LEGENDARY British band Status Quo are famous for hits like Rocking All Over the World and Come On You Reds, but Life! recently had the distinction of being serenaded by something less rock 'n' roll - Singapore Airlines' Singapore Girl song.

Frontman Francis Rossi, 58, revealed a humorous side during a phone interview while on tour in Europe, bursting into a few lines of the Singapore Girl song.

And while Life! was still reeling from the gravel-voiced rocker croon 'Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly', chatty Rossi shared some more of his humour, this time regarding a detox programme.

The Grand Old Man of Rock confided: 'I'm sipping on my beetroot juice now, the crew and I call it the 'Beetroot Surprise' because you drink it in the morning, and if you're lucky, in the evening you'll find a beetroot surprise in the toilet.'

Rossi was on the phone to promote Status Quo's new album, In Search Of The Fourth Chord, released under the band's own recently formed record label, Fourth Chord Records.

It's the 33rd album the veteran rockers have put out since starting out in 1962 and they are not slowing down.

As well as being busy with music, the five-man band are also planning to film a movie, Care Factor Zero, due out in 2009.

On why they have their own label, Rossi said: 'The world has gone money crazy, it's about time we set up our own label. Now we have a bit more control over what's going on.'

And on the new album, he said that '10 to 20 per cent of our fans are 'hard core'; they know all of our songs and what shoes we wear. The other 80 per cent are 'soft core', who listen to just our hit singles. This album's more balanced, so we don't alienate either side'.

About the upcoming movie, he joked: 'Any band that does a movie are a bunch of schmucks. I'm hoping it will go away, but we decided to do it because we really like the script.'

He continued in upbeat mood, saying of ol' Quo: 'We're losing it - during a show in Scandinavia we played the same song twice because we couldn't remember whether we'd played it.'

But then he turned philosophical, saying performers seek 'gratification' and are 'all insecure little show-offs'.

Speaking of gratification, he added that he hoped to visit Singapore, saying: 'I go wherever my stomach takes me, and I love the food there.'

Status Quo's album, In Search Of The Fourth Chord, is in stores now.