Shaking hands with Randy Fowler for the first time, my initial thought was, "I'm completely underdressed."

You might not know Randy by name, but you've probably seen him around town at Art in the Park, Alive After Five, the horse races, or raiding a Starbucks. Decked out in a navy jacket with an Oriental-style print, dark navy pants, a powder-blue ruffled shirt with dark, bejeweled ascot, and bright blue sunglasses, gloves, and boots, Randy stands out in a crowd to say the least. As the owner of Rods Limos, he stands head and shoulders above his competition by providing more than a limousine ride. If you book time with Randy, who most people believe is channeling Rod Stewart as a business gimmick, you're getting an experience; it's like having a party, not just getting a ride.

Rumors circulate about Randy like the smoke from his cigarette: rumors that he's gay (he's not), that he's related to Kevin Spacey (they're brothers), and that he raided Liberace's estate sale (funny, but false). What is seldom mentioned is how complex Randy's story is, and how much he gives back to our local community.
From surviving child abuse, writing an upcoming book about child abuse (the proceeds will go to children's organizations and members of his family), to making five-o'clock-in-the-morning airport runs for the local Make-A-Wish Foundation, Randy is an intriguing member of our community and a business owner with a unique flair. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Boise's best limo man and discover the person behind the glasses, so to speak.

Jack: How did you get your start doing what you do, and why Boise?

Randy: I moved here in 1993. I was touring with a band and the band was based out of Boise. I had just quit a really lucrative job as a consultant with Boeing Aircraft in the Quality department because I'd been doing it for a number of years and decided I didn't want to do it anymore. So, I went back into music and moved down to Boise because the band was based out of here and started playing around. In less than a year all the [other] band members were in jail. I was left here, stranded with no money, no vehicle because I used theirs, and this little dingy apartment I lived in, and I was like, what am I going to do? So I was like, ah, I'm here; I like it here. For some reason I liked it here from the very beginning. So, I started a little graphic and video production place in Downtown Boise. I did that for a number of years and just kept playing drums for everybody here in town for years and years. At the end of '03 I was just like I can't really make a living in music here in Boise unless I'm on the road. I wanted to settle down after 30 years of it, so I retired and was trying to figure out what I was going to do and started working for a small limousine company.
This was back in '04. Turned out that I had the disposition to do the gig. I did my first gig; I went to the Idaho Center in my usual coifed mode and got mobbed by all these people. I was like whoa, this is different. It turned out that of all the different jobs I've had in my entire life, this was the first one that I could do nothing but be myself and make a living at it.

In all my years of touring and playing the Vegas stage and the costumes and stuff like that, it was just natural for me to dress this way. It didn't seem odd or anything like that. And, someone like me, I really stand out here in Boise. There isn't anyone that does what I do. It's not something I thought out. It was just like, I'm going to be myself and see if I can drive a limousine and see if I can convince these companies to not make me wear the penguin outfit: the black suit and the white shirt. And, it turned out that every single company I worked for loved the idea that they'd have one freak show and then they'd have the penguin squad. And for those clients who would want what I do, they could put me to work. Well, it turned out that I had created a following after all these years of doing it so it got to a point where I could go out on my own. I found an investor who believed in me, who said, "Gosh, you're kind of famous." We started Rods Limos in the summer of '07.

Jack: Besides the obvious, what do you think sets you apart from other limo companies in town?

Randy: The thing that sets me apart from anybody else in town, as far as limousine companies, is that at the end of the night, they don't forget the time with me because they were pampered. They were treated like royalty. They got the red carpet. They can go to my Web site and request what attire they'd like me to wear, their favorite colors, if they want me to wear a zoot suit, if they want me to wear a pink suit, a purple suit. Then, I decorate the car with all the napkins in the same color, the satin pillows,
the silk flowers. So, it's really like a moving bar, a living room. There's a little fireplace scene or an ocean going on the DVD, real romantic lighting. These people aren't used to that. This, to me, is not a job; it's a way of life, a career. Every client gets treated like gold. An airport run gets no less of my service than someone who books the car for five hours. Every job, every gig, is like an audition. For me being a musician, the old adage is you're only as good as your last performance. So, I have incorporated that whole philosophy into what I do.

Jack: Let's talk about the wardrobe for a second. I'm curious. Where did you get all these costumes from?

Randy: [Laughing] Most of them are all custom made. I have five ladies that live here in Boise that custom make certain things for me. I have a lady that makes 17th century Mozart/Casanova outfits. She creates the whole thing. I have another lady that makes tuxedo shirts with ruffles and flounces. Another lady that makes pocket squares, crossover ties, and ascots. Then the suits, most of them come from Italy. Some of them are actually made right from scratch if they're not making that suit anymore but I really need one in this color because I have a wedding come up in June and they've requested this color and I just don't quite have it. And of course,
it's another great outfit to have in the arsenal. At the moment, I have enough outfits and combinations of stuff where I can probably go a year and not wear the same thing twice.

Jack: How did the Rod Stewart look progress? Did you wake up one day and go, "Whoa, I kind of look like him," or did you grow your hair long and somebody said, "Hey, you look like..."?

Randy: I didn't choose it and I'm not even trying to be Rod Stewart! Back in 1980 when I graduated from music school, went on the road with a Vegas lounge show type, I started wearing my hair punked out. It was short, but punked out. And, people just started calling me Rod. I thought, hmm, that's unusual. Because I was on stage all the time, I just always wore my hair punked out. When I started driving limousine I wore my hair the way I had forever and just over time it just seemed that no matter where I went people said, Rod, Rod, so it got to be my driving name. I'm taller.
I'm younger. I hope I'm better looking, and I dress totally different. When I started Rods Limos, I didn't even have a choice what to call the company name; I had already been branded. It was a no-brainer. The whole Rod thing is like, really?
Yeah, I play Rod Stewart music in the back, you know, for day spa runs. You know, the mellow stuff. A lot of people want to hear Rod Stewart so I put the rock and roll stuff on. I'm just trying to be myself and for some reason everybody thinks I look like Rod Stewart.

Will the real Rod raise his hand?

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