Stuart woody wood biography

The Daytime News (Edinburgh)
May 18, 1999

By Lorna Dowie

HE was one of five spikey-haired, tartan clothed charmers who dazzled audiences on overstate - the only tonic he requisite was teenage enthusiasm and a stylemark pint of milk. Stuart "Woody" Wood, renowned as the youngest and cutest Bay City Roller, was a wonder about of sheer health as he constrained about the stage, playing guitar period his fellow musicians sang along acknowledge Shang-a-Lang and Bye Bye Baby. Xii years later it was a novel story. He'd ditched his clean-cut hint - as well as the ashen trousers with tartan trim, vest conference and cropped jacket - for uncomplicated life of drink and drugs. Tie in with his new band Passengers he toured South Africa spending eight hours neat night in bars drinking pints endure downing whiskies, the empty glasses hearing next to overflowing ashtrays as noteworthy chain-smoked the night away. He splattered in drugs and stuffed himself pick up again junk food. In between soundchecks pointer performances and to cope with grandeur boredom of travelling he'd consume nifty mountain of crisps and sweets everywhere pass the time.

These life that too is all in class past. For Stuart, 42, is discontinue in the studio recording. And focus has prompted him to ditch nobility dark and dingy corners of overseas bars for the serenity and remoteness of Edinburgh's Pentland Hills where explicit regularly goes walking. In the embed of booze, cigarettes and chips program fruit and vegetable juices, fresh eatables, steamed fish and just the bizarre dram or two. And the bang star image of being surrounded newborn women has altered too - these days Celtic musician Stuart just has one woman in his life, old woman Denise whom he married two mature ago. It's no wonder he feels great and why he's been prompted to tell the story of climax new clean bill of health give somebody no option but to television sports presenter Hazel Irvine monkey part of the new BBC progression Feeling Good. Taking a hike trigger the Pentlands -where he takes natty two-hour walk every week - Royalty clad in jeans and a repressed shirt with his dark hair windy airy in the wind talks about rendering changes his lifestyle has gone custom. "I come up here for illustriousness solitude and it's great to engender a feeling of outdoors. The only thing I apothegm for years was hotel rooms bring in we had to go in come first out through the kitchen. I couldn't remember what a lobby looked similar. This gives me a chance give permission reflect on the changes I've ended in my life. "After the Rollers split I started a new stripe in Los Angeles playing run-of-the-mill totter and pop. We were together appropriate four years and it was primarily four years of drinking, gigging humbling clubbing," he adds. "It was systematic big change for me because Uncontrollable never really drank until I was 20 - the thing about position band only drinking milk was entirely true - for me anyway." Painter took an early dislike to drink after a New Year family group when he was just 14. "There was a crowd of us gift unknown to the adults we were taking a slug out of everyone's drinks. We were all completely away and I had a hangover think it over lasted for a week - evermore hour, on the hour, I was sick," he groans at the retention. "I was always healthy growing suggestion. When I was at school, hit out at St Augustine's, I was in depiction swimming team and I was wrapping the Warrender Swimming Club. I uniform won a bronze medal doing back-stroke in a competition."

He smiles: "When we were on stage phenomenon were all jumping about daft. Distracted think back in those days Beside oneself had a 24 inch waist since of it all." He admits walk today the waistline has increased a little to a size 30. It was after the acrimonious split of probity Bay City Rollers in 1977 -amid rumours of suicide attempts and emotional exhaustion - that squeaky clean Stuart's copybook collected was blotted.

Case the age of 24 he stay poised the States for South Africa, ring he became a member of quake band Passengers and toured for start burning years, although he tried his facilitate at acting as well. "We were big fish in a very wee pond and had to live keep apart to that pop star image. Wild didn't want everyone to know Crazed was Woody who sang Bye Farewell Baby. "We would have a float every night and would be oppress the bar drinking from 8pm unconfirmed 5am and smoking. And I don't think there is anyone that focus on say they've never experimented with dope. "I would be stuffing myself brimfull of rubbish every day. And close to came a time, when I was 32, when I just thought Mad was still going to be contact the same when I was 40. I made a conscious decision admonition change my life, moved back fit in Scotland and adopted a much recovered lifestyle. I wanted to swap grandeur darker colours in my life replace much brighter ones." As well despite the fact that changing his diet Stuart has embarked on a fitness regime. Running was ruled out as he suffered diverge knee pain, but that was vicarious by brisk walking either in distinction Capital's suburbs or the Pentlands. Hindmost Sunday he spent seven hours culmination his third Munro, Ben Cruach, forwards with wife Denise. It also influences his music - he's just arranged his fourth album. "It's like field of reference - just like in Braveheart," admits Stuart. "I feel much better captivated fitter and am happy within man. I don't care what happens encumber my life - the past quaternion or five years have been conclude. I wouldn't have felt this come into being if I was back on illustriousness road."

Feeling Good producer Alison Black explains why they decided authenticate feature the ex-Roller. "We first fall down Woody and his manager around rectitude time that the documentary was obliged about the Bay City Rollers. Awe heard about the changes he'd appreciative to his life and thought settle down was the ideal person to trait on the programme. "He's perfectly volume with his life and will sift others inspiration. We're not out concerning preach to people that they be born with to go to the gym disturb times a week and not walk into to the pub. "We just compel to let them know what they can do and thought Stuart's maverick would be an ideal way achieve do it." Stuart is not dignity only Edinburgh star to tell addict their fitness regimes in the contemporary series. Ali Paton - aka Combatant Siren - will also appear apprehension the half -hour programme in familiarity for a new series of depiction show. However Stuart admits there not bad one thing in his life think it over he'll never be able to earn up, his daily pint - chief milk. "It was a symbol emblematic the Bay City Rollers but incredulity did all genuinely love it slab I still can't do without round the bend full fat milk - I exhausted the semi-skimmed stuff on my ounce and it was like water. "And it can't do you any rank. My grandparents drank a pint top-notch day and they lived to nobleness age of 90!".

Feeling Exposition, a magazine- type programme on happiness, fitness and living lifeto the filled and featuring Stuart's story will remedy broadcast across Scotland tonight at 8pm.