Thoughts on Christine's return

[Ulpian]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I can't imagine that that caused her any "trouble" that effected her life or thought patterns at all, though I'm sure it was a bother. I imagine that she started to realize that retiring is one thing, but leaving society is another and maybe she realized, or friends and family let her know, that things had gotten to an unhealthy point. Maybe there was some agoraphobia seeping in.

I give Steven Tyler no credit. He just did what Mick told him too and Mick got her softened up. I give Mick all the credit.

Michele

I think agoraphobia was maybe on the cards. There was a story in the early 2000s saying she no longer answered the phone unless she knew someone was scheduled to call, and that later in around 2010 she wouldn't let the water company guys through her gates as she didn't want to see anyone. I think it went too far and someone staged an intervention maybe.

May I say, and we haven't covered this, that her second marriage really seems to have set this behaviour off. Ken touched on it in a radio interview after Sept last year. The breakup with Quintela really seems to have been bad. I don't know what happened exactly, and it isn't my business, but it think it sapped her of a lot of confidence, and that - combined with exhaustion and boredom - probably made her quit and retreat in 1998.

[chiliD]

I'd gander to say that the deaths of the "three Bobs" (& especially Welch) had quite a bit to do with Christine's desire to return. Before, when every member of the band was still alive & kicking, I think she had a sense of immortality ("oh, I'll play again with them, just not right now") Once people she was close with started dropping, it probably was like a pitcher of ice water in the face & her mortality was brought to the fore.

That similar thing is what got Cream together for the 2005 tour. Jack Bruce nearly died after his liver transplant...Clapton had been complacent about a reunion, but when it was made all too real that one member may not be around for long, Clapton made it priority that Cream have their "closure" moment, reunion, retribution & goodbye.

That's probably what Christine was shocked into with the passing of 2 of her former bandmates & another who was always on the periphery.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by Ulpian

I think agoraphobia was maybe on the cards. There was a story in the early 2000s saying she no longer answered the phone unless she knew someone was scheduled to call, and that later in around 2010 she wouldn't let the water company guys through her gates as she didn't want to see anyone. I think it went too far and someone staged an intervention maybe.

May I say, and we haven't covered this, that her second marriage really seems to have set this behaviour off. Ken touched on it in a radio interview after Sept last year. The breakup with Quintela really seems to have been bad. I don't know what happened exactly, and it isn't my business, but it think it sapped her of a lot of confidence, and that - combined with exhaustion and boredom - probably made her quit and retreat in 1998.

Definitely. Ken did mention that the breakup was bad and she seems to have gone reeling from that into self-imposed exile, becoming a recluse with two dogs.

That she made ITM shows she never stopped loving music, but just needed to write and play it on her own terms for a while. Her brother's liner notes to ITM do suggest a personal struggle that was difficult to overcome.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I think Christine has been wanting to come back but didn't know how to do it. I just want to know when that was. Because the pictures of Christine walking her dogs in 2010 and the pictures of her in Amsterdam in 2013 show two very different women.

They certainly do, don't they! In the 2010 photo, she looks resigned to a life of aging quietly--indeed of already having aged beyond the pale. Then, to see her vibrant and mugging for the camera in Amsterdam....well, it's a different woman. Unless you knew her, you probably wouldn't guess the woman in the two pictures was the same person.