One afternoon, some thirty-odd years ago, I was on my way to school when my brother called. "Dave," he said, "I have an extra ticket for the Faces at Maple Leaf Gardens. Y'wanna go?" We took off early, hitchhiked to Toronto and were treated to one of those loose, loud, wild shows that only the Faces could provide. Rod Stewart was just the lead singer, not the superstar. Ron Wood was not yet a Rolling Stone. Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan and Ronnie Lane still had smaller faces than their two new compatriots. But there was a fellowship about them five guys on that stage, and I still recall that a good time was had by all! I think my ears were still ringing the next day. Awesome.
It wasn't long after that when Ronnie Lane left the band he had founded, forsook the mod clothes and amps turned up to 11, for a quieter, gentler approach. While the others spent their money on mansions and Lamborghinis, Lane bought himself a gypsy caravan and an old rundown farmhouse in the British countryside. He pulled together a ragtag bunch of musicians (including Bruce Rowland, Gallagher & Lyle, and others) who played his songs in an 'unplugged' format, long before 'unplugged' became cool. Ronnie Lane was a trend setter, well ahead of his time. If his solo work is not known to you, you'll have to take the word of people like Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend who are interviewed in this remarkable biographical documentary. When you watch The Passing Show you'll get a sense of just how deep Lane's influence runs, even to this day.
Subtitled The Life & Music of Ronnie Lane the film tells it all, warts and all. Wives, children, friends, musicians, and family members remember Ronnie's life and work. From his early days being taken to the market by his father, where he found his first guitar... to his tragic death from complications from his multiple sclerosis, the film covers it all. And it doesn't pull any punches. Although people recall "Plonk" Lane with fondness they admit that he was a pain in the ass sometimes. "Enthusiastic, charming, funny, confident, sarcastic, self-deprecating..." But the MS left him in almost constant pain.
Clapton remembers seeing him for the first time, on stage with the Small Faces, "they were tiny, hobbits really!" And archival footage shows a band of small men playing large instruments. Well, the guitars and drums were regular sized, it was the players who changed the perspective. Post-Faces, when Ronnie took his "Passing Show" on tour, the film shows footage of the entourage driving along the motorway, traveling at about 10 mph, because if they went any faster they couldn't control the rickety vehicles and trailers. It describes the 'circus-life' of the band, living rough, cooking and eating outdoors, arriving at a town, setting up their tents, using generators for power -- and when no generators were available, they would play acoustic to whoever showed up, sometimes only a dozen people. They saw what is described as the show of their lives, since, everybody knew everyone else's first name by the end of the night.
Ronnie Lane lived a different kind of rock'n'roll life. He didn't care about the adulation and the money. He cared about the music and the fans. "Without the audience," he said, "there's no show!" He taught Clapton and Townshend to turn down, to write about their own lives. He had an impact on the musicians who played with him, and on the crew who worked with him. The Passing Show is an intimate and touching story of a special man. He played the guitar. He wrote songs. And when he was failing, and the MS was wearing him down, he would still strut onto the stage, and lead the band in a cracking rendition of his best known song...
"Poor young grandson, there's nothing I can say
You'll have to learn, just like me
And that's the hardest way
Ooh la la
I wish that I knew what I know now
When I was younger.
I wish that I knew what I know now
When I was stronger."
Don't we all? Don't miss this wonderful tribute.
