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| Photo by Danny Clinch |
(Looks like an interview with Stevie prior to the beginning of the Fleetwood Mac World Tour
Published today at Rip it Up - New Zealand based website)
by Jamie Wynn
It's a miracle Fleetwood Mac are still together and touring. A musical soap opera of tangled love lives and drug and drink-fuelled breakups has lasted since the seventies, when the best-known lineup of the group formed.
But it's always been about the music. Surviving the breakup of two couples - Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, and John and Christine McVie gave the band their multi-million selling 1977 album Rumours.
But their love of their band and their belief in its music has helped them to endure and today they’re as popular as ever, currently in the middle of a mammoth world tour.
Rip It Up met Nicks in LA, where the band are in rehearsals. And the legendary singer says: "This band is the longest relationship any of us have had. It’s more than our individual issues.
“When Lindsey and I split and Christine and John were about to break up, we were all in a room, saying, 'Well, I'm not going to quit so you quit'.
"Mick was in the middle saying 'Well, is anybody quitting? If not, can we just carry on?' "And that's exactly what happened. No one was willing to give up Fleetwood Mac - it just wasn't an option.”
The band have endured what would have killed most other bands.
The breakdown of Nicks and Buckingham’s five-year relationship and the McVies' divorce during the making of landmark album Rumours became part of the Fleetwood Mac story. And even today, forty years after their split, it’s when Nicks and Buckingham get close on stage,that the crowd really erupt and cheer.
“I guess fans are still fascinated by us,“ she admits in her famous husky drawl. “It’s part of the story and whatever happened between me and Lindsey or the others, the power of the band and the music meant more."
After her split with Buckingham, Nicks embarked on a two-year affair with band drummer and Fleetwood Mac founder Mick Fleetwood who was in the middle of a divorce with wife Jenny Boyd.
And it wasn’t just the band’s love lives which were full of drama. The band's intake of drugs in the Seventies and Eighties is also part of their story.
Nicks says she first tried cocaine when she moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco with Buckingham.
Continue to the full interview at Rip It Up
I feel very conflicted about this. Of course it's great that Stevie's in a fruitful creative space and she's excited about her music. It's just that I (and most of us all here) was hoping very much for a new Fleetwood Mac album. Stevie seems to have a real block when it comes to this. I hope she gets past it and surrenders to what the world wants from her, as opposed to staying in the safety bubble of her solo career. IN YOUR DREAMS was a wonderful album but FM is so different and special. Can we hear the magic just one more time?????
ReplyDeleteOf course the news about John changes everything. He'll have to be well enough for an FM record to happen. I guess it's time to put everything else aside and just pray that John gets well soon. Somehow everything will fall into place...
Great news. I hope and pray she's gonna release another album soon. Prayers go out to John McVie. Get well soon bro.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many times I've said this...but it's true. When we first heard that Stevie was recording a new album, it was so exciting to check Twitter and NicksLive everyday hoping for a hint of news. Then we got a release date and the wait really began. When the record was released it was so much fun and emotional to sit and listen to the album in awe. She did an AMAZING two year tour. Then we got news of a film, the movie premiered on April 2, and we all attended the premier. It was such an ... era ... of Stevie's career and it was genuinely thrilling to be a part of. I miss having something to look forward to. I miss having an "era" of Stevie to live through.
ReplyDeleteI don't really care if we get another FM album or not. It'll just be heavy handed by Lindsey since he's not willing to let new, fresh producers like Kuk or Pharrel work with them. There were good songs on Say You Will, but Lindsey's songs were too far to the left to be able to blend into Stevie's material. It felt like a bad Buckingham/Nicks II. I don't want a repeat of that.
It's hard to determine what her fans really want. Do we want "IYD Part 2" or do we want something completely different? Personally, I'd like to see her return to a bit of darker material, like "Rock A Little" - I always thought "New Orleans" could have been much more magical if she would have played a bit more on the 'New Orleans sound' like Dave seemed to want to do. Sirens, strange guitar sounds, lots of echo...but she stripped it back to the essentials, which is her right.
There's been so much lost time in her solo career (a decade between TISL and IYD) that I hope she puts her nose to the grindstone and churns out a few more solo albums before she finally hangs up the shawls. For some reason I just can't see many people downloading a new solo album from a 74 or 75 year-old Stevie Nicks. She only has a few more years to play with if she's worried about commercial availability.
I can't wait to see what direction she leads us in next.
A new FM album would be nice sans the heavy LB influence. A hit producer that is in tune with the band would be great. The Extended EP sucks major balls. If a new album is meant to be, it will be. And hopefully it would be a classic like they are capable of.
ReplyDeletePraying for you John
ReplyDeleteStevie go where your heart leads you and don't let anyone change your mind. I do know one thing it will come out beautiful. Anything close to in your dreams then it will be great. Cuz it really was magical and was the best work she has made since belladonna and the wild heart days.
ReplyDeleteAstounded that some of these pompous posters dismiss Lindsey's production abilities as regards Stevie's talents. THERE WOULD BE NO STEVIE NICKS WITHOUT LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM. Inversely, there would be a Lindsey Buckingham without Stevie Nicks. As Stevie would freely admit. Artists aren't always the best judges of their own work. SAY YOU WILL contains much more urgent, connected, real performances from Stevie than IN YOUR DREAMS - which is not to say that I didn't love IYD. Whether an artist "enjoys" the process is irrelevant - as Stevie has said times and times with her "great pain makes great art" cliche loop. If Stevie wants to make cutting edge music, FM and Lindsey are the way to go. If she wants to retreat into her narcissistic "You wouldn't say that to Bob Dylan!" nonsense, then you'll get IYD 2 - with incense, candles, unicorns and everything else she's ridiculed for.
ReplyDelete^^ Who cares if her solo material is more dramatic than the straight-ahead rock formula of FM. I fell in love first, and foremost, with Stevie's solo material and was never fully drawn into FM material. That's not to say I don't appreciate FM or Lindsey's artistic input into the band.
ReplyDeleteYou actually said it better than I could: I prefer my Stevie with incense, candles, and unicorns. IYD has been out for almost 3 years - and I can't wait for Part II.
Just do what makes you happy so surprise us with a new album..♥ your music...Take care xoxo Bernie(Paintings)
ReplyDeleteI would absolutely love another Fleetwood Mac record, and I even feel as fans were perhaps close to getting even minimal Christine McVie involvement, however John McVie may need a great deal of time to recover. It's unrealistic to expect John to come back and hit it hard with Fleetwood Mac any time soon. His band mates will of course be there as they are all like family, but if John needs a year to recover it would be unrealistic to expect Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham to not do anything. If Stevie's on a creative high then by all means let her record some stuff on her own again. Too many years passed between TISL and IYD. As for the comments on Lindsey's production style ... for me SYW is a good record, and Lindsey did a good job. However, just like how Stevie often needs an outside voice when it comes to musical arrangements in her songs, Lindsey often needs someone to offer a different production value. If Lindsey could find someone he could closely co-produce with that would be even better.
ReplyDeleteWhether we get a Fleetwood Mac record or Stevie and Lindsey recording in their own respective solo outfits, combine it with the fact that Christine has talked about recording another solo album and it'll be a great year either way.
I would say screw Fleetwood Mac. She doesn't need them.
ReplyDeleteIn Your Dreams is a masterpiece. I loved the whole time after its release. I saw four shows and got to hold her hands. I was at the Hampton Film Festival which was wonderful! IYD is the best album she's done. Would love nothing more than part two. (but will the movie please come out on DVD???!!!) FM is fine - but Stevie is magic.
ReplyDeleteIn agreement with the immediate Anonymous poster ... We need a DVD (possible Blu Ray) of IYD PLUS ALL of the music videos (we're missing the filmed videos for "Annabel Lee," "Wide Sargasso Sea," "Italian Summer" and "Everybody Loves You." I don't know if the other tracks (aside from "Secret Love," "Cheaper Than Free," "Moonlight," and "For What it's Worth") have some type of video. Release them all. Also, a fantastic addition to any DVD release would be her 2011 birthday performance at the Wiltern. It doesn't have to be a separate release. We know it was filmed. Pack it together with the IYD doc and the IYD music vids as a two-three disc set and you have a product that will sell.
ReplyDeletePerhaps there will be some guest appearances from Stevie or Lindsey or Mick on Christine's talked about upcoming record. Perhaps if Fleetwood Mac doesn't record this year Stevie or Lindsey will recruit Christine to guest on any solo project they might work on.
The beginning of this article/post suggests this interview was done at the beginning of the World Tour this year, so we don't know beyond speculation what the band's plans or the individual band member's plans are at this point. All we can do is wish John a speedy recovery and give our fan support to them all.
The comments are indicative of people who are as much "curators" as fans. Meaning that Stevie is now a relic who doesn't so much surprise her fans as she does deliver a product that soothes and placates them. I'm pissed off. Let her do another soft-pillow, "it's all good" record with Dave Stewart if she wants to. At least we know Lindsey will soldier on with interesting compositions. He never compromises. Stevie works within the system and will go down with the ship - all the while believing like Norma Desmond that she's a "star" who can't possibly fail.
ReplyDeleteI love the work stevie does solo, i think there is a new spirit to it always and something that people need very much at this time~ people really need to be inspired to live now not in the past~
ReplyDeletei love fleetwood mac but stevie herself brings a very new light to the world through her everlasting creations~ bless up the unfolding of the new album~ peace~mothership
It's funny someone should mention Stevie and her "Norma Desmond" syndrome. At times, especially during interviews, she can certainly come across as being starstruck by herself. But then you see and hear her during the IYD q+a where she talks about "only" selling 300k of IYD and being down on herself. So who really knows. It's a really draining supertask for someone of Stevie's stature to venture into the studio. At first, everything is smooth and gravy, but as recording ventures on you start to feel the pressure of fans and you become almost obsessed with delivering something they will like and EXPECT. If Stevie did an album like Enya we would all be shocked and the critics would tear her apart because that's not her style. I find IYD to be a stunning masterpiece of whispered secrets, and, albeit 'safe', material from one of the most iconic stars to ever live.
ReplyDeleteI would rather a Stevie album for sure!!!!! FM just doesn't hold it for me anymore NOT SINCE Rumors....sorry but they have been trying to get back to that and it never hits the mark...where as Stevie albums do!!!! Especially in my opinion Bella Donna and IYD. More Stevie less Mac. Like it when they tour (FM) that's about it and LB is not my cup of tea at ALL. Hasn't been since Mirage Tour when I saw them in Philly and he was just an ass to Stevie. Just my opinions...not haters please :)
ReplyDeletelike mick said sevie will be singin for donkey years she has a long timt to go-and maybe do a few with mick jagger-shes the long distance winner 4 sure...
ReplyDelete