ROBERT PALMER : Music & Style

The Cary Grant of rock quests for the best in clothes, food and shelter.

Much has been made of Robert Palmer's taste for the good life: the closets full of expensive Italian suits, the dream homes in Switzerland and the Bahamas, his appetite for champagne and fine meals. But label him the classiest rock star and, between sampling escargots and profiteroles, he'll try his darndest to prove he's the exact opposite.

Refusing to be pigeonholed, this British charmer loves to surprise and keep people guessing. About his fashion-plate image, he says, "As far as I'm concerned I have no style at all."

Never mind that he's fresh from a Scavullo photo shoot, garment bag in tow. "I try to be invisible. I just feel more comfortable in a suit than jeans." Forget about the fact that he often spends an entire day shopping in Milan for one perfect suit.

And just when he's pegged as a smooth pop crooner, he puts out a new album, Heavy Nova, an unlikely blend of heavy metal and bossa nova. "Heavy metal is a great outlet for airing your complaints," explains soft-spoken Palmer, "while bossa nova allows me to express tenderness.

And what about his Mr. Sex persona in the videos of Addicted To Love and I Didn't Mean To Turn You On with provocative mannequins in skintight black minis? "They were meant to be camp. It was very embarrassing when female fans would dress like those women at concerts - that look is not my speed at all."

What is his speed is artist Sue Palmer, his wife of eighteen years and mother of their two young children, who he says is "amazingly talented. She reinvents herself on a daily basis. I never know what to expect from her."

Is he tempted by groupies? "I can't afford any kind of dalliances. I'd rather run musical risks."

Elizabeth R. Johnson (unknown source - 1988)