So why did they break up?

[pattyfan]

My niece asked me why Stevie and Lindsey broke up, and I realized that I never really knew why. Ditto for Christine and John. Or who broke up with whom. If this is common knowledge, then it's even more embarrassing since I consider myself to be somewhat of a fan. :) If this has been discussed to death, maybe someone can refer me to that discussion. Thanks.

Kevin

[button-lip]

My niece asked me why Stevie and Lindsey broke up, and I realized that I never really knew why. Ditto for Christine and John. Or who broke up with whom. If this is common knowledge, then it's even more embarrassing since I consider myself to be somewhat of a fan. :) If this has been discussed to death, maybe someone can refer me to that discussion. Thanks.

Kevin

Only they know the real reason in both cases. At least Christine and John remained such good friends, probably because Christine isn't Stevie. :D

I think in Stevie and Lindsey's case, they wanted different things. She wanted a career, fame, to be a legend, whatever. He wanted a career but also a family. Obviously, they drifted apart.

In Christine and John's case, I think it's harder to see the real reason, because they're both down to earth people.

[SisterNightroad]

Actually, like with everything else, with time explanation changed within each interview, but the oldest and in my opinion closer to the "truth" interview in which the matter is discussed is this one: http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/archive/tijd.htm

P.S. Now since The Blue Letter Archive doesn't work properly I can't find the one in which they talked a bit more about the McVies, I actually had trouble finding that specific interview above too, however it was mostly due to John's alcohol addiction.

[jenniferuk]

The bio sections on this site are worth a read, in particular the McVie info as John gave Lis (former site owner) edits, IIRC.
http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/fwm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=89

Here's an excerpt CM quote

I daresay, if I hadn't joined the band, we might still be together. I just think it's impossible to work in the band with your spouse. Imagine the tension of living with someone 24 hours a day, on the road, in an already stressful situation, with the added negativity of too much alcohol. It just blew apart." Anyone who has taken a holiday with someone knows how after about a week in close quarters, tempers start to wear thin, and little irritations start to grow into major blow-ups. I can’t fathom the strain of doing this for years instead of days or weeks, and dealing not only with your spouse, but also with the little idiosyncrasies of other individual band members. Add to that a poor diet, cramped travel cars, a nightmarish laundry situation, dirty hotel rooms, and lack of privacy--Mick has said that at times they had to sleep three or four to a room-- not exactly a recipe for marital bliss. But the root of the problems really seemed to lie in the fact that they were just together too much: “John and I spent too much time in each other’s pockets. It’s pressure, being in the public eye. When people get married they can live in a house with more than one room. But on tour you’re in a hotel room together, you leave the hotel together, you drive together, eat together, sit on the plane next to each other—you’re like Siamese twins.”

[jbrownsjr]

^^^ That's an amazing answer!! Thanks, Jennifer.

[HomerMcvie]

Only they know the real reason in both cases. At least Christine and John remained such good friends, probably because Christine isn't Stevie. :D

In Christine and John's case, I think it's harder to see the real reason, because they're both down to earth people.

:xoxo:

John's alcoholism. He's said, "she saw me at my worst (drunk), one too many times. She'd had enough".

[button-lip]

:xoxo:

John's alcoholism. He's said, "she saw me at my worst (drunk), one too many times. She'd had enough".

Poor John! :(

Luckily, it changed with Julie in his life. :nod:

Haha, "nightmarish laundry situation". I'm just laughing thinking of those two arguing over dirty socks and underwear! :laugh:

[GypsySorcerer]

Well, they've certainly left us enough in their lyrics and interview comments to speculate. :laugh: Although this is all conjecture, my opinion is that Stevie and Lindsey were just downright incompatible. I think they had a musical and physical connection. But I also think they struggled with power dynamics (i.e. both wanting to be "in change" or in "control"). Lindsey seemed to be the very jealous/possessive type, and I don't think Stevie is one to tolerate that ("what you did not need was a woman who was stronger"). I also think they were very competitive with each other, and I don't care what anybody says, too much competition in a relationship is never a good thing. Like the quote of Lindsey's about them never really being friends, even though they were lovers. I do think he was crazy about her (and let's be honest, what guy wouldn't have been) and was crushed when they broke up, as evidenced by the bitterness in some of his lyrics.

As for John and Chris, the booze obviously and tension of being in the same band, which has been mentioned.

[sue]

I also think that at the time Stevie was wildly excited with their new fame, where as Lindsey wasn't....The music and production was the all important thing to him.

Stevie like the adulation and he just didn't get that, he liked to be in control of most things and suddenly he was not in control of her.

I don't know for sure but I think he's the quiet introvert and she's full of life and full of herself, once they were famous that was the kiss of death for their relationship..

[button-lip]

I also think that at the time Stevie was wildly excited with their new fame, where as Lindsey wasn't....The music and production was the all important thing to him.

Stevie like the adulation and he just didn't get that, he liked to be in control of most things and suddenly he was not in control of her.

I don't know for sure but I think he's the quiet introvert and she's full of life and full of herself, once they were famous that was the kiss of death for their relationship..

Accurate description of their relationship. :xoxo:

Oh, she's full of herself, that's for sure. Especially these days. :rolleyes:

[bombaysaffires]

The bio sections on this site are worth a read, in particular the McVie info as John gave Lis (former site owner) edits, IIRC.
http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/fwm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=89

Here's an excerpt CM quote

I daresay, if I hadn't joined the band, we might still be together. I just think it's impossible to work in the band with your spouse. Imagine the tension of living with someone 24 hours a day, on the road, in an already stressful situation, with the added negativity of too much alcohol. It just blew apart." Anyone who has taken a holiday with someone knows how after about a week in close quarters, tempers start to wear thin, and little irritations start to grow into major blow-ups. I can’t fathom the strain of doing this for years instead of days or weeks, and dealing not only with your spouse, but also with the little idiosyncrasies of other individual band members. Add to that a poor diet, cramped travel cars, a nightmarish laundry situation, dirty hotel rooms, and lack of privacy--Mick has said that at times they had to sleep three or four to a room-- not exactly a recipe for marital bliss. But the root of the problems really seemed to lie in the fact that they were just together too much: “John and I spent too much time in each other’s pockets. It’s pressure, being in the public eye. When people get married they can live in a house with more than one room. But on tour you’re in a hotel room together, you leave the hotel together, you drive together, eat together, sit on the plane next to each other—you’re like Siamese twins.”

As much as everyone likes to get into the more salacious differences between Stevie and Lindsey, the largest portion of their break up is due to these exact same reasons.

Stevie would talk more about that aspect of things earlier on in their career; as they became more vindictive towards each other she focused on other things.

But she would say things early on like it's hard to be in a band with someone AND also be their supportive girlfriend. She used examples like, say Lindsey was having trouble nailing down a particular guitar part on a song. She as his GF should be all about making him feel better "you're great man, don't listen to them" etc etc But then she's like you know, I"m also one of the other 4 people in the studio getting frustrated and saying "If you could just get this guitar part right we could finish this song that we've been doing for 4 days" or whatever.

So again the challenges of being together 24/7 take their toll.

Add to this the fact that once their already shaky relationship moved from BN days to FM days and Stevie started getting more people to spend time with (she always said in the BN days she didn't have girlfriends to hang with) and then she started getting more fame, and Lindsey had some control issues.... that just made it impossible.

[blinker12]

Re: Stevie and Lindsey, this is interesting, from 2009:

Asked when she knew the romance was really over, Nicks said, "The day his first child was born. I knew that was it ... that was the definitive thing."

http://www.mtv.com/news/1609042/fleetwood-macs-stevie-nicks-dishes-on-her-relationship-with-lindsey-buckingam/

[Frankenstein]

Re: Stevie and Lindsey, this is interesting, from 2009:

Asked when she knew the romance was really over, Nicks said, "The day his first child was born. I knew that was it ... that was the definitive thing."

http://www.mtv.com/news/1609042/fleetwood-macs-stevie-nicks-dishes-on-her-relationship-with-lindsey-buckingam/

I've always thought that was interesting. Makes you wonder about what really happened during The Dance.

[HomerMcvie]

Re: Stevie and Lindsey, this is interesting, from 2009:

Asked when she knew the romance was really over, Nicks said, "The day his first child was born. I knew that was it ... that was the definitive thing."

http://www.mtv.com/news/1609042/fleetwood-macs-stevie-nicks-dishes-on-her-relationship-with-lindsey-buckingam/That's probably the dumbest thing I've ever read. What an idiot! :lol::lol::lol:

[sue]

I've always thought that was interesting. Makes you wonder about what really happened during The Dance.


I think during The Dance quite a lot went down...
If you look at Stevie she looks incredibly sexy, that kind of look
when you're in love and enjoying loads of......well you know what.

And Lindsey has a kind of "hey, guess what guys" knowing look.

Unfortunately he had a girlfriend and Stevie suddenly remembered herself.

[button-lip]

Unfortunately he had a girlfriend and Stevie suddenly remembered herself.

This makes you realize what a couple of idiots they are. They clearly never intended to be happy together. They looove to suffer. So they can put it into their songs. Idiots. :lol::lol:

[jbrownsjr]

This makes you realize what a couple of idiots they are. They clearly never intended to be happy together. They looove to suffer. So they can put it into their songs. Idiots. :lol::lol:

:laugh: I love your takes on Shipperville..

[button-lip]

:laugh: I love your takes on Shipperville..

:xoxo:

They never tried hard enough, IMO. I don't know if it was because they thought it was worthless, because they didn't want to hurt other people's feelings. That's ok, but then stop complaining about it on your songs! :mad:

It's probably one of the few things they have in common. At least Lindsey isn't constantly mentioning her on his concerts to trash her the next day. :lol:

[sue]

:xoxo:

They never tried hard enough, IMO. I don't know if it was because they thought it was worthless, because they didn't want to hurt other people's feelings. That's ok, but then stop complaining about it on your songs! :mad:

It's probably one of the few things they have in common. At least Lindsey isn't constantly mentioning her on his concerts to trash her the next day. :lol:


Yes, but we wouldn't have had all those angst ridden, angry, sad, liberated at last, fabulous fabulous songs written by both of them, about each other.

[button-lip]

Yes, but we wouldn't have had all those angst ridden, angry, sad, liberated at last, fabulous fabulous songs written by both of them, about each other.

I know, I know! I was waiting for someone to say it, because I totally agree! :wavey:

I enjoy loving this romantically troubled band. :)

[bombaysaffires]

This makes you realize what a couple of idiots they are. They clearly never intended to be happy together. They looove to suffer. So they can put it into their songs. Idiots. :lol::lol:

They would never work out anyway because they are just too different in everything about their lives. That's probably part of the spark---opposites attract and all that ---- but they aren't the same two struggling kids they once were. He wants a pretty normal life and she wants a free as a bird single life. And honestly she just seems to get tired being with the same person for very long. She can blame all her breakups on career but plenty of performers have family lives. She likes change. And he's a serial monogamist. Recipe for disaster in the end. But lots of sparks.

[SpyNote]

I also think that at the time Stevie was wildly excited with their new fame, where as Lindsey wasn't....The music and production was the all important thing to him.

Stevie like the adulation and he just didn't get that, he liked to be in control of most things and suddenly he was not in control of her.

I don't know for sure but I think he's the quiet introvert and she's full of life and full of herself, once they were famous that was the kiss of death for their relationship..

Yes, their personalities are just polar opposites. Sometimes introverts and extroverts get along, sometimes they don't. In their case, they will never get along because they're both obsessed with being right. So there will never be common ground.

Just as a side note, introverts can be fabulous and full of life, too (Prince, J.K. Rowling, Bill Gates). They just express it differently ;)

[elle]

Just as a side note, introverts can be fabulous and full of life, too (Prince, J.K. Rowling, Bill Gates). They just express it differently ;)
:confused::confused: what are you saying? that extroverts are somehow better than introverts (but hey - introverts can be ok too!)?
:lol:

[button-lip]

They would never work out anyway because they are just too different in everything about their lives. That's probably part of the spark---opposites attract and all that ---- but they aren't the same two struggling kids they once were. He wants a pretty normal life and she wants a free as a bird single life. And honestly she just seems to get tired being with the same person for very long. She can blame all her breakups on career but plenty of performers have family lives. She likes change. And he's a serial monogamist. Recipe for disaster in the end. But lots of sparks.

I don't think they were too different when they started dating, but I don't know, I wasn't there. It's just a hunch. Or maybe they were and she just put up with him until she got what she wanted. She even said last year at one of her concerts (when she dedicated Landslide to him) that at the end she decided to stay with him because she thought about all they had reached so far. Not because of love. :eek:

You have made a fantastic description of their lives. :thumbsup:

[ryan4136]

So many of their songs they mention the term winning, Or something to that effect. I think at the root of it that's the issue neither is good giving the ground

[soul_drifter333]

Hmmmm interesting. That never seemed to stop her before. :laugh:

Re: Stevie and Lindsey, this is interesting, from 2009:

Asked when she knew the romance was really over, Nicks said, "The day his first child was born. I knew that was it ... that was the definitive thing."

http://www.mtv.com/news/1609042/fleetwood-macs-stevie-nicks-dishes-on-her-relationship-with-lindsey-buckingam/

[dreamsunwind]

They would never work out anyway because they are just too different in everything about their lives. That's probably part of the spark---opposites attract and all that ---- but they aren't the same two struggling kids they once were. He wants a pretty normal life and she wants a free as a bird single life. And honestly she just seems to get tired being with the same person for very long. She can blame all her breakups on career but plenty of performers have family lives. She likes change. And he's a serial monogamist. Recipe for disaster in the end. But lots of sparks.

DING DING DING!!!
This is basically it, sure they had all the other problems that were mentioned on the first page-- jealousies, working together in the same band, being together 24/7, etc-- but I've always believed that this was the big thing.
Stevie was never going to end up with anyone. She was always going to be a "free spirit", not tied down by anyone or anything except her songs.
And I think that's even more obvious when considering the fact that Stevie never again had another real, proper, long-term relationship. She had lots of boyfriends for short periods of time, lots of affairs, but nothing long-lasting again. Lindsey had long-term relationship after long-term relationship. They had a very strong, combustible, but strong musical and physical chemistry that carried them through several years together with a lot of great music and drama coming out of it.

[dreamsunwind]

Hmmmm interesting. That never seemed to stop her before. :laugh:

lol seriously tho

[WatchChain]

My niece asked me why Stevie and Lindsey broke up, and I realized that I never really knew why. Ditto for Christine and John. Or who broke up with whom. If this is common knowledge, then it's even more embarrassing since I consider myself to be somewhat of a fan. :) If this has been discussed to death, maybe someone can refer me to that discussion. Thanks.

Kevin

While there are multiple accounts regarding the breakups floating around, I suppose it comes down to point of view.

It has been said that Stevie chose to end the relationship with Lindsey. So, I assume she initiated the break up.

John, by his own admission, had a terrible drinking problem and turned angry and mean when he drank. It seems like Christine chose to end that relationship.

Of course, who's to say? I'm sure each band member has their own version of history.

[SpyNote]

:confused::confused: what are you saying? that extroverts are somehow better than introverts (but hey - introverts can be ok too!)?
:lol:

:laugh: Nah, there are just misconceptions about who introverts and extroverts are. One isn't better than the other. They just have different personality types with specific comfort areas.

The main difference between introverts and extroverts is that introverts mainly get their energy from being alone, whereas extroverts mainly get their energy from other people. For example, Lindsey prefers being in the studio around his tight group of people, whereas Stevie prefers touring so she can be surrounded by people. Both get inspired by and energy from their respective comfort zones. But that's not to say Stevie doesn't enjoy being in the studio and Lindsey doesn't enjoy touring. They do both, but if they were to have a choice, they'd pick the one that aligns with their personality type.