Rod Stewart has finally explained long-running rumours he is mean with money - insisting he told his pal Ronnie Wood to make up the story to prevent their band THE FACES from getting "ripped off".
Rolling Stones rocker Wood has often made fun of the Maggie May hitmaker for being miserly, calling him "tighter than two coats of paint".
Stewart has previously insisted he is "not tight" and has now revealed it was actually his idea to start the rumour.
He tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "In The Faces it suited me to be thought of as a bit tight. We were always getting ripped off and I thought it would be good to make people think twice about me.
"I told Ronnie to use an old line of my dad's and say I was tighter than two coats of paint. I did actually play up to it. But I've got a bit tired of it. The money I have earned, I've made off my own back (sic). And I like to enjoy what I've worked for."