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2003
29 Dec 2003 Roland Schmitt sent me a cassette about two years ago. It's an interview with Ronnie Lane, conducted on his behalf by Ed Mayberry and Jody Denberg. On the eve of Ronnie's 43rd birthday, Ed and Jody sat down with him at his Austin flat and asked several questions submitted my Roland. It is here. Roughly 20 minutes, and with a classic last remark by Ronnie. I like the way Ed and Jody knew it was the perfect final comment, and cut the tape right after. Big Thanks, as always, to Roland Schmitt.
29 Dec 2003 Added a fourth chunk of conversation with Ronnie Johnson to Lane's Audio Page. Two more chunks to go, but it will either take major editing or word from a higher source before I let those babies past my own inner-censor.
28 Dec 2003 Back in May, I had a sit-down with Ronnie Johnson, Ronnie Lane's bassist and friend during a good portion of his days in Austin, Texas. I threw a mic on the motel table, and we chatted for a good long time about whatever came up. Initially, I intended on condensing the results into a written article, but have since converted the cassette recording into an MP3. I have begun editing the whole thing into a version worthy of release on this website, and the first chunk is online now. As we weren't editing ourselves at all during the conversation, I have done so for reasons of both length and content. Sorry, some things are best left on the cutting room floor.
I will continue to add more of this Conversation with Ronnie Johnson as time permits today. I have a couple hours before Brett Favre and the Packers take the field, so I should get another chunk or two online by then. Also, I've been given permission by the label to rip a chunk of Holy Man Jones' take on You Can Make Me Dance for you to download and listen to here. (see below)
25 Dec 2003 All audio from the interviews with Ronnie Lane which I conducted is now online. That's just over two hours of Ronnie sounding brilliant... me sounding like a rambling teenager, way out of his depth. I'd done many interviews by that time, most of them far better, but I'd never been so keen to interview anybody as I was with Ronnie; I was awestruck. Please forgive my youthful naiveté... Note, if you bother to listen, how afraid I was to say "multiple sclerosis" or even "MS". Ronnie'd barely come out of that closet, yet I was entering it. Unfortunately, that does set the stage for My Dinner With Ronnie.
The interviews are broken into segments of roughly ten-minutes each, the next bit picking up where the prior left off. The second interview portions are hilarious for me to hear again, as it's been so long since I'd listened... Ronnie with a very young Rube in his lap, describing the photographs off the cover of the "One for the Road" lp, which I had just purchased and handed him: "That's your Mum!" "Where?!... I didn't know you had new trousers!" "Those aren't new, they're old!"
We've only been left glimpses of what Ronnie Lane was capable of. Had he matured without being robbed by a damned disease, he'd now be a healthy hopeless romantic, writing some of the most disturbingly peaceful songs we've never heard, and watching Bonanza reruns.
All the Best to Faces Fans for keeping the flame, for proving Top 10 is garbage in comparison to any real music written and performed by real musicians who didn't learn "soul" from B. Spears.
All the best to Mac, who proves you don't have to be Ronnie Lane to be considered the best songwriter of the Faces. Mac's new album will knock you down. Like Lane, he's too kind and generous ever to understand just how damned good he is. All the best to Mac, simply for being the Mac we all know and respect, and for kicking ass without ever feeling the need to take names.
All the Best to Woody, for coming clean (well, y'know), for sounding better and being exponentially more productive than he has been in years, and for writing more. Well, bless Ronnie simply for being the Gent he is, pure and simple.
All the Best to Rod, who overcame "throat cancer", being dumped by a new label, being shamed as down and out, being signed to Clive's new label, for Clive pushing Rod again, and for Rod going from Hollow-wood Gutter to ROYALTY again. In the space of a few months, Rod went through more "public" traumas than he probably ever did privately in five times that same span of months. For those that think he sold out by doing two "classics" albums, listen to the originals for what they're worth before you judge Rod. He is still a great interpreter; but, now it's time to get him writing again, or at least choosing another path. It's time for Clive to prove he's not milking the Golden Calf, and allow ROD to determine his own destiny in what may prove the most difficult transformation of Rod's career. I, personally, welcome the opportunity to wish Rod luck, and not just because, for once, I really think he's up to the task.
All the Best to Kenney, for getting back into music. He's so laid back that he's under the radar. C'mon, Rog, you hired Kenney on the McVicar soundtrack... That was at the same time you started (and continue) to slag him for crap Who albums. Rog and Pete are the bad guys when it comes to those albums, not Kenney. Hey, Rog, Iove your TV show, your voice, but Pete's material was wrong for the post-Moon Who, the production was amazingly synthetic and wrong, and Kenney was made to play crap material, yet you blamed it all on Kenney. Seems you, ROG, were at the corporate meetings, not Kenney. Fuck me, fuck you, but that's the real lie. Kenney is culpable for the songs on the Quad soundtrack album, which he was allowed to actually perform on... few mention it wasn't Moonie, much less that it was Kenney, on those cuts. Oh, and the way Kenney was screwed into joining the Who, which he turned down flat how many times? ALL THE BEST TO KENNEY... keep playing, so long as it feels like play instead of work.
All the Best to Tetsu, who is still a mainstay in Japanese music, whether it be jazz, fusion, rock, or something we've yet to label. Let Tetsu choose how anonymous he is, yet remember he is respected for his work with Koss and Free, and for his days with the Faces. Someday he may feel as good as we fans do for his work.
Oh, and all the best to Ronald Frederick Lane.
22 Dec 2003 Hey, folks, I received a gift CD in the mail the other day, sent to me by this record label because it is of direct interest to Faces fans: It bears a cover of a classic Faces tune. The band, Holy Man Jones, covers "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing, Or Anything" on their debut, "Let It Rain". It easily falls within my scale of likeable remakes, as HMJ did the song on their own turf, with their own commitment. It's not like Black Crowes, who overcame their Photostat cover demeanor with nifty guitar work (they are/were a fine band on record, yet their concerts became wearisome to the ear... particularly considering how often Black Crowes fluffed Ronnie's bassline on "Three Button Hand Me Down", and I won't even discuss their attempt to hire Mac!)... this is more like an acoustic version... not like the worst aspects of MTV Unplugged, but more like the best aspects of the Subdudes. I do recommend you lend it an ear and decide for yourself.
The fact it is coming from an indie label in the heart of Britain doesn't effect or affect my words, but it does tend to make my open recommendation even stronger. The label's website has seemingly decent info on the stores which stock this CD, and I will ask the label's main man, Ayo, for permission to sample an ample taste for you for download here later. Such is my conviction.
21 Dec 2003 I have put the entire first interview with Ronnie Lane online in audio format. It may be found here.
20 Dec 2003 I do have the forum working at top-notch speed; due to the errors caused by the forum crash, we have lost about one month's worth of posts and several new accounts; also, I'm still working on getting the chat room back online. Please feel free to post on the forum, and I do apologize for the chat room being down. It is my New Years Resolution to fix the chat, but I think I have a trick up my sleeve that will debut prior to the chat room! If you love the sound of Ronnie Lane's voice, it's Ho Ho Ho all the way!
16 Dec 2003 Mandatory overtime means I won't see another day off until sometime after Christmas. Sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to work on the forum/chat issues until then, as I do have to find time to eat and sleep.
15 Dec 2003 I've kind of got the forum & chat room working again, but it's not 100%... I need to recover more data, as well as totally reinstall the chat system, so...
PLEASE DON'T USE THE FORUM OR CHAT UNTIL I'VE FIXED IT 100%
I'll let you know here. Thanks!
14 Dec 2003 Well, major disaster on the Forum today... lost the whole shebang. 5 hours later, I've got it back up and working (lost a couple weeks worth of posts, but, hey, at least it works!), but still need to get the chat room working again. But, hell, this is my one day off, so I'm taking the neighbor's dog for a LOOOONNNG walk... I need it more than the dog at this point!
Rod was on Letterman here in the States the other night... sat in with the band for the whole show, then closed with a cut from GAS2 and a bit of chat with Dave. Not bad, eh?
28 Nov 2003 More details about the Tom Wright Exhibit opening, with an essay by contest winner Mike Horne, plus a new photo gallery of shots Mike took.
14 Nov 2003 Want details on the Tom Wright exhibit? Here's a news story (with photos), and here's a personal account sent in by Mark Staycer:
The Tom Wright "Knew and Used" photo exhibition premier here in Traverse City, MI. was splendid. The evening began at the Dennos Museum with a "mix & mingle." It was sold out. Met "Mac" and he was kind enough to autograph "All the Rage" for me. Guests then attended a lovely panel discussion/slide show in the theater. There was also a fitting tribute to Chuch. The Wholigans performed a powerful 3-song set to cap the Dennos events. Guests then drove to Streeter's nightclub and were treated to an all-star jam featuring "Mac" on Hammond B3, members of Bob Seger's band, Wholigans, other notables from the Detroit rock music scene. I had a rare opportunity to perform "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" in my full John Lennon get-up. Also enjoyed chatting with "Mac" and The Wholigans over a pint in a quiet dining area. In all, a memorable experience. The Tom Wright photo exhibition will be on display at the Dennos Museum through January, so if you can make the trip, I highly recommend it. Representatives from VH1, Rolling Stone, NY Times, LA Times, etc. were in attendance as well. Lot's of photos and video taken so I'll probably be able to send you something for your archives. I'll ask around. Weather had been terrible on Wednesday with 50 mile an hour wind gusts, but things finally settled down by late afternoon on Thursday. Weather today is gorgeous. I reckon there must have been close to 1000 people at Streeter's. This was a huge event for Traverse City and do hope those who arrived from out of town enjoyed themselves. I always suggest that people go on holiday up here as there's so much to see and do. Send me your mailing address and I'll look around for photos and video for you. As for my own John Lennon tribute, I've hooked up with a McCartney look-alike/sound-alike and we've got a debut performance coming up on the 23rd at Union Street Station, another cool club in town. I've been booked for Orlando, Virginia Beach, Cleveland, Liverpool, Ontario, and elsewhere. Hope you'll catch the show someday. Strawberry Fields Forever. Mark Staycer. www.ImagineLennon.com.
28 Oct 2003- Robert Matheu at Creem (Boy Howdy!) is starting to get a section together for the Faces on the Creem website (see it here). More to follow, plus there will be a contest coming up for some cewl Creemy goodies. Stay tuned, sports fans.
Also, info on Rod's latest release, "As Time Goes By... Great American Songbook Vol. II", will be posted as soon as I have more than a couple minutes to do an update for this site. Until then, Ian's got his bit up at www.rodstewartchronicle.com, and there are a couple nice articles here:
(ignore the jabs at Sir Elton, they're good friends and extract Michaels at every opportunity)
22 Oct 2003- Looks like I need to re-install my web-building software... I can't even upload changes to this site without errors. Note the entry from earlier today: It only uploaded part of my update, which is why it says "and a guest to the" and suddenly ends.
OK, here's what the full announcement was SUPPOSED to read:
21 Oct 2003- The Tom Wright Contest has resulted in a winner. The following person gets to take him/herself and a guest to the
International Premiere of the Tom Wright Collection
Nov 13 2003 Traverse City, Michigan
Michael Horne of Michigan. Michael got the highest score on the quiz, and also submitted his answers before anyone else. I wish him and his son the best as they enjoy this 'once in a lifetime' experience. As I am unable to attend, Michael is planning on taking some shots and putting an essay together for this website. Yeah, Mike, I said "essay". You never really leave high school, do you? p.s. Mike: Your enthusiasm is very welcome here.
21 Oct 2003- The Tom Wright Contest has resulted in a winner. The following person gets to take him/herself and a guest to the
International Premiere of the Tom Wright Collection
Nov 13 2003 Traverse City, Michigan
14 Oct 2003- Looks like we have a winnah! But, keep the entries coming in... the contest doesn't end for another eleven days, and whomever wins must be able to verify they will be attending the event. A Tentative "congrats" goes out to Michaal Horne!
8 Oct 2003- Here's the BIG NEWS: Want to go to the opening of an exhibit by a world-famed rock photographer, legendary tour manager, and friend of most of the musicians you praise? Want free tickets to the exhibit? Want free backstage passes? Want free tickets to the jam session that follows? Read on... (There will be a contest to win two free passes to all of the above, and the contest will start this weekend.)
Tom Wright is coming back with a vengeance, and we all benefit as a result. For those not "in the know", Tom has had a life as varied and exciting as any in rock history, albeit being too far behind-the-scenes for Joe Q Stoner to recognize his name. Anybody familiar with Mac's ALL THE RAGE, the history of the Who, James Gang, or rock photography in general, certainly has more than passing knowledge of Tom Wright. Paraphrasing Mac's autobiography, here's how Tom invited himself into the Faces world:
The second time [Faces] played Detroit, I woke up to a deafening pounding on the door. I looked at my watch. It was 9 A.M.! This was war! "FUCK OFF!" I yelled from the bed. They had to be suicidal, whomever they were. I jumped out of bed in a rage and opened the door to find two strangers, one with an afro the size of a hedge. The other was all sweaty, with an intense look on his face.
"Whatthefuckdoyouwant, andwhothefuckareyouanyway?" They weren't fazed. The intense one said, "I'm Tom Wright, and this is the Chuch. We've got a rented limo, a gram of coke, some pot, a bottle of Cold Duck, and a six pack of beer on ice. I'm a fantastic photographer, we're going to take you out in the Arboretum, I'm going to take some really cool pictures of the band."
Tom became the official Faces photographer. He'd already studied photography at Ealing, where he was great buddies with Pete Townshend. He'd already been expelled from Ealing and England for a small dose of pot. He'd already done incredible photographic studies in Ibiza. He was tour manager for the Who, James Gang, you name it.
And, of course, the Chuch was Royden MaGee III, who became a roadie for the Faces, and Ronnie Wood's guitar technician from that time until his death last year, during Stones rehearsals in Toronto. If you ever asked Woody how he got a specific sound, he'd invariably reply, "ask the Chuch."
So, here's the NEWS!
Tom has come out of a sort of sabbatical to launch a website. He's also going to have an exhibit opening in Michigan very soon. Before I blab on and on, go here and read up on the whole shebang. Root through Tom's site, and any other info you may find about Tom Wright. Then come back to read up on how to enter the contest.
MORE TO FOLLOW!
(p.s.: contest winners must prove they will actually be going to the event.)
8 Oct 2003- Big news coming later today. Stay tuned.
4 Oct 2003- Ted Wood, Ronnie's older brother, passed away. Not much I can say, as I'm absolutely stunned. There is an article here about Ted's passing. Of course, our collective best goes out to the entire Wood clan. To hell with 2003.
Thanks to Ian Roberts for letting us know.
28 Sept 2003- Tonight, PBS begins airing the Martin Scorcese-produced LANDMARK series about American blues music, simply titled, "The Blues". It is a multi-part documentary that should certainly put to shame any other documentary of any reasonable quality on this topic--- not to diminish many of the fantastic documentaries that stand beside it, but, c'mon, it's Martin Scorcese, and the depth and scale of this project is simply unmatched.
In a series of eight films, different directors put certain key areas of the blues into perspective on the much larger canvas. These directors are Scorcese, Wim Wenders (my fantasy choice for the Ronnie Lane biofilm), Richard Pearce, Charles Burnette, Mark Levin, Mike Figgis, and the man with no name, none other than Clint Eastwood.
If you want to know why music as you know it exists, or even how the Faces were able to do such alarmingly good work, you must watch this series to gain perspective, depth, and (hopefully some) understanding. If "The Blues" is available to you, yet you willingly choose to ignore it, you are likely a fool. If not, you are in the middle of a personal crisis and are therefore dismissed from persecution.
21 Aug 2003- Mac sent a good note today... he's greenlighted the archiving of the Saxon gig from the other day, so I'll edit it down today and get it online. He wants to wait until he gets a hard copy from Chet, who engineered the gig, but that could take decades, so I'll clean up my copy and put it up. He also says the new contracts point to a Feb '04 release of "RISE AND SHINE!", to coincide with the release of the Rhino Faces Box Set (fingers crossed). I'll contact Rhino this week and start the press process, so stay tuned for fine-tuning.
Mac also mentioned his schedule, which is incredibly busy. Bumps are busy, Blokes as well, and Lindley just added Joe Walsh to the lineup for the Fillmore gig. Can you say Funk 49? Good God, why not play "Yadig?" for the first time in thirty years. What a brilliant jam, readymade for Mac to slaughter.
Some great candid shots of Faces Live are on the way, via Gary Marcum. Wow, Ronnie Lane and Rod sharing a mic, and Ronnie, bent back in pure performance, issuing out his unforgettable vocals. Nice. It's nice to be nice.
18 Aug 2003- Just got a 2-plus hour call from Rupe Williams- the Ronnie Lane documentary he's spearheading is coming along great. So far, he's got about 10 hours of filming done, including segments with Ronnie's brother, Stan, Charlie Hart, and Bruce Rowlands. Pete Townshend and Eric Clapton have agreed to be interviewed for the film, and Woody, Kenney, Mac, and Billy Nicholls are also to be interviewed. Actually, the list of those to be involved stretches beyond the horizon. And some of the stuff he got from Stan to root thru and use in the project... alarming! I'd tell you some of what he's found, but no point starting riots. Just another Mystery Train, eh, Rupe?
15 Aug 2003- Wow, some actual NEWS to post for a change! Mac has been signed to labels for the release of his brilliant forthcoming album, Rise and Shine!. In the UK/Europe, he will be handled by Sanctuary, the same label that did the landmark Small Faces Ultimate Collection. In the States, his label is Gaff Music (no relation to Billy, of-godamned-course). An article about Gaff and Mac can be found here. Mac, to answer your question, Lincolnton is northwest of Charlotte, here.
As partial celebration, Mac will be airing live online tonight from his gig at the Saxon Pub in Austin. To tune in, go to KGSR.com and click on the black "listen" button in the top right corner of the window. Show starts at 10 pm Texas Time (CST), which is 11 pm EST, 8 PST, and 4 am GMT. To double-check what time it currently is in Austin, click here.
Also, our very own Lynney will be on the BBC Saturday morning. That's the "Far Flung Listener" segment of the Vanessa Feltz Show, BBC 94.9, at 9:45 am GMT, or 4:45 am EST. Once again, you can listen live over the web if you tune in here.
6 Aug 2003- Forgive me, I've been sick in bed for days. It allowed me to watch all of Danger UXB, plus a load of Walter Mathau films I missed. "A New Leaf" and "Kotch" are both must-see films, whether you like Walter or not. Of course, I'd seen "The Taking of Pelham 123" a few hundred times, but it was on the top of the pile yet again. Wow, the way Lalo Schifrin's themes cut against Walter's stunning performance is still a perfect example of how to edit a film together. I guarantee both Scorsece and Tarantino consider it a landmark film, and both are notorious for choosing great music for their films.
25 July 2003- Another huge update on the way. It will kick some minor ass. Speaking of ass-kicking, has anybody ever heard of the Blasters? At one time, they were the best band on this planet, to hell with Nikki's asides. Damn, they could shake a house down in two minutes. Straight outta Compton, Nigga, these white boys from the hood made music that will forever be tops. If you've never heard them, then you have no clue how 'original' rock can save this stupid world. Well, yes, they are that damned good.
I was lucky enough to interview Blasters lead man, Phil Alvin, in the late 80s. He told me of the tech rev to come, he told me of downloading music via a phone chord. He then quit music for a couple years to prove a mathematical theory that had never been proved by baffled 24/7 mathematicians. Yes, Phil is one smart sonofabitch. He described to me how musicians would sell music directly to fans via the phone, 10 full years before Al Whore decided he should own credit for the web. And Phil is one of the best rockers I've EVER heard. Hand in hand, deary. The Blasters are a damned legend... and Mac is the only guy that would have improved the band via his key skills. Listening to them now, Mac would have kicked ass in that band. Mac would have felt like he was living in Lubbock... and we all know that's a damned good feeling. Holleywood remains pure, and by invitation only, unless you just care to jam with the band at hand.
19 July 2003- 53 more news articles have been archived: Two about the Faces, two about Rod, one about Woody, one about Mac, and 47 about Ronnie Lane.
17 July 2003- 29 newly archived articles: 24 about Ronnie Lane, three about Ian McLagan, and two about Kenney Jones.
16 July 2003- Four new articles about Kenney Jones archived online now.
12 July 2003- Five new articles about Ronnie Lane, four articles about Kenney Jones, one article about Ron Wood, and one about the Faces added to the site.
Haven't done this in a while! Wanna see what one of the earliest versions of this website looked like? I'm warning you, it ain't pretty. Timewarp.
10 July 2003- Dave Marsh and Creem's Robert Matheu have allowed me to reprint an article Marsh wrote about the Faces for Creem in April, 1973: the Rock'n'Roll Circus.
09 July 2003- Ten new articles about Ronnie Lane added here.
09 July 2003- The new chat room seems to be a great success. Just three minutes after I got it working, Julie logged on for a chat. Then, two minutes after, Lynne was onboard. Hell, that is a success rate (compared to older chat rooms I've tried) of about 977,468,396,021.022665%. Not bad, eh? Also, the last couple days have been stellar for this site. The hit count is around 5000 per day. I remember not long ago, when I debuted a recent interview I'd done with Mac, and that was this site's stellar day: 500 hits! Well, folks, keep sending in what you have, get involved on the Forum and the Chat, and let's make "Five Guys" a bicoastal chart success when it debuts.
07 July 2003- Finally, a new chat system for the Faces site that is actually secure and easy to use! Check it out here. You must be a member of the Faces Forum to use the chat feature, so join today.
06 July 2003- Four more photo galleries added today... forty-odd new photos in all.
30 June 2003- Brian Howell sent in scans of his 1972 UK Faces Tour Programme, so they are now online in Brian Howell's scrapbook.
Happy birthday, Lena. Goodbye, Kate.
29 June 2003- A new gallery is open with 9 more news clippings: the Julie Scrapbook. Another Forge Scrapbook page has been added, featuring four more articles from 1973-74
28 June 2003- Major new galleries opening from submitted scrapbook clippings. The first gallery, the Forge Scrapbook, is submitted by Paul. Major thanks!
