Jenny Boyd book launch party: Mick and Christine attended

[jenniferuk]

http://www.rexfeatures.com/livefeed/2013/09/26/jenny_boyd_book_launch_at_my_hotel_chelsea,_london

Pics at the above link from party tonight in Chelsea.

Party details:
http://www.pblcty.com/event/3954/jenny-boyd---book-launch-party

[michelej1]

Ooooh. Even more Christine. Thanks for posting. But the description of the book sounds a lot like Jenny's first book.


Michele

[jenniferuk]

I thought the same on description--just looked it up and can't see what differentiates this from book one.

Well timed party...

[louielouie2000]

I'm loving how much Christine is stepping out!! :nod: I *REALLY* hope all of this leads to us seeing/hearing more from her. It just seems to be too much for it to be otherwise. :]

[aleuzzi]

Awesome! She is getting a lot of press! Deservedly.

[applebucked]

Her smile, though. *melts*

[jenniferuk]

Photos: Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie Attend Jenny Boyd Book Launch

Mick Fleetwood along with Christine McVie attend Jenny Boyd's book launch party for "It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll*
(Sept 26, 2013 MyHotel in Chelsea)




In this exciting, original and inspiring book, 75 of the world's most iconic musicians reveal - many for the first time - their thoughts on creating music. Psychologist Jenny Boyd has probed the minds and souls of these artists and has delved into the drive to create, the importance of nurturing creativity, the role of unconscious influences and the effects of chemicals and drugs on the creative process. Music legend who contributed exclusive interviews include: Eric Clapton George Harrison Julian Lennon Jackson Browne David Crosby Stephen Stills Graham Nash Don Henley Hank Marvin Keith Richards Ravi Shankar Ringo Starr Steve Winwood Mick Fleetwood Stevie Nicks Joni Mitchell. * *


Amazon


Jenny attended Fleetwood Mac's Sept 24th London show and Stevie dedicated "Landslide" to her.


Stevie's quote on the cover:*"All creative people should read this book!"


Christine and Mick contributed below...Part of Christine's is particularly interesting... Is she in therapy?

"I'm seeking help to restore that childlike pleasure I found in creating music"*- Christine McVie

http://www.fleetwoodmacnews.com/2013/09/photos-mick-fleetwood-and-christine.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FleetwoodMacNews+%28Fleetwood+Mac+News%29

[michelej1]

"I'm seeking help to restore that childlike pleasure I found in creating music"*- Christine McVie



Formal therapy or does she just mean help through conversations with her pal Jenny.

It's interesting though, because it reminds me of what Ken said about Christine's reaction to his book -- that it helped restore her passion in music.

Michele

[applebucked]

Formal therapy or does she just mean help through conversations with her pal Jenny.

It's interesting though, because it reminds me of what Ken said about Christine's reaction to his book -- that it helped restore her passion in music.
Maybe a bit of both. She could've been seeking formal therapy to help with anxiety issues, at least. Maybe the latter with the music thing.

[jenniferuk]

Formal therapy or does she just mean help through conversations with her pal Jenny.

It's interesting though, because it reminds me of what Ken said about Christine's reaction to his book -- that it helped restore her passion in music.

Michele

My apols....there is an image with her full quote--quite touching--and it didn't come across in posting. Do be sure to open the link and take a looksy at her full quote (if you haven't done so).

[michelej1]

My apols....there is an image with her full quote--quite touching--and it didn't come across in posting. Do be sure to open the link and take a looksy at her full quote (if you haven't done so).

oh thank you. You're right it was touching, her not believing that the great music came from her and trying to recapture that almost out-of-body wonder.

Michele

[SteveMacD]

Wow. Peter, Christine, Jenny...Mick must be in seventh heaven.

[wheart]

I'm loving how much Christine is stepping out!! :nod: I *REALLY* hope all of this leads to us seeing/hearing more from her. It just seems to be too much for it to be otherwise. :]

Isn't it wonderful? And such a surprise. She's been "gone" for so long I never dreamed she'd be making public appearances again, not to mention actually performing again. I love the quote from her about wanting to write again and be inspired. Gives me a lot of hope for the future!

[applebucked]

Isn't it wonderful? And such a surprise. She's been "gone" for so long I never dreamed she'd be making public appearances again, not to mention actually performing again. I love the quote from her about wanting to write again and be inspired. Gives me a lot of hope for the future!
It does for me too. :nod:

Also, Sanne has posted bigger photos on her Tumblr:
http://goldduststevie.tumblr.com/post/62402994385/mick-and-christine-at-jenny-boyds-book-launch-in#notes

[jenniferuk]

I love the line 'Someone very dear to me told me recently that the gift never goes away, it only needs to be woken up--to get those juices active again'

I wonder if Maui and London were baby steps, reco'd to her by her 'someone dear' or such to try to kick start the creativity, feel the love, etc.

She's an amazing talent--I hope that realisation sinks in / comes back to her.

[wheart]

It does for me too. :nod:

Also, Sanne has posted bigger photos on her Tumblr:
http://goldduststevie.tumblr.com/post/62402994385/mick-and-christine-at-jenny-boyds-book-launch-in#notes

she looks fantastic and genuinely happy to be out and about!! thanks for sharing these.

[michelej1]

I guess Mick also got to see his adult daughters this visit. Plus, he's a grandpa now.

Michele

[thinkaboutme90]

She's an amazing talent--I hope that realisation sinks in / comes back to her.

Yes, I hope she realizes how talented she is and the positive affect her music has had on many lives! Believe in yourself Christine McVie!

[thinkaboutme90]

If she is seeking help in the form of therapy then good for her! Therapy is great, and she seems like the type to really benefit from it.. seeing as she's the kind of person who's blatantly honest and says whatever is on her mind... In my experience, the more honest you are with your therapist, the more they can help. Can you imagine her in a therapy session though? Kinda hard...

Therapist: So tell me Christine, what's been bothering you lately?

Chris: Everybody's stupid f***ing shirts...yours included.

Therapist: Ok...let's take some time to talk about your feelings around these shirts...

:lol:;)

[michelej1]

Chris: Everybody's stupid f***ing shirts...yours included.

Therapist: Ok...let's take some time to talk about your feelings around these shirts...

:lol:;)

The doctor takes out an extra notepad to write on when Christine's reveals how she hates anyone looking at her dogs when they're eating.

Michele

[applebucked]

The doctor takes out an extra notepad to write on when Christine's reveals how she hates anyone looking at her dogs when they're eating.
Or how she doesn't trust the people who check her drains.

[michelej1]

It’s Not Only Rock ‘n’ Roll by Jenny Boyd Ph.D with Holly George Warren – book review. Posted on January 17, 2014 by Robert Pegg -

See more at: http://louderthanwar.com/its-not-only-rock-n-roll-by-jenny-boyd-ph-d-with-holly-george-warren-book-review/#sthash.wQwe84D5.dpuf

Robert Pegg reviews It’s Not Only Rock ‘n’ Roll by Jenny Boyd Ph.D in which iconic musicians reveal the source of their creativity.

A word of warning if you are considering buying this book. You may have already read it.

First published in the USA and Japan in 1992 under the title ‘Musicians In Tune’ the book is a rerelease with no additional information, no revision, no update and no explanation. Curiously, the dedication on the inside leaf is to the memory of the late George Harrison, despite the fact he was very much alive and well when it was written and first published. Others that have passed away since first publication have the word ‘late’ prefixed before their name throughout the book, but that’s as close as you’re going to get to an update.

The author, psychologist Jenny Boyd, was for many years close to the heart of the music industry. Sister of Pattie Boyd, the first wife of both Eric Clapton and George Harrison and herself sometime wife to Mick Fleetwood, it is from these peripheral edges of the industry that Boyd has dived into her Rolodex and used her array of contacts to form her Ph.D thesis on what it is to be creative and how to enhance and nurture your creative soul. ‘It’s Not Only Rock ’n’ Roll’ is that thesis.

It takes some doing to make an academic paper entertaining and interesting to the average reader and the book relies solely on the recognition of the names of the people interviewed for the research to hold the readers interest. Fleetwood Mac, some of the Rolling Stones, a couple of Eagles, a Beatle or two, a Jefferson Airplane and a Kirsty MacColl are all interviewed at length about their background, influences and their drive to create music.

The first couple of chapters are devoted to the aforementioned as well as many others disclosing that as children they were surrounded by musical instruments as well as parents and other relatives who encouraged their talent and creativity. The theory therefore is that if a growing child is encouraged to be creative and has access to the tools enabling that creativity then in all likelihood they will be creative. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide just how obvious that statement is and in one of the very few revelatory moments in the book, Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane nails this theory:


“We were middle-class kids with no problems compared to what other people in the world face. We weren’t rich but we weren’t poor. We were comfortable, we went to college. We were just drifting without any idea what we wanted to do.”

Likewise, tales of vivid dreams and imaginary friends from childhood are certainly not exclusive to people of a creative nature. That’s simply called – childhood.

The theories on creativity that lie at the heart of the book appear on the face of it to be reasonably sound and they may be worthy of some additional credit if the author had taken the twenty years or so since it’s first publication to cast a fresh eye over them. The popular musical landscape has changed enormously in the last two decades, as popular music is wont to do, and it is in refusing to acknowledge that change or give any real credit to any other musical genre other than traditional or prog rock that reveals how hollow the theories are. This thesis is not just about what is said – it’s about what isn’t said.

For example, electronic music, which was really coming to the fore at the time of initial publication is dismissed by the interviewees as “lacking the expression of the soul” or blocking the audience off from “creativity of the spirit” - a wholly unfair and dismissive attitude that has more than the tang of sour grapes about it. The book is firmly locked into the 60s and 70s and point-blank refuses to leave. Punk rock gets a blink-and-you-miss-it nod and popular music like Madonna is snobbishly dismissed as “basically crass and appeals at the crass level”. Rap and Hip-Hop are given some due credit and in another moment of unexpected but very welcome clarity, Ice-T admits that creating music is “nothing hard (to him)”, “it’s easy” but no sooner has he said it then we are back to the Jungian theories of collective unconsciousness as though he’d never said anything at all.

It would have been to the authors enormous credit had she stepped outside of her comfort zone and examined the creative process behind electronic music, punk and rap but unfortunately this is an opportunity missed. Punk rock was not born of middle-class parents indulging their creative children and hip-hop and rap didn’t even have the cadged or stolen guitars and drums that punk boasted. All they had to start with was the lyrical, poetic dexterity of it’s artists imagination. Now that, is creativity.

As an academic dissertation the book is fairly pedestrian stuff. If you remove all the famous names and celebrity anecdotes it is a distinctly average study in the psychology of creativity with a bit of cod spiritualism thrown in. Relying heavily as it does on the theories of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the process of self-actualisation the book betrays its weakness. In recent years Jung has been heavily discredited as have the self-actualisation theories of Abraham Maslow, who is also heavily referenced.

The chapters addressing drugs and alcohol used by artists to enhance their creativity come from a predominantly retrospective anti-drugs point of view which is understandable, if not admirable. The one area where the book does succeed and has a strong point to make is to expose the myth that drugs and alcohol can enhance creativity or, on the occasion that they do, the resultant physical and psychological price is often not one worth paying.

The appendix shows that all the subjects of this book were asked exactly the same questions in exactly the same format. They all gave, more or less, exactly the same answers. There is another conclusion to be drawn here: the conclusion is that far from being bold and courageous and exciting and innovative and creative, musicians are in fact, a bit dull. Because if everybody claims to be unique then nobody is.

The message of the book is this: Do we all have the creative impulse inside of us? Yes, of course we do. All we need to do is find our own gift and nurture our creative impulse, because nurturing breeds self-confidence and a will to create and express your true self. That much is self evident.

It’s a laudable sentiment and it’s all coming from a very good place, but in trying to carefully balance academia and popular culture the book unfortunately succeeds in neither arena and the casual reader will be left as disappointed as the serious student.

- See more at: http://louderthanwar.com/its-not-only-rock-n-roll-by-jenny-boyd-ph-d-with-holly-george-warren-book-review/#sthash.wQwe84D5.dpuf

[michelej1]

The Examiner, April 2, 2014

http://www.examiner.com/article/new-book-it-s-not-only-rock-n-roll-reveals-source-of-artists-creativity?cid=rss

New book, It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll, reveals source of artists creativity


The ex-wife of drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac spent four years interviewing 75 world famous musicians asking them questions referencing how they create hit songs and what they're muses, including the writing process are. She has now published her findings in an exclusive new book, It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal the Source of Their Creativity.

Jenny Boyd grew up in 60s London, at the peak of rock 'n' roll, and her sister Pattie, ended up marrying Beatle legend, George Harrison, and then later, guitar legend Eric Clapton. Even later, she would marry drummer, Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac. While living in Los Angeles, Boyd gathered these interviews as part of her Ph.D. dissertation, that resulted in a book about musicians and their process of creating music and lyrics. This particular book came out in the US and Japan in 1992. The book has since ben updated, with new candid photographs, and is available through John Blake Publishing in the UK and the US as it's present titled, It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll.

In this unique and original collection, 75 of the world's most recognizable musicians reveal-many for the first time-their thoughts on creating music. Psychologist Jenny Boyd has probed the minds and souls of these artists and has delved into the drive to create, the importance of nurturing creativity, the role of unconscious influences and the effects of chemicals, alcohol and drugs on the creative process. Among the music legends who contributed exclusive interviews include Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Julian Lennon, Don Henley, Hank Marvin, Keith Richard, Ringo Starr, Steve Winwood, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell.

An early review from Publishers Weekly said: "An often-fascinating glimpse into the inner lives of performing artists." In revisiting this extraordinary material, the book shines a light on the creative process of several artists who are no longer with us, among them Harrison, Ravi Shankar and Warren Zevon.

"Most of my life had been spent with musicians," explains Boyd. "My sister Pattie had married Beatle George Harrison, and then later guitarist Eric Clapton. I had been married to Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac (twice!) and knew what it meant to be the wife of a musician."

It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll is published by John Blake Publishing in the UK and the United States and available from both traditional and internet retailers.

Dr. Jenny Boyd is a psychologist with many personal ties to the music world. (She inspired folk-rock singer Donovan to write the 1960's hit "Jennifer Juniper"). Jenny is the founder and director of Spring Workshops, organizing psychotherapeutic groups for people in need of personal development. She lives in London.

Holly George-Warren is a Grammy©-nominated writer, editor, producer and music consultant who has written and edited more than 40 music-related books, many as the editor of Rolling Stone Press from 1993-2001. She lives in New York.

[Tango]

I had it pre-ordered and downloaded it on Kindle yesterday. It's in the queue with four other books I'm reading. It looks to be a great read.

[jbrownsjr]

I think I'll pick this up, too.

[louielouie2000]

I never knew Jenny became a psychologist- shows you how much attention I pay. :o What a fitting career for a former rock star wife. :nod:

[bombaysaffires]

The Examiner, April 2, 2014

http://www.examiner.com/article/new-book-it-s-not-only-rock-n-roll-reveals-source-of-artists-creativity?cid=rss

New book, It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll, reveals source of artists creativity


The ex-wife of drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac spent four years interviewing 75 world famous musicians asking them questions referencing how they create hit songs and what they're muses, including the writing process are. She has now published her findings in an exclusive new book, It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal the Source of Their Creativity.

Jenny Boyd grew up in 60s London, at the peak of rock 'n' roll, and her sister Pattie, ended up marrying Beatle legend, George Harrison, and then later, guitar legend Eric Clapton. Even later, she would marry drummer, Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac. While living in Los Angeles, Boyd gathered these interviews as part of her Ph.D. dissertation, that resulted in a book about musicians and their process of creating music and lyrics. This particular book came out in the US and Japan in 1992. The book has since ben updated, with new candid photographs, and is available through John Blake Publishing in the UK and the US as it's present titled, It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll.

In this unique and original collection, 75 of the world's most recognizable musicians reveal-many for the first time-their thoughts on creating music. Psychologist Jenny Boyd has probed the minds and souls of these artists and has delved into the drive to create, the importance of nurturing creativity, the role of unconscious influences and the effects of chemicals, alcohol and drugs on the creative process. Among the music legends who contributed exclusive interviews include Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Julian Lennon, Don Henley, Hank Marvin, Keith Richard, Ringo Starr, Steve Winwood, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell.

An early review from Publishers Weekly said: "An often-fascinating glimpse into the inner lives of performing artists." In revisiting this extraordinary material, the book shines a light on the creative process of several artists who are no longer with us, among them Harrison, Ravi Shankar and Warren Zevon.

"Most of my life had been spent with musicians," explains Boyd. "My sister Pattie had married Beatle George Harrison, and then later guitarist Eric Clapton. I had been married to Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac (twice!) and knew what it meant to be the wife of a musician."

It's Not Only Rock 'N' Roll is published by John Blake Publishing in the UK and the United States and available from both traditional and internet retailers.

Dr. Jenny Boyd is a psychologist with many personal ties to the music world. (She inspired folk-rock singer Donovan to write the 1960's hit "Jennifer Juniper"). Jenny is the founder and director of Spring Workshops, organizing psychotherapeutic groups for people in need of personal development. She lives in London.

Holly George-Warren is a Grammy©-nominated writer, editor, producer and music consultant who has written and edited more than 40 music-related books, many as the editor of Rolling Stone Press from 1993-2001. She lives in New York.

is Christine in it too?? I'd love to hear what Stevie said.

[michelej1]

By Ronald Alexander Ph.D, April 17, 2014 Huffington Post

Mindfulness, Musicians and the Creative Flow


I had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely and unique Jenny Boyd, author of It's Not Only Rock'n'Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal The Source of Their Creativity. Jenny was a model with her sister Pattie Boyd in the psychedelic 60's. The two of them where known as the original, "Apple Music Girls," living in an exciting time of music, and exotic travels. Her sister married George Harrison and then Eric Clapton. Jenny was married to Mick Fleetwood and drummer Ian Wallace. She also spent time in India with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles, Beach Boys and Prudence Farrow. Jenny has lived an extraordinary life living so close to the creative flow and has authored an wonderful book on creativity by interviewing 75 iconic musicians and singer songwriters about their work.

RA: Jenny, what gave you the inspiration to write this book?

JB: I was fascinated from a very early age by what made people creative and having been surrounded by musicians most of my life, it was an obvious choice, to ask them the questions I'd always wanted to know about the creative process. I believe musicians have a very special gift. They are the torchbearers, the spokespersons of our time. Their songs express not only the feelings and ideas of the individual but of each generation and its culture.

RA: Did you find any common threads in what they had to say?

JB: All of the 75 musicians, except for two had nurturing parents or grandparents who were supportive of their creativity. I found this was an important element and because of this nurturing environment from a young age, it gave them the courage and faith in themselves that is needed to pursue their creative yearnings, to delve into the depths of their unconscious.

RA: You interviewed the late psychologist Frank Barron, a pioneer in creative research. That must have been pretty inspiring for you?

JB: It was. He told me that creative individuals are persons whose dedication is nothing less than a quest for ultimate meaning. What is enjoined with them is to listen to the voice within and allow it to express itself.

RA: The voice within is the creative collective that Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung referred to as the collective unconscious.

JB: Yes, musicians seem to have no fear of exploring the unknown, entering into the creative world of the unconscious. They all have this incredible drive to create. Keith Richards said, "If you're a musician, you can never really stop playing, even if you don't do any gigs or you retire. You're still in a way playing inside yourself." It's like Jung said, "Creative power is mightier than its possessor."

RA: We're verging into the spiritual here. Were musicians aware of that side of themselves?

JB: Absolutely. They all described in different ways what Abraham Maslow called a Peak Experience. Most of them had never spoken about it before, and some, such as Eric Clapton had no idea anyone else other than himself had experienced this feeling. They described it as a sort of midway point between conscious and unconscious, a place of timelessness, a dream state. It gave them a feeling of awe and reverence, being given a gift, being used as a vessel and at times the feeling of going into a trance. To get to that state many of them said they had to surrender to the power of the creative unconscious.

RA: It sounds very similar to mindfulness meditation.

JB: That's right. Mindfulness meditation allows you to flow into a state of open mind to access your creativity but as soon as the ego takes over, and tells you you're special or the best meditator in the world, it all disappears! You need to surrender and let go in order to hold the space but once you start grasping at it you lose the feeling of peak oneness.

RA: Did these musicians say they had any special times of the day or week they were more creative or any particular environments?

JB: George Harrison said he always liked to write in the early hours of the morning, when everything was still and everyone asleep.

RA: That's a good time to practice mindfulness meditation as well. In Asia and India this is the time of day where the prana of the earth and universe is felt to be the strongest.

JB: As you know, George was a meditator, and another musician, flautist and saxophonist Paul Horn who was in India with us enjoyed the practice of regular meditation.

RA: That's right. You went to India with the Beatles. Were you able to witness their creativity at work?

JB: Yes, I was very lucky. I would sit with my sister Pattie and the rest of the Beatles on the roof of our bungalow, watching and listening to them as they talked about their mediation or not being able to sleep at night. Then they'd start playing their guitars creating a song that would later be heard on The White Album. It was fantastic.

RA: What about drugs and alcohol? I notice you have a chapter on that in your book.

JB: Most of the musicians who talked about drugs and alcohol said that to begin with it would diminish the anxiety that can stall or prevent the creative process. Being high is like being put into another world, one without form or structure, similar to the unconscious. It would help them get the conscious mind, the busy mind, out of the way. But for many the tool became the end rather than the means. As Eric Clapton said, "The booze becomes more important than the doors it opened, so that's the trap." A lot of these musicians had stopped drinking and using when I interviewed them and were able to talk about the difference in their creativity since stopping.

RA: And do we all have the potential to be creative?

JB: Yes. Joni Mitchell said, "The net with which you capture creativity is made up of the threads of your alertness." It's about expressing yourself. As psychologist Rollo May says, "If you do not express your own original ideas, or listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself."

RA: Jenny, your book not only shares the context and development of these iconic musicians but also shows that anyone who takes the time to slow down, relax and listen to their inner self can tap into the richness of this creative collective. So taking time for a Mindful Pause throughout the day really is a great way to turn on the creative self. Thank you for writing such an inspiring and interesting book.

Follow Ronald Alexander, Ph.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ronalexanderphd

[bombaysaffires]

I never knew Jenny became a psychologist- shows you how much attention I pay. :o What a fitting career for a former rock star wife. :nod:

John Denver's first wife, Annie, also went on to become a psychologist. :shrug:

[michelej1]

Canterbury Times Festival Events, May 6, 2014

http://www.canterburytimes.co.uk/WhitLit-moments/story-21063833-detail/story.html

It’s not Only Rock n’ Roll – Dr Jenny Boyd

5.30pm Sunday, May 11

Dr Jenny Boyd, psychologist, 60’s model, sister of Pattie, and ex-wife of Mick Fleetwood, spent four years interviewing world famous musicians for her book, It’s Not Only Rock ‘n’ Roll. Jenny shares her insights with Andy Miller into the minds of the world’s most iconic musicians including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Ringo Starr, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell.


Read more: http://www.canterburytimes.co.uk/WhitLit-moments/story-21063833-detail/story.html#ixzz313ERLNKO

[michelej1]

Write On Music Sunday, May 11, 2014
http://www.writeonmusic.com/2014/05/interview-jenny-boyd-discusses-updated.html

Interview: Jenny Boyd Discusses Updated Book on Creative Process with Insights From Music Legends

London was swinging. Rock ‘n’ roll had entered one of its most vibrant and visionary phases, with the latest hits by such bands as the Kinks, Cream, and of course the Beatles now reflecting a progressive amalgam of youth-culture adventurism and sonic sophistication. By the time she was a teenager Jenny Boyd was already in the thick of it. A fashion model by trade and, in no time at all, a muse—Boyd was the inspiration for Donovan’s 1968 single “Jennifer Juniper”—she moved among an elite social circle, including some of the era’s most influential musicians who welcomed her within their hallowed ranks.

Boyd’s modeling career was ultimately short-lived as she soon sought to explore other interests and ambitions, not least of all her academic ones—Boyd holds PhD in Human Behavior. But the relationships she forged in her youth proved fortuitous. Expounding upon what was initially the foundation of her doctoral thesis, Boyd interviewed a total of 75 artists about their craft, including friends and, in some cases, family: Mick Fleetwood is her ex-husband and the father of her two daughters, while George Harrison and Eric Clapton were her brother-in-laws (each respectively having been married to her older sister, Pattie). From these conversations certain key impulses and characteristic distinctions emerged.

“I realized this was something very special,” says Boyd, “and this was something that needed more people to be able to read about this.”

Originally published in 1992 and recently republished and updated, It’s Not Only Rock ‘N’ Roll: Iconic Musicians Reveal the Source of Their Creativity (co-authored with Holly George-Warren) offers a unique, enlightening perspective on a musician’s artistry.

"I felt so inspired by the musicians’ humility,” says Boyd, “this incredible humility toward the creative process.”

The creative process is such an enigma to a lot of artists, whether it’s spiritual or supernatural or just unfathomable. What’s striking is that even the most headstrong, mercurial artists, artists who are known for doing things their way—like Stevie Nicks, who is somebody who doesn’t look to some outside source on how to write her songs—yet they will concede that they are not in total control of their art.

And I think they learn that early on especially with the writing because, as you say, they produce this amazing song and wonder where it came from. And so you kind of have to bow down to that in a way.

Some of the musicians talked about getting the lyrics for their songs while they’re asleep and if they don’t wake up immediately and write it all down or put it on a tape they lose it. Then they hear it again; somebody else has picked it up. It makes you feel like it’s all around us and it’s just a matter of—because they’re more perceptive and receptive—they are able to let it come through them. But if they don’t pick it up somebody else will.

In speaking with those musicians you were closest to—Mick Fleetwood, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, people who are part of your life just as they are part of this book—was there anything any one of them said that surprised you about his approach to music?

I asked them all the questions if whether they’d experienced this thing [psychologist] Abraham Maslow called “peak experience,” where they would just get into this zone and suddenly whether they were writing they would wonder where that came from or they were playing [live] they would play things they’d never been able to play before, but Eric said he thought he was the only one that had experienced that feeling. Because nobody had ever talked about it before so he didn’t realize that other artists experienced it as well.

Some of these artists—especially Clapton and also Mick Fleetwood in his own way—seem to perceive themselves as being on a mission, and they are indebted to their craft and to whatever interior or exterior forces that encourage it.

They have a sense of destiny and it’s very strong in them. And I do believe that the important part of all of this is the nurturing that they get in childhood, which gives them the belief in themselves and the belief in what they believe in. And so with this sense of destiny somebody who probably hadn’t been nurtured like that and accepted for who they are would not answer the call because they needed to have the sense of self that nurturing gives you and belief in themselves and belief that if they hear a call of destiny that they follow it.

These artists surrender to their mission. Their talent and technique are factors too, but when they step onto a live stage there’s a mystery component that they surrender to—and that unknown element brings it to another level.

That’s right. I have to say when I was interviewing the late Willie Dixon and went to his home and we talked… He was walking with a stick, and with difficulty in those days; it was not long before he actually passed away. Then Mick [Fleetwood] was playing a blues concert in New York and Willie was there. I was in the audience and Willie came onto the stage with his stick, hobbling as I’d seen him. Then as he started singing his stick came out and he was holding it with two hands and he was dancing on the stage. That magic takes over, and it’s not you anymore. You’re not hobbling or you’re not in pain or you’re not any of those things. I’ve heard that from so many musicians, that once you’re up there it’s like something takes over.

[michelej1]

Blackmore Vale Magazine By mbarber | Posted: November 04, 2014

http://www.blackmorevale.co.uk/Wimborne-Literary-festival-continues-week/story-24106974-detail/story.html

Anyone who says that if you remember the sixties you weren't really there has clearly not met Jenny Boyd.

Jenny was not only there, she practically was the sixties and she remembers it all in graphic detail.

And on Friday at 7pm she will be interviewed at Gulliver’s Bookshop by Dorset-based writer and journalist Jeremy Miles.

Together with her older sister Pattie Boyd, Jenny became a leading teenage model at the height of swinging London, photographed by David Bailey for Vogue and idolised by the Carnaby Street set.

Thanks to Pattie, who married them both, she was the sister-in-law of Beatle George Harrison and then guitarist Eric Clapton. During the 1967 summer of love she was in San Francisco.

The following year she was back in London working at the Beatles’ Apple Boutique and travelling to India with John, Paul, George and Ringo to study transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Meanwhile Donovan wrote Jennifer Juniper for her.

She went on to marry her teenage sweetheart Mick Fleetwood, drummer with Fleetwood Mac - twice and the late Ian Wallace, drummer variously with King Crimson, Bob Dylan and Crosby Stills and Nash -once.

Then in a change of direction she studied for a PhD in psychology and became a clinical consultant specialising in the study of the creative process among musicians and artists. She analysed this theme in her book It’s Not Only Rock ’n’ Roll

Jenny, who is now married to an architect, also runs regular therapeutic clinics for life development.

On Saturday at 6pm, Paul Atterbury from the Antiques Roadshow will be at Deans Court and on Sunday afternoon Mitch Benn, Sarah Pinborough, Suzanne McLeod and Ben Aaronovitch will at the Allendale Centre.

Kate Adie will be coming to the Allendale Centre on Thursday 20th November.

You can find the programme on www.wimborneliteraryfestival.co.uk.

[SteveMacD]

She went on to marry her teenage sweetheart Mick Fleetwood, drummer with Fleetwood Mac - twice and the late Ian Wallace, drummer variously with King Crimson, Bob Dylan and Crosby Stills and Nash -once.
Ian Wallace was also Billy Burnette's drummer.

[nicepace]

Regarding the question of whether Christine has sought therapy to help her get her creativity flowing, we know that therapy enabled her to get over her fear of flying. We have her therapist to thank for the very fact that Chris is back with the band. So it seems likely that she would bring the issue of turning her creativity back on to a therapist, as well.

I am so proud of what Christine has done. At her age it can be very difficult to re-engage in any career, never mind being at the top rung of musical stardom. I just love what she has done with her life; she has practically turned back time. I think she is a real inspiration to anyone who feels stuck, whether it's stuck in a job you don't like or any situation that is not happy.

[michelej1]

Canterbury Times by Anita Carter 3/17/2015

http://www.canterburytimes.co.uk/WhitLit-Creative-Dr-Jenny-Boyd-Whitstable-Library/story-26186813-detail/story.html

How to be Creative – Dr Jenny Boyd at Whitstable Library Lecture Room on Sunday May 17 from 11.30-12.30pm. Entry £5

Do you want to be more creative in your life? Think creativity is for others and not for you? Having lived amongst musicians for many years, surrounded by creativity, but never feeling creative herself, Jenny Boyd Ph.d has spent the last 30 years exploring the creative process, speaking to hundreds of talented musicians and artists, and will share the tips and advice she has learned during her studies.

Psychologist Jenny Boyd has many personal ties to the music world as former wife of Mick Fleetwood and the inspiration behind folk-rock singer Donovan's 60's hit 'Jennifer Juniper'. She was in India in 1968 with The Beatles and her sister Pattie, (former wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton). Jenny spent four years interviewing 75 world famous musicians on their creative influences including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. The resulting acclaimed for her book 'It's no Only Rock n Roll' is a fascinating and unique insight into the creative process.


Read more: http://www.canterburytimes.co.uk/WhitLit-Creative-Dr-Jenny-Boyd-Whitstable-Library/story-26186813-detail/story.html#ixzz3UfVpjdMw
Follow us: @hulldailymail on Twitter | HullDailyMail on Facebook

[chiliD]

"I'm seeking help to restore that childlike pleasure I found in creating music"*- Christine McVie

Formal therapy or does she just mean help through conversations with her pal Jenny.

It seems to me that at some point I recall reading where Jenny got her PhD in psychology/psychiatry. (her first book was her Doctorate Thesis, if I recall correctly)

So, I would think that Christine's conversations with Jenny might've been more "formal" than just "friends talking".



EDIT: ok, so if I had read the ENTIRE thread, I would've seen that this was already stated. Sorry for being Captain of the Redundancy Department of Redundancy

[michelej1]

I was reading that Patty Boyd's mother and sister Jenny were at Patty's wedding.

It's nice to know their mom is still alive.

Michele