Originally Posted by bwboy
Pardon my long post, but your post really struck a chord with me. I know I like to think of FM as a family or as fairly tight friends, but SteveMacD is probably right- they are not close like I like to imagine. This incarnation has made, over the course of 40+years, 5 albums (FM, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, and Tango). And we all know Tusk and Tango were not recorded by the band the way the other albums were. And when they toured, they likely spent very little time together except when they were on stage, and they makes sense, even though, again, I would have liked the idea that before the show, they might hang out and go sight seeing together, or have dinner, or whatever. Clearly they didn't, except when Billy Burnette and Rick Vito were in the band. Billy wrote in his book about how the entire band would jam after a show, including Stevie. Still, that was the exception rather than the rule. Once the band hit it big, any true closeness they had by traveling to gigs in a van or sharing hotel rooms vanished when they started taking jets and staying in individual penthouse suites. So Christine and Mick are close, Stevie and Mick are close, and John and Mick are probably kind-of close. Christine and Lindsey liked each other and had mutual respect, but they weren't close. Mick and Lindsey liked each other and had mutual respect, but they weren't close. And as I mentioned, during the past 40+years, they all probably went several years without communicating. We all know from mid-1987 to mid-1996, there was very little communication between them. Stevie recorded Twisted with Lindsey, and Mick and John worked on an album with Lindsey, but that was it. From 1997-2014, Christine probably talked to no one but Mick. I doubt Lindsey and John hung out, or Stevie and John, or Christine and John, or Christine and Stevie, or Christine and Lindsey. Mick seems to be the glue, if you will.
Stevie (and Lindsey, to a much lesser extent) talk a big game about their relationship, but to me, it's Hollywood talk. If Stevie's still hung up on Lindsey, then she needs to see a counselor. I really can't tell how much of her prattle about Lindsey is real or fake- even if they were like a married couple, they were still only together what, 4 years? Hardly a lengthy period of time, although going from struggling artists to successful millionaires virtually overnight would certainly create a bond, I grant her that.
The reason I write all this is that I've come to realize in the past few years that Stevie doesn't want to work with Lindsey anymore in the studio, and now she doesn't want to tour with him anymore, either. We know she didn't want to record with him because... after Say You Will, she didn't and wouldn't. She never said that in interviews, but it was obvious. Right or wrong, she made that decision and stuck to it, but she was still willing to tour with him. Then something happened and it sounds like she said "that's it, it's either him or me" and the band made their decision. I can't fault them, they need to make money to support their lifestyles, and recording doesn't bring in the money that touring does. Here's why people are going to say I'm wrong, but I can't fault Stevie, either. Regardless of her reasoning, she gave the band a the chance to choose, and they chose her. I've worked at the same agency for nearly 25 years in various positions, and I've had my share of conflicts with co-workers. While I've never given an ultimatum like that to my boss ("that's it, it's either him or me"), there have been times I wanted to! It's just that I couldn't afford to lose my job! Stevie CAN afford to issue that sort of ultimatum. We have to remember that being in FM is a job for them. In that respect, is it right to expect people who don't want to work together be forced to do so for our enjoyment?
A lot of people say that Stevie should have swallowed her pride, and that she owes Lindsey because if it hadn't been for Lindsey insisting she be allowed to join FM as well, she wouldn't be where she is today. Well, that's true, but it's just as possible that FM wouldn't have achieved the level of fame and success they did without Stevie. The simple fact is, those 3 songwriters created something together that probably wouldn't have existed if there had only been 2 of them. Lindsey left in 1987 because he had reached his limit and sadly, he left in 2018 because Stevie reached her limit. I don't recall anyone saying in 1987 that Lindsey should have sucked it up and toured with FM because he owed them for letting him join FM. Stevie doesn't owe Lindsey anymore. They've all been vastly rewarded for their work a million times over, financially and creatively.
Whew... again, sorry for the long post. I am not trying to change anyone's mind here. I just wanted to show another POV here. Lindsey's interview was very classy and I am THRILLED that he shared his story. I can't wait to see him in concert.
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