Stevie Joins The Voice

[BlueDenimLamp]

When Stevie was on "American Idol" she received nothing but praise and respect from all involved with the show because of all the time and effort she put into her appearance so I don't see why her being on "The voice" will be any different other than the fact that it sounds like she will be a bit more involved with the Voice than she was on Idol...

Like it or not shows like this are the way things are done now so if Stevie wants to keep herself and her band in the public eye then she has to interact with the younger generation and shows like this are what they are watching...

[WatchChain]

Originally Posted by Steviegirl

Precisely. I don't mean this with any disrespect at all, but I'm sorry--moves like this are just cheesy and lame. I think a lot of people love Stevie because of purity of her choices in life and the fact that as soon as she became famous she didn't try to become a 'model/actress/producer/perfume and haircare and skincare hawker/Proactive spokesperson.' Your mileage may vary, but, for me, this is kind of embarrassing. And now I'm going to have to endure all of my acquaintances sending me clips from the show because they 'know I love Stevie!' Sigh. For the record, I loved Stevie's involvement on Glee and AHS, but this? I just find it distasteful.

AMEN to that statement!!! I have supported Stevie Nicks' career for 37 years year. I've ran to every tour, bought every record the day it was released, and clamored for any sight I could get of the High Priestess. The fantastic thing about Stevie is that, even when her "cool factor" was waning in the late 80's, she NEVER SOLD OUT. When agents and record company slimes were insisting that she change with the times, she stood firm. There was a time when record company execs told her that if she didn't start recording songs from OUTSIDE WRITERS, that her career was OVER! She tried it once (TIMESPACE), and then snapped to her senses. Someone who hangs out with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty is NOT going to record cheesy pop songs by Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly and Holly Knight.

When I was a child in the 70's and 80's, there were sometimes VERY FEW places that you could see Stevie, other than occasionally on MTV. She was very seldom on The Tonight Show or Late Night (until about 1998). She never performed on American Bandstand, The American Music Awards, Grammys, or any other outlets. To my amazement, she made two appearances on the tacky weekly show "Solid Gold", where it was the producer’s policy that ALL acts lip sync. Stevie was one of only 2-3 artists to refuse, thank God! All of that LIMITED EXPOSURE, yet she still managed to become a ROCK ICON in 2014. Why? Mostly because of her brilliant songwriting and style. But, also because SHE REFUSED to walk down the bland road to mediocrity and tastelessness. (SETTING: 1983---Stevie, like it or not, shows like "Star Search with Ed McMahon", "American Bandstand", and "Solid Gold" are vital to your album sales, if you don't appear on them, YOU WON'T HAVE A CAREER IN 20 YEARS, this is how things are done now! STEVIE: Hell no, I pissed the "SG" producers off, they wanted me to lip sync...I don't think so!)

The aging process can be difficult for all of us. Stevie has expressed disappointment that her records don’t sell anymore. Well, unless you run in the likes of Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, or the 15-30 demographic, no one is selling records anymore. It burns my hide that some publicist is convincing Stevie that she must resort to appearances on bland and uninteresting TV shows to remain relevant in today’s market. To hell with the market. This woman doesn’t need record sales! She doesn’t make more than a few cents from each record sold anyway, the record exec demons eat that up. Her solo tours are successful and Fleetwood Mac is red hot! She doesn’t even need a record label, she has enough clout to release the music on her own (as so many respected musicians are doing today). Glee and AHS appearances are tolerable, because they still have somewhat of a “coolness” about them. But now, Liz Rosenberg (also Madonna’s publicist) is trying to pimp Stevie out to mentoring a karaoke contest! Liz, with all due respect, how dare you! Stevie Nicks, get another management team before you end up starring in your own reality show in an attempt to sell records. These people do not have your best interests at heart.

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by Steviegirl

Oh, I realize that. I was being a little facetious because I remember a time when Stevie said something like she could have gotten out there and become involved in a lot of different things like Madonna did, but she decided not to do that, and I always admired her for that--AND because it seems as if a lot of stars today have no problem with putting their name of just about anything to make a buck. I never thought of Stevie that way, and I thought it gave some of us idealists out here hope that it is possible to follow Polonius's advice of "to thine own self be true."

In the case of Glee, I see it as a lot different because these are actors who are doing Stevie's songs--AHS was exciting because some of it was designed around the mystical aura of Stevie Nicks. I find these singing competitions lame, so I hate to see someone I adore within 50 feet of them.

Again--my apologies to people who like these shows. I have things I watch on tv that a lot of people think are stupid--myself included-ha!

You don't have to apologize for not liking singing competitions. But to me, Stevie's appearance on them doesn't mean she isn't being true to herself. She's always been interested in helping people, and she has always wanted young artists to get a break, especially given how hard it has become.

And maybe these shows do have their cheesey moments, and maybe some of the contestants are products of an age where style matters more than substance, but there have been some brilliantly talented people who have gotten their start on these shows.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

When Stevie did one-off appearances on Dancing With The Stars, American Idol, The Voice, etc recently I groaned- but realized this is what celebs must do these days to promote themselves. I didn't like Stevie appearing on any of these shows, but I also knew it was smart business and it wouldn't hurt her status.

However, Stevie is joining the cast of a reality show this time- not just making a one-off appearance. That's what I'm not okay with. I think it could be mostly agreed around here that Steven Tyler resides in roughly the same echelon that Stevie does- lead singer of an iconic 1970s band. However, I definitely feel Steven has tainted the Aerosmith brand by becoming an American Idol judge. There's such a thing as too much exposure, especially if it starts eroding into your collective identity. Steven Tyler is no longer just an iconic rock star anymore- he's also a reality show host & judge. THAT cheapens his & his band's image. THAT'S why I'm not okay with Stevie doing this. She's supposed to be this mystical, elusive rock star... not a game show host.

Christy (wondergirl9847) already pointed out what I was going to mention -- the advisers and mentors on these shows don't have nearly the level of involvement as the actual judges. Stevie won't be as visible as Steven Tyler was on American Idol, so I don't think she'll be in much danger of over-exposing herself.

Trust me, I've always loved Stevie's mystical & elusive qualities, too, but for an artist who had long been criticized as being out-of-touch and unrelatable, it's been fun to see this more accessible, down-to-earth side of her. We always knew it was there -- but everyone else is seeing it now, too. Plus, it seems the level of goodwill people have towards her, has increased exponentially as they've seen this side of her. That's not a bad thing.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Christy (wondergirl9847) already pointed out what I was going to mention -- the advisers and mentors on these shows don't have nearly the level of involvement as the actual judges. Stevie won't be as visible as Steven Tyler was on American Idol, so I don't think she'll be in much danger of over-exposing herself.

Trust me, I've always loved Stevie's mystical & elusive qualities, too, but for an artist who had long been criticized as being out-of-touch and unrelatable, it's been fun to see this more accessible, down-to-earth side of her. We always knew it was there -- but everyone else is seeing it now, too. Plus, it seems the level of goodwill people have towards her, has increased exponentially as they've seen this side of her. That's not a bad thing.

Thank you! The points you made are so well stated. I understand the concerns people have about her appearing on The Voice. Some call it a sell-out. I see it as a smart business/PR move.

Just recall what Joe Perry from Aerosmith said about Steven Tyler joining American Idol. He had some of the same reservations that Stevie's fans have. Over time, he realized that it didn't tarnish their reputation; on the contrary, the exposure invigorated their fan base and the band gained a new generation of fans. As a result, they sold more records.

(on a side note: I loved that Steven Tyler was in the audience when Stevie appeared on Crossroads with Lady Antebellum, a band who were completely blown away by her talent and emotionally affected by her advice).

While record sales may be one factor, Stevie is a natural mentor/teacher; she genuinely enjoys helping, and imparting her worldly rock and roll wisdom to a new generation. Phillip Phillips said, of all the mentors, Stevie gave him the best, most useful advice. She obviously has a gift for it. This is the perfect outlet for her!

[gypsyhelena]

I'm 16, and the first time I heard of Stevie Nicks was when I was watching American Horror Story: Coven. I got interested when I saw Misty Day talk about 'finding her tribe' while Sara played in the background; and by the time Misty twirled about her swamp cabin (I think to Rhiannon?), I was enchanted. Now I've spent hours looking at photos, and researching, and watching videos of performances. I've got album upon album upon mystery recording in my iTunes, a few vinyl records, and a love for Stevie, through her good times and bad times and terrible times, that quite frankly freaks my friends out. (They're used to me going on about Lady Gaga and Florence Welch and various young actresses, but a 66-year-old? Whaaaaat?)
But my point is, that I would still have no idea who Stevie Nicks or Fleetwood Mac were, if it weren't for the exposure Stevie got from being on AHS. And there's heaps and heaps of other teens and young adults out there like me, who've been introduced to Stevie and FM through AHS, and who are now passionate about the people and the music. I follow teenagers on Tumblr and Twitter who are doing their homework while Bella Donna plays in the background, who are rocking Tusk buns and who are writing poetry about the feelings you get when you listen to Landslide. These are young people who are probably going to have this love for Stevie for years to come- I know I will- but they wouldn't if they hadn't been exposed to her via AHS.
So all in all, I think Stevie being on The Voice is a good idea. I've never seen an episode of it in my life- I'm not one for shows like that- but from the sounds of it, Stevie's going to get to be a temporary fairy godmother to people on the show, maybe get a little promotion for 24 Karat Gold and the FM tour, and spread her witchy wonderfulness to people who otherwise wouldn't have known all that much about her.

[Jondalar]

Have people gone daffy? Stevie is smart. She sold out long ago and that is why Fleetwood Mac can sell out stadiums.

[sorcerer999]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

Have you people gone daffy?!! Stevie is smart. She sold out long ago and that is why Fleetwood Mac can sell out stadiums!!!

Haha! I read your post in the voice of Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) from "Misery"...

"Have you people got amnesia?!! He didn't get out of the cock a doodie CAR!!!"

[lulu28]

Originally Posted by gypsyhelena

I'm 16, and the first time I heard of Stevie Nicks was when I was watching American Horror Story: Coven. I got interested when I saw Misty Day talk about 'finding her tribe' while Sara played in the background; and by the time Misty twirled about her swamp cabin (I think to Rhiannon?), I was enchanted. Now I've spent hours looking at photos, and researching, and watching videos of performances. I've got album upon album upon mystery recording in my iTunes, a few vinyl records, and a love for Stevie, through her good times and bad times and terrible times, that quite frankly freaks my friends out. (They're used to me going on about Lady Gaga and Florence Welch and various young actresses, but a 66-year-old? Whaaaaat?)
But my point is, that I would still have no idea who Stevie Nicks or Fleetwood Mac were, if it weren't for the exposure Stevie got from being on AHS. And there's heaps and heaps of other teens and young adults out there like me, who've been introduced to Stevie and FM through AHS, and who are now passionate about the people and the music. I follow teenagers on Tumblr and Twitter who are doing their homework while Bella Donna plays in the background, who are rocking Tusk buns and who are writing poetry about the feelings you get when you listen to Landslide. These are young people who are probably going to have this love for Stevie for years to come- I know I will- but they wouldn't if they hadn't been exposed to her via AHS.
So all in all, I think Stevie being on The Voice is a good idea. I've never seen an episode of it in my life- I'm not one for shows like that- but from the sounds of it, Stevie's going to get to be a temporary fairy godmother to people on the show, maybe get a little promotion for 24 Karat Gold and the FM tour, and spread her witchy wonderfulness to people who otherwise wouldn't have known all that much about her.

Thank you for pointing this out. I've followed Stevie for 27 years and it's refreshing to see the younger generation discovering her. I'm thrilled that she is choosing to stay active and out there for her fans. Keep it up, Stevie!!

[gssmith]

These shows are cheesy and I don't watch them. If Madonna was a mentor it would be cheesy because she ain't a singer. But Stevie is a legend. She will coach them and work hard to help. Someone like Britney Spears just uses these things for publicity. Stevie get publicity too, but a whole lot more. Her talent is show cased and so is her dedication. Remember cross road with that country band? Stevie listened to all thier music and suggested songs her self. A publicist didn't choose.

[singertobe]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

AMEN to that statement!!! I have supported Stevie Nicks' career for 37 years year. I've ran to every tour, bought every record the day it was released, and clamored for any sight I could get of the High Priestess. The fantastic thing about Stevie is that, even when her "cool factor" was waning in the late 80's, she NEVER SOLD OUT. When agents and record company slimes were insisting that she change with the times, she stood firm. There was a time when record company execs told her that if she didn't start recording songs from OUTSIDE WRITERS, that her career was OVER! She tried it once (TIMESPACE), and then snapped to her senses. Someone who hangs out with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty is NOT going to record cheesy pop songs by Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly and Holly Knight.

When I was a child in the 70's and 80's, there were sometimes VERY FEW places that you could see Stevie, other than occasionally on MTV. She was very seldom on The Tonight Show or Late Night (until about 1998). She never performed on American Bandstand, The American Music Awards, Grammys, or any other outlets. To my amazement, she made two appearances on the tacky weekly show "Solid Gold", where it was the producer’s policy that ALL acts lip sync. Stevie was one of only 2-3 artists to refuse, thank God! All of that LIMITED EXPOSURE, yet she still managed to become a ROCK ICON in 2014. Why? Mostly because of her brilliant songwriting and style. But, also because SHE REFUSED to walk down the bland road to mediocrity and tastelessness. (SETTING: 1983---Stevie, like it or not, shows like "Star Search with Ed McMahon", "American Bandstand", and "Solid Gold" are vital to your album sales, if you don't appear on them, YOU WON'T HAVE A CAREER IN 20 YEARS, this is how things are done now! STEVIE: Hell no, I pissed the "SG" producers off, they wanted me to lip sync...I don't think so!)

The aging process can be difficult for all of us. Stevie has expressed disappointment that her records don’t sell anymore. Well, unless you run in the likes of Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, or the 15-30 demographic, no one is selling records anymore. It burns my hide that some publicist is convincing Stevie that she must resort to appearances on bland and uninteresting TV shows to remain relevant in today’s market. To hell with the market. This woman doesn’t need record sales! She doesn’t make more than a few cents from each record sold anyway, the record exec demons eat that up. Her solo tours are successful and Fleetwood Mac is red hot! She doesn’t even need a record label, she has enough clout to release the music on her own (as so many respected musicians are doing today). Glee and AHS appearances are tolerable, because they still have somewhat of a “coolness” about them. But now, Liz Rosenberg (also Madonna’s publicist) is trying to pimp Stevie out to mentoring a karaoke contest! Liz, with all due respect, how dare you! Stevie Nicks, get another management team before you end up starring in your own reality show in an attempt to sell records. These people do not have your best interests at heart.

THANK YOU! AGREED!
BTW, how does one release an album without being signed to a record label? Who would make the copies and distribute it?

[Dex]

Originally Posted by singertobe

THANK YOU! AGREED!
BTW, how does one release an album without being signed to a record label? Who would make the copies and distribute it?

You, or whoever you hire. But with digital distribution it's fairly easy, as you can imagine.

Let's make no mistake, Stevie has a long history of making career choices based on commercial interest. While "selling out" isn't a phrase I'm fond of, if that's the one people are invoking, then so be it. When Stevie said "I don't want to sing other people's songs" back in 1981, and Jimmy Iovine said "Well, tough, because you won't sell any records if you don't put SDMHA on this album as the lead single", and she did what he said, that was a huge moment of "selling out" and has set the tone for many of her solo career choices since. There seem to be some revisionist historians in this thread.

Re: Stevie on The Voice: The title of this thread/its source is overstating, as has been pointed out. It's certainly not the same as her being an actual judge. All it'll amount to is a few video montages of her helping young contestants in singing rehearsal, and probably a lot of footage of them raving about how awesome she is and how much they love her and what an a amazing thing it is to be in the same room as her. Can anyone really say they're surprised that such a scenario might appeal to her? Even without the potential commercial benefits?

I say go for it, Stevie. I don't like these shows. She clearly does and has said so for many years. As long as it doesn't get in the way of her artistic output which I am interested in, more power to her.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

AMEN to that statement!!! I have supported Stevie Nicks' career for 37 years year. I've ran to every tour, bought every record the day it was released, and clamored for any sight I could get of the High Priestess. The fantastic thing about Stevie is that, even when her "cool factor" was waning in the late 80's, she NEVER SOLD OUT. When agents and record company slimes were insisting that she change with the times, she stood firm. There was a time when record company execs told her that if she didn't start recording songs from OUTSIDE WRITERS, that her career was OVER! She tried it once (TIMESPACE), and then snapped to her senses. Someone who hangs out with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty is NOT going to record cheesy pop songs by Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly and Holly Knight.

When I was a child in the 70's and 80's, there were sometimes VERY FEW places that you could see Stevie, other than occasionally on MTV. She was very seldom on The Tonight Show or Late Night (until about 1998). She never performed on American Bandstand, The American Music Awards, Grammys, or any other outlets. To my amazement, she made two appearances on the tacky weekly show "Solid Gold", where it was the producer’s policy that ALL acts lip sync. Stevie was one of only 2-3 artists to refuse, thank God! All of that LIMITED EXPOSURE, yet she still managed to become a ROCK ICON in 2014. Why? Mostly because of her brilliant songwriting and style. But, also because SHE REFUSED to walk down the bland road to mediocrity and tastelessness. (SETTING: 1983---Stevie, like it or not, shows like "Star Search with Ed McMahon", "American Bandstand", and "Solid Gold" are vital to your album sales, if you don't appear on them, YOU WON'T HAVE A CAREER IN 20 YEARS, this is how things are done now! STEVIE: Hell no, I pissed the "SG" producers off, they wanted me to lip sync...I don't think so!)

The aging process can be difficult for all of us. Stevie has expressed disappointment that her records don’t sell anymore. Well, unless you run in the likes of Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, or the 15-30 demographic, no one is selling records anymore. It burns my hide that some publicist is convincing Stevie that she must resort to appearances on bland and uninteresting TV shows to remain relevant in today’s market. To hell with the market. This woman doesn’t need record sales! She doesn’t make more than a few cents from each record sold anyway, the record exec demons eat that up. Her solo tours are successful and Fleetwood Mac is red hot! She doesn’t even need a record label, she has enough clout to release the music on her own (as so many respected musicians are doing today). Glee and AHS appearances are tolerable, because they still have somewhat of a “coolness” about them. But now, Liz Rosenberg (also Madonna’s publicist) is trying to pimp Stevie out to mentoring a karaoke contest! Liz, with all due respect, how dare you! Stevie Nicks, get another management team before you end up starring in your own reality show in an attempt to sell records. These people do not have your best interests at heart.

Liz Rozenburg isn't trying to pimp Stevie out. She is just along for the ride. Stevie is lucky to get the gig. It further solidifies her legend status and she doesn't have to do much work.

[pattyfan]

Here's my 2 cents.

First, I"m not famous, and my livelihood doesn't depend on what other people think of me, so I can't really imagine how it must be for someone in Stevie's shoes to become, over time, less and less marketable. As a fan, I sit here and think to myself that Stevie must have enough money to last her the rest of her life, and she has to realize that she has made music on her own and with Fleetwood Mac that will live on long past her own life. But again, I'm not her, and I can't really judge her since I have not, and never will be, in her shoes.

But as a fan, I do have an opinion, though again, it's not like I'm really criticizing Stevie. It's more my own inability to understand her.

I really dislike all of those shows like The Voice and America's Got Talent and what not. To me, the reduce music to its most base form. Yes, the people have good voices, and I'm sure they have had to put in a ton of hard work, but none of the music they make rises above insipid glorified karaoke. There is no soul in any of it. Stevie's music, whether you are a fan or not, is iconic. Her lyrics, her stile, and her messages are original. Even people who don't like her would I think admit that she wrote and performed songs that didn't sound like anyone else's. Dreams didn't sound like anything before it. Ditto Edge of Seventeen. Ditto Sara. I think when she did started making music that sounded like other people was when she started recording other people's songs on her solo CDs. In my opinion, Every Day may as well have come from American Idol. It's boring and has nothing of Stevie in it.

Anyway, I personally have no interest in her on those shows. Of course I watch on youtube so I can just see her parts, just because I feel like I have to, and not really because I want to, if that makes any sense. If she makes more fans who are younger and are only exposed to her because of those appearances, then great for her, but there is still this little voice inside of me that objects, that thinks that she could do a lot less of all that and still give us some great music, both live and recorded. But again, maybe that's just my personal bias.

I guess my real message is that she should do what she wants, even if people like me think that it's not really in her interest.

Kevin

[Steviegirl]

Originally Posted by pattyfan

Here's my 2 cents.

First, I"m not famous, and my livelihood doesn't depend on what other people think of me, so I can't really imagine how it must be for someone in Stevie's shoes to become, over time, less and less marketable. As a fan, I sit here and think to myself that Stevie must have enough money to last her the rest of her life, and she has to realize that she has made music on her own and with Fleetwood Mac that will live on long past her own life. But again, I'm not her, and I can't really judge her since I have not, and never will be, in her shoes.

But as a fan, I do have an opinion, though again, it's not like I'm really criticizing Stevie. It's more my own inability to understand her.

I really dislike all of those shows like The Voice and America's Got Talent and what not. To me, the reduce music to its most base form. Yes, the people have good voices, and I'm sure they have had to put in a ton of hard work, but none of the music they make rises above insipid glorified karaoke. There is no soul in any of it. Stevie's music, whether you are a fan or not, is iconic. Her lyrics, her stile, and her messages are original. Even people who don't like her would I think admit that she wrote and performed songs that didn't sound like anyone else's. Dreams didn't sound like anything before it. Ditto Edge of Seventeen. Ditto Sara. I think when she did started making music that sounded like other people was when she started recording other people's songs on her solo CDs. In my opinion, Every Day may as well have come from American Idol. It's boring and has nothing of Stevie in it.

Anyway, I personally have no interest in her on those shows. Of course I watch on youtube so I can just see her parts, just because I feel like I have to, and not really because I want to, if that makes any sense. If she makes more fans who are younger and are only exposed to her because of those appearances, then great for her, but there is still this little voice inside of me that objects, that thinks that she could do a lot less of all that and still give us some great music, both live and recorded. But again, maybe that's just my personal bias.

I guess my real message is that she should do what she wants, even if people like me think that it's not really in her interest.

Kevin

All of this makes complete sense, and I agree 100%. I love Stevie's music, but I also find the story of her magical life very appealing. I love the story of her leaving from school and work to rush to the coffee plant and work on music with Lindsey, and the stories of Stevie and Christine sleeping on speakers in the back of a station wagon to get to gigs (THAT is gangster!) There is a beauty and a purity to FM and Stevie's meteoric rise into Rock and Roll royalty, and, to me, a singing competition seems out of place in that story.