Why the disdain for Mick?

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Even if Lindsey realized that the wheels were being placed in motion, they tend to use or to rely on Mick as a conduit. Mick reaches out for them if they have pride as a barrier between them and want to save face with each other. Mick's not afraid or too embarrassed to plead.

Absolutely. Fleetwood Mac is Mick's baby, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep it together. I don't buy for a minute that it's solely about the money for him, as some have portrayed. Sure, he has done some boneheaded things with his money, but even if he hadn't, I still think he would do whatever it takes to get Fleetwood Mac together.

[iamnotafraid]

I think this thread has become The Ledge's soap opera.

Y'all are a feisty bunch.

Stay tuned...

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Absolutely. Fleetwood Mac is Mick's baby, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep it together. I don't buy for a minute that it's solely about the money for him, as some have portrayed. Sure, he has done some boneheaded things with his money, but even if he hadn't, I still think he would do whatever it takes to get Fleetwood Mac together.

Absolutely, without a doubt, Fleetwood Mac is Mick's band. It's his life. He's sacrificed absolutely everything for it- family, friendships, marriages, his pride, etc. Fleetwood Mac would never have gotten off the ground without him, much less exist in any form nearly 50 years later. It's his enthusiasm that formed & carried this band, period. But at the same time, when he has the chance, he franchises that, too. Since he is the reason for the band, it's absolutely valid to argue that it's his right. It is also absolutely valid when some folks find it distasteful, or at the very least, distracting.

[RockawayBlind]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

How was he disloyal, or MORE disloyal than the others? His book? Everything he said in his book was either taken from previous articles in magazines or has been corroborated since the book came out (even the night Lindsey quit). What about Lindsey's loyalty? He quit the band. What about Stevie's loyalty? She quit the band. Both have left him high and dry more than once, both bad-mouthed him in the press. Both have committed to tours or shows and have backed out at nearly the last minute. Oh, but THAT'S so easy to overlook. They've been canonized, Mick's just a drummer who contributed nothing to the band's success and longevity.

That's a pretty dramatic take. Mick was disloyal by airing dirty laundry and, worse, lying about certain events. Just because things had been published, that doesn't excuse publishing cheap gossip about your friends.

And you're not going to get me to defend Lindsey's or Stevie's actions. They quit the band at some point? I'm not sure I care. As far as I can tell, this band, with its pathetic output in four decades, should have packed it up already. There will never be another Rumours. There will never be another Tusk. Perhaps at some point, it could have been possible. But these people have let their personal agendas, petty squabbles and greed overtake them, and as a result, the art has suffered.

And if I'm being honest, the biggest culprit is Stevie. She has really bought into the idea that she's a big star and everybody else should kowtow to her. You take that out of the equation, and we would have had at least three studio albums since The Dance.

And, yeah, Mick is kind of a fool.

[RockawayBlind]

Originally Posted by iamnotafraid

I think this thread has become The Ledge's soap opera.

Y'all are a feisty bunch.

Stay tuned...

LOL, I enjoyed that!

[Lori40]

Originally Posted by Wendy Welch

Mick just happens to own the name of FM. Which gives him a lot of power. Like he told me, "I own the name. It's not a matter of IF Bob Welch will be in the RRHall of Fame, but WHEN." Isn't that odd. It's been over 1 1/2 years since he told me that and it never happened. He was just shining me on..... ?????? They don't rely on Mick as a conduit, they can't do anything with the name FM without Mick. Get real! <3

Wendy, as far as I know, you are the only one on here who really knows Mick. Do you perceive him as a "People Pleaser", you know, the kind of person who can't say "no" to anyone? Is he really a nice guy who just wants his band to stay together and keep everyone happy, or at least as happy as this group can be? Don't you think that he really knows how important your Bob was to FM, and that he deserves to be recognized in the
RRHOF? Could it be just really bad timing with Christine coming back into the band, and Mick not wanting to do anything that might jeopardize this?

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by RockawayBlind

Mick was disloyal by airing dirty laundry

Umm...this IS the band that made "Rumours," right? That argument is completely ridiculous.

and, worse, lying about certain events.

Such as?

Just because things had been published, that doesn't excuse publishing cheap gossip about your friends.

They did a whole album full of cheap gossip.

[shackin'up]

I still hold Mick responsable for making SYW meat nor fish. It should have been a double CD with a decent tracklisting. He backend out.
But still, this band had so much bizarre personel changes that one can never really point at one man for letting that happen, on the positive sides and on all the negative sides. They were a mess on so many occasions that it always made victims. I love the guy for a lot of reasons. And I think he still made more bad than good choices in life.

[RockawayBlind]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Umm...this IS the band that made "Rumours," right? That argument is completely ridiculous.


Such as?


They did a whole album full of cheap gossip.

We're not going to change each other's minds. The question was asked about why people disdain Mick. And I answered it. Now you want me to cover the same old ground, detail by detail, to prove the man is worthy of disdain so you can tell me how wrong and ridiculous my arguments are? I have no interest in doing that. You're still going to think what you think.

It's not like I hate Mick or anything. Hell, I even went to his restaurant in Hawaii before the official grand opening and took pictures in front of his kit.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by RockawayBlind

Now you want me to cover the same old ground, detail by detail, to prove the man is worthy of disdain so you can tell me how wrong and ridiculous my arguments are?

I'm just asking for an example of how what he said was an outright lie. The ONLY thing I can think of is the night Lindsey left, which at worst was an overstatement on Mick's part. Even Stevie has said that she thought Lindsey was going to kill her that night. If anything, compared to other biographies, Mick held back.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by Wendy Welch

Let's get one thing straight. It was really Bob Welch that was managing the band at the point when they moved to LA with SOME help from Mick. Bob tracked him down in Africa when he couldn't play on the stage anymore with Bob Weston, who was seeing his wife. Bob talked him and Chris into moving to LA. Mick basically ruined their career when he left the band because of Weston, and they were being asked to perform everywhere by promoters. That's the real reason Clifford Davis/Adams put out the fake band, because they were just about to become huge when Mick bailed.

While maybe not said quite like this, Mick basically said this in his book. I suspected Bob had to be frustrated by all that happened during this time, being the main songwriter and all. I would have been if I were in his shoes, too. But I also see Mick's perspective. He had to deal with the losses of Peter, Jeremy, and Danny, and now the new guy shagging his wife. That's too much to deal with in the span of less than four years.

What's weird, for me, is the part that was published in magazines at the time, that said Mick and Christine were the only ones Cliff was interested in. Maybe that's not accurate, and if Bob told Cliff to go take a flying f**k, I love Bob even more. If it is accurate, though, it speaks to the power of their catalog up to that point. Even on the Kirshner show, three of the five songs broadcasted were written by Peter Green.

They were also on the verge in the USA when Jeremy Spencer quit the band. "Kiln House" was the first time they cracked the Top 50 in the USA.

Bob also got them his lawyer to handle everything and even put all their royalties through his IRS account which caused him many problems and was never paid back for taxes from the band. That's my understanding and what I have had to help Bob straighten out.

Again, all of which Mick said in his book.

[dino]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

. Fleetwood Mac would never have gotten off the ground without him, much less exist in any form nearly 50 years later.

Que? Peter Green formed Fleetwood Mac and hired Mick as the drummer. Without the reputation and genius of Green, Mick would be a pub band player now. Mick did become the de facto leader after Peter left, building on the first flush of success (they were a big hit band in Europe and getting a foothold in the US), but that's another thing.

[chriskisn]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

and now the new guy shagging his wife.

My understanding of this is that Weston always denied that there was any affair? Sure he was a smooth character who probably flirted with her, but I wasn't aware either Weston or Jenny had ever admitted sleeping together.

[RockawayBlind]

Originally Posted by dino

Que? Peter Green formed Fleetwood Mac and hired Mick as the drummer. Without the reputation and genius of Green, Mick would be a pub band player now. Mick did become the de facto leader after Peter left, building on the first flush of success (they were a big hit band in Europe and getting a foothold in the US), but that's another thing.

Uh, yeah, good point.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by dino

Without the reputation and genius of Green, Mick would be a pub band player now.

Nah, Mick would've found a way to make it somehow. He had the visual presence and a bunch of legendary friends. I think Mick, John, and maybe Christine would have been successful in other bands. I'm just glad they weren't!