Q&A: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham Reveal Lingering Tensions in Fleetwood Mac
'Now that you've talked to the two of us, are you starting to feel like a shrink?' asks Buckingham
As previously reported, Fleetwood Mac will head out on the road next year for a massive world tour. It turns out the tour was originally scheduled for 2012, but Stevie Nicks decided to take an extra year for her own solo trek. The rest of the group decided to make the best of things and use the time to cut a new album, but that ultimately fell apart, too.
'Now that you've talked to the two of us, are you starting to feel like a shrink?' asks Buckingham
As previously reported, Fleetwood Mac will head out on the road next year for a massive world tour. It turns out the tour was originally scheduled for 2012, but Stevie Nicks decided to take an extra year for her own solo trek. The rest of the group decided to make the best of things and use the time to cut a new album, but that ultimately fell apart, too.
Rolling Stone spoke at great length to Nicks and Lindsey Buckinham about all the drama, their disagreement over how to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their long out-of-print collaborative LP, Buckingham Nicks, and how the ex-lovers manage their fragile partnership. They got on the phone separately, about a week apart.
Full Q & A with both Stevie and Lindsey at Rolling Stone.
Don't skip Lindsey's end of the Q&A, which is on page two, it's really great. Informative with a lot of talk about Buckingham Nicks and the Fleetwood Mac album that was almost... PLUS it's quite funny actually!
Don't skip Lindsey's end of the Q&A, which is on page two, it's really great. Informative with a lot of talk about Buckingham Nicks and the Fleetwood Mac album that was almost... PLUS it's quite funny actually!
Mitchell Froom?? OMG, I just died a little inside. This will go down as one of the great modern tragedies- that we will never see a full Fleetwood Mac album produced by Mitchell Froom.
ReplyDeleteDr. Freud thinks Stevie "Nicks-ed" this Fleetwood Mac album. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteHas Stevie listened to SEEDS WE SOW? It's incredible. I know she's been caught up in IN YOUR DREAMS but Jesus, it's not all about you, Stevie, and Lindsey's so on fire - too bad Stevie's too involved in her own self and her own world that she can't recognize it's time to strike while the iron's hot. I guess from here on in it's all about shawls, anecdotes, back-up singers, talk of past loves (boring!) and frowzy, pale versions of old hits. Oh, and Dave Stewart and overproduced music. Snooze.
ReplyDeleteNewsflash, Stevie - Dave is easy to work with because he's a very talented businessman who sees you as a star client. A star client he likes very much. But don't confuse this with Lindsey. Lindsey is the musical genius with whom you are bound by music and destiny. It's sad that you are rejecting FLEETWOOD MAC when they're requesting your creative input and artistic presence. You sound as if you almost couldn't be bothered - as if all a record is about is business. Fair enough. When you talk about the tour, you sound like a cold-hearted CEO like Bill Gates. 3 FM songs after 10 years? Stevie - if you don't want to be in Fleetwood Mac, then you should quit. Otherwise, you really think a major band can continue with 3 new songs over 10 years?
ReplyDeleteYou once talked about not wanting to be a "half-assed" this or that - to me it sounds as if you're being a half-assed member of FLEETWOOD MAC.
It's time for you to taste the bittersweet implications of IN YOUR DREAMS - meaning the scope and drama of it all are not realistic - it's "in you dreams". FLEEWOOD MAC is reality. And you must come back to Fleetwood Mac and make a new record to ground yourself - just as you did after ROCK A LITTLE.
Stop acting as if Lindsey is your enemy - your enemy is your best friend, and it would be wise to cleave to him at this moment.
Any other female artist in the world would DIE for Lindsey Buckingham to produce her - Stevie treats him almost as a nuisance - intricate songs, harmonies, emotions, meanings, etc. - Stevie - don't be a fool. Lindsey is still the best there is. He's a musical genius - I know that's boring for you at this point but there really is a difference in the sound between Lindsey and other producers. Sorry - I don't mean to mention the sacred Dave - GREAT with Annie, mediocre with others. You're out of you're mind if you think he comes close to doing for you what Lindsey does. Dave's like Rupert HIne when you're sober - and with a wife. Go back to reality! Go back to Lindsey and Fleetwood Mac!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of the Eurythmics and IYD had almost nothing of their signature sound. It was far more boring than an early Eurythmics record. Nice arrangements and instrumentation but hardly remarkable, save for a few songs (FYIW, Moonlight, Annabel Lee, Italian Summer).
ReplyDeleteSAY YOU WILL was a much more tough and vital record. But now it's clear Stevie just wants everything "nice and easy." Tour, throw a couple of new songs at the fans and hope it all work out.
It all feel very uncaring and arbitrary - as if Queen Stevie simply wants to Hoover up bucks next year and do the minimum it takes to satisfy certain obligations. Hardly inspiring.
Stevie knows Fleetwood Mac can't sell a million records now. And they can't - no band or artist can (save Adele) - so perhaps she doesn't want the reality of today's music business to hit them. Perhaps she wants to rest on the laurels and pretend like everything is fine. This damn tour hasn't even started and already there is grumbling. Chances are the set-list will be the same as 2009's tour with two or three new songs thrown in at the beginning and dropped by the end of it. We KNOW everyone loves "The Chain" and "Dreams" but do they need to play them AGAIN?
ReplyDeletethe buckingham&nicks gig we all the big fans want the album to be finally released but after reading the Q and A's i love stevie to death but I have to agree with lindsey on this one if she wants to do a few shows right in the middle of this yrs fm tour. its wrong lindsey is right release the album in the fall and do a full buckingham nicks tour next spring, to waddy their and a couple of the original band members their won't work on a short notice even u stevie like to rehearse and to put these people in on part of the buckingham nicks tour it will take time for a little chemistry.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like Stevie missed the boat here. And it does sound like she is talking her typical fashion - making promises that never come to fruition. I do believe that Lindsey is on a creative streak here and the outcome, if they all work together, However, I have never read an interview so far where he was more a condescending ass. I would be furious if I were Stevie to hear him refute everything she said.
ReplyDeleteOne question I have is that it sounds like the songs John, Mick and Lindsey were working on were all Lindsey songs. Were they asking her to do lead vocals on one of his songs? Seems strange unless I read that wrong.
sounds like Lindsey is on some really good mood enhancing meds, suprised he hasn't blown his top with Stevie yet (probably will happen sooner or later). Stevie should just record whatever she can at this point, how many more viable years left does she have? Not putting an age limit on talent, but really, 10 years at the most? Time to start recording and leaving your legacy as a current, working artist (like she did with IYD), not resting on your laurels.
ReplyDeleteStevie needs someone like Linds to tell her the truth. Not Dave Stewart who lets her do whatever she wants. In Your Dreams is no good.
ReplyDelete