Rumours - The golden years
 

https://youtu.be/6Oj4EkDBqqA

The Mirage tour concert DVD. Couldn't embed. These were truly the golden years of Fleetwood Mac. But don't be sad, because.....

Now a new chapter has begun and I Can't Wait!

It's not that I'm sad, absolutely not. I'm still just angry. I will got over it, soon, but won't feel sad about the ending of me being a FM fan, they just don't deserve my attention anymore.

Couldn't embed; too much satire.

G-day Mate
(The #1 Stevie Nicks hit in Australia, the new home of Fleetwood “Outback” Mac)

Sometimes I talk like
My love for dear Lindsey’s enduring
Then when we break up
Well somehow we still keep on touring!

Yes, I know you
Fans hate us, at least now you do
Yes, we’re true blue
Didge-ri-doo, we’re heading south now

G’day mates, g’day mates
We’d been wasting our time--U.S. sales have declined!
Well, g’day mates, g’day mates
Now the band’s got to move to Down Under I guess
G’day mates, g’day mates
Yes, I know you
Non-Aussies, hate our guts
G’day mates, g’day mates...

What can I do now that Neil Finn’s my stooge?

(She wonders how many more tickets
They'll sell down in Auckland
In secret she says she needs to see Linds
But those bridges are broken)

Well, she dances around in a circle
Well, she's using third-person now
Blame it on something Bob Dylan
Put the blame on Linds, I know I do
(Back to first-person?)

G’day mates, g’day mates
We’d been wasting our time--U.S. sales have declined!
Well, g’day mates, g’day mates
It's like me and the "Pretenders" without Chrissie Hynde!
G’day mates, g’day mates
Yes, I know you
Non-Kiwis, hate our guts
G’day mates, g’day mates...

How clever and proud you must feel right now.

Unlike every man and his dog on this site, I do NOT presume to know or understand why five (or four) people I have never met decided to part ways with one of their colleagues.

Put the blame on Stevie anyway though, put the blame on Mick, because it is easy and makes you feel good. Apparently Lindsey could never do anything wrong. He quit in 1987 after they released a mega seller album and left them high and dry when it came to touring, but they welcomed him back for Clinton's inauguration in 1993 and for The Dance in 1997. These people, Christine, John, and yes Mick and Stevie have been incredibly forgiving and understanding of Lindsey over the past 40 years.

While as I said I do not presume to know why Lindsey was terminated, I do think it would not have been done flippantly. They could have easily continued without him from 1987-2018 but they wanted him back and they knew even as recently as this year that the ideal was for him to stay in the band, but they could not work through their differences, whatever they were, so they took the last resort option of parting company.

True story: by virtue of being a deranged fan, I was fortunate to meet Lindsey, John and Mick during their SYW tour down under--twice in the case of Lindsey and Mick.
(Tellingly, there was no meeting Stevie, because Madame is special and resides in the ether. Although two fellow fans got to meet her in a private session, because they'd sent her an artwork they made--namely, a portrait of Stevie :lol:)

As for the reasons behind LB's firing, nor do I presume to know--except what has been said interviews etc. by, er, Stevie, Mick, Lindsey, and Christine.

Now you're getting into the spirit!
I think I prefer my spoof lyrics to yours though.

This remark makes me feel that you're a touch out of depth with your FM history. Get back to studying for those exams!

I (sincerely) hope you get the opportunity to meet the band members too--though you'd better hone those portraiture skills if you want to meet Stevie!

Awesome response, DownOnRodeo!!:wavey:

I have to ask you, how were John and Lindsey? Was John as quiet in person as we always hear? And what was Lindsey like?

I've met Mick, and thought it was so-so. He seemed very distant and his responses were pretty canned. And now I have zero interest in ever meeting him again, which is good because if I did, I'd probably say some things to him that would get me banned from whatever concert it was.

It's exactly what I still feel, angry. I thought I'd got over it soon too, but it's been 3 months and I still don't want to listen Fleetwood Mac songs that much. And of course I don't pay attention with the latest news about the tour or new lineup. And as I said before, I'm angry with the 5 people. I don't blame on 1 or 2 specific members.

In my interactions in 2004:

- John was soft-spoken and unpretentious--exactly as you'd expect! I handed him a copy of the Gypsy vinyl 7-inch single, because he is purported to have sung a bit on the b-side cover of Cool Water. As he signed it (on the A-side, whoops) he smilingly said something brief and light-heartedly self-effacing about his vocal contributions. If I hadn't been standing about 3 inches from him I wouldn't have caught what he said; but he had a deep, strong voice, so it's just a volume issue apparently. ("Turn the knobs to 11, Johnny!")

- I seem to remember being surprised by how petite Lindsey appeared in person, but then I'm quite tall, and I guess on both occasions I'd spent the preceding three hours staring up at him from a meter below (front row, Lindsey side). He came across as uber relaxed/composed, no airs, cool (in the good sense), and just plain generous about connecting with whatever loony fans came his way! As in all the interviews, his manner was subdued and 'underplayed,' but when he talked he actually projected his voice (take a hint, John :p). On both occasions he came across as genuinely excited or pleasantly surprised at certain points, his voice going a bit high and his expression changing dramatically, which made it feel all the more like a 'real' interaction.

- You've met Mick yourself so no insights here probably, but to me he came across on both occasions as highly self-possessed and charismatic, with a refined gentlemanly manner and an undeniable 'gravitas' that was completely contradictory to his on-stage antics (which can also be said of Lindsey). Other than his legendary status and name, I think his physical stature has a lot to do with it; on the first occasion I talked to him (to get him to sign a copy of the Visitor LP) I was utterly tongue-tied. He was extremely gracious, in a paternalistic way. He sped off quickly though (I think to the bathroom, poor guy :D).

One thing I can't swear about but ex-Ledgie and my fellow 'deranged fan' at the time Lux would be able to clarify/verify/correct were she still here is that in the second interaction, backstage after a Sydney concert, there were some Australian actors/celebrities backstage along with us pleb fans, and Mick was spending most of his time down the hall away from the 'fan room', gabbing with a major Aussie actor of similar age to him, and as I seem to remember Lux telling it, when Lindsey appeared in the hallway the actor called out to Lindsey as if to summon him, but when Lindsey noticed Lux (in her goth/punk garb) he gave the actor short shrift and came to hang out with us and other other fans instead.

So cool, thank you!!!

I've always thought that I'd be afraid to meet John, because I can never understand what he's saying(on screen). British accent, on top of mumbling, and don't old drunks slur a bit, too? "Huff huff, bluh bluh ya ya huh". Me>, "Well thank you, John. Nice meeting you". (I walk away completely confused with anything he just said)

Is it really that difficult to be articulate?

[QUOTE=DownOnRodeo;1233004]
(Tellingly, there was no meeting Stevie, because Madame is special and resides in the ether. Although two fellow fans got to meet her in a private session, because they'd sent her an artwork they made--namely, a portrait of Stevie :lol:)

:rolleyes:

And I met Stevie at the Marin Film Festival where she was totally gracious and generous with her time.

Cool!
I was just noting that based on my experiences stalking the band during their 2004 concert tour (which I assume is the only kind of context most fans can expect to ever have the chance of meeting her), she was using secret passageways and elevators or something because she never went down the backstage hallway while the fans were there and never came through the lobby of the hotel that the others were staying at.

No, thank you, lovethemac1, because you're helped me recall details I'd forgotten about that set of amazing experiences.

One thing I recall now is how after meeting John I wish I'd had prepared more things (anythin, really!) to say or ask, because he did not seem in any hurry to get away from the fans, and it felt as though we could have kept talking for a bit if I had only had something more to say! So let me add to my description of John by saying that although he was low-key and low-volume, he came across as up for a chat!

Now I think about it, another reason I probably didn't dwell long with John is that I was probably worried about missing Lindsey--which turned out to be unnecessary, because, as I describes above, Lindsey didn't evade the fans either.

Maybe they were excited to finally get some questions that had nothing to do with drugs or the recording of Rumours. :)

Thank you for giving us this glimpse. I've so badly wanted to meet those two, John and Lindsey. The closest I've come was interacting with Lindsey while he was on stage. My husband and I were right in front of him for the 2013 tour. He was so interactive with us, and my husband was mouthing to him that I am his #1 fan, and he fully got a kick out of that. At one point he checked in with a "thumbs up???" look to me, just to make sure I was having fun!! Which I totally was, and he gave me one of his HUGE goofy grins. I got his setlist and his (unused) pick.

We also saw him on Seeds solo tour and were up front. Again, he was pretty interactive with us, and the other fans. Just showing that he loves what he does.

John has always seemed so down to earth, no bulls**t type of guy. I imagine he would be easy to laugh and laugh with.

I once had a dream about Lindsey, John, Chris and Stevie. They were at our summer cottage, I was in charge of looking after them. They fought like crazy, ill-behaved toddlers, and I had to keep sending them for time out breaks. Then they headed into the lake for a swim, without letting me know, and none of them could swim. Rescuing those toddlers was a lot of work!! I think it was because my kids were really little at the time, so my FM dream translated into toddler-hood.

Well, one can keep dreaming about meeting them. I shall continue.