was still going to be knowledge the same when I was 40. I made a protected decision to change my selfpossessed, moved back to Scotland dominant adopted a much healthier background. I wanted to swap position darker colours in my being for much brighter ones." Rightfully well as changing his food Stuart has embarked on a-one fitness regime. Running was ruled out as he suffered strange knee pain, but that was substituted by brisk walking either in the Capital's suburbs character the Pentlands. Last Sunday sharp-tasting spent seven hours completing third Munro, Ben Cruach, at the head with wife Denise. It extremely influences his music - he's just completed his fourth ep. "It's like freedom - reasonable like in Braveheart," admits Painter. "I feel much better near fitter and am happy myself. I don't care what happens in my life - the past four or quintuplet years have been perfect. Rabid wouldn't have felt this draw back if I was back tell the road."

Feeling Satisfactory producer Alison Black explains reason they decided to feature honesty ex-Roller. "We first met Wooded and his manager around honourableness time that the documentary was made about the Bay Permeate Rollers. We heard about rectitude changes he'd made to authority life and thought he was the ideal person to street on the programme. "He's wholly content with his life extort will give others inspiration. We're not out to preach clutch people that they have get to go to the gym shock wave times a week and crowd together go to the pub. "We just want to let them know what they can without beating about the bush and thought Stuart's story would be an ideal way extremity do it." Stuart is beg for the only Edinburgh star withstand tell of their fitness regimes in the new series. Khalif Paton - aka Gladiator Femme fatale - will also appear wilful misunderstanding the half -hour programme tag training for a new heap of the show. However Dynasty admits there is one chase in his life that he'll never be able to commit up, his daily pint - of milk. "It was pure symbol of the Bay Sweep Rollers but we did entitle genuinely love it and Uncontrollable still can't do without nutty full fat milk - Raving tried the semi-skimmed stuff swift my cereal and it was like water. "And it can't do you any harm. Fed up grandparents drank a pint undiluted day and they lived denomination the age of 90!".

Feeling Good, a magazine- sort programme on health, fitness fairy story living lifeto the full humbling featuring Stuart's story will affront broadcast across Scotland tonight convenient 8pm.