Quote:
Originally Posted by soul_drifter333
Anyone who has followed the band for a while already should know this but there are still so many arguments about it on this forum. Lindsey and Stevie are two totally different people who approach their work differently. Lindsey's approach is on the artistic side and Steve's is more on the commercial side and the amount of money she can make. All you have to do is look at their solo albums. Stevie recruited Jimmy to make her sound like the hottest selling artist of the day: Tom Petty. Other the other hand, Lindsey created an album of quirky songs with virtually no commercial intent except for one song that I'm sure the record label insisted be on the album. In the recent webinar, Lindsey even gives credit to Stevie for wanting them to move to LA because of the commercial appeal. The success of Rumours was really the end of the band because it showed Stevie and Mick how much success and money they can make and Lindsey saw it as a trap to lock him into sounding the same on future work simply to make money. In the end, that is what broke up the band. Stevie and Mick signed a tour contract with a guarantee of millions and Lindsey wanted to create new work and then tour behind it. Another obvious sign is Stevie has given up on writing and recording so she can make the most money touring the greatest hits and getting lots of attention from fans and the media for being a "legend", while Lindsey would rather spend months or years in his studio creating new music. Stevie has already said many times if it doesn't make her money she is not interested...unless it strokes her ego and establishes her as the legend she longs to be known as.
So when people on here argue that Stevie has sold more albums and tickets and has more commercial success it is true because that was her intention from the start. She (and Mick) determines their success from the amount of money and attention they get while Lindsey judges his success from creating new music in the studio and prefers to stay in the background. This is not to say that there is not so overlapping, but this is the core of how they judge their success.
As far as this interview, I take it that after Stevie solo success her management was pushing her to leave the band, but I suspect her affair and relationship with Mick probably prevented it. Mick and Stevie have said that their relationship lasted longer than they would like to admit to others. Stevie's management was probably negotiating for a bigger percent of the band's profits. It's amazing with such different approaches and values from the band members that they were able to stay together as long as they were.
Furthermore, the shippers have had it wrong all along. Lindsey and Stevie have not wanted and gotten back together over the years, but it has been Stevie and Mick. They're two peas in a pod and their relationship has lasted over the years because their values are the same. It wouldn't be surprised if they aren't still...  |
Wonderfully stated.
I think Stevie staying away was a power play- it was once again some form of her holding out to get them to come to her point of view on something. She's used the threat of quitting so many times you'd think they'd have gotten over it by now but clearly it has worked every.single.time. because as you noted their definition of 'success' was purely money. Selling albums and selling seats on tours is clearly important, but for Stevie and Mick etc that was really the ONLY marker of success. To Lindsey, artistic credibility ranked higher (but he'd absolutely love to have sold lots more of his solo albums and bigger venues, maybe not necessarily stadiums and such, but..)
Stevie was always making threats.. recall the album (Mirage? Tango??) where she threatened them with "How will it look in the press if I give interviews and trash the album" or even the Lindsay Lohan movie rumours "I'll go to the press and trash it so badly". She really does have a high opinion of herself and how much her opinion counts in the larger arena of real life. The wanting to be seen as a legend is what LB was referring to in interviews post-firing when he said "This is all about Stevie wanting a certain kind of attention". She defines her whole life by her career, because she's made her career her whole life. He took a more holistic approach and wanted some kind of meaningful personal life in addition to his career. The sad thing with S&L has always been that because they each brought something different to the table their partnership was always a bigger, better thing than either one solo. But they both had egos and managers and entourages that told them "You know YOU are the real reason the band is so successful" and they, especially she, fell for it.
Sadly she got to make the final, band-ending threat on the last tour "me or him" and the others, as usual, caved in.