The real story behind Fleetwood Mac’s “Tango in the Night”

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

He was at his show in Vegas in 2007 (I was there) and Lindsey mentioned him from the stage and Richard stood up and waved to the crowd. He was seated actually a bit further back than I was, in the center section. There was someone else with him whom Lindsey also mentioned, but now I have no recollection of who it was. Ken? Steve Ross? not sure.

Steve. He said something like Richard was his partner in crime.

Michele

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by dreamsunwind

It was on YouTube, I'll try to find. It was during one of those Q&A things with an audience she did for her IYD doc. Someone asked about the book and she said how he called her numerous times to speak for the book and she was like "how dare he tell our story" and someone asked if she read it and she said she had people read her excerpts of it and she was like "and it didn't make me like the book, or him".

**https://youtu.be/dFxcoIVFAxI here it is

Funny how she doesn't seem to understand that it's his story, too.

[dreamsunwind]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Funny how she doesn't seem to understand that it's his story, too.

Well the 'his story' stuff would've then just been the stuff about his dog and the girls he dated and the working stuff in production. But once you start talking a lot about other people and their lives and personalities then it's not just your story anymore. Because you're giving a lot of perspective into them and they don't have the opportunity to speak for themselves (albeit in this case, he asked them to contribute). That's how it always is with any tell all that involves a kind of 'nobody' author involved with a lot of 'somebodies' (to the general public), it rarely ends up being mainly your story.

CAH's book is a fantastic example of this. You hardly learn anything of depth about her. Let's be real, her book is not some memoir about her life-- it's a book about Fleetwood Mac and Lindsey in their heyday, giving juicy anecdotes and gossipy things and stories that the fans will want to read about their favorite band. Yes, she put up with a lot of crap but there's even some reason to believe (from things other people have said) that she twisted the truth around a little bit about certain things to make herself look more favorable so that it could spinned as a 'survivor's story' towards the end.

I can imagine Stevie probably didn't read Ken's book in entirety or even close to it and she just grouped it as another trashy tell all/people selling other people out/gossipy gossip type of thing. So I get where she's coming from.

[jbrownsjr]

I have to disagree with her. They made him a producer and he was a main player in this book. It was indeed HIS story. He was in the recording studio, on the trips with them, he put HIS neck right into Lindsey's hands to get choked.

He didn't glorify the drugs and this was no secret.

She can''t stop him from telling his experience. She doesn't have to participate if she doesn't want to. And she didn't.

[dreamsunwind]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I have to disagree with her. They made him a producer and he was a main player in this book. It was indeed HIS story. He was in the recording studio, on the trips with them, he put HIS neck right into Lindsey's hands to get choked.

He didn't glorify the drugs and this was no secret.

She can''t stop him from telling his experience. She doesn't have to participate if she doesn't want to. And she didn't.

See, I get where you're coming from, but I don't think it's entirely that way. To make it just about his story, would've been him telling about his life and his working aspect with the band. Because as far as I can tell, he was never particularly buddy buddy with them outside of work, they weren't going to movies on the weekends or having family get togethers-- their relationship was mostly professional. But once you start to talk a whole lot about these other people and their lives, then no, it's not JUST your story, you're starting to tell their stories too, or at least your interpretation of their story. And it's not like I think this is unusual, like I said it's how a lot of tell alls like that are. But I can see where Stevie is coming from as well, especially if she's someone in the public eye, it must be annoying to have to be wary of other people looking to (let's be honest here) make a buck off talking about you. That's why I do kind of get why she was also mad at Heart (although they're prominent people), even though I don't think it was a big deal what they wrote.

That's something I think is interesting. I read Pattie Boyd's memoir just last week and I noticed a lot of the reviews called it boring. She's someone who's sort of in the middle, she's not a nobody, she is someone somewhat relevant but she's relevant mostly because of the situations she was in and the people she was married to. But her book was very much about her. There was no new information on The Beatles at all, hardly even on George. She talked about her view on the rise to fame and the trip to India and her marriage to George, but nothing that hasn't already been well documented or particularly juicy. And Eric Clapton revealed a whole hell of a lot more dirty details in his own memoir about their marriage. It was all very respectful to other people involved, as it was very much about her, how she dealt with her upbringing, modeling, her struggles in marriages, the emotional trauma of failed marriages, finding herself again, etc. And so everyone seemed to find it boring.


**Also, I'm not saying he shouldn't have mentioned Lindsey choking him, since obviously that happened to him. I'm talking in general terms.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by dreamsunwind

Well the 'his story' stuff would've then just been the stuff about his dog and the girls he dated and the working stuff in production. But once you start talking a lot about other people and their lives and personalities then it's not just your story anymore.

Except he was writing about the making of an album that he had a direct hand in making that's entire foundation was the band's personal inner dramas. It would have been more dysfunctional and completely ridiculous to write a book about the making of that album without addressing the elephant in the room.

That's how it always is with any tell all that involves a kind of 'nobody' author involved with a lot of 'somebodies' (to the general public), it rarely ends up being mainly your story.

That "nobody" co-produced a Grammy-winning album, one of the biggest albums ever. He and Richard were so intimately involved in the production of their albums that Mick said they were like the sixth and seventh members of the band. And he probably has one of the more interesting points of view, since, unlike the members of band, he can provide a neutral opinion of what was going on at the time, while still being a credible source on the band's inner workings.

It couldn't have been too bad, since it brought back Christine's passion for making music.

CAH's book is a fantastic example of this.

CAH wasn't involved in the band's creative process, Ken was.

[dreamsunwind]

^ I'm not disagreeing with any of that and I never did. I'm just saying I get where Stevie is coming from. I was just talking about books like that in general. Forgive me for getting a bit sidetracked but I often do.

[elle]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

It couldn't have been too bad, since it brought back Christine's passion for making music.

i know he said that, but Christine's story sounds a bit different. listening to her story, it doesn't seem Christine really lost interest in making music, but she did have to regain passion for performing, being among crowds, and creating with her band - and having fear of certain things like flying contributed to all that being pushed way on the back burner.

[dreamsunwind]

Originally Posted by elle

i know he said that, but Christine's story sounds a bit different. listening to her story, it doesn't seem Christine really lost interest in making music, but she did have to regain passion for performing, being among crowds, and creating with her band - and having fear of certain things like flying contributed to all that being pushed way on the back burner.

He also said Richard is miserable and sold all of his FM-related prized possessions and that wasn't true and also kind of offensive to call other people miserable based on your perception of their life, even though Richard seems quite happy to me based on his tweets where he enjoys communicating with fans and sharing photos, is married and has a daughter and a loving assistant (that assistant kinda hates Ken). He said he thinks Mick liked his book even though according to Richard himself, a member of the band told him "Ken didn't do himself any favors writing that book" and I believe he was referring to Mick and Stevie all but said she hated it and him.

I'm not even a Ken hater, but these are facts.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by elle

i know he said that, but Christine's story sounds a bit different. listening to her story, it doesn't seem Christine really lost interest in making music, but she did have to regain passion for performing, being among crowds, and creating with her band - and having fear of certain things like flying contributed to all that being pushed way on the back burner.

Yeah, but he got Christine going to Hawaii and that she would be performing with Mick's band right, all while it was happening. Ken said that Lindsey told the others not to let Ken interview them. Christine probably towed the line after she rejoined.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by dreamsunwind

^ I'm not disagreeing with any of that and I never did. I'm just saying I get where Stevie is coming from. I was just talking about books like that in general. Forgive me for getting a bit sidetracked but I often do.

I understand your/Stevie's point, especially as it relates to CAH and especially someone like Bob Brunning, who was barely in the band and probably never met any of the members who joined after 1975. However, Ken could legitimately write about the making of Rumours.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by elle

i know he said that, but Christine's story sounds a bit different. listening to her story, it doesn't seem Christine really lost interest in making music, but she did have to regain passion for performing, being among crowds, and creating with her band - and having fear of certain things like flying contributed to all that being pushed way on the back burner.

It's funny how Christine takes the high road on this. So many excerpts have been said and written about this band. And further, the band themselves have said a lot of similar things about the drug use etc.

Making of Rumours, they talk about the big bag of baking soda and Richard spilling it. I mean, really??

[sorcerer999]

In my opinion, even if all five band members of the Rumours era lineup collaborated on a book chronicling the making of "Rumours" (in our dreams, right?), it STILL wouldn't be a thoroughly truthful memoir.

Seven people worked on that album - Mick, John, Chris, Lindsey, Stevie, Ken and Richard. You really need all seven perspectives in order to understand what everyone was going through and how they all reacted and coped with everything in order the bring about the "full truth" of the album's creation.

But that will never happen.

[dreamsunwind]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

In my opinion, even if all five band members of the Rumours era lineup collaborated on a book chronicling the making of "Rumours" (in our dreams, right?), it STILL wouldn't be a thoroughly truthful memoir.

Seven people worked on that album - Mick, John, Chris, Lindsey, Stevie, Ken and Richard. You really need all seven perspectives in order to understand what everyone was going through and how they all reacted and coped with everything in order the bring about the "full truth" of the album's creation.

But that will never happen.

That would be nice but what I really want is a coffee table book. Like an official one, similar to what The Rolling Stones put out with Taschen. They probably have so many great photos in the archives and anecdotes and quotes to offer.