“Lots of Drinking and Cocaine and Girls”: Rod Stewart Exposes the Wild Truth About His Most Out-of-Control Band Days

When Rod Stewart looks back at his six decades in music, there’s one chapter that stands out — not for the fame or the hits, but for the sheer madness that nearly tore it all apart. Before he became the polished rock legend adored across the world, Stewart fronted one of the wildest, most unprofessional bands of the 1970s: Faces.

Between 1969 and 1975, Faces was the definition of rock ’n’ roll excess. Picture five young Brits with money, fame, and more whiskey than sense, tumbling from one city to another in a haze of cigarettes, champagne, and chaos. As Stewart himself once put it, “The looseness that the Faces were known for just became too loose.”

The Birth of a Wild Ride

Rod Stewart had already made a name for himself when he joined Faces, teaming up with guitarist Ronnie Wood, drummer Kenney Jones, and the rest of the crew. Together, they became the darlings of the early ’70s rock scene — beloved for their swagger, humor, and electrifying stage energy.

But behind the curtain, it was pure anarchy. Every night blurred into the next. They toured the U.S. six times in just a few years, tearing through hotel rooms, missing soundchecks, and arriving late to shows that paid them small fortunes. Stewart recalled one gig where they showed up an hour and a half late and still pocketed $15,000 — a moment that made him realize the madness couldn’t last forever.

“Lots of Drinking and Cocaine and Girls Everywhere”

Even by rock standards, Faces were infamous. In later interviews, drummer Kenney Jones described their world bluntly:

“Mayhem. There was lots of drinking and cocaine and girls in every corridor. I never took drugs because they messed up my timing, but I was surrounded by it all. Drinking was rife.”

The band’s backstage looked more like a traveling circus than a rock tour — broken bottles, roaring laughter, guitars out of tune, and groupies lining the hallways. Stewart, though often in the middle of it, somehow kept one foot grounded. He loved a party, sure, but he also loved his career too much to let it vanish in smoke.

Fans adored Faces for their raw energy and devil-may-care attitude. They were messy, loud, and fun — the kind of band that made mistakes onstage and laughed about them together. But as the nights got longer and the hangovers heavier, the charm started to fade.

When the Party Went Too Far

By 1974, things had begun to crumble. Stewart, now in his late twenties, was feeling the pull of something bigger. He wanted longevity, discipline, and respect — things that didn’t exactly mix with endless bottles of brandy and hotel brawls.

Meanwhile, Ronnie Wood was slipping deeper into the scene that would later define him in The Rolling Stones: fast cars, faster women, and a blur of late nights. The rest of the band followed suit. Gigs became unpredictable. Stewart’s patience wore thin.

“It was such an unprofessional band,” he later said. “You can’t keep showing up late, drunk, or high and expect the magic to last. You get away with it once or twice, but not forever.”

Eventually, Stewart made the painful decision to walk away. The Faces disbanded in 1975, leaving behind a legacy of unforgettable shows — and more than a few broken hotel lamps.

Finding Balance Beyond the Chaos

Leaving Faces wasn’t just a career move; it was survival. Stewart’s solo career soon exploded with timeless hits like “Maggie May” and “Sailing.” The difference? He brought the energy but left the chaos behind.

Over the decades, he’s reflected on those wild years not with regret, but with gratitude. They taught him exactly how far not to go. He learned that discipline doesn’t kill creativity — it sustains it.

Today, at over 80, Rod Stewart still tours the world, performing with the same spark that lit up those smoky stages in the ’70s — minus the chaos. Fans love him not just because he survived rock ’n’ roll, but because he mastered it.

Legacy of a Survivor

The Faces remain a symbol of everything both magical and destructive about rock’s golden age. They were reckless, unapologetic, and, above all, real. And while the booze and the cocaine nearly drowned them, it also gave rise to unforgettable music — raw, emotional, and bursting with life.

Rod Stewart’s story is more than a cautionary tale. It’s proof that legends aren’t born from perfection — they’re forged in the middle of the storm.

He once said it best himself:

“I wouldn’t change those years for anything. They were wild, yes — but they made me who I am.”

And that, perhaps, is the truest mark of a rock star.