New Rolling Stone Article with Mick
 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/fe...erhood-w499636


It's been two days since Fleetwood Mac played in front of a sold-out crowd at Citi Field in New York City and drummer Mick Fleetwood is leaning back in a chair high up in an Upper East Side suite hotel room marveling at the fact that the group pulled the gig off. With the exception of a show at L.A.'s Dodger Stadium two weeks earlier, they hadn't played since the final show of their 2015 tour. "With all due respect to John [McVie], I doubt he picked up the bass more than five times in the past two years," he says with a chuckle. "But that son of a gun was like a Rolls Royce, that smooth. The rest of us had been working like slaves."

Mick Fleetwood Looks Back on Fleetwood Mac's Early Days
With release of new band history 'Love That Burns,' drummer reflects on group's blues origins and why he owes everything to Peter Green

One project that has taken up his time since the last tour is the new photo history book Love That Burns: A Chronicle of Fleetwood Mac Volume One, 1967–1974. It tells the epic saga of Fleetwood Mac from their earliest days as a blues rock band all the way to their first meeting with Stevie Nicks in 1974. "For the most part, this is not a horrible well-known story, at least in America," he says. "It's time for the story to be told."

As part of Rolling Stone's Last Word interview series, Fleetwood shared wisdom about aging, fatherhood, drugs and money. He also spoke about Fleetwood Mac's future plans.

What's the best advice you ever got?
It came from my father. He was a pilot officer in the Royal Air Force. When I started to be what could be construed as famous-ish, he said, "Never forget you get up and go to the toilet in the morning, Michael." Which means, just keep it in perspective and have a good sense of humor and remember that you are a human being, and keep it in line. If he had added, "And don't take too many drugs," that might have been helpful too.

What's the most indulgent purchase you ever made?
I bought a thousand-acre farm in Australia in the early 1980s. It was this whimsical decision to start a whole new life. The property had about eight houses on it and a fishing lake. I cashed out about 3 million bucks and bought it. I actually immigrated to Australia and gave up my green card. I thought it was a great place for all my friends and family, but it was also a pipe dream that literally took me to the poorhouse. I went broke. It was beautiful, and I don't bemoan the fact that I did it. I also don't bemoan that I'm not sitting there right now getting eaten by toxic spiders.

What have 50 years in Fleetwood Mac taught you about compromise?
I don't think it would have been possible without the wit of healthy compromise. My father was a fine officer and in charge of organizing large groups of people. He said, "No matter what, as long as you get it done, you don't need to take the credit." Some people say, "You've had to suck eggs to keep some elements of your story going." John [McVie] and I can say in good humor we've caused some pain, but it turned out pretty good.

Your philosophy seems to be "No matter what, the band carries on." That was true even when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham left for a time.
That's the nature of being in a rhythm section. You need someone to play with. John and I can't do this in our living room. Also, John and I sticking it out comes from abject fear. What the hell would we do if there was no band? For the most part, amazingly, it worked out, which is a form of alchemy and magic that I will never really truly understand.


"What the hell would me and John do if there was no band?"

You raised teenage girls in the 1980s, and you're raising teenage girls now. How is it different?
They are frighteningly well-informed now, first of all. If I say something as a parent or a friend – I like to think of myself as both – it puts you on your mark because they can, in 40 seconds, see whether or not you're full of ****. But I'm way better at being a dad now than I was with my first lovely two daughters. That's because I'm not as crazy as I used to be, and hopefully not as selfish.

What do you understand about drugs now that you didn't understand when you started out?
They end up being a nightmare. Maybe we would never have cut certain songs if we hadn't been up for five days. But you think now, "Does that make it OK?" And it wasn't OK. You shouldn't romanticize those things. I'm lucky to be sitting here talking to you now.

What do you wish someone had told you about the music business before you started?
Look out for charlatans who will send you down the road. Yet actually, the real nuts and bolts is I am quite happy that I didn't have that advice. I'd like to think I could have handled the warning, but if I had been warned, I might not have even signed anything.

Stevie Nicks told me she has no interest in making another Fleetwood Mac album, since it takes too long and nobody would buy it. How do you feel about that?
I'm not super keen on getting into all of that. But what I do know is that the music of Fleetwood Mac, and the music from everyone that coexists in and outside of that band, is everyone's prerogative. She is gonna be there next year when we begin a tour and spend the better part of 18 months wandering the planet. And this band has to be able to [allow] that and have no blame game at all. If you want me to say, "Hey, the utopian dream would be that before we hang it up, we all play [new] stuff [in the studio] ...," but we play onstage! God knows we've sacrificed huge chunks of time for this strange animal known as Fleetwood Mac, so I'm OK with it.

Christine McVie has hinted that the tour in 2018 might be a farewell. Is that true?
No. I don't know where that is coming from. In my mind, it's not, and everyone in the band has decided that it's not. But we thought we were finished 30 years ago. And so it's a Rolling Stones model. I don't know if morbid is the correct word here, but when everyone is in their seventies and you think about five years from now ... You know, at some point I wish I'd seen Frank Sinatra. And I didn't. And lo and behold, one day Frank's dead. Phil Collins is calling his tour "Not Dead Yet." Well, we're not dead yet, but god forbid, we might be, so you could be like, "I better go and see them!" But you will not see a poster saying this is our farewell tour that I could dream of.

Are you thinking at all about the set list yet? Will it be very different than the last tour?
Yeah. I was in Italy recently and met Stevie out there. Actually, she was in Capri and I was close to there. She said to me, "Let's sit down and really listen to some stuff that sort of almost got forgotten." So I know she's already thinking she wants to do some things we haven't done in years. I always think that Stevie and Lindsey should do a Buckingham Nicks song in the set. And have Christine should do a blues song. I hope it certainly won't be the same show as we did before. We always played nearly three hours, and we cut it back a little bit for the wear and tear, but we do over two hours. And when you got three singers, which is, like, three bands, really, to get that perfect set, it's a trip.


"I think people invest in Fleetwood Mac because there's an intrigue there. We put our dirty laundry out there for everyone to see."

You play nearly every Rumours song in the set. Ever think about just playing the album straight through?
It would be fantastic. But we'd have to be like Bruce Springsteen, out there for seven hours. Then it could be the last tour. You'll see wooden boxes onstage. Five of them.

You turned 70 this year. Does it feel different than you imagined it would?
Yeah, it does. Physically, I think I'm healthier than I was at 50. [Grabs chest, fakes a heart attack before laughing hysterically] But I am surprised that, like Phil, I'm not dead yet. I hardly know the date of my own birthday. This is an awful admission, but I don't know my children's birthdays. When I was young I never remembered anything either. I was just talking to my daughters in the car, saying that when they are 24 or 25 I'll be 80. Whatever happens, in 15 years I'll probably either be dead or sitting in a chair somewhere near a spittoon. Maybe by some miracle I'll be like my mom, 98 years old and then you just drop.

Stevie Nicks Talks Aging, Addiction, Fleetwood Mac's Future
The singer on listening to her heart, turning 70 and why music comes before friendship

No matter how clever you are, however fit you are, you're doing going to die someday. It hits me when someone asks me about Fleetwood Mac's future plans. It hits me that if we tour and then maybe do something else and then possibly live out a pipe dream of a Broadway play, that'll take five or six years. I'll be on the red carpet and 76, even closer to death than I am now. You start thinking about things like that at 70.

Let's not wrap up on your inevitable death, so I wanna go somewhere lighter. I feel like I hear Fleetwood Mac's music more often now than I ever have, and young people seem to just idolize Stevie Nicks more than I've ever seen. How do you explain that?
The comedic answer is that we wouldn't go away. I do like to think that our story is a human story. It sounds corny, but I think people invest in it because there's an intrigue there. We put our dirty laundry out there for everyone to see. We were naive in many ways. I can't believe the papers didn't hound us. They never followed Stevie around or found out what we were up to. It's sort of a miracle.

Picture all that happening now with TMZ? They're torture you.
Can you imagine that with early Fleetwood Mac? But even back then we were so open about it that we sort of blew their biscuit. You never got pictures of Stevie in Phoenix or wherever having a love affair, but we have our own version of it. Anyway, it's old news now.

so it's Mick who insist FM cannot disband and Stevie has to stay in the band.

and they read their recent Classic reviews and finally realized they cannot do exact same songs over and over for 4 cash grab tours in a row? wonder how many they will really change.

and no farewell tour, keep cashing out forever and ever, after having next year's tour going for at least 18 months (so basically 2018-19) so none of the band members can actually do something constructive with the short time they have left.

argh.

i'm never ever buying a Mick-ticket again for a FM show. not that i will be able to afford them anyway, they double in price for every subsequent tour.

this bit was interesting:

Are you thinking at all about the set list yet? Will it be very different than the last tour?
Yeah. I was in Italy recently and met Stevie out there. Actually, she was in Capri and I was close to there. She said to me, "Let's sit down and really listen to some stuff that sort of almost got forgotten." So I know she's already thinking she wants to do some things we haven't done in years. I always think that Stevie and Lindsey should do a Buckingham Nicks song in the set. And have Christine should do a blues song. I hope it certainly won't be the same show as we did before. We always played nearly three hours, and we cut it back a little bit for the wear and tear, but we do over two hours. And when you got three singers, which is, like, three bands, really, to get that perfect set, it's a trip.

This would be interesting.... I'd be curious to know just what songs she's thinking of...

He's treading carefully around Stevie this time, unlike in the past, choosing his words in his interviews to not indicate he's frustrated or whatever with her not participating.

Wonder if Lindsey feels the "I don't feel like I have an ally" thing with Mick or they've talked about not discussing it in the press... He must feel he has some sort of ally in Chris.

Also I found it amusing he thinks they could do a tour, and album and mount a Broadway play in 5-6 years total time. Not the way this band moves......:distress:

I love the interview. Mick is very honest. Does not even want to go there with Stevie not wanting to make new music. He was indirect and beat around the bush some but he went there!
Love the fact he wants Chris to do an old blues song and one Buckingham Nicks.
THANK GOODNESS

maybe he's honest because Stevie would leave FM and let them do new music, but Mick has convinced her not to? so he has to be quiet cos Stevie is taking all the fan ire, while agreeing to stay for s=cash cow tours for Mick's sake?

yes, thank goodness we will get to hear EVEN OLDER tunes on the next FM tour than the 40 yo old tunes we have been listening to for the last 3 greatest hits tours. :rolleyes: :p :angel:

It should be the farewell tour, John and Christine will be pushing 80 if this isn't their last. As for the set list, add Hold Me. Keep Sara. Replace Think About Me with Over & Over. Why as an encore, maybe instead of Songbird. They do need to keep it like 85-90% signature songs though. I'd love to see That's Alright.

what did you think of Buckingham McVie Hold Me?

I am just realistic elle. If it were up to me, I would prefer to see a solo Christine show with all her early Mac tunes with her solo stuff. Stevie has been signed up to do the tour which we know is happening. Its a good sign Stevie spoke to Mick about mixing things up a bit. She just got off a tour without doing Dreams. That was a first. Of course we would all love new music. Mick says he thinks it the best way to go out (new music). I sensed his frustration at Stevie while you thought he was covering for her. Its just that we have different takes to what we read.

Unfortunately I was unable to go to one of their shows, but from what I saw on YouTube, it was great. I don't really like the way they end it though, I'd rather it be a little instrumental instead of them just singing Hold Me Hold Meeeee to no music. If they add it to the Fleetwood Mac set, just have Stevie sing with them on the chorus and a short instrumental at the end.

lucky for you, they have a whole another leg with 20+ shows so you will finally be able to hear Hold Me live - something you've been craving for years now!

yeah i know. and i know you are right, it's not up to us. still, i can't resist but pushing against the grain! :thumbsup::shrug:

i'm just so worried Lindsey solo album and tour won't happen next year.

The problem with replacing Think About Me with Over and Over is that they are so different... Think About Me is upbeat and has that catchy chorus, while Over and Over is so sedate. Don't get me wrong, I love Over and Over, but live, I can easily see why the band would prefer to play TAM. And Why as a replacement for Songbird? Not a bad idea at all, but that would be too much of a "deep cut," I think. The Farmer's Daughter was a great way to end the Show, I thought. That's Alright would be so much fun, especially if Lindsey and Christine shared lead vocals.

I agree, I also thought this interview was refreshingly honest, more so than the usual rhetoric we get from Mick. So excited Stevie's seen how the fans have responded to her 24 Karat Gold tour and wants to add some 'deep cuts' to the FM tour. If You Were My Love seems obvious, since it appeared on the Deluxe Mirage release.

Could the 2018 tour be the one when they finally play I Don't Want to Know live?!? Seems like such a no-brainer, and I absolutely love it when Lindsey and Stevie sing together!

Yay, Angel ....at last???. Maybe.
That's THE one song I would love to hear.

How interesting.

I think Lindsey is the one who doesn't want to spice up the set list. I think I read somewhere (but I'll admit I don't remember where) that he thinks a Fleetwood Mac show should be a Fleetwood Mac show, which is why they dropped the solo songs and why they never do a Buckingham Nicks song. Maybe the BuckVie tour has gotten him to change his mind a little. We'll have to see.