Lindsey compliment of Christine
 

I read this interview with Lindsey at http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/...ast-tour/10650 in which I think he pays a tremendous compliment to Christine.

Finally Lindsey, can I ask you where, in your many years on the road have you enjoyed visiting the most?
The heritage of the band is, of course, British. So I have immense and deep fondness for the UK. I was recently reminded that when Stevie Nicks and I were asked to join the band, we were also asked—in some sense—to become honorary Brits. I don’t mean this in any derogatory way, but I firmly believe that Christine McVie’s very British blues sensibilities kept us from sounding like just another version of The Eagles. When I joined, they would take me to the public houses of SoHo, and show me places like the 100 Club on Oxford Street where my heroes The Rolling Stones and The Sex Pistols played. Then back again to the famous Soho pubs like the Coach And Horses on Greek Street where I was ‘converted’ by a time-honoured tradition of of drinking many, many pints of Guinness in the name of the British Empire! When I visit these places again today, the memories are overwhelming. I love that everyone calls it Tin Pan Alley. Even Bill Clinton’s favourite pub—The Portobello Star—brings it all back, especially as seems like only yesterday when we played at his inauguration. I find touring in Europe so rewarding.

That was a fine complement--and a well-earned one. This might be the warmest text I've ever read from Lindsey. He seems genuinely nostalgic about England!

He also seems to be treading more carefully on the subject of Christine's resignation:
..........................

Surely modern methods of communication meant that you were never far from each other’s thoughts?

Of course from time to time I would email Stevie or Mick especially pictures from the kids’ summer holidays. We’re always interested in how our families are growing up. It’s good to just reconnect as human beings. Christine (McVie) wasn’t involved in any shape or form, as she pretty much took permanent leave of the performing world. I don’t want to say that she burned her bridges, but she certainly closed her book on her contact with all of us over here on the west coast, including selling her house in Los Angeles. She moved back to England and lives somewhere out in the country, I believe. From what I hear, she’s completely changed her life, and to be honest, she never really enjoyed touring anyway. I think she feels like she had said what she wanted to say within the confines of Fleetwood Mac, whereas the other four of us feel that our artistic lives are still evolving.

Well basicly he explains what he meant with his earlier remarks. I never thought he said something wrong or hostile against her. It was easily negatively interpreted though. So he chose his words differently this time. At least he's showing that you can learn around 60.

Don't forget that he had a firm interest in british music around the punk/new wave periods.

This is no different from what he's always said when he elaborates. Back when he first started saying she "burned her bridges" he would say that she sold her house and moved to England, pulled up stakes. So, whenever he talks about it at length, that's the way he has explained himself and talked about Christine's exit for years now. He also said he sympathized with her wanting to go, because he'd been in that place himself before. In fact, he said that he was the only one in the band who did understand the need to leave.

It's just that most of the time he doesn't explain (or the interview is so short that that part is not there). So, we just get the "burned her bridges" part. And I don't know why he keeps saying that, since he must know what the connotations of that phrase are. But I suppose that's how he keeps himself amused.

Michele

I don't know. I half wonder if he's playing with the song she wrote--"Temporary One," where the "bridge will bring us back together." Kinda like, "HA! The bridge won't bring us back together--you burnt it!" :shrug:

I cant believe that Lindsey has never been to visit Christine in England. Would you not have visited a long time friend especially when you can easily afford the first class trip?

I also cringe a bit whenever an interviewer asks a question where the answer would involve saying how good Stevie, and to a lesser extect, Christine are at writing songs - LB always brings it round to how he managed to turn the raw material into something great. He so rarely compliments them on their songwriting skills.

I often find him in interviews not finishing thoughts... so he will start off talking about a subject... then side track himself.... and you're only left with the incomplete ramblings like... "burn bridge"

I am sure he saw her in 2003 when she came to their Earl's Court show. As to visiting her house, I heard (on here) that all but Lindsey went to dinner at Christine's a day after or before the show. Who knows why he didn't take up her invite if this is true?

I really think he took it very hard that she left....

I'm not in the majority here... but I think they had a very good relationship ... they liked to work together, write together.... they were on each other's studio albums... they had great times on stage (mostly)... and until LB's SYW comments... I feel they had a great deal of respect for each other....

as far as being friends... I don't think any of them really were... even John and Mick after a while live very separate lives...

I completely agree with you. I don't know why you say you're not in the majority. I think most people who think about Christine and Lindsey probably think the same thing.

Michele

I agree, too. They had a really fruitful musical relationship and without her, he doesn't have the same musical empathy for his ideas.

I suppose you're right, Michelle. His tone here, however, seems a little softer than what I've read before. Maybe I'm just wishing...

most people don't think they liked each other outside the music...

i remember her saying Lindsey would do anything for her... and that she felt him a brother..

Yes, I remember that. I think she was asked if she loved them and she said yes (although she wasn't all that eager about saying it), that she guessed you could say it was love and that Lindsey was difficult, but she knows he would do anything for her.

Look, Lindsey loves the studio and Mick and Christine were both in there with him. Being left with just John and Stevie who can't wait to leave has got to be a downer for him.

I've said before how much I love that tour tape when Mick and Christine were arguing. They were just playing, but I don't think Lindsey knew they were kidding around. Mick was telling Christine to go ahead and throw his drink at him and Christine did and Lindsey was sort of hovering around, behind Chris. I got the feeling that he was waiting to rescue her if it turned out that she and Mick really were fighting.

Michele

hahahaha.... where is this i want to see it.... (i guess that one got by me)

Do you have these bootleg back stage videos. I have 2 of them on VHS. They say "Japan Tour". And it's just a lot of backstage footage strung together, unedited.

At one point, they are all coming into the dressing room from offstage and Mick and Christine were gnawing at each other and Christine says, "I ought to throw my drink at you" and Mick says, "go ahead. Go ahead and do it. Go ahead." Well, even though he was kind of roaring it, they were just playing, but Lindsey came up behind them and he looked a bit worried and he lingered there. Christine did throw her drink on Mick and he was happy about it. He just laughed.

Actually, I think Stevie passed them first and Christine was chewing Mick out (but not genuinely angry at all) and Stevie just repeated everything that Christine was saying back at Mick. Then, Stevie walked away and that's when Lindsey walked up and he wasn't quite sure what was going on between Mick and Chris.

Michele

That little episode is on Youtube. I think you just have to type in Crazy Mac or something like that

Gail

hahahah ... Nobody messed with her!!!

You know the sound on youtube is better than the sound on my VHS. It's very cute the way Christine and Stevie were complimenting each other's performances. Christine says, "It's a pity about you."

And Stevie says, "It's a pity you weren't any good."

Very nice. It's funny though, because all Stevie does throughout most of these conversations is repeat what the other person has said like a parrot.

I want German wine.

Michele

Not to be mean, but Stevie was probably high as a kite and couldn't put a rational thought together, thus she parrotted everything everyone else was saying!!!:laugh::laugh:

fine complement, and interesting info.

I still contend that people read too much into what any of them say. Chris and Lindsey were never pals, but they had a working chemistry and a mutual respect for one another.

You don't think they went shopping together and shared each other's diaries? Darn it!

What I think is, like it or not, when forced to spend that much time together, a familial relationship develops. I think they all grew to love each other just like you love your siblings. Now often, having been raised the same way, you love your siblings because you have common values and personalities. The Macsters didn't have this. Sometimes though, you just love your brothers and sisters because of your shared experiences and constant proximity. I think Lindsey and Christine had that, combined with their musical chemistry and affinity.


Michele

We should try to analyze their musical chemistry, just for fun.

I'm totally not sure about it at this stage, but I would need to give it more thought.

We ledgies are thinking more about their chemistry than they are. Right now Christine is probably chasing ducks from her kitchen.

Let's start with World Turning...

Often people tell me that they never knew it was co-written, or even that it was two different singers... until I make them listen closely....

They instantly sounded like each other...

They really sound like each other most of the time when they duet. You take something like Hold Me and it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. As far as what he does with the guitar that melds into her piano style, I wouldn't be able to say. Hopefully, one of you musicians can elaborate.

Of course, all of them had chemistry. That's why we are where we are. I wish we had more of them fooling around in the studio. Christine always told the story of how in 1975 she brought in her song and Lindsey and Stevie just started singing on it automatically and flawlessly without rehearsal and they all knew they had lightning in a bottle.

On that little smidgeon of Kiss and Run we get, you can sense that. It seems that Chris just spontaneously tells them to start singing and they do and it's perfect, though short-lived. Maybe it wasn't off-the-cuff. Maybe they'd been playing around with that song for 20 minutes already. But it sounded instant and magical.

Michele

Yeah, especially when they're singing together. But Christine's solo vocal parts on that are definitely a step or two better than Lindsey's. It's one of her great blues performances.

I don't get this. I do agree she wanted to change her life. Now. She retired, and no discussion about it.

But.. never enjoyed touring? Yes, I have heard and read that several times. But if that's true, I would consider Christine the most miserable and fool person in the whole wide world. Because, after almost 30 years in a band, now you say you never enjoyed touring?? Didn't you want to do any other things in your life?? She became millonaire with Rumours, then she could have done anything she wanted. I don't buy the "Fleetwood Mac was like being in the army, you have to be there". Stevie consider it so because deeply she always wanted to be in the band, with all those nightmares on the way, but, it was the best for her. At least during the 70s-80s.

So I think Christine enjoyed, too. Not now, but she did in the past.
If you have money and don't want to do something with your life, you just don't do it and don't wait to be in your 60s to change.

Well, Homeward Bound suggests she'd had enough a long time ago. Then, once we hit the nineties, she was saying she wanted to go back to England in almost every interview.

She liked the band and believed in their music. It was a 2nd family. So, sometimes when you weigh the pros and the cons, the cons don't seem that heavy -- at least not for awhile. So, she soldiered on for a few decades.

Maybe she enjoyed it once she got on the stage. Maybe she liked playing, if not the steps you had to go through to get up there. Between the traveling and the stage fright, touring really took its toll, especially once she stopped taking controlled substances to ease the burden. She said she had to drink to get to sleep in the hotel at night. I guess that made it bearable for many years. Once she was no longer willing to do that, that's when she knew it was time to end life on the road.

It's funny, because when Lindsey left the band, Christine said he never enjoyed touring too. I think both of them were right about each other, but the reasons Lindsey disliked it then and the reason Christine disliked it in general are different.

Michele

Oh that make sense when you read Mick's book. As I understood it wasn't that Lindsey hated tours, it was like he was tired of being with the band all the time during tours, with a lot of pressure, the Fleetwood Mac craziness, etc. Mick mentions
everybody was already burned even during the first Tusk tour rehearsals.

That's why he accepted to record Tango but didn't want to tour. Later he agred to tour for few weeks, and later he refused to tour at all, and all that became in leaving the band that dark august evening.

If you listen to Christine talk to a radio station she during the Shakin the Cage tour she says she enjoys touring and that's what it's really all about.

So just like the other two singers... there's the "PR" answer and there's the "i'm so sick of these people and this business" answer.

I think she regarded touring as an occupational hazard. (She once said that about Los Angeles)

As she got older it probably got worse and she got to the point where she said "you know what I don't need to do this any more - I'm off home, bye bye"

Gail