| 22nd October 2006 06:14 PM |
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| MrPleasant |
A Rolling Stone's wife gathers healthy eating habits
And Jo Wood keeps a beauty business going on the side
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The Stones have been rolling and rocking for 44 years and Jo Wood, wife of guitarist Ron Wood, has been by their side for the past 29. Oh yes, there have been parties, she says, but these days, in their middle age, "the boys" have to be more judicious about letting loose.
When I consider the longevity of the Rolling Stones and the energy they still exert onstage, and the fact that I can't even get through South by Southwest without yearning to check myself into intensive care, I figure these guys must have some healthy habits at least some of the time.
"You can't party like crazy and put on a good show the next day," Jo Wood says over the phone from Chicago. "Mick (Jagger) loves to go out dancing. But he looks after himself. You can't get ill when you're on tour. The boys have to really look after themselves."
Wood does her part, even cooking organic food on tour and promoting her line of organic body-care products.
Since she met her husband at a party in 1977, Wood, a former model, has accompanied the Rolling Stones to nearly every destination on every tour. And for the past 15 years she has been on the payroll as his personal assistant, tending to his wardrobe and meals and keeping him on schedule.
"What else are we going to do? Sit at home and wait for our husbands to come home? No way." Keith Richards' wife also goes on tour, but Charlie Watts' spouse does not because she busies herself with dressage horses, Wood says. The band members' children are grown, but they used to come on tour, too, when they were younger. The Woods' combined four children and four grandchildren all live near their home outside London, near Wimbledon.
Much of Wood's memory is a fog of hotels and jets and limousines, but she clearly still loves to travel. Her favorite destinations are Japan, Brazil and a recent discovery, Montana. While in Austin, she is most looking forward to seeing longtime friend Ian McLagan, she says. Ron Wood and McLagan were both in the Faces with Rod Stewart.
Suspecting her of possessing world-class packing skills, I ask her for tips.
"I'm brilliant," she says. "I can pack up a room in a minute. It's all about putting things in the place they came from, really. Ronnie's clothes are much tidier than mine because I look after his better than (my own.)"
A typical outfit for herself is composed of black leggings, black biker boots and a black rollneck sweater. She favors fashions by Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci, but is trying to steer herself to more organic cotton, she says.
Wood is enamored of all things organic. She designed a compact stove and pantry for traveling so she can prepare organic meals away from home. She asked me if we had organic food (farmed without synthetic chemicals) in Austin. I told her about the organic, macrobiotic, vegan buffet at Casa de Luz and, of course, the mother of all Whole Foods stores.
Years ago Wood was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic bowel inflammation that causes scarring and thickening of the intestines, which can lead to obstruction. She was prescribed steroids for two years. But not until an herbalist keyed her into organic food did she feel better, she says. When she got sick once again, exploratory surgery revealed a perforated appendix, and Crohn's was ruled out. She credits her organic diet and detoxification for the discovery.
Wood, who is 51, once was widely quoted in the British press on her advice that people should go wild until they turn 40, then clean up.
"I said that?"
"Apparently," I say. "Do you honestly recommend it?"
"Not really, no. I went wild until I was 40. We were on tour all the time. It was a wild time. We were drinking. There were people constantly around. It was a fun time. But I don't recommend it for everybody," she says.
Her vices now are limited to organic chocolate and shopping, she says. She practices yoga at home and uses the fitness centers in hotels. She likes to run and skip on the treadmill.
So, has the clean living rubbed off on other band members?
"On my husband, yes. He's an alcoholic, and he's doing really well at the moment. He's doing his exercise, skipping as well," she says.
Ron Wood, 59, skipping on a hotel treadmill — that's something I'd like to see.
She continues, "Mick is clean-living anyway, very disciplined. And Charlie is." Drummer Charlie Watts had throat cancer not long ago. (No mention of Keith.)
Fully committed to organic food, Wood later sought organic body-care products. Finding nothing to her liking, last year she launched her own line, Jo Wood Organics, which is sold at select Neiman Marcus stores. We're not talking patchouli here. The luxurious soaps, lotions and oils are made with essential oils, essences and plant extracts from accredited and audited organic growers. They contain no water, instead using an ultra-filtered form of orange juice that is said to be an antioxidant. With complex fragrances formulated in a French perfumerie, they smell earthy yet expensive. Their chic packaging is an homage to Biba, the legendary 1960s London boutique. And their names are inspired by Africa and India and other places to which Wood's glamorous life has led.
Some of the ingredients are said to have anti-aging properties. Hmm. If Wood can get "the boys" to use it, maybe they'll keep rocking for another 44 years.
[email protected]; 445-3974
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/style/10/22/22jean.html |
| 22nd October 2006 11:57 PM |
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| sammy davis jr. |
Ronnie Wood-Health Nut.....right |
| 23rd October 2006 12:38 AM |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
health like that is a very healthy habit, oh mada nature gimma more of that |
| 23rd October 2006 12:39 AM |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
btw Jo was the sexiest of da stones puss |
| 23rd October 2006 11:20 AM |
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| Jumping Jack |
Her organic food is quite tasty including the Shepherd's Pie! |
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