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  #46  
Old 03-16-2013, 06:39 PM
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rhiannondontgo rhiannondontgo is offline
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It amazes me that anyone could ever say that Stevie Nicks is not a trailblazer for women. Stevie is absolutely a feminist icon. This is a woman who chose a career over a family or a husband. A woman who admits to having had abortions. A woman who is straight up about how many men have screwed her over, and admits to every last discrepancy and affair and addiction, and openly says she doesn't mind giving up romance or marriage or companionship for her job. How many people can say that unabashedly? And in addition to that, she didn't play the "girl singer role" women so often took on in those days. She partied as hard as the men did. She did just as many drugs. She had just as much sex. She was never a housewife type of woman and she never claimed to be. I'm not saying all of her choices were right, but she definitely paved the way for a lot of other female musicians to come into their own. She's a beautiful, sexy woman who dresses up in lace and velvet and chiffon and platforms, but is taken seriously by every man in the business. She earned that. She never sacrificed her femininity and confidence to be treated like a serious musician. She proved herself to be treated that way. C'mon guys, we all know the rest of the band is incredibly talented, some of which perhaps even moreso than Stevie. But Stevie Nicks is what made FM mainstream. Rhiannon was their very first hit, Dreams was their only #1 song, she's the only one of them to have a very successful solo career and be so totally well-known. And that's amazing for the woman who started off not even wanted in the band, and then was being considered as the 'little sister' of the band. For so long she was thought of as second class due to her sex, and probably due to her beauty and femininity and glamour. As mentioned, people like Janis were taken more seriously because in addition to the talent she undoubtedly had, she wasn't much one for glitz and rhinestones and girliness. And that made her 'one of the guys', and she was taken seriously. Stevie wasn't always. Reminds me of this interview:

High Times: What about [a relationship with] someone like Don Henley, who knows [what your lifestyle is like]? He's in the same position.

SN: When I was going out with Don, it was five years ago and I was much less busy. Fleetwood Mac was much less popular, we were just beginning. When I was with Lindsey, we lived together and were famous. It was the opposite extreme. I'll never forget the day I was up at Don's house having dinner with him and his manager, Irving Azoff, who is now my manager five years later, and Glenn Frey of the Eagles walked in and looked at me and said, "Spoiled yet," like no mention of Fleetwood Mac. I was not even in the league of a singer. I was nothing more than a girl. My claws went out and I wanted to get out of there.

High Times: I don't know him well, but that sounds typical of Glenn Frey.

SN: He's witchy! And I love Glenn and that was a long time ago. That was my first taste of what it was like to be a happening girl rock 'n roll singer and have people not relate to me like I even had a job. I went out with John David Souther for a while, who is cute and wonderful but very Texas and I found when I was with him, I didn't mention Fleetwood Mac ever. It didn't help my status with the man to bring up anything I did, so I didn't. And then you start saying, "But I work too. I'm happening. I write songs, but you aren't giving me a break."



I'm not saying Stevie was the only one who paved the way, she obviously was not. Janis and Grace Slick started it before her. Linda and Ann and Nancy were doing it at the same time that she was. People like Madonna and Cyndi Lauper continued after her. Some women don't even get much recognition for their trailblazing actions. Did you all know Cher was the first woman to show her belly button on tv, and was criticized for it by the public? Did you know the press and country fans everywhere slandered Dolly Parton in the late 70s for talking about her sexual experiences in her teenage years during an interview? Or that in 1968, long before country was ever female-friendly, she released a single called Just Because I'm a Woman, about how hypocritical it is for men to judge women on past sexual discrepancies, or whether they drink or smoke or whatever, when they all are guilty of the same? Or that Debbie Harry, who started her career as a playboy bunny (!) and was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, actually preached equality and anti-racism all throughout her career, is credited with making rap mainstream, actually named her band after the cat-calls from men in cars who would yell "hey blondie!" out at her and whistle; in an attempt to re-claim the rude nickname, and that she openly admits to her plastic surgery, sexual experiences with women, and past drug addictions?
There have been hundreds of female public figures who have together paved the way for girls of today, and it's preposterous to stay Stevie isn't one of them. Maybe some have accomplished more than others, or should be considered bigger trailblazers. But no matter where you rank her, she is on that list.
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  #47  
Old 03-16-2013, 08:50 PM
Aussie W/Heart Aussie W/Heart is offline
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  #48  
Old 03-16-2013, 09:34 PM
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Still a goddess: Stevie Nicks delivers elegant, empowering words at SXSW

Austin Culture Map
http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdet...words-at-sxsw/

03.16.13 | 03:40 pm
At 64 years old, Stevie Nicks is a steadfast embodiment of the rock goddess persona that developed almost overnight in 1975, a living example that female empowerment still has a leg to stand on.

Preparing for a spring tour with Fleetwood Mac and releasing documentary In Your Dreams (which chronicles the creation of her 2011 album of the same title), Nicks sat down for an intimate interview with NPR’s Ann Powers as part of the SXSW Music programming.

What began as the linear talk of an unparalleled career manifested into a magical hour where stardom wasn’t the theme. She spoke candidly about her rise to fame, but it was Nicks’ balance of elegance and empowerment that took center stage.

After explaining how she and partner Lindsey Buckingham rose to fame with Fleetwood Mac (the two joined in January 1975 and “together were a millionaire” by October), Nicks spoke of the gender equality she fought for early in her career. From the onset, Nicks insisted that she and Christine McVie, her Fleetwood Mac counterpart, be treated as equals, not dismissed due to frail figures or softer voices.

“We have to walk in with a big attitude,” Nicks recalled. “We have to flow in like goddesses.”

This dichotomy of attitude and goddess is a continuous theme in Nicks’ career, the physical manifestation of which can be seen each time she performs. Nicks called her onstage persona an amalgamation of three rock and roll greats: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane).

From Joplin, she adopted the rock and roll attitude. “When she walked on that stage, she was a knockout and she was a hard rock singer and she could hold that audience in her hand.” From Hendrix, it was softness. “He was the opposite of Janis.” He was “super humble” and “super graceful.”

“I got a little bit of slinky from Grace Slick,” she continued. “I try to be as elegant as I can," she said, noting that the "masculine side comes through also.” “You try to find a nice way to blend them all.”

That blend translates to the celebrated solo career that Nicks has balanced since the release of 1981’s Bella Donna. The process of creating solo work has been a necessary “vehicle,” for Nicks, a way to produce the “trunk full of songs” she’s carried around since 1973, without leaving Fleetwood Mac behind.

“I love my band. I would never break up Fleetwood Mac ever,” she said. “I just take the time in between — I just take their vacations [to do solo albums].”

As a solo artist and member of one of the most influential bands of all time, Nicks has written and performed some of rock’s most identifiable songs (“Landslide,” “Rhiannon,” “Edge of Seventeen”). “I live for those moments,” she said of fans identifying with her stories.

“It’s something that I feel it’s my job, it’s my duty to actually share that with all of you guys,” she said. “I want to be a teacher.”

Perhaps Nicks’ most poignant teaching moment at SXSW came at the end of her scheduled appearance when a young audience member asked for the singer’s opinion about the current role of women in society.

“I see women being put really back in their place. And I hate it,” Nicks said. “We’re losing what we fought so hard for.”

“I feel that women aren’t getting much support now,” Nicks continued, questioning what’s causing modern women to “back off."

Her final thought on the matter was delivered in terse, empowering rock goddess form. "All I can say to that question is don’t.”
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  #49  
Old 03-17-2013, 09:16 AM
olive olive is offline
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"Flamboyance and attitude from Janis, " ???????????

This has always annoyed me , Janis was wild on stage and wore Color!! Steve stays in a 2 foot perimeter of her mic stand and has worn the same Black shmatte for year , with not much variation
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  #50  
Old 03-17-2013, 01:12 PM
FierySequences FierySequences is offline
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Originally Posted by rhiannondontgo View Post
It
I'm not saying Stevie was the only one who paved the way, she obviously was not. Janis and Grace Slick started it before her. Linda and Ann and Nancy were doing it at the same time that she was. People like Madonna and Cyndi Lauper continued after her. Some women don't even get much recognition for their trailblazing actions. Did you all know Cher was the first woman to show her belly button on tv, and was criticized for it by the public? Did you know the press and country fans everywhere slandered Dolly Parton in the late 70s for talking about her sexual experiences in her teenage years during an interview? Or that in 1968, long before country was ever female-friendly, she released a single called Just Because I'm a Woman, about how hypocritical it is for men to judge women on past sexual discrepancies, or whether they drink or smoke or whatever, when they all are guilty of the same? Or that Debbie Harry, who started her career as a playboy bunny (!) and was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, actually preached equality and anti-racism all throughout her career, is credited with making rap mainstream, actually named her band after the cat-calls from men in cars who would yell "hey blondie!" out at her and whistle; in an attempt to re-claim the rude nickname, and that she openly admits to her plastic surgery, sexual experiences with women, and past drug addictions?
There have been hundreds of female public figures who have together paved the way for girls of today, and it's preposterous to stay Stevie isn't one of them. Maybe some have accomplished more than others, or should be considered bigger trailblazers. But no matter where you rank her, she is on that list.
I love this post!

Shout out to Blondie, Tina Turner, and Cher!
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  #51  
Old 03-17-2013, 03:31 PM
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Originally Posted by olive View Post
"Flamboyance and attitude from Janis, " ???????????

This has always annoyed me , Janis was wild on stage and wore Color!! Steve stays in a 2 foot perimeter of her mic stand and has worn the same Black shmatte for year , with not much variation
She does now, but she didn't 30-40 years ago...
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  #52  
Old 03-17-2013, 05:17 PM
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I don't agree whatsoever with those who are making this personal and attacking you individually
right? there was so much of it that i'm almost worried that i might be attacked by a chiff army at one of the upcoming Mac shows. if that happens i will count on Ed's righteous and chivalrous nature (that i hope he does have somewhere bellow it all) to come through in my defense.

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Originally Posted by rhiannondontgo View Post
This is a woman who chose a career over a family or a husband. A woman who admits to having had abortions. A woman who is straight up about how many men have screwed her over, and admits to every last discrepancy and affair and addiction, and openly says she doesn't mind giving up romance or marriage or companionship for her job. How many people can say that unabashedly? And in addition to that, she didn't play the "girl singer role" women so often took on in those days. She partied as hard as the men did. She did just as many drugs. She had just as much sex. She was never a housewife type of woman and she never claimed to be. I'm not saying all of her choices were right, but she definitely paved the way for a lot of other female musicians to come into their own. She's a beautiful, sexy woman who dresses up in lace and velvet and chiffon and platforms, but is taken seriously by every man in the business. She earned that. She never sacrificed her femininity and confidence to be treated like a serious musician. She proved herself to be treated that way.

.........

I'm not saying Stevie was the only one who paved the way, she obviously was not. Janis and Grace Slick started it before her. Linda and Ann and Nancy were doing it at the same time that she was. People like Madonna and Cyndi Lauper continued after her. Some women don't even get much recognition for their trailblazing actions. Did you all know Cher was the first woman to show her belly button on tv, and was criticized for it by the public? Did you know the press and country fans everywhere slandered Dolly Parton in the late 70s for talking about her sexual experiences in her teenage years during an interview? Or that in 1968, long before country was ever female-friendly, she released a single called Just Because I'm a Woman, about how hypocritical it is for men to judge women on past sexual discrepancies, or whether they drink or smoke or whatever, when they all are guilty of the same? Or that Debbie Harry, who started her career as a playboy bunny (!) and was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, actually preached equality and anti-racism all throughout her career, is credited with making rap mainstream, actually named her band after the cat-calls from men in cars who would yell "hey blondie!" out at her and whistle; in an attempt to re-claim the rude nickname, and that she openly admits to her plastic surgery, sexual experiences with women, and past drug addictions?
There have been hundreds of female public figures who have together paved the way for girls of today, and it's preposterous to stay Stevie isn't one of them. Maybe some have accomplished more than others, or should be considered bigger trailblazers. But no matter where you rank her, she is on that list.
thank you for taking the time to write this really nice post! i was not going to go into this thread anymore because it became way too petty (see Johnny Stew's quote above), but this post brought me back.

it is so nice to see the recognition of all these other women. among others we are forgetting, i would definitely add Chrissie Hynde who successfully led her own band as someone already pointed out in this thread, and also Suzi Quatro the first female bass player to become a major rock star and had first hit singles in the early 70s.
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  #53  
Old 03-17-2013, 05:20 PM
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I love this post!

Shout out to Blondie, Tina Turner, and Cher!
yes, definitely Tina!
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Old 03-17-2013, 06:53 PM
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what a crock of sh*t.

putting down every other woman especially from the current generation, while putting herself on a pedestal of fighting for women's rights?? pleeeeeease.
I gotta say, your initial comments sure seem like you popped off (early) & jumped to assumption here, perhaps due to your apparent disrespect, and/or weary views on Ms. Nicks. Because after reading this interview, clearly Stevie never said anything that should be construed to assume she herself (only) put herself on THE said pedestal, or put down any other women.

I have not meticulously read through every nuance of everyones responses here, but I don't think that anyone has touched upon what I believe to be Stevie's potetial mindset of the question posed about women rights being stripped away today. There is currently a not so subtle assault (particularly from the Republican right wing factions) on all U.S. womens health reproductive rights, ranging from Planned Parenthood attacks to outright vitriol about overturning "Roe -vs- Wade" and a womens right to choose. I think its entirely possible that Stevie does not entirely live in a rock n' roll bubble, and is very aware of this current women's rights political hot potato being regurgitated 40 years later. Stevie clearly had the right to choose and allegedly did so, and I'm sure this is a passionate subject for her and her generation of women.

Last edited by Christopher; 03-17-2013 at 07:44 PM..
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  #55  
Old 03-17-2013, 07:13 PM
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right? there was so much of it that i'm almost worried that i might be attacked by a chiff army at one of the upcoming Mac shows. if that happens i will count on Ed's righteous and chivalrous nature (that i hope he does have somewhere bellow it all) to come through in my defense.
Oh, I did laugh at Hejira saying that. I don't think anyone thinks you're obsessed with her.

Michele
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Old 03-17-2013, 07:30 PM
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I have not meticulously read through ever nuance of everyones responses here, but I don't think that anyone has touched upon what I believe to be Stevie's potetial mindset of the question posed about women rights being stripped away today. There is currently a not so subtle assault (particularly from the Republican right wing factions) on all U.S. womens health reproductive rights, ranging from Planned Parenthood attacks to outright vitriol about overturning "Roe -vs- Wade" and a women's right to choose.
i agree with this and thought that's what she actually must be talking about after i cooled down a bit.

i haven't looked at any statistics and am not sure whether what's upfront in political debate and on tv is paralleled or completely unrelated to what is happening jobwise - whether things like pay inequality, number of high positions held by women, women with children going back to workforce, etc went down, up or stayed the same over the last few decades.
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Old 03-17-2013, 08:14 PM
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I have not meticulously read through every nuance of everyones responses here, but I don't think that anyone has touched upon what I believe to be Stevie's potetial mindset of the question posed about women rights being stripped away today. There is currently a not so subtle assault (particularly from the Republican right wing factions) on all U.S. womens health reproductive rights, ranging from Planned Parenthood attacks to outright vitriol about overturning "Roe -vs- Wade" and a womens right to choose. I think its entirely possible that Stevie does not entirely live in a rock n' roll bubble, and is very aware of this current women's rights political hot potato being regurgitated 40 years later. Stevie clearly had the right to choose and allegedly did so, and I'm sure this is a passionate subject for her and her generation of women.
Well, I don't agree. Hopefully, in one of her IYD screening Q&A's, Stevie gets asked about that, so that we would all know for sure what she meant there!
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Old 03-17-2013, 08:35 PM
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I have not meticulously read through every nuance of everyones responses here, but I don't think that anyone has touched upon what I believe to be Stevie's potetial mindset of the question posed about women rights being stripped away today. There is currently a not so subtle assault (particularly from the Republican right wing factions) on all U.S. womens health reproductive rights, ranging from Planned Parenthood attacks to outright vitriol about overturning "Roe -vs- Wade" and a womens right to choose. I think its entirely possible that Stevie does not entirely live in a rock n' roll bubble, and is very aware of this current women's rights political hot potato being regurgitated 40 years later. Stevie clearly had the right to choose and allegedly did so, and I'm sure this is a passionate subject for her and her generation of women.
We are debating many issues on the national stage right now: rape, abortion, Melissa Mayer's installation of a nursery next to her own office, while at the same time telling her employees they can no longer work from home, Sandberg's "Lean in" . . . I'm sure that Stevie's aware of all of these things, but based on the tenor of her comments, I don't think she was talking about womens' reproductive rights, although she probably has feelings on the subject. I think she was talking about career equality more than anything else. I'm aware that pregnancy/family impacts career, but I don't think Stevie's general statement was meant to encompass all of that.

Michele
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Old 03-17-2013, 08:36 PM
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Well, I don't agree. Hopefully, in one of her IYD screening Q&A's, Stevie gets asked about that, so that we would all know for sure what she meant there!
Out of curiosity, why do you disagree?

I tend to think she was talking more about women's role in respect to their careers and general value in society, but I don't necessarily think it impossible that she might have been talking of more political aspects too. The interview is pretty badly chopped up so it's hard to really understand the full context of what she was saying (and also we don't know the exact question she was responding too). Not to mention that this is Stevie, so anything she says is open to interpretation
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Old 03-18-2013, 08:34 AM
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We are debating many issues on the national stage right now: rape, abortion, Melissa Mayer's installation of a nursery next to her own office, while at the same time telling her employees they can no longer work from home, Sandberg's "Lean in" . . . I'm sure that Stevie's aware of all of these things, but based on the tenor of her comments, I don't think she was talking about womens' reproductive rights, although she probably has feelings on the subject. I think she was talking about career equality more than anything else.
Michele
I agree, I should have included an addendum that Stevie's answer was potentially a bigger awareness of women's many current issues (which include women's reproductive choices) that are once again being challenged on the national & political stage.
Instead this thread delineated into some kind of petty competition about whom is or was the bigger woman feminist trailblazer of rock, simply because of a seemingly reactionary opinion by one that Stevie put herself on a pedestal and somehow put down other women.
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