Stevie Nicks Admits Past Pregnancy With Don Henley and More About Her Wild History

[WildHearted]

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6266329/stevie-nicks-interview-on-don-henley-fleetwood-mac-24-karat-gold-album

In the ’80s, a doctor warned Stevie Nicks that if she did one more line of cocaine, she’d have a brain hemorrhage. Three decades later, she's still here -- and she has plenty of stories to tell.

Stevie Nicks was sitting in her den in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades recently, overlooking the ocean, when the 66-year-old peered out the window and saw black angel wings. The wings were so pretty, she thought about taking a photo. But after several minutes, she heard ambulance sirens and realized that a boat had caught fire: The angel wings were in fact black smoke.

It’s telling that she saw beauty in a disaster. Rumours, the 1977 Fleetwood Mac album, is both one of the most elegant pop albums ever made, and one of the most savage. The record chronicles the romantic crossfire between Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, a pair of Americans who'd joined the venerable British group two years earlier, and bassist John McVie and keyboardist Christine McVie, who'd broken up and weren't speaking to one another, following her affair with the band’s sound engineer. (Drummer Mick Fleetwood didn’t escape the melodrama -- his wife had an affair with Mick's best friend.) Though the Nicks-Buckingham romance ended long ago, it continues to yield great songs: On her new album, 24 Karat Gold - Songs From the Vault, due Oct. 7, Nicks has recorded lost songs she wrote between the late '60s and mid-'90s, at least one of which, she tells Billboard, is about Buckingham.

On the day of her album’s release, Nicks, who was once married briefly, will play New York's Madison Square Garden with Fleetwood Mac, the fifth date of the band's On With the Show North American concerts, which continue through December -- the first leg of a planned world trek. A year ago, the group canceled dates in Australia and New Zealand due to John McVie's cancer treatment (the band's publicist reports that he's "in excellent health now"), and this new tour reunites them with Christine McVie, who quit the group in 1998. That's a lot of ex-lovers on the same stage, and a lot of beautiful black smoke.

24 Karat Gold is an unusual idea: You recorded songs you'd written years ago but never released. Were you able to figure out in what year you wrote each song?

I don’t know the exact dates. I'm pretty sure "Cathouse Blues" was written in 1969, before Lindsey and I moved to L.A. And I think "Lady" was written at the end of 1971 or beginning of 1972, when Lindsey and I got our first piano. I think it was the first song I ever wrote on a piano.

Why old songs instead of new ones?

This album was made very fast. When [John McVie] got cancer, we had to cancel our tour of Australia. I had some free time, and I thought, "Maybe I should make a record." All over the Internet, there are songs I wrote but never released, and people keep saying, "Why don't you record these songs for real?" I'd never had time to do that. Now I had an empty, precious three months.

My previous album, In Your Dreams, took a year and two months. So I called [In Your Dreams producer] Dave Stewart and said, "How do we make a record in two months?" And he said, "We go to Nashville." He told me, "In Nashville, you hire the best studio musicians, and they record two songs a day. On a really good day, they might even do three." I was laughing, because I didn't believe him. But we were there for three weeks, and we recorded 17 songs in 15 days.

Fleetwood Mac couldn't record 17 songs in 15 months.

They couldn't, not even if you offered them $5 million apiece. In Fleetwood Mac, I play them a demo, and someone says, "That's great, but why don't we work on that second verse?" I might say, "Are you crazy?" or I might say, "That's a good idea." You mull it over.

We packed up after those 15 days in Nashville and went back to my house, where we recorded background vocals and guitar overdubs. This was all done in under three months, because on Aug. 4, I had to start Fleetwood Mac rehearsals. We didn't have a minute to spare.

Is there relief in doing a solo album, rather than going through the democratic process of Fleetwood Mac? In a band, you have to ask others "What do you think?" and then pretend you care.

Right. Because you don't really care. You're asking people to give you an opinion, just so you'll be able to say, "I totally disagree with you, and I know I'm right. But I'm glad to hear how you feel."

You spent months listening to your old songs, and for 24 Karat Gold's art, looking at photos of yourself as far back as your 20s. What did you learn about your life?

Part of me is feeling extremely old now, and part of me is feeling extremely young. Because I look at these pictures and realize I worried about things that I shouldn't have been worrying about. Like the fact that I had little marionette lines around my mouth when I was 29, and I was complaining about them. I wouldn't go out to the beach without a sarong from my neck to my ankles. Now I see a picture of myself from that era in a bikini and I'm like, "You looked great. And you missed out on a lot of fun vacations, because you were so sure that you were fat."

So the moral is, spend more time in a bikini?

Spend more time in a bikini! All the little girls in their 20s, they're terrified of looking like they're not 16. And I'm like, "Oh, just get ready for what's to come." It's going to be way harder for them. The world has become a much more vain place.

"Cathouse Blues" is the oldest song on 24 Karat Gold, and it's a very unusual style for you, almost ragtime.

It is unusual. I think I wrote it in 1969, maybe '68. It's about some cartoon cats. They're hanging out on a fence and -- I don't want to say hooker cats, because they weren't that, but they were definitely street cats. When it says "blue-gray eyes," I think that must have been about Lindsey, because he has blue-gray eyes.

At 15 and a half, I fell in love with a really handsome boy in Arcadia High School in Los Angeles. Thank God for that, because even though my relationship with Lindsey didn't really end well, the passionate feeling I had for this man -- who I still know very well, and, in my own way, will always be crazy about-- he brought out this love song.

When you went back to listen to songs you'd written years ago, did they each remind you of a specific period of your life?

Yes. Give "Mabel Normand" a special listen. Mabel was an amazing actress and comedian from the '20s, and she was a terrible cocaine addict. She eventually died of tuberculosis, but it was really her drug addiction that killed her. She was in love with a famous director, who tried to get her off coke, and he was murdered. Rumor has it, drug dealers killed him. I saw a documentary of her in 1985, when I was at my lowest point with the blow. I was watching TV one night, the movie came on, and I really felt a connection with her. That's when I wrote the song. Less than a year later, I went to rehab at Betty Ford.

Didn't a doctor warn you in the '80s that if you did one more line of coke, you might have a heart attack?

He said I'd have a brain hemorrhage, actually. The documentary really scared me, because I saw this beautiful girl go downhill so fast. Sometimes you can't see it in yourself, but you sure as heck can see it in someone else. And suicide was never my MO. I'm basically a happy person. I was a happy person back then. I just got addicted to coke, and that was a very bad drug for me. It was obviously a very bad drug for Mabel too. She had a gang of rich kids, like Lindsay Lohan today. That same bunch of girls comes around every 15 years.

What about "Hard Advice"? What's happening in that song?

It's a lecture Tom Petty gave me one day about something that was going on in my life. I'd asked him to write a song with me -- this was about two months after I came out of rehab for [addiction to] Klonopin. I was still in a fragile state, after 48 days of hell in rehab. And Tom said, "You don’t need help to write a song. You just need to get over this experience that bummed you out so bad. The relationship you were in is over, it was over a long time ago, and you need to move on." And I went home and wrote this song.

You've toured with Tom, you've recorded a few duets, and his band members contributed to your first two solo albums. Wasn't he also tangentially involved in "Edge of Seventeen" [from 1981's Bella Donna]?

I asked Tom's wife, Jane, when she met him. She said, "I met him at some point during the age of 17." But I thought she said, "The edge of 17." I said, "Jane, can I use that? Can I write a song called 'Edge of Seventeen'?"

I always thought "Edge of Seventeen" was about lusting after a younger guy. But recently, I read that it's about John Lennon's murder.

It is. And "Edge of Seventeen" is also a little bit about Tom. "He seemed broken hearted/Somethin' within him," that was Jane talking about Tom. I bet a lot of people thought I was talking about me, but I was chronicling their relationship as she told it to me.

I notice you haven't said which of your ex-boyfriends "Hard Advice" is about. That reminds me of a story Don Henley told years ago, about your [Fleetwood Mac] song "Sara." He said you got pregnant while the two of you were dating, and Sara was the name you gave the unborn baby.

Had I married Don and had that baby, and had she been a girl, I would have named her Sara. But there was another woman in my life named Sara, who shortly after that became Mick's wife, Sara Fleetwood.

So what Henley says about the song is accurate, but it's not the entirety of the song?

Right. It's accurate, but not the entirety of it.

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is, famously, an album made while both couples in the band were breaking up. But you and Lindsey were already having problems when you joined the band in 1974. So I wonder if the previous album, Fleetwood Mac, is also a breakup album.

We were breaking up when Fleetwood Mac asked us to join. We moved down from San Francisco to L.A. in 1972, and made Buckingham Nicks in 1973, and were having problems all through that. When we moved, it was lonely. I didn't have any girlfriends. And I was the one who worked. I had to be a waitress, and a cleaning lady, in order to support us -- because Lindsey didn't want to play four sets at Chuck’s Steakhouse, where we could've made $500 a week. To him, that was selling out. He wanted to play original music, so I went along with that.

When we joined Fleetwood Mac, I said, "OK, this is what we've been working for since 1968. And so Lindsey, you and I have to sew this relationship back up. We have too much to lose here. We need to put our problems behind us. Maybe we're not going to have any more problems, because we're finally going to have some money. And I won't have to be a waitress."

I made Lindsey listen to all the Fleetwood Mac records. And I said, "I think we can do something for this band. We'll do it for a year, save some money and if we don't like it, we'll quit." And he's like, "But Buckingham Nicks, I still think the record's going to start to break out." I said, "You wait around. I'm sick of being a waitress. We are joining Fleetwood Mac and we're going to be great."

I got an apartment on Hollywood Boulevard, he moved back in with me, and we kind of put our relationship back together. We weren't fighting about money, we had a really nice place, and we were going to work with these hysterically funny English people every day, making great music.

Christine was like my mentor, and the only person who could buffer Lindsey. She could totally soothe him and calm him down, and that was great, because I wasn't good at that. We were sailing along on the highest wave. It was OK for a while, until it wasn't. At the end of 1976, that's when it just blew up.

So do you hear premonitions of that breakup in the Fleetwood Mac songs?

Absolutely. Some of those songs came from two years before, when we broke up. People didn't examine that record as much, because to the public, it looked great -- two couples in a band. And by the way, Christine and John weren't doing so great either during that album.

I feel bad for John. If Lindsey wrote a mean song about you, you could write one about him. Christine could write one about John. But John didn't get to write a mean song about anyone.

No. John just got to snarl and play bass. That’s why it's good to be a writer, because you get to lash back. And had John been a writer, he would have a lot to say.

Why haven't you written a memoir?

Because I wouldn't be able to tell the whole truth. The world is not ready for my memoir, I guarantee you. All of the men I hung out with are on their third wives by now, and the wives are all under 30. If I were to write what really happened between 1972 and now, a lot of people would be very angry with me. It'll happen some day, just not for a very long time. I won't write a book until everybody is so old that they no longer care. Like, "I'm 90, I don't care what you write about me."
I am loyal to a fault. And I have a certain loyalty to these people that I love because I do love them, and I will always love them. I cannot throw any of them under the bus until I absolutely know that they will not care.

The world is ready, but the third wives are not ready.

The third wives are not ready. The husbands are not ready either.

You said getting revenge is one reason it's good to be a writer.

Yes, but you also have to be kind. Just because a relationship ended badly, and ****ty things happened, you cannot tell that to the world. But you can write a song about it, in three verses and a bridge and a chorus, that tells the really magical moments.

[sorcerer999]

"Yes, but you also have to be kind. Just because a relationship ended badly, and ****ty things happened, you cannot tell that to the world. But you can write a song about it, in three verses and a bridge and a chorus, that tells the really magical moments."

Stevie Nicks, always the "lady". This quote is precisely why I love her and her music! Great article! Thanks for sharing. :)

[KarmaContestant]

Great interview. One of the best in years.

[Murrow]

"Yes, but you also have to be kind. Just because a relationship ended badly, and ****ty things happened, you cannot tell that to the world. But you can write a song about it, in three verses and a bridge and a chorus, that tells the really magical moments."

Stevie Nicks, always the "lady". This quote is precisely why I love her and her music! Great article! Thanks for sharing. :)

Yeah that's why she's moaned endlessly about Lindsey et al in interviews long after the event.

Get over it girl - he has!

[WildHearted]

Yeah that's why she's moaned endlessly about Lindsey et al in interviews long after the event.

Get over it girl - he has!

They ALL endlessly moan about each other in interviews This is Fleetwood Mac. That's their MO. How many times have you heard Lindsey lament that he had to fix Stevie's songs even though she dumped him? Right. That's what I thought. :nod:

[bombaysaffires]

Why haven't you written a memoir?

Because I wouldn't be able to tell the whole truth. The world is not ready for my memoir, I guarantee you. All of the men I hung out with are on their third wives by now, and the wives are all under 30. If I were to write what really happened between 1972 and now, a lot of people would be very angry with me. It'll happen some day, just not for a very long time. I won't write a book until everybody is so old that they no longer care. Like, "I'm 90, I don't care what you write about me."
I am loyal to a fault. And I have a certain loyalty to these people that I love because I do love them, and I will always love them. I cannot throw any of them under the bus until I absolutely know that they will not care.

I think she's right, the world isn't ready for a true story about a woman who lived her life much the same way a man would. They'll read about famous men's sleeping around and getting chicks pregnant but a WOMAN doing that…. no way.

I don't agree with everything she's done in her life, but it's her life and I for one would be fascinated to read about it. Doubtful we ever will. Though if anyone from her camp reads these forums, I will say this: Stevie's life story WILL be written. By somebody. Some day. It will for certain happen after she dies… a lot of stuff will come out, a LOT of people who are still around will talk. (If she lives to 90 or 95 or something, in that case time could work in her favor-- the blabbers would likely also be dead). But that won't stop someone from writing a book.

I'd say own the story first. It's your life, it's your story, and YOU should tell it. Even if certain things are left out, that's fine, but you should lay out the timeline and the main events and get your perspective documented because otherwise all sorts of dreck, worse than now, will come out and totally muddy the story.

Just my tuppence, of course. She'll do whatever she thinks is best for her. Of course I did think, well, if these guys are on wife #3, and you slept with him when he was with wife #1, then why should #3 care?? It doesn't make #3 look bad. All the ex wives might come knocking on her door, however….. And most of these guys I bet have kids, so maybe she's worried about people's younger kids finding sh*t out about daddy. I think she became aware of the chatter after FWIW came out and the clip of her saying who it was about and people connecting the dots and getting ruffled that him sleeping with her was a violation of his professional code. I don't think she'd feel bad for herself about it at all, but maybe for him.

She cops to the pregnancy coz it's out there, and she's owned it before with Mary Turner. Wonder if there were more if she'd ever even mention them. That I could see her leaving out. And I can't say I'd blame her.

But I'd be first in line for her memoirs!

[louielouie2000]

Great interview. One of the best in years.

I concur. These are some of the most coherent & revealing answers I've heard from Stevie in quite some time.

Count me as shocked she finally addressed Don Henley's claim that Sara was (partially) written about their unborn child. I never doubted Don was telling the truth, but I also never thought we'd hear Stevie confirm it, either.

It's interesting to see it confirmed that Stevie decided to record 24k after FM had cancelled their international dates last year due to John's cancer, but before Christine decided to return to the band. Plus, Stevie's also admitting she knew they wouldn't be ready for her before this tour commences, either. We've all theorized these things around here, but have never known them to be true until now.

[gssmith]

A lot of new info! I learned a bunch of things I've never heard. "3rd wives all under 30" my favorite quote! Those women are whores looking for a rich old sugar daddy waiting for them to die. Can't blame them though. I'd do the same thing.

[SpyNote]

Great interview. I love how we learn just a little bit more each time about the old stories. Ballsy, but good on the interviewer for addressing the Henley relationship.

[michelej1]

Those cats weren't hookers.

Michele

[FM77]

Those cats weren't hookers.

Michele

"They were street cats." OMG this was my favorite thing in the whole article. She KILLS me. That is just so HER.

[jkmaletic]

Can't wait to tell my cats she wrote a song about cats!!!

:lol:

[KarmaContestant]

When I visited New Orleans, I saw a lot of local art that made use of the "No cat selling" phrase. I finally asked one gallery owner what the signifigance of that was...and...well..."cat" was just a more polite word.

[lulu28]

"They were street cats." OMG this was my favorite thing in the whole article. She KILLS me. That is just so HER.

YES! She's hilarious and sometimes I can't tell if she really actually means to be funny, or if we all just take it that way!!
I'm so happy that she is doing all of these interviews and actually being candid about some of the stuff from her past.

[bombaysaffires]

Stevie Nicks was sitting in her den in Los Angeles' PacifiStevie Nicks was sitting in her den in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades recently, overlooking the ocean, when the 66-year-old peered out the window and saw black angel wings. The wings were so pretty, she thought about taking a photo. But after several minutes, she heard ambulance sirens and realized that a boat had caught fire: The angel wings were in fact black smoke.c Palisades recently, overlooking the ocean, when the 66-year-old peered out the window and saw black angel wings. The wings were so pretty, she thought about taking a photo. But after several minutes, she heard ambulance sirens and realized that a boat had caught fire: The angel wings were in fact black smoke.

sounds like she wasn't wearing her glasses :lol:

[louielouie2000]

YES! She's hilarious and sometimes I can't tell if she really actually means to be funny, or if we all just take it that way!!

Having spent a very small amount of time around her in person, she absolutely intends to be funny. I'm guessing you've seen the In Your Dreams documentary, but if not, she's just a giant goofball.

[Tango]

It might be easier for Stevie to talk about some of these topics in interviews now that both her parents have passed. Sometimes for some people it's almost a role reversal as one's parents get older to try to protect them. It's also not surprising that Stevie is protective of the children with regards to what she writes. I suspect after Mick, Carol Ann and Ken's books, Stevie is quite aware of the reaction people had. She may come off as a flake sometimes, but I suspect she is well aware of the fallout that comes from the written word. Stevie tells a lot in her music-- we've all seen that over the years. When I read the words to Fall From Grace it seemed clear she was keeping confidences--and apparently at the request of "him," whoever that might be.

[fairydust75]

I think she just doesn't care anymore, her parents are no longer here.....so let it rip.
I'm calling Mama out...B@## S*&* on the "husbands not being ready" Mama's not ready for the freakshow that would erupt when she spilled the beans....she'd be eaten alive by the vulture's.

[nicole21290]

It might be easier for Stevie to talk about some of these topics in interviews now that both her parents have passed. Sometimes for some people it's almost a role reversal as one's parents get older to try to protect them. It's also not surprising that Stevie is protective of the children with regards to what she writes. I suspect after Mick, Carol Ann and Ken's books, Stevie is quite aware of the reaction people had. She may come off as a flake sometimes, but I suspect she is well aware of the fallout that comes from the written word. Stevie tells a lot in her music-- we've all seen that over the years. When I read the words to Fall From Grace it seemed clear she was keeping confidences--and apparently at the request of "him," whoever that might be.

Whoever that might be? She's discussed FFG a few times in detail, talking about how it's about Lindsey...

2001:
“Fall From Grace is really about Fleetwood Mac onstage— that’s always mostly going to be about me and Lindsey, just about our energy and what a trip it is to be in Fleetwood Mac and walk up there onstage. It’s just, it’s grand, you know? It’s a very grand thing. It’s nothing like your solo career. “

2005:
“Fall From Grace was a formal full-on poem…you know ‘maybe I worked this hard just to make sure you survive’…this was something.. and it doesn’t really matter, of course, I wrote that poem about Lindsey and Lindsey knows that and he doesn’t care. He loves being inspirational and he is and I am to him. So we laugh about that. So I write these really really heavy poems. I think I wrote most of that when we were out on the road on The Dance.”

2011:
"Angry song. Probably my angriest song ever. But, it has…it’s angry like ‘don’t jump off that cliff, don’t be an idiot.’ But, at the same time it’s like ‘because I don’t want you to be hurt.’" [Interviewer talks]

"No, that song’s about Lindsey. Oh yeah. That’s after the Dance. I wrote that in 1998, 1998-99 that’s right after the Dance." [Interviewer: So, he still knows the buttons to push.] "Oh yeah, definitely. And he tries not to push them so much now because I really don’t like it and I don’t want to be angry with him now. But he knows how to get to me. But, I’m only saving him in that song." [Stevie quotes song, forgetting some words]

“But it basically says, you know as angry as I am at you, I’m really only trying to help you. So at the end when it comes to the end it basically turns the whole thing around. Almost like he does on Never Going Back Again. when he says you know, “I”m never going back again” and blah blah blah but then he says ‘but come around and see me again.’ So Fall From Grace is kinda like that.”

-

As for the not wanting to spill the beans and it affecting the wives (which she said something along those lines last year but in reference to Don and Lindsey in particular), maybe she should've thought that through when she spilled on Beautiful Child being about Derek Taylor, seeing as his widow (and their six children together) is still living and she was married to him from the time Stevie was ten until Derek's death in 1997, lol.

[TxEpiscopalian]

Do you think perhaps Goodbye Baby was about the child she lost with Don? I had not read where she expounded on Beautiful Child. I had always thought it was a song about a miscarriage or abortion. That and Goodbye Baby.

[DauphineMarie]

Story now on the Daily Mail..

"'I would have named her Sara': Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks finally confirms rumour she was once pregnant with Don Henley's baby"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2772108/Fleetwood-Mac-s-Stevie-Nicks-finally-confirms-rumour-pregnant-Don-Henley-s-baby.html
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2772108/Fleetwood-Mac-s-Stevie-Nicks-finally-confirms-rumour-pregnant-Don-Henley-s-baby.html)

[Macfanforever]

Story now on the Daily Mail..

"'I would have named her Sara': Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks finally confirms rumour she was once pregnant with Don Henley's baby"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2772108/Fleetwood-Mac-s-Stevie-Nicks-finally-confirms-rumour-pregnant-Don-Henley-s-baby.html
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2772108/Fleetwood-Mac-s-Stevie-Nicks-finally-confirms-rumour-pregnant-Don-Henley-s-baby.html)

Also over Google news.heres some snapshots below.

[DauphineMarie]

Also over Google news.heres some snapshots below.

This is great publicity! I am so excited :]

[Jondalar]

That was a crappy thing to ask her. Getting too much attention.

[nicole21290]

Do you think perhaps Goodbye Baby was about the child she lost with Don? I had not read where she expounded on Beautiful Child. I had always thought it was a song about a miscarriage or abortion. That and Goodbye Baby.

Beautiful Child she has said was inspired by her relationship with Derek Taylor.

As for Goodbye Baby, she hasn't discussed that. Personally, I think it's about a miscarriage but I understand why people seem to see it the other way instead. It was demo-ed as The Tower in 1976 I believe so... This is what the director of Destiny Rules said about it:

One of the more emotional moments made it to the film and that was when Stevie and Lindsey recorded “Goodbye Baby”. That was shot very quietly late at night and due to the subject matter, was a very private and personal moment between those two.

[Lisa W]

That was a crappy thing to ask her. Getting too much attention.
I agree. Using that for the title of the article made it worse. Makes Billboard look like TMZ

[sparky]

"3rd wives all under 30" my favorite quote! Those women are whores looking for a rich old sugar daddy waiting for them to die. Can't blame them though. I'd do the same thing.

Yup. Babies will be squirted out all around. The men need to mark their territory and the whores need lifelong financial support. That's how it works. Nothing new under the sun.

[StreetAngel86]

John doesn't get to write/sing about anybody
poor john :lol::lol::lol:

that Stevie. she's classic.
but hearing her use "MO" ... that cracked me up the most.
:thumbsup:

thanks for the posting

[louielouie2000]

That was a crappy thing to ask her. Getting too much attention.

I agree. Using that for the title of the article made it worse. Makes Billboard look like TMZ

I had the same reaction at first- what gall it took to ask her that question! But I also firmly believe that all the questions Stevie answers on the record are absolutely defined & filtered by her publicist & management. So if Stevie wasn't ok with this question being asked & her answer published, it never would have happened.

Beautiful Child she has said was inspired by her relationship with Derek Taylor.

I have to admit, when Stevie confessed that a while back, it was one of the few times I wish she'd kept the mystery alive. Unfortunately, it kind of sullied the song for me.

[nicole21290]

I have to admit, when Stevie confessed that a while back, it was one of the few times I wish she'd kept the mystery alive. Unfortunately, it kind of sullied the song for me.

In light of all her 'not going to tell things because WIVES!', she maybe could've kept her mouth shut slightly longer. His wife is still alive, so far as I know, and they were married from when Stevie was ten until Derek died in 1997 so... *shrugs* That one was a surprise to me, though. At least I was well familiar with the person involved for once, being an absolute Beatles obsessive. #silverlining

[sorcerer999]

Completely showing my ignorance here...but who was Derek Taylor?

[louielouie2000]

Completely showing my ignorance here...but who was Derek Taylor?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Taylor

[sorcerer999]

Thanks! :)

[Johnny Stew]

In light of all her 'not going to tell things because WIVES!', she maybe could've kept her mouth shut slightly longer. His wife is still alive, so far as I know, and they were married from when Stevie was ten until Derek died in 1997 so... *shrugs* That one was a surprise to me, though. At least I was well familiar with the person involved for once, being an absolute Beatles obsessive. #silverlining

Maybe Derek Taylor's wife, Joan, knew about the affair. Something tells me Stevie wouldn't have publicly admitted that otherwise.

[bombaysaffires]

Beautiful Child she has said was inspired by her relationship with Derek Taylor.

As for Goodbye Baby, she hasn't discussed that. Personally, I think it's about a miscarriage but I understand why people seem to see it the other way instead. It was demo-ed as The Tower in 1976 I believe so... This is what the director of Destiny Rules said about it:

One of the more emotional moments made it to the film and that was when Stevie and Lindsey recorded “Goodbye Baby”. That was shot very quietly late at night and due to the subject matter, was a very private and personal moment between those two.

I don't see anything in that quote that indicates it's about an abortion. It's about them and their relationship and that would be a personal moment.

[Jondalar]

There is no stigma attached to miscarriages. I'm sure if she had a miscarriage we would of heard it in about 50 songs by now. Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to abortion, even if it is the absolute right thing to do.

[loverly13]

There is no stigma attached to miscarriages. I'm sure if she had a miscarriage we would of heard it in about 50 songs by now. Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to abortion, even if it is the absolute right thing to do.

No, there's not the same stigma, but perhaps it's something that still pains them both to talk about?

Additionally, I don't want to speculate, but I just remembered reading once that there are a few other songs and demos have vague/not so vague references to whatever happened, so it could be just another event she has come back to for lyrics again and again - Gyspy, Rock a Bye Baby, and Amber come to mind off the top of my head.

But - back to the article - I agree that the headline is so sensationalist, it makes me a little sad and angry that they chose to go with that, but hey, who am I to talk? That's going to give them good click-throughs and in modern journalism, that's what counts... Even though we've all pretty much known this to be true for years, though, Stevie admitting it is still very sad and heartbreaking.

[Jondalar]

No, there's not the same stigma, but perhaps it's something that still pains them both to talk about?

Additionally, I don't want to speculate, but I just remembered reading once that there are a few other songs and demos have vague/not so vague references to whatever happened, so it could be just another event she has come back to for lyrics again and again - Gyspy, Rock a Bye Baby, and Amber come to mind off the top of my head.

But - back to the article - I agree that the headline is so sensationalist, it makes me a little sad and angry that they chose to go with that, but hey, who am I to talk? That's going to give them good click-throughs and in modern journalism, that's what counts... Even though we've all pretty much known this to be true for years, though, Stevie admitting it is still very sad and heartbreaking.

I don't think it pains Don at all. I think it pains her. I think she had a terrible decision to make but she made the right one.

I think the reporter is a freaking jerk.

[welcomechris]

I don't think it pains Don at all. I think it pains her. I think she had a terrible decision to make but she made the right one.

I think the reporter is a freaking jerk.

I agree, who would ask someone about there abortions? That's just sick

[bombaysaffires]

I don't think it pains Don at all. I think it pains her. I think she had a terrible decision to make but she made the right one.

I think the reporter is a freaking jerk.

No, Don Henley is a freaking jerk. If he'd kept his trap shut, the reporter would have nothing to ask about.

[Jondalar]

No, Don Henley is a freaking jerk. If he'd kept his trap shut, the reporter would have nothing to ask about.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hxRcuo1PfZE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Yeah, he is. Stevie and Chrisine no kids. The men they slept with have families. Not very fair. I'm sure the Eagles kept abortion clinics pretty busy.

[soul_drifter333]

O no you dit-ten. Love John Waters. :shocked:



<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hxRcuo1PfZE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Yeah, he is. Stevie and Chrisine no kids. The men they slept with have families. Not very fair. I'm sure the Eagles kept abortion clinics pretty busy.

[michelej1]

No, Don Henley is a freaking jerk. If he'd kept his trap shut, the reporter would have nothing to ask about.

True, Don is a jerk and I laughed when Richard hinted as much, saying that if you haven't got anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all about Henley.

But it's not a question the reporter should have asked. I mean, if Stevie wanted to talk about it and brought it up herself, I think that would be great, but I don't think you ask someone about that. Likewise, I don't think use ask Eric Clapton about his son either. If he initiates that conversation, then go for it. But let him do it.

As for Stevie, I think she acknowledged it a long time ago with the cat out of the bag comment, so no surprises.

Michele

[louielouie2000]

True, Don is a jerk and I laughed when Richard hinted as much, saying that if you haven't got anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all about Henley.

I always hate hearing about what a giant jerk Henley is. He's been one of my favorite talents since I was a child. And he's a HUGE environmental advocate for Caddo Lake, one of Texas' little known international treasures (it's the largest cypress forest in the world, and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the lower 48). My Mom's side of the family has lived in the Caddo area since before Texas joined the Union, so that particular cause is very dear to me. Don has really spearheaded conservation & restoration out there when nobody else could be convinced to care.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/caddo-lake/gallery/Caddo%20Lake_0049_04.jpg

But it's not a question the reporter should have asked. I mean, if Stevie wanted to talk about it and brought it up herself, I think that would be great, but I don't think you ask someone about that. Likewise, I don't think use ask Eric Clapton about his son either. If he initiates that conversation, then go for it. But let him do it.

As for Stevie, I think she acknowledged it a long time ago with the cat out of the bag comment, so no surprises.

Michele

It's true that Stevie did confess these things nearly 25 years ago now after Don's book was published. But so many fans disavow that interview. They blamed the Klonopin, or hazy, indirect quotes & artistic post-interview license from the journalist. This article closes that mystery once & for all, though.

However, I definitely agree it was tasteless of the interviewer to broach that subject. Like I said before, I have to wonder if this was all planned & approved beforehand, though. Stevie's publicist & management team seemingly keeps a tight lid on what she discusses, hence so many canned & sometimes robotic answers to the same old questions year after year, decade after decade. Like others have said, with Stevie's parents now gone, and many of her peers starting to pass away, you have to wonder if the woman is starting to confess these things to set the story straight, and soothe her soul. Plus, she's always wanted to be as open as possible with her story & travails so that others would learn from her.

[bombaysaffires]

I always hate hearing about what a giant jerk Henley is. He's been one of my favorite talents since I was a child. And he's a HUGE environmental advocate for Caddo Lake, one of Texas' little known international treasures (it's the largest cypress forest in the world, and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the lower 48). My Mom's side of the family has lived in the Caddo area since before Texas joined the Union, so that particular cause is very dear to me. Don has really spearheaded conservation & restoration out there when nobody else could be convinced to care.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/caddo-lake/gallery/Caddo%20Lake_0049_04.jpg



It's true that Stevie did confess these things nearly 25 years ago now after Don's book was published. But so many fans disavow that interview. They blamed the Klonopin, or hazy, indirect quotes & artistic post-interview license from the journalist. This article closes that mystery once & for all, though.

However, I definitely agree it was tasteless of the interviewer to broach that subject. Like I said before, I have to wonder if this was all planned & approved beforehand, though. Stevie's publicist & management team seemingly keeps a tight lid on what she discusses, hence so many canned & sometimes robotic answers to the same old questions year after year, decade after decade. Like others have said, with Stevie's parents now gone, and many of her peers starting to pass away, you have to wonder if the woman is starting to confess these things to set the story straight, and soothe her soul. Plus, she's always wanted to be as open as possible with her story & travails so that others would learn from her.

Actually the first mention by Don of the abortion was in an interview in GQ magazine. I want to say Chris Connelly was the interviewer but I could be wrong on that. I remember reading it and going "wha..? you choose to just BLURT that out like it's nothing in GQ??"

And Stevie did say I believe to Mary Turner (there's audio of the interview floating around) that had he not opened his trap she would never have revealed that particular fact.

People can be talented and still be a-holes to deal with. Don clearly is that. Lindsey was that most of his career. (sorry elle). Don being very in touch with his bunghole side doesn't by any means undo the contributions he's made in his charitable work.

[tabruns]

[QUOTE=louielouie2000;1145076]I always hate hearing about what a giant jerk Henley is. He's been one of my favorite talents since I was a child. And he's a HUGE environmental advocate for Caddo Lake, one of Texas' little known international treasures (it's the largest cypress forest in the world, and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the lower 48). My Mom's side of the family has lived in the Caddo area since before Texas joined the Union, so that particular cause is very dear to me. Don has really spearheaded conservation & restoration out there when nobody else could be convinced to care.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/caddo-lake/gallery/Caddo%20Lake_0049_04.jpg

Yeah. Well you know, it's the complexity of humans, isn't it? There are very very few of us that are entirely good or entirely bad. It's quite possible for Henley to be both fairly sexist (which I think is kind of obvious from the way he's talked about the pregnancy and termination) and yet also a champion of the environment.

[DauphineMarie]

Actually the first mention by Don of the abortion was in an interview in GQ magazine. I want to say Chris Connelly was the interviewer but I could be wrong on that. I remember reading it and going "wha..? you choose to just BLURT that out like it's nothing in GQ??"

And if I remember correctly, all accounts say that Don was hopelessly intoxicated? I could be wrong, but I think someone said it.

[nicole21290]

Actually the first mention by Don of the abortion was in an interview in GQ magazine. I want to say Chris Connelly was the interviewer but I could be wrong on that. I remember reading it and going "wha..? you choose to just BLURT that out like it's nothing in GQ??"

And Stevie did say I believe to Mary Turner (there's audio of the interview floating around) that had he not opened his trap she would never have revealed that particular fact.

People can be talented and still be a-holes to deal with. Don clearly is that. Lindsey was that most of his career. (sorry elle). Don being very in touch with his bunghole side doesn't by any means undo the contributions he's made in his charitable work.

Don Henley said this in August 1991 in GQ:

Henley’s prodigious romantic escapades would include an affair with Stevie Nicks, who “I believe to the best of my knowledge became pregnant by me. And she named the [unborn] kid Sara, and she had an abortion and then wrote the song of the same name to the spirit of the aborted baby. I was building my house at the time, and there’s a line in the song that says ‘And when you build your house, call me.’”

In February 1992, a British music magazine called Vox published an interview with Stevie where the article says this:

But now there is remorse at the havoc her abortions have wreaked on her psyche. “To give up four babies is to give up a lot that would be here now. So that bothers me, a lot, and really breaks my heart. But they’re gone, so…” She composes herself. “But I couldn’t have because I was too busy. And I had all these commitments.” She wants to adopt, but age and single-parenthood are against her. “I’ve also thought about having one myself but I’m booked up for the next four years. I don’t know if, at my age, I can get pregnant right away, do an album at the same time, have a baby, promote an album, go out on tour with the baby. So I’m going back and forth in my mind. At 43 years old, my time clock is ticking, so I can’t afford to wait around for very long.” Surely these are the same excuses she made on the last four occasions — with two important differences. There is no obvious candidate for the father, and even if there were, the decision totally remains in her hands.

This is what Stevie said to Mary Turner about Don in her Off the Record interview in 1994 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=van9uyR9ksc). Mary asks her whether she would consider writing an autobiography one day and Stevie replies:

The real scoop is in my head. And the real scoop is written in very coded poetry and journal entries and - y’know, over the last - since 1975. And some of the things - I mean, like - Don Henley. I can’t - I - he blew it on the fact that I, that I had an abortion. He told a big magazine that. So it’s like ‘Well, I guess I could write my story about me and Don now, because Don accidentally let the whole cat out of the bag to, like, Vanity Fair or something. So there are things that I could write about, y’know, but there are a lot of things that I couldn’t. See, I would never have told that. I would never have told the world that. You know, ninety-two phone calls from Don and a hundred apologies later, but the fact is that, y’know - well, now that story’s out now. But the story behind it isn’t written. What really happened isn’t written. So that’s the story that everybody has to wait for.

[Jondalar]

Don Henley said this in August 1991 in GQ:

Henley’s prodigious romantic escapades would include an affair with Stevie Nicks, who “I believe to the best of my knowledge became pregnant by me. And she named the [unborn] kid Sara, and she had an abortion and then wrote the song of the same name to the spirit of the aborted baby. I was building my house at the time, and there’s a line in the song that says ‘And when you build your house, call me.’”

In February 1992, a British music magazine called Vox published an interview with Stevie where the article says this:

But now there is remorse at the havoc her abortions have wreaked on her psyche. “To give up four babies is to give up a lot that would be here now. So that bothers me, a lot, and really breaks my heart. But they’re gone, so…” She composes herself. “But I couldn’t have because I was too busy. And I had all these commitments.” She wants to adopt, but age and single-parenthood are against her. “I’ve also thought about having one myself but I’m booked up for the next four years. I don’t know if, at my age, I can get pregnant right away, do an album at the same time, have a baby, promote an album, go out on tour with the baby. So I’m going back and forth in my mind. At 43 years old, my time clock is ticking, so I can’t afford to wait around for very long.” Surely these are the same excuses she made on the last four occasions — with two important differences. There is no obvious candidate for the father, and even if there were, the decision totally remains in her hands.

This is what Stevie said to Mary Turner about Don in her Off the Record interview in 1994 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=van9uyR9ksc). Mary asks her whether she would consider writing an autobiography one day and Stevie replies:

The real scoop is in my head. And the real scoop is written in very coded poetry and journal entries and - y’know, over the last - since 1975. And some of the things - I mean, like - Don Henley. I can’t - I - he blew it on the fact that I, that I had an abortion. He told a big magazine that. So it’s like ‘Well, I guess I could write my story about me and Don now, because Don accidentally let the whole cat out of the bag to, like, Vanity Fair or something. So there are things that I could write about, y’know, but there are a lot of things that I couldn’t. See, I would never have told that. I would never have told the world that. You know, ninety-two phone calls from Don and a hundred apologies later, but the fact is that, y’know - well, now that story’s out now. But the story behind it isn’t written. What really happened isn’t written. So that’s the story that everybody has to wait for.

She shows great loyalty to people but they don't to her.

[michelej1]

^The contrast in the two is interesting, Louie.

It is the Vox interview that has been distrusted due to uncharacteristic comments attributed to Stevie. No one thought the Off The Record interview was at all questionable.

Michele

[PenguinHead]

YES! She's hilarious and sometimes I can't tell if she really actually means to be funny, or if we all just take it that way!!
I'm so happy that she is doing all of these interviews and actually being candid about some of the stuff from her past.

That is a good observation! I think it's a little of both: part comic and part eccentric.

[bombaysaffires]

Don Henley said this in August 1991 in GQ:

Henley’s prodigious romantic escapades would include an affair with Stevie Nicks, who “I believe to the best of my knowledge became pregnant by me. And she named the [unborn] kid Sara, and she had an abortion and then wrote the song of the same name to the spirit of the aborted baby. I was building my house at the time, and there’s a line in the song that says ‘And when you build your house, call me.’”

In February 1992, a British music magazine called Vox published an interview with Stevie where the article says this:

But now there is remorse at the havoc her abortions have wreaked on her psyche. “To give up four babies is to give up a lot that would be here now. So that bothers me, a lot, and really breaks my heart. But they’re gone, so…” She composes herself. “But I couldn’t have because I was too busy. And I had all these commitments.” She wants to adopt, but age and single-parenthood are against her. “I’ve also thought about having one myself but I’m booked up for the next four years. I don’t know if, at my age, I can get pregnant right away, do an album at the same time, have a baby, promote an album, go out on tour with the baby. So I’m going back and forth in my mind. At 43 years old, my time clock is ticking, so I can’t afford to wait around for very long.” Surely these are the same excuses she made on the last four occasions — with two important differences. There is no obvious candidate for the father, and even if there were, the decision totally remains in her hands.

This is what Stevie said to Mary Turner about Don in her Off the Record interview in 1994 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=van9uyR9ksc). Mary asks her whether she would consider writing an autobiography one day and Stevie replies:

The real scoop is in my head. And the real scoop is written in very coded poetry and journal entries and - y’know, over the last - since 1975. And some of the things - I mean, like - Don Henley. I can’t - I - he blew it on the fact that I, that I had an abortion. He told a big magazine that. So it’s like ‘Well, I guess I could write my story about me and Don now, because Don accidentally let the whole cat out of the bag to, like, Vanity Fair or something. So there are things that I could write about, y’know, but there are a lot of things that I couldn’t. See, I would never have told that. I would never have told the world that. You know, ninety-two phone calls from Don and a hundred apologies later, but the fact is that, y’know - well, now that story’s out now. But the story behind it isn’t written. What really happened isn’t written. So that’s the story that everybody has to wait for.


wow great job digging those out nicole!!

[nicole21290]

wow great job digging those out nicole!!

No problem. I prefer to work with actual quotes rather than impressions or memories of them. :D A few months ago, there were a few days where it was a topic I was being asked a lot about on tumblr, so I finally got around to finding the quotes, and transcribing the Mary Turner interview segment which is the key one, really.

[michelej1]

so I finally got around to finding the quotes, and transcribing the Mary Turner interview segment which is the key one, really.

Transcription is invaluable, because it makes things searchable.

The audio from the Off The Record interview is still up on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=van9uyR9ksc

[BlueDenimLamp]

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r663/Nicksiannation/snhhh_zps30519655.png

Stevie Nicks and Don Henley are now a trending topic on Bing...

[lovethemac1]

Don Henley said this in August 1991 in GQ:

Henley’s prodigious romantic escapades would include an affair with Stevie Nicks, who “I believe to the best of my knowledge became pregnant by me. And she named the [unborn] kid Sara, and she had an abortion and then wrote the song of the same name to the spirit of the aborted baby. I was building my house at the time, and there’s a line in the song that says ‘And when you build your house, call me.’”

In February 1992, a British music magazine called Vox published an interview with Stevie where the article says this:

But now there is remorse at the havoc her abortions have wreaked on her psyche. “To give up four babies is to give up a lot that would be here now. So that bothers me, a lot, and really breaks my heart. But they’re gone, so…” She composes herself. “But I couldn’t have because I was too busy. And I had all these commitments.” She wants to adopt, but age and single-parenthood are against her. “I’ve also thought about having one myself but I’m booked up for the next four years. I don’t know if, at my age, I can get pregnant right away, do an album at the same time, have a baby, promote an album, go out on tour with the baby. So I’m going back and forth in my mind. At 43 years old, my time clock is ticking, so I can’t afford to wait around for very long.” Surely these are the same excuses she made on the last four occasions — with two important differences. There is no obvious candidate for the father, and even if there were, the decision totally remains in her hands.

This is what Stevie said to Mary Turner about Don in her Off the Record interview in 1994 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=van9uyR9ksc). Mary asks her whether she would consider writing an autobiography one day and Stevie replies:

The real scoop is in my head. And the real scoop is written in very coded poetry and journal entries and - y’know, over the last - since 1975. And some of the things - I mean, like - Don Henley. I can’t - I - he blew it on the fact that I, that I had an abortion. He told a big magazine that. So it’s like ‘Well, I guess I could write my story about me and Don now, because Don accidentally let the whole cat out of the bag to, like, Vanity Fair or something. So there are things that I could write about, y’know, but there are a lot of things that I couldn’t. See, I would never have told that. I would never have told the world that. You know, ninety-two phone calls from Don and a hundred apologies later, but the fact is that, y’know - well, now that story’s out now. But the story behind it isn’t written. What really happened isn’t written. So that’s the story that everybody has to wait for.

Wow, great excerpts. A lot of emotion and heartache, that's for sure. For everyone involved. 4 abortions.......I feel bad for her. That must have been very difficult.

[sorcerer999]

True, Don is a jerk and I laughed when Richard hinted as much, saying that if you haven't got anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all about Henley.

My friend and former co-worker Emily is one of the quietest, sweetest, loveable people anyone could have the pleasure of meeting. Anyone would be lucky to have this wonderful gal in their lives.

So watching Don Henley publically BERATE her because the caramel macchiato she made for him wasn't "up to snuff" was too much for me to bear! He made her start over and make it FOUR TIMES before he was satisfied. He took a sip and said, "Jesus! Finally! THIS is how a f**king caramel macchiato is supposed to taste" before walking off without leaving a tip. What's funny is that the way she made it the forth time was the EXACT same way she made it the first time. Emily broke down and cried after he left. Up til that point, she had always been a huge fan of his.

Henley is an ass!

[StreetAngel86]

Henley is an ass!

exactly. it's not the way one treats "fans" that tells you about how they are in RL
it's how they treat average joe
and this example makes me want to punch him
there's no need for that. u can be unhappy "quietly" and 1:1 :shocked:

[TimeCastASpell]

exactly. it's not the way one treats "fans" that tells you about how they are in RL
it's how they treat average joe
and this example makes me want to punch him
there's no need for that. u can be unhappy "quietly" and 1:1 :shocked:

I agree completely!

And Sorcerer999, I genuinely feel terrible for your friend. No one should be treated that way in general (and I've seen a few snobs at Starbucks whine and return drinks but FOUR TIMES? Wow!). But then to be a huge fan on top of that, I can't even imagine. Best I can compare it to is that I really looked up to a particular politician (I know, I know, that was setting myself up for disappointment to begin with!) and said politician isn't a US politician so when they were in the US I hopped a plane, made a huge deal of seeing her speak. Never got to meet her but was holding out hope to do so and then I read a story of someone roughly my age (young adultish) going up to meet this politician (who is a notorious introvert, so I don't know to this day that she meant to come off as such a jerk, just a politician who sucks at the smoozing side of things perhaps) and telling her how she was a big fan, really admired her- basically it could've been me though it wasnt- and this politician basically brushed her off, was super abrupt and I think literally said "Well now you've met me." And walked away. Broke my heart just to hear that story so I can't even imagine actually being on the receiving end of someone I'm a fan of treating me like Henley treated your friend. Just terrible. And I don't understand how famous folks can get so lost in the clouds or stuck on themselves or whatever that. They can be so rude to "normal people" when if not for us they wouldn't have anything, you know?