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  #1  
Old 07-22-2017, 11:16 AM
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Default Just read Billy's book

It is quite good. I mean, it's not going to win a Pulitzer or anything, but it was entertaining and, more importantly, chock full of interesting tidbits about his time in Fleetwood Mac. For example, I wasn't aware of how close he was to Lindsey. Also, I loved how he told how much money he was paid for certain gigs while with FM. I was confused, however, by how little he mentioned Rick Vito. I would have thought they would have had a pretty strong bond, seeing as how they were thrown into the chaos that is FM at the same time, but I think he probably mentioned Rick twice, with virtually zero details. Maybe Billy thought the fans would only be interested in reading about everyone else, who knows?

Definitely worth ordering the book, if you're a fan of FM from 1975 to now. Also, while not a lot of pictures, there are some I'd never seen before, including a great one of Stevie, Billy, and Rick from a live show.
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  #2  
Old 07-22-2017, 12:52 PM
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Originally Posted by bwboy View Post
It is quite good. I mean, it's not going to win a Pulitzer or anything, but it was entertaining and, more importantly, chock full of interesting tidbits about his time in Fleetwood Mac. For example, I wasn't aware of how close he was to Lindsey. Also, I loved how he told how much money he was paid for certain gigs while with FM. I was confused, however, by how little he mentioned Rick Vito. I would have thought they would have had a pretty strong bond, seeing as how they were thrown into the chaos that is FM at the same time, but I think he probably mentioned Rick twice, with virtually zero details. Maybe Billy thought the fans would only be interested in reading about everyone else, who knows?

Definitely worth ordering the book, if you're a fan of FM from 1975 to now. Also, while not a lot of pictures, there are some I'd never seen before, including a great one of Stevie, Billy, and Rick from a live show.
C'mon give us more juicy details than this

I always wanted to know the Rick Vito connection to the band. I get Billy's connection. He played with Christine, Mick, and Stevie in their solo careers and was a good friend of the band. I always was curious the connection that Rick had to the band. I wish Todd Sharpe got the call but that's water under the bridge. I too would love to know how much they got paid. How much did he say? With their 2 world tours I am sure they never would have to work again IF they were smart with their money. However those were the days where tickets were about the price of the albums $15.00 or so. So maybe I am wrong. They never had hit songs with the band and BTM struggled to be gold so they would not make much off the band with record sales or royalties. I think Mick loosely describes how they were both hired but I forget. Billy is easy. I think the record company suggested Rick and thought Billy was not a lead guitarist and was only rhythm. So they needed an ace lead guitarist. But my memory could be wrong.
In Mick's last book he glossed over the Rick/Billy era only to say Billy was his big drinking partner during the BTM era.
I was just watching parts of the BTM/Farewell tour on youtube last night. It was an incredible tour. I think Stevie went out of her way to be active on stage to fill the void left by Lindsey. She really liked to play around on stage during that tour..
I like Billy but IMHO he is a horrible singer. Its like nails down a chalkboard to me. Rick is not much better. However, I think Rick could have done a better job at Go Your Own Way.
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Old 07-22-2017, 02:12 PM
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Well, I really want to encourage people to buy the book. I bought it on kindle at amazon for $9.99 and it was totally worth it.

Billy said he bought a new house immediately after he joined the band, so he got a lot of money upfront. He said the band spent $1.2 million to record Behind the Mask and almost the same on Time. They also paid Patrick Leonard a LOT of money to produce Love Shines and Heart of Stone. He wrote about how some of the band hated performing live on TV and even pulled out of a few shows because of that (Good Morning America, I believe he said). Let's see, also he described how they flew in private planes with bedrooms, which they rarely used, he made out with Stevie when they all traveled by train once, and how awkward it was when Mick wrote his biography and how uncomfortable the bus ride was to the airport that day. Chris, Stevie, and even John were very displeased with Mick. Once, Stevie had a party for U2 but U2 insisted Tom Petty and the Eagles and some of her friends be disinvited. Stevie and Chris were the ones who insisted Billy and Rick be formal members of FM, and Mick and John finally agreed. Billy said nothing but nice things about everyone, with the exception of Rick, who he writes virtually nothing about. Even when he wrote about FM's performance at the Super Bowl pre-show, he didn't mention that Rick rejoined the band at Billy's request. Very odd.

Oh, and some really surprising stuff about FM's performance at the inauguration that I had never heard. And there's more. Many times I was like, "oh, I had no idea." Nothing life changing, but the kind of minor details a FM fanatic would be interested in. One other thing I found fascinating was a casual mention that Richard Dashut lived in a home worth something like $10 million. He was (and maybe still is) well compensated in his job, apparently! Hope this whets your appetite a bit.
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Old 07-22-2017, 03:29 PM
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Thanks for those juicy details. Billy making out with Stevie on a train. NOW THAT is exciting I always knew Bono and U2 are full of themselves. Probably the most arrogant band on the planet.
The Mac always toured lavishly. I will probably buy the book. I love those tiny details that open your eyes to a few things.
I think Billy had prior engagements but I am curious if he writes anything about Chris's solo record. He performs on it and does her live show for the recording in Dec 1983 but does not go on the road with her the following year.
It is strange that he does not mention anything about Rick.
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Last edited by Macfan4life; 07-22-2017 at 03:32 PM..
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Old 07-22-2017, 05:40 PM
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He does mention playing on Christine's solo album, but not great detail at all. He doesn't mention her live shows, either. Just to clarify, Billy said Bono and U2 were very nice, they just didn't want a large crowd, apparently. And Stevie introduced Billy to Jack Nicholson, who was at the party that night. There are plenty more anecdotes, really interesting ones that I deliberately left out, so I think you, and other fans, will find it worthwhile to buy. And then I look forward to hearing what you, an end other people, think about what he said/wrote.

Also, Billy's whole life is interesting, I just mentioned things directly related to his time in Fleetwood Mac. He really comes across as a genuine guy and doesn't badmouth anyone, even people he might legitimately have a gripe against (like John Fogerty). Even when writing about his disappointment with not being named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with FM, he does so in a respectful manner. I would love to hear what other folks think.
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Old 07-27-2017, 04:49 PM
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Finished reading it last night. It gets a bit repetitive with some of the stories but the stories Billy tells are great, especially since they've not been told anywhere else. I would have liked to hear more about his solo career in the 80s, particularly the making of Gimme You, Try Me and Soldier Of Love. I was also surprised that he didn't mention Brother To Brother once in spite of it being a bit of a cult hit among Gleaming The Cube fans.
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Old 07-28-2017, 07:16 PM
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Billy made out with Stevie when they all traveled by train.
Hysterical!!!!! This band never ceases to amaze and amuse me! One would think that, by 1987-1990, the 40 somethings had matured and were OVER their bed-hopping ways! Not a chance. Whatever the case, it appears as though The High Priestess was still mixing her love potions. Girl, love WAS dangerous!
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Old 07-28-2017, 08:51 PM
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Actually, I took the phrase "made out" to mean serious kissing/necking, especially since I think Billy said it was in front of everyone else while partying. I could be wrong, of course, but he mentioned it in such a casual way that that's how I took it.
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Old 07-29-2017, 11:15 AM
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I was confused, however, by how little he mentioned Rick Vito. I would have thought they would have had a pretty strong bond, seeing as how they were thrown into the chaos that is FM at the same time, but I think he probably mentioned Rick twice, with virtually zero details. Maybe Billy thought the fans would only be interested in reading about everyone else, who knows?
Rick is writing his own book so maybe that's why.
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Old 07-30-2017, 05:35 PM
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C'mon give us more juicy details than this

I always wanted to know the Rick Vito connection to the band.
During a radio interview with the band (the behind the mask tour) when the dj asked how Rick came to join Fleetwood Mac Stevie said that they "picked Rick up in a bar"
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Old 07-31-2017, 07:18 PM
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Here's something fun- three anecdotes from Billy's book. Take a guess as to which ones could be true and which ones could be false.

1) When Christine, Mick, John, Rick, and Billy prepared to perform at the Super Bowl pre-show, Stevie told the band they couldn't perform under the name Fleetwood Mac.

2) After speaking to Al Gore, Billy was the one who got Fleetwood Mac to perform at the presidential inauguration; then Stevie asked Billy if he would mind sitting out that night and let Lindsey play with the band.

3) Christine, Mick, John, and Billy spent over a million dollars to record Heart of Stone and Love Shines for the Chain box set.

True or false? Do any of these sound unbelievable?
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Old 07-31-2017, 09:07 PM
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Here's something fun- three anecdotes from Billy's book. Take a guess as to which ones could be true and which ones could be false.

1) When Christine, Mick, John, Rick, and Billy prepared to perform at the Super Bowl pre-show, Stevie told the band they couldn't perform under the name Fleetwood Mac.

2) After speaking to Al Gore, Billy was the one who got Fleetwood Mac to perform at the presidential inauguration; then Stevie asked Billy if he would mind sitting out that night and let Lindsey play with the band.

3) Christine, Mick, John, and Billy spent over a million dollars to record Heart of Stone and Love Shines for the Chain box set.

True or false? Do any of these sound unbelievable?
1. I say false because she was too zonked out on klonopin to pull a power play like that.
2. Also false, didn't she say (in all her exaggerations) that she practically had to hold Lindsey up at gunpoint to get him to agree to do the inauguration to begin with? I can't imagine Billy playing was ever on the table, Bill Clinton would've wanted THE lineup.
3. I say true, this band has a history of not managing their finances well.
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Old 08-01-2017, 05:13 AM
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1. False. No way she would tell Mick, John and Christine they are not Fleetwood Mac

2. Part true, part false. Getting Lindsey back in the band was a challenge. Stevie did call Lindsey and ask him to perform one more time. However, I don't think Billy was part of any of this and I don't think she or anyone else had to tell Billy to sit out.

3. True. The Mac always spent this kind of money for each album. This was not out of the ordinary in those days
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Old 08-02-2017, 09:51 PM
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1. False. No way she would tell Mick, John and Christine they are not Fleetwood Mac

2. Part true, part false. Getting Lindsey back in the band was a challenge. Stevie did call Lindsey and ask him to perform one more time. However, I don't think Billy was part of any of this and I don't think she or anyone else had to tell Billy to sit out.

3. True. The Mac always spent this kind of money for each album. This was not out of the ordinary in those days
I agree with you on #2. I can totally believe #3, but whether it's true or not, who knows. And I'm surprised no one can believe #1. I can. I think she may have been even more disinhibited on drugs. But what I suspect he means is that Stevie's "people" said it on her behalf. Whether she knew they said it, who knows. I think she's surrounded by a lot of people who do all that sort of dirty work for her. Like Lindsey once said about them getting back together to work on stuff, "Howard is gonna get the best deal for Stevie" meaning her manager, Howard Kauffman. So yeah, I can totally see #1.

think about it-- a lot of people think the Lindsey/Christine/John/Mick album could and should have been called Fleetwood Mac. But it isn't.
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:16 PM
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All three stories are true, as written by Billy.

1) Just to be safe, during their performance at the Super Bowl pre-show, FM didn't sing any of Stevie's songs. And they made 0 profit due to limos, travel, production, etc.

2) Billy met Al Gore after the election, and Al asked Billy to have FM perform at the inauguration. Billy spoke to the band and they agreed, but shortly before the performance, Stevie called Billy and asked if he would let Lindsey take his place for that one performance.

3) Billy said they spent $1.6 million to record two songs for the Chain box set due to producer Patrick Leonard being so expensive, and again the band's usual outrageous production costs.

He also had a lot of things to say about the Time incarnation, his friendship with Lindsey, his relationship with Bekka Bramlett, and more anecdotes about being on the road with FM. Even while on the road, FM would jam in Stevie or Christine's hotel room just for fun. It sounds like they all really enjoyed each other's company.
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