One key element of our storyteller’s concept is collecting and sharing stories from fans, about fans, and centred on Rod Stewart. For it is precisely these stories – these experiences we’ve all had – that have helped transform our very own Roderick David Stewart from North London into the very Sir Rod we all love and who has brought us together for so many years.
But before we digress any further, let’s return to the deeply moving story of Mathieu Laurin, who lives in the Ottawa-Gatineau region of Canada and has shared his story with us.
Mathieu, born in 1985, would like to make one thing clear from the outset. “This isn’t about asking for an autograph, tickets or anything else,” the Canadian emphasises. And he goes on to share a very touching story.
“It began in 1990, when I was five,” recalls the 41-year-old. “But I need to go back a bit further. When I was two, my parents separated. In the years immediately following that, my father, Jean-Pierre, withdrew from my life to some extent. Not exactly the best situation for a young boy growing up.”
Fate, however, smiled on little Mathieu, for there came that one moment that would turn everything around for the better.
One morning, Dad Jean-Pierre was standing in front of the mirror in his bathroom, shaving. MTV was playing in the background, showing the hottest music videos of the time.
“MTV then played ‘Forever Young’ by Rod Stewart,” said Mathieu. Jean-Pierre Laurin stopped shaving and, with a generous amount of shaving foam on his face, listened to the song – at first distractedly, then with increasing intensity and attention. “As he later told me, something in the lyrics sung by Rod made him pause and look at himself in the mirror,” said Mathieu. “Suddenly, he asked himself what on earth he was actually doing with his life. He had a little son, a little son who needed his love, his protection, his guidance and – most importantly – his father.”
That moment became a turning point in the lives of father and son. “He came back to me, and from then on I spent every weekend with my dad.”
And their bond grew ever closer; Jean-Pierre not only became a more constant presence in little Mathieu’s life, but over time he became “the most extraordinary father anyone could wish for.”
Dad and son became the best of friends, and not long after, Rod Stewart came back into the picture.
“My father had bought tickets for the concert on 30 August 1991 in Ottawa; he thoroughly enjoyed the evening. But he could hardly stop thinking about me; one of his precious weekends with his son was passing by without me being there with him.”
And that led Papa Laurin to promise his son on the night after the concert: “From now on, wherever I go, you’ll always come with me!”
And so it came to pass: just under two years later, Rod Stewart returned to Ottawa for a concert. And, of course, Dad and his son Laurin were there – for both of them, the tour slogan ‘A Night To Remember’ most certainly turned into an evening they would never forget.
“That night, it was pouring with rain at Lansdowne Stadium.
And more than thirty years on, I can still close my eyes and picture parts of that concert. I remember the huge band. The strings. The brass. The incredible musicians. The footballs flying into the crowd. And I remember ‘Downtown Train’. On the final beat, as Rod raised his arms on stage, I remember seeing a flash of lightning behind the stadium, followed by a massive clap of thunder,” said Mathieu, describing just how vividly that evening still remains in his memory.
His father had also long since told him about shaving in front of the mirror, and how much the ‘Forever Young’ video had captivated him back then and led to a complete turnaround in his life.
“When Rod played ‘Forever Young’ that evening in Ottawa, I was (even though I was only eight years old) completely still; for those few minutes, nothing else existed for me,” Mathieu recalls today. “There was my dad, there was me, there was our song!”
That rainy night in Ottawa didn’t just turn out to be Mathieu’s first concert; it became one of the most formative nights of his life. To date, the two Laurins have attended six more Stewart concerts, most recently in 2023. And every time, the moment when Rod sang ‘Forever Young’ was one filled with great magic and emotion.
“Rod brought my father and me together; in fact, he completely turned both our lives upside down. And all because of that one song, ‘Forever Young’.”
The song has now had such a profound impact on the Laurins’ lives that Papa Jean-Pierre has asked for this very song to be played at his funeral. “He wants us to accompany him out of the church one day – hopefully not for many years yet – to the sound of ‘Forever Young’, and sees this as his very last message to his son,” says Mathieu, his eyes brimming with tears.
Mathieu has put this heart-wrenching story into words in a long letter and would very much like to send it to Rod.
“If I’m ever lucky enough to shake Rod’s hand, I won’t need an autograph or a selfie. There’s just one thing I’ve wanted to say to him for more than 30 years: THANK YOU, ROD! Thank you for providing the soundtrack to our lives!”
You can read the full original letter to Sir Rod Stewart here
Kommentar hinzufügen
Kommentare