"Rhetorical Synapse" . . .the place for thinking.
Lots of people are like, "Rod Stewart sucks." And I'm like, "No, he's not that bad. Just think about the Faces." And they're always in shock, like "What?"
And that's the point of today's column, that lots of people forget about the Faces.
The Faces were formed in working class Miltsburg, a suburb of London, back in the late 1960s. Lead singer Rod Stewart was a minor league soccer player when he formed the band with childhood chum Ron Wood (later of the Rolling Stones); college roommate, bassist Mitch Lynam; and drummer Stewart Rothman. The band's first gig was at a neighborhood pool hall. Although their first shows were sparcely attended, the band soon became friends with local scenesters who would later become famous, including David Bowie, Keith Richards, and future members of Television. Jimi Hendrix, during his first trip to England, befriended the band, who would soon tour extensively with the Experience.
Throughout the '70s, the band had an extensive array of hits, including "I Wish that I Knew What I Know Now (When I Was Younger)," "Downhome Shuffle," and "Darling, Can You Hear Me?" By the late '70s, constantly awash in drugs and alcohol, the band found themselves irrevocably in debt. In-fighting delayed their album releases and inhibited their touring schedules. In 1976, Ron Wood left to join the Rolling Stones. In 1977, drummer Rothman left for Australia to join a fledgling band called Men at Work. Stewart continued the Faces, although only he and Lynam remained as founding members.
In 1980, Rod Stewart died in a bizarre, drug-induced, train accident. Just weeks later, songs from the Faces' latest album began charting. The remaining band members received no proceeds from the last album's record sales, as the money went to pay off the band's enormous debt.
Encouraged by the album's sales, remaining Faces member Lynam formed an entirely new band that recorded and toured under the name,"The Faces." He recruited a singer named Stephan Lewing, who had a resemblance to Rod Stewart. In one of the most bizarre rock stories of all time, Lewing was contractually obligated to both Lynam and management to legally change his name to Rod Stewart, and to only appear in public under that moniker. The real Rod Stewart's estate brought a law suit, claiming trademark infringement and other property issues. In a landmark decision, an appeals court held that one can not "own" a name. Therefore, Lewing could perform under the name "Rod Stewart."
Just a few years later, the new incarnation of the Faces broke up. Stephan Lewing, under the monker of "Rod Stewart," would soon become a music video fixture and have a string of hits as a solo artist.
So, next time somebody tells you, "Dude, Rod Stewart sucks," you look him right in the eye and say, "Well, what about the Faces?"