Just Skimmed Through STORMS

[Betsy]

p. 32 "... Lindsey had a power and a purity that shone in its brigthness. And I knew that I would do everything within my power to protect him. Suddently words rang out in my mind with the clarity of a church bell: I'll never do anything that will come between Lindsey and his music...

...No matter what it might cost me personally."
I think that pretty much sums up the book. She put him first.

The book took a turn for me when Carol Ann gets sick in Paris. From that point on, I felt more sympathetic towards her.

To read about anyone's abuse, be it physical or psychological, is sad and disturbing. I don't want to quote those passages... but here is a passage that explained the pain that went on in this relationship...and I found it haunting.

p. 85 "This time I was joining my life with that of the man I loved and embarking on a future that held almost everything that a young woman could want: love excitement, travel, fame, money, and rock 'n' roll. That this future would also hold a darkness that would scar my life forever was beyond my comprehension."

There is the old 2-12 rule in life...you treat me nice, I tell 2 people, you treat me bad, I tell 12. She is definitely hurt and maybe she did find peace after writing the book. She turned it over to the publisher to be the judge, (i.e. if the story should be sold to the masses.)

My opinions about her and the subject matter changed many times as I read the book...the final one was just sadness... but happy that she and everyone else survived. (Many other rock 'n' roll artisits didn't.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ledge is really slow and acting strangely...maybe a server problem?

[Betsy]

p. 32 "... Lindsey had a power and a purity that shone in its brigthness. And I knew that I would do everything within my power to protect him. Suddently words rang out in my mind with the clarity of a church bell: I'll never do anything that will come between Lindsey and his music...

...No matter what it might cost me personally."
I think that pretty much sums up the book. She put him first.

The book took a turn for me when Carol Ann gets sick in Paris. From that point on, I felt more sympathetic towards her.

To read about anyone's abuse, be it physical or psychological, is sad and disturbing. I don't want to quote those passages... but here is a passage that explained the pain that went on in this relationship...and I found it haunting.

p. 85 "This time I was joining my life with that of the man I loved and embarking on a future that held almost everything that a young woman could want: love excitement, travel, fame, money, and rock 'n' roll. That this future would also hold a darkness that would scar my life forever was beyond my comprehension."

There is the old 2-12 rule in life...you treat me nice, I tell 2 people, you treat me bad, I tell 12. She is definitely hurt and maybe she did find peace after writing the book. She turned it over to the publisher to be the judge, (i.e. if the story should be sold to the masses.)

My opinions about her and the subject matter changed many times as I read the book...the final one was just sadness... but happy that she and everyone else survived. (Many other rock 'n' roll artisits didn't.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ledge is really slow and acting strangely...maybe a server problem?

[Michelle Daya]

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky

First of all, I have not read this book nor do I have any intention of reading it.

However, I do have some opinions on the matter and have never been one to hold my tongue when I have something to say.

First of all, I feel that neither Lindsey nor Carol Ann are victims in this situation. While I have nothing but the utmost respect for Buckingham as a musician (and, as a fan, it's hard for me to accept that my idols can do wrong), it's difficult to believe that he was not abusive. Carol Ann Harris is not a lone voice in her accusations. On the other hand, I find it difficult to have any sympathy for someone who allows him or herself to be abused. I believe you are only truly a victim of domestic violence the first time it happens. After that, if you choose to stay with your abuser, you should share in the blame for what becomes of you. I know that people make the argument that victims of abuse essentially become psychological prisoners to their abusers, but abusive relationships rarely, if ever, begin that way. Things start out great, then slowly start to turn bad, then gradually get worse and continue in that downward spiral and anyone who is too weak to see the light and pull themselves out will get sucked in. But it's up to the individual to find the strength and get out before the current is too strong.

But enough of metaphors, I'm beginning to ramble. As much as I believe in the right of everyone to share their story, the case of Carol Ann Harris to me goes beyond that of a battered woman seeking to tell the world what happened, instead it smacks of someone trying to capitalize on an unfortunate situation. Let us not forget that this is not the first time that she has tried to air the dirty laundry. Many years ago, she also appeared on the television talk show Geraldo - an episode that focused on battered women. Again, don't get me wrong, the woman has every right to give her account of what happened, but it's obvious to me that she didn't go on television just to say that she had been battered. She went on television in hopes of making some sort of name for herself - even going as far as using the opportunity to sing a song before the nation-wide audience that the show provided. And if the rumors are true that she's been trying to publish this book for ten years now, that would put her original attempt right at about the release of The Dance, when any association with the band would be at its most profitable.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, that what she has done - especially now given what he's done with his life in the years since their relationship - is totally without class. On the other hand, if her accusations are indeed true, than he deserves any backlash that may (however doubtful it may be) come of it. My only sympathies are for Kristen and the children.

you made some good points & i admit that i'm puzzled by the timing of the book. if she were trying to capitalize on lb's success, well he's been successful (mostly with fm) for the last 30 years so anytime in there would have been good. but we don't know where she's been emotionally for the last 30 years (25 or so since they split.) maybe she was in therapy? maybe she couldn't deal with past issues until now? maybe this is a part of healing? hell maybe her therapist said "write a book, get it out & move on." i love lb too but don't doubt he was abusive. there have been stevie incidents & one account with another gf. that's three women. kind of hard to dismiss it's hard to think at one time maybe he wasn't a very nice man but i'm just a fan & i appreciate his music. i've never lived with him or loved him & so i can't determine or even judge cah for telling her story. if it's true, she does have a right to say it. miranda was a great example of something that should never have gotten out there. it dealt with childhood sexual abuse & anne heche has gone on record to say she was abused as a child. someone could say he capitalized on her tragedy to make a buck. & come, he himself said was about her so to the poster who said she'd believe stevie, lb, etc., well there you go except when it's not convenient right? then they're bold-faced liars?

i was appalled at the posters putting down cah for giving up her child. she did the most responsible & unselfish thing a woman can do. obviously, she's had trouble if she didn't feel she could raise the child. a big red flag right there that some issues may have been haunting her all this time. but to have the child & all that goes along with it & then give the child to someone who can better take care of it is admirable. it takes class. she didn't take the easy way out because i can only imagine how hard that would be.

so i believe what she says about the abuse. there may be some things she's gotten wrong or doesn't remember right because she (along with the band) was messed up on drugs at the time. maybe it took all this time to recollect everything that did go on, get it down on paper & make some sense of it

[Michelle Daya]

Originally Posted by Betsy

p. 32 "... Lindsey had a power and a purity that shone in its brigthness. And I knew that I would do everything within my power to protect him. Suddently words rang out in my mind with the clarity of a church bell: I'll never do anything that will come between Lindsey and his music...

...No matter what it might cost me personally."
I think that pretty much sums up the book. She put him first.

The book took a turn for me when Carol Ann gets sick in Paris. From that point on, I felt more sympathetic towards her.

To read about anyone's abuse, be it physical or psychological, is sad and disturbing. I don't want to quote those passages... but here is a passage that explained the pain that went on in this relationship...and I found it haunting.

[I]p. 85 "This time I was joining my life with that of the man I loved and embarking on a future that held almost everything that a young woman could want: love excitement, travel, fame, money, and rock 'n' roll. That this future would also hold a darkness that would scar my life forever was beyond my comprehension."[/I]

There is the old 2-12 rule in life...you treat me nice, I tell 2 people, you treat me bad, I tell 12. She is definitely hurt and maybe she did find peace after writing the book. She turned it over to the publisher to be the judge, (i.e. if the story should be sold to the masses.)

My opinions about her and the subject matter changed many times as I read the book...the final one was just sadness... but happy that she and everyone else survived. (Many other rock 'n' roll artisits didn't.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ledge is really slow and acting strangely...maybe a server problem?

& there's proof positive that she's been messed up since.

good post btw

[Miss Vicky]

Originally Posted by Michelle Daya

you made some good points & i admit that i'm puzzled by the timing of the book. if she were trying to capitalize on lb's success, well he's been successful (mostly with fm) for the last 30 years so anytime in there would have been good.

I think perhaps you misunderstand me. I'm only confused by the timing of the book if the rumors of her trying to publish it for the last ten years are not true. Think about it, aside from Rumours (during which time Carol Ann was with Lindsey), the time immediately following The Dance - to me at least - seems the most profitable. Fleetwood Mac mania grew to something of a fervor (though probably very pale in comparison to what happened after Rumours). Items on Ebay were selling at astronomical prices and anybody who had any association (and even many who didn't) seemed to be cashing in, only her attempt was blocked by lawyers.

If that's not true and she's only just now trying to publish, I'm at a loss as to why she waited.

As for her giving up her child for adoption, I think it's pretty callous of people to call her "immoral." It seems to me to be a pretty noble thing for someone who considers herself to be unfit or unable to provide a good upbringing for her child to give that child up so that it can be raised by someone who can raise it properly.

[Michelle Daya]

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky

I think perhaps you misunderstand me. I'm only confused by the timing of the book if the rumors of her trying to publish it for the last ten years are not true. Think about it, aside from Rumours (during which time Carol Ann was with Lindsey), the time immediately following The Dance - to me at least - seems the most profitable. Fleetwood Mac mania grew to something of a fervor (though probably very pale in comparison to what happened after Rumours). Items on Ebay were selling at astronomical prices and anybody who had any association (and even many who didn't) seemed to be cashing in, only her attempt was blocked by lawyers.

If that's not true and she's only just now trying to publish, I'm at a loss as to why she waited.

As for her giving up her child for adoption, I think it's pretty callous of people to call her "immoral." It seems to me to be a pretty noble thing for someone who considers herself to be unfit or unable to provide a good upbringing for her child to give that child up so that it can be raised by someone who can raise it properly.

yes i think i did misunderstand but either way, you made some really good points & obviously, i totally agree with your last paragraph. based on that alone, i'd say she doesn't lean toward selfishness.

[SpyNote]

I just finished Carol Ann's book, and I have to say that I enjoyed it. It was satisfying to get an insider's take on Fleetwood Mac "family" and exclusive, protective, and scary bubble they created for themselves. It was disturbing to read about the physical and emotion abuse Carol Ann endured over the seven years she and Linds were together. But I'm glad she told her story. It'd be nice to get Linds' side of the story, too, though I doubt he'll be writing his memoirs anytime soon... I guess we just have to keep analyzing his songs for those answers.

I enjoyed learning about personalities of each Mac family members most... John Courage, Curry Grant, Dennis Wilson, etc. And the conversations/confrontations she had with Stevie are priceless. It's cool that she's still good friends with Sara Fleetwood and Modern Records co-founder Danny Goldberg, both of whom lend strong creditability to her story. Everything I've read/heard about Sara Fleetwood has been glowing. She sounds like an incredible person.

[WelshWitchPMD]

I just finished reading this book yesterday. I really think at times that Carol Ann paints herself as the saving grace of Lindsey and the band. I was very upset about the part where she gave up her daughter. That is a choice that must be very difficult and I could sympathize with her there. I kind of spend the rest of the book hoping that she does eventually get to find her daughter.
OK as someone did point out I also found it strange that CA had already been to both Europe and Japan at such a young age with her boyfriend at the time. She also said that she was with the band in Japan on the Rumours tour (which we know because she is all over that video) but when she mentions she was in Japan for the Tusk tour she makes it sound like she was never there with the Mac before.
I found it kind of odd that she mentions that she left Tulsa with her best friend, hooks up with her cousin but no mention is ever made about the best friend again. What ever happened to her?
I also find it very odd that she claims that she was very self conscious yet she wanted to be a model. Something doesn’t add up here. Another oddity is after she hooks up with LB she decides that a career as recording engineer would be fruitless because as a female she would never be taken seriously. Funny how it never seemed to dawn on her before she got involved with a millionaire rock god?
She also is good at giving herself kudos at times. Like the fact that Rod Stewart was interested in her and that she caused a sensation on stage while standing in front of a fan. I am not saying that they never happened but CA certainly wanted the readers to know. She came across as gloating at times.
As for Lindsey I have no doubt that he can be a bastard at times. He has a dark side and I doubt that has changed. I can only hope that he holds his temper back when he is around his children. He comes across as very needy in relationships. IMHO. CA and him seemed attached at the hip back then which is odd because now he seems to like to be alone a lot.
I feel that CA totally downplayed his relationship with Stevie. CA seemed to think that she was LB’s one and only love. I can only wonder what kind of weed CA was smoking? I doubt that CA was that dumb. She seems dumb like a fox and I am sure that she left the SN/LB romance out on purpose. She never even did disclose that Mick did tell Lindsey about his affair with Stevie. CA seemed to conveniently forget some details.

I have to say that I did enjoy reading this book. It came at the right time too, after Lindsey’s tour was over.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by Tango

I think you also make a fair point. Alls I can do is speculate, unless you want to take her at her word on the introduction, as I mentioned earlier, on page XV. Here's one guess. Maybe for her it's theraputic. Sure, to many fans Lindsey's songs, interviews, money made that visit their relationship were cloaked. But it wasn't to Carol Ann Harris, probably not to her family, her friends, those in the band, those associates that she's had. Maybe she felt humiliated. And as she said, she wants to set the record straight. Again, you can go back into the circular argument of "why now." If she intended to put this book out, should she have done it when Fleetwood Mac was at it's most famous state? The end of Tango, during Mirage? Should she wait until the children are grown? IF one can believe the book was part of her own therapy, a part of her own healing, it probably doens't matter when she puts it out. It's out. She doesn't have to be loyal to her abuser. That's part of the healing, I think.

I don't even think you have to make an arguement for "why now".. She has the "rights" to her own lifeand she should be able to tell the story any time she wants... Should she feel guilty about it? NO!!!! It's her life... if you don't want to read it... don't buy it...

[SpyNote]

My only disappointment is that the book ended abruptly with the breakup. It would have been nice to have a few pages devoted to closure on the whole Mac experience...things she learned about herself (e.g. her astonishing personal resilience and staunch loyalty to Linds), people she grew to love and still associates with today (e.g. where she stands w/ Stevie now since she talked so much about admiring her and wanting to be her friend), her reflections on each of the five Mac members (she had soooo many personal conversations with them). Granted, the story was mainly about her and Linds, but it would made for a more well-rounded story had she truly come full circle, maybe she's not there yet. After all, even with her pitfalls w/ Linds, she did experience the ride of a lifetime.

[catinthedark]

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky

If that's not true and she's only just now trying to publish, I'm at a loss as to why she waited.

i do believe that she tried previously - and that stevie and lindsey's lawyers interfered. and so the book was revised and rewritten. which is also why i believe that she has now related the facts of what happened in a pretty accurate way. you can be pretty damned sure that if stevie and/or lindsey could prove otherwise, it wouldn't be published. it is clear that there is adequate bitterness between them all that if she was slandering them, they wouldn't hesitate to take her to court. i haven't heard a peep from either of them...

[Kelly]

Originally Posted by catinthedark

i do believe that she tried previously - and that stevie and lindsey's lawyers interfered. and so the book was revised and rewritten. which is also why i believe that she has now related the facts of what happened in a pretty accurate way. you can be pretty damned sure that if stevie and/or lindsey could prove otherwise, it wouldn't be published. it is clear that there is adequate bitterness between them all that if she was slandering them, they wouldn't hesitate to take her to court. i haven't heard a peep from either of them...

Agreed and she was also most likely bound by some confidentiality agreement for a number of years. Cheri nor Lindsey cannot speak about their relationship/breakup etc because of the terms of their settlement. Most celebs have their hired help, associates, lovers, spouses..etc..sign non disclosure agreements. She did go on Geraldo and speak about the one incident, but not many of the FM entourage and peeps have gone public with alot of juicy, behind the scenes stories. I seriously doubt all those various people, roadies, assistants etc were just loyal.

Personally I think CAH would have written her "book" years earlier if it was possible. On Geraldo she strictly talked about one incident and her lawyers probably felt it was not a violation of her Non Disc. agreement. Or she just decided to say screw it and take the chance LB wouldn't sue her.

[mgikallaroundme]

Originally Posted by Kelly

Personally I think CAH would have written her "book" years earlier if it was possible. On Geraldo she strictly talked about one incident and her lawyers probably felt it was not a violation of her Non Disc. agreement. Or she just decided to say screw it and take the chance LB wouldn't sue her.

I think she is worry free about anyone suing her least of all him. Carol Ann Harris has a right to tell her story. Fans calling it an autobiography is a bit much. Believing her tale gives any insight into Mr. Buckingham or other members of Fleetwood Mac...priceless! Would the same people who believe her story also read and believe the autobiography of the Blues Brothers? Spinal Tap? The Archies?

If Bart Simpson wrote his autobiography and said James L. Brooks was a druggie who abused him would everyone believe that? Charles Barkley said he was misquoted in his own autobiography. That gave everyone a good laugh. Carol Ann Harris clearly plagiarized her "autobiography." Nobody notices, few mind, even less wonder wtf?

Mick says: (My Life & Adventures in Fleetwood Mac, 1990, page 229)
"Then, while she was hunched over, upstage of Lindsey, during her "Rhiannon" performance,
he stopped playing and pulled his jacket over his head in a grotesque imitation of her pose.

Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac, 2007, page 285
"He followed her around in grotesque imitation, intentionally playing the wrong parts on his solo guitar song after song.

I absolutely believe Mick and Carol Ann both use that phrase on a regular basis. I know I do.

[BTFLCHLD]

There are two, three, four sides to every story. I just went about reading this book keeping in mind that this is her perception of her experience. All I know is I would give mint to have Lindsey wrap my blond hair in his fist.

[carol7lynn]

Immoral people are essentially dishonest and play by rules not sanctioned by society and without regards for how their behavior(s) may negatively impact others. In that respect, CAH is immoral. Immoral people seldom tell the truth, let alone live it. They are masters at making a lie seem real. The vast majority of them habitually try to escape accountability, by playing the hapless, and yes, perennial victim of others (in particular) or circumstances (in general.)

Secondly, her personal, accountings/observations about the members of FWM, are thereby, flawed and just like her character, unreliable and untrustworthy. What other members of the band said about her or each other, is not a sound argument to justify the support of her spiteful, and often inaccurate, literary betrayal of the confidences of others. Nor does the argument that a book publisher would not have supported her efforts by publishing her work, if what she said, was not sanctionable. Case in point, one such publishing house paid O.J. Simpson big bucks to co-write a book entitled "What If I Did It?" Indeed!

Lastly, CAH was never a member of the band and her motivations for telling tales now, after fences have been mended within the band only reflects her unrelenting bitterness over not being "An Insider."

If your life is a mess, then it is because of the unwise choices that you have made. If you continue to have negative things happen to you without changing what you are doing, then you have only yourself to blame. CAH seldom blames herself, but always blames others/circumstances for the negative things that happen to her.

By and large, things just don't happen to us but we make them happen. Just mull-over these five points for example. She could have chosen to act responsibly but she repeatedly chose not to. Our behaviors reveal our true character and, quite frankly, I find her behaviors deplorable and, as such, reflective of a person of immoral character.

I am not being sanctimonious, as one poster inaccurately pointed out, instead I am questioning her motives for (mis)leading the public into believing what she has to say is actually a true and accurate accounting of the "Storms" within the band or even between her and Lindsey. To do that I have examined what she has done and is doing with her own life. People who point fingers at others, while making themselves look beyond reproach, are liars and fakes.

CAH is an asocial, if not anti-social, user who is still, trying to distract from the fact, that she was her own worst enemy in the "Storms" that brewed around the Mac family; not Stevie and not Lindsey. We teach people how to treat us, one famous TV psychologist preaches daily to his audience, and he is right. If people are mistreating you then you either put your foot down and stop it or you leave. And, what CAD does is, she immorally sacrifices her first born child and eventually her own personal safety, to attain the rock star lifestyle that she couldn't obviously earn on her own merits/talents but calculatingly and vicariously tries to gain through her associations with stars.

How telling that, twenty years later she is dishing it for the dollar rather than earning her keep through her musical talents and abilities; whether as a sound engineer or an artist. As I stated in an earlier post, it is also quite telling that she makes sure everyone knows, on her dedication page, that her current husband is a musician. Who cares? She does because even today, she can still only identify herself, in the entertainment business, by her latest man.

Point 1: She was deceitful and unfaithful when she willingly cheated, on her live-in boyfriend and father of her unwanted child, with LB.

Point 2: Rather than take responsibility for her own body and the welfare of any children that she might have, she fails to either marry her sexual partner or practice adequate birth control and proceeds to get pregnant out of wedlock. She was, therefore, acting irresponsibly, without principles and without discipline.
In short, she knowingly and willingly engaged in asocial behaviors, without any consideration for the welfare of any children that she might bring into this world when she had sex with a man with whom she had no legal ties. She was not a naive 15 year old living in her family's home back in Oklahoma. She was a grown woman living and working in Hollywood.

Point 3: Instead of acting responsibly and getting a better paying job and/or taking advantage of the social welfare programs available in the liberal state of California to help her keep her child, she shifts her responsibilities onto someone else. She dumps the child to continue her pursuit of a star which for her is her true career.

Point 4: She leaves one boyfriend's bed to move in with another (LB) and continues the self-destructive pattern of living without legally marrying her (sexual) partner and, once again, becomes pregnant out-of-wedlock.

That fact is laws are, codified morals, enacted by society for a reason and that is to deter us from engaging in behaviors that are injurious/unjust to ourselves and others. Bringing children into a situation where there is no established legal union/arrangement in place to support our child or ourselves, is again irresponsible and unfair to any children, such an illicit union, might produce.

Point 5: Bootlegging concert albums is illegal and a felony. Like most criminals, she makes no apologies for what she has done. Wonder what she would think if someone bootlegged her book and cut her out of her share of the profits?

I remain firm in my observation that her book sheds no light on the "Storms" within the MAC as she touts. It's a vain attempt to recapture the fame and fortune she set out to garner when she set out for Hollywood thirty some odd years ago. Her story is no different than Anna Nicole Smith's and you saw how that one ended.

CarolC