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[Les]

It is the Women in Rock issue of Rolling Stone (Issue 908, 10/31/2002) that's just hit the stands. Stevie is featured in a half-page interview (by Jancee Dunn). I've typed up the first half of the interview as it touches on the Mac-related stuff.

Stevie Nicks
At Fifty-four, the Fleetwood Mac singer is still the coolest chick in the room

Stevie Nicks is always fun to talk to - she’s candid (that tantalizing history!), warm and surprisingly funny. The hip big sister to musicians such as Sheryl Crow is still making vital, viable music in her fifties. She has been holed up with Fleetwood Mac for the last couple of months, working on an album, which will be in your hands by spring, followed by a major tour. (There’s also a new Fleetwood Mac greatest-hits collection out this month.) Nicks phones from her Los Angeles home before she heads off to the studio at her usual time of 2:30pm - her idea of an early morn. Because Christine McVie is sitting it out this time, Nicks is the only woman in the band, so she has certain concerns that the fellas do not. “There is a tub of red licorice in the studio, fifteen boxes of Wheat Thins, Doritos and Fritos - my favorite thing,” she says. “It’s a boys’ kitchen, full of great stuff. And I just say to myself, ‘You can never eat this, or you will weigh 170 pounds at the end of this project.’ I walk in like I’ve got tank armor on.”

How goes it in the studio? Your relationship with the band has outlasted most marriages.

A lot of time it’s just me and Lindsey [Buckingham]. You know, we have a lot of the same problems that we’ve always had, which is our egos. And we’ve had a lot of fights. But we spend hours talking - we’re like a bunch of girls sometimes. We’ll be putting a guitar part on, and all of a sudden we’ll be talking about something that happened on the Tusk tour, and two hours later we’re still talking about it. And we’re filming a documentary at the studio, so there’s a crew with us at all times. There were a couple of times where I’ve gotten just furious and walked out of the room, yelling, and I’ve nearly run over the sound guy. It’s like the TV show Big Brother. If we could vote each other out, we’d all be fine! My vote would come up “Lindsey.” Lindsey’s would say “Stevie” [laughs].

**************
The latter half is about choosing to be a rock star instead of a mom, and comments on younger women in rock today. I'll try to type that up a bit later if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

[Les]

Here's the rest of the article. Didn't take as long to type as I thought it would.

***************

Some women we’ve talked to have said it’s nearly impossible to have a family and a musical career. You made a choice, and it was your career.

If I had gotten married to someone in my twenties, I’d have grandchildren now. And I’d be rocking in a fabulous chair on my fabulous porch somewhere. So it is so different, my life. All these younger women who are singers - I sometimes think they see their future in me, and it’s not such a good thing. I made a choice to not be married and not have children, because I wanted to be a big-time rock & roll star. And people can get mad at me for saying this, but I did not feel that I could do both. I would have been, I think, a great mom, and would not have put my career first once I had a baby. Sheryl Crow is a dear friend, and I know she looks at me and goes, “Do I have that baby now? Or do I want to be Stevie when I’m fifty-five? And if I do, that means I can never stop working.” Even in my really bad, drugged-out days, I didn’t go away. I still toured, still did interviews. I never gave up the fight. That’s why I’m who I am today, because I didn’t leave. And I think I made the right choice.

Which female musicians do you admire?

I love Sheryl Crow. She called me this morning already. She calls me from the road, and I cheer her up. And I love Gwen Stefani. I think she maybe is the reincarnated Mae West.

How has music changed for women in your lifetime?

People always ask me, “What do you think of Britney Spears? What do you think of this group, or that one?” I always say, “Well, I think they’re great.” But now...I think they all went too far. Their jeans got too low, their tops got too see-through. Personally, I think that sexy is keeping yourself mysterious. I’m really an old-fashioned girl, and I think I’m totally sexy.

Right on!

And I wouldn’t have any problem saying to any of these girls, “You know what? If you want to be around in twenty years, you’d better get your act together. And get back to your music.” What Britney should do is go back into the studio and get some great songs, and make a great record. And change her fashion style a little bit. Bring back her mysterious persona again. Otherwise it’s like, if you see somebody running down the street naked every single day, you stop looking up.

Defining Moment
---------------------
Her feathered haircut, gypsy cowl and flowing scarves on the cover of Rumours was the definitive rock & roll fashion statement of the 1970s.

[greatdarkwing]

WOW!!!! 15 BOXES OF WHEAT THINS!!!! ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!!:laugh:

The cool thing is the part of the documentary.....WOW I WANT TO SEE THIS THING FINISHED!!!! I'D LOVE TO SEE AN ARGUING STEVIE AND LINDSEY!!!! OH WOW, THIS BETTER COME WITH THE NEW ALBUM!!!

~Alex

[Les]

Instead of typing it up, I also could have just posted the following link:

http://www.rollingstone.com/features/coverstory/featuregen.asp?pid=1248

Duh. ;)

[CarneVaca]

Originally posted by Les
Instead of typing it up, I also could have just posted the following link:

http://www.rollingstone.com/features/coverstory/featuregen.asp?pid=1248

Duh. ;)

Oh, Les, we love you for it, though.

As a reaction to this, and thank you for sharing it with us since I don't buy that rag anymore, it does not surprise me that there is a lot of friction. A couple of weeks ago, I speculated this is why Christine is out. She probably got sick of the fights that surely happened during the Dance tour and said, "I've had it with these overgrown megalomaniac babies." I would put money on that.

Having said that, I am looking forward to the album. But I ain't buying the best-of disc. Also, I'll bet there will be a documentary on DVD shortly after the album is released. And I wouldn't be surprised if the documentary, or at least some of it, shows up on TV around the release of the CD.

RESCIND THE STRIKE!!!

[kristin]

Thanks for the article!! I am so excited about this cd coming out next week with this studio footage!! I'm going to pop it right into my laptop! I can totally feel the buzz starting again and I love it..... :) I missed the last FM tour so I am so exctied about my first one!

Kristin

[Johnny Stew]

Thanks a million times over for posting that, Les.

To be honest, it doesn't surprise me either that Lindsey and Stevie still fight.
They're two very passionate and intense individuals. I think if everything went smoothly between them, *then* I'd start to worry.

However, I continue to be impressed that, despite their mercurial personalities, they're both at places in their lives where they can... and want to... work together.
It implies to me that they feel strongly enough about each other (NOT romantically), and the music they're making, to put up with whatever tension arises in the meantime.

'Sides... who would want a Fleetwood Mac where everyone was completely happy?!
Throughout their entire 35-year career, Fleetwood Mac's music has always been best when there was *some* kind of tension... whether it be romantic turmoil, band members' personal demons, clashes over the music, or whatever.

And CarneVaca... man, I sure do hope your hunch is right about that DVD!!
:)


Johnny Stew

[EnchantedStorms]

Wow....FINALLY we hear something from them!!! Of course it was from Stevie, lol! (Which is totally fine by me...but wish we could hear from Lindsey, too:) ) Thanks so much, Les, for typing it up!! :D

I am really getting hyped up for this new album now! I can't wait! Definitely gonna get that enhanced cd....but wouldn't it be great if Carnevaca is right?!!! That would be awesome!!:nod: :D :nod:

~~Angela~~:wavey:

[DownOnRodeo]

I second what everyone's said - great to hear something from the funkiest house on the west coast, plus it all helps to build heaps of anticipation for the new album, let alone the doco!!! A DVD of the doco released pre-CD? Sounds sweet Carne, but unless you know something we don't;) On the other hand, this is the Year of Fleetwood Mac - who knows what kooky things can happen! lol!:laugh: :wavey:

When I first heard bits of news about the production of the album - namely that Stevie came in for a while to record vocals then went of busily again, it really alrmed me - it sounded so much like Tango. Now it seems there really is a creative atmosphere, where Lindsey has the chance to push and craft Stevie's vocals as much as he desires.

[tommer]

also in this interviews set, macy gray:
Which female musicians do you admire?

I'm a huge Billie Holiday fan. Mary J. Blige, I love. Aretha Franklin. Lauryn Hill. I really like Stevie Nicks -- you know that song "Dreams"? That's one of my favorite songs ever.

[seteca]

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
...'Sides... who would want a Fleetwood Mac where everyone was completely happy?!
Throughout their entire 35-year career, Fleetwood Mac's music has always been best when there was *some* kind of tension... whether it be romantic turmoil, band members' personal demons, clashes over the music, or whatever....

Not only has it been best, but hasn't that "romantic turmoil, band members' personal demons, clashes over the music, or whatever" also become the signature definition of Fleetwood Mac....??:nod:

Having a Fleetwood Mac album that was made while the band members were totally at peace with eachother and themselves......?!??!?!......that's like going to a boxing match and watching the fighters hug and cuddle eachother.....

With regards to the cameras filming their studio work round the clock...I wouldn't be surprised at all if we're going to get a "Tusk Documentary & Concert"-style release.....blend in the studio footage with footage of every song that will be played in the "major" (worldwide!.....please...? pretty please..? with licorice on top?...:() tour and release it as one awesome DVD.

There is no doubt in my mind at all that this footage WILL be released as an official purchase.....they're not filming it so that they can watch it an night with their families....:rolleyes:

As for the licorice and wheat thins and doritos...etc.....haha..!....I hope the stage doesn't collapse under their weight...!!!:D

(any of you who didn't like a "thinned-out" Lindsey during the OOTC era I think will be pleasantly surprised!)

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

[Vianna]

Thanks, Les, for posting this. Like Carnevaca, I don't get the Rolling Stone anymore.

If Stevie and Lindsey weren't arguing there would be something the matter=:-) Trouble is they are both intense people and perfectionists besides. I love 'em for it:)

I am getting really psyched to hear this album and see the tour! and I hope we see that documentary:]

[Rainman]

I'm very happy to hear that Stevie and Lindsey are mixing it up. It tells me they're passionate about this album. They're interacting with energy. They're in the studio and working hard.

And we all know what happens when they put a lot of tension and passion into their creative work -- Rumours being one minor example (although Christine certainly had a hand in that one).

Not that I expect this album to match Rumours. But then, who knows? At least it's all "new" stuff (to most of the world).

Thanks, Les, for some great information.

[Skylark]

Hi F Mac Fans!!!
Stevie always likes to set the stage and so her article will
keep fans on edge! The fighting...the tension...the 15 boxes
of Wheat Thins & Diritos...etc!!!
She is probably delighted ... to be with the boys...alone!

It was Mick she confessed to loving{not Lindsey:eek:}!!!

"Mick loved ME and I loved Mick!" she said Proudly on her BTM!!!
Stevie WAS married once to a Kim guy?! ;){check Storytellers}!

Just hope she doesn't over-step her bounds or Lindsey may walk as he did before! Lindsey has his own private life now... a
more mature man ...may not like this typical girlish studio in-fighting! ;) Hope they also do a vhs! :DWaiting patiently! Sky:)

ps...Thanks Les...you are the greatest to share this with us!:)

[BlueGrass]

In the latest issue of Billboard "Best Of.." is listed under upcoming releases.

[Keith]

Fleetwood Mac has always made their best music with tension. Thanks for sharing the interview, Les.

I came across this article in yesterday's Washington Post. The paper was doing a 25 years retrospect in celebration of the Weekend section's 25th anniversary. It's about 'Rumours'.. sort of.

# 19. . Easier Listening

It's 1977 and you're listening to Fleetwood Mac's new hit album, "Rumours," on vinyl.

But you want to hear it in your car, so you've got to make a choice: eight-track or cassette? For much of the '70s, they've been the preeminent car audio formats, with eight-track sounding better, cassettes being cheaper. Though the record industry frowns, you go with the cassette, and that "home tape" you make sounds pretty good -- particularly after you pick up on Sony's Walkman in 1979, inaugurating a whole new era of personal music listening.

In 1983, you replace your scratchy master of "Rumours" with a copy in a promising, and promisingly more durable, new format, the compact disc. You hold onto your cassette and shelve your vinyl, which is proving to be the weakest audio link; this is the first year prerecorded audiocassettes outsell LPs. By 1988, CDs outsell LPs for the first time. That dusty vinyl "Rumours" might as well have come out on 78 rpm; you bury it in the attic.

(Another new format, Digital Audio Tape (DAT) was introduced in 1987, but was prevented from being marketed to American consumers by major record companies claiming to fear digitally perfect copies of CDs; DAT is now used mainly in professional recording studios. Ironically, the CD, a format that the industry didn't fight, led to recordable CDs (CDR) outselling prerecorded CDs for the first time in 2001.)

Jump to 1997 and Fleetwood Mac has reunited for a tour and you suddenly want to hear "Go Your Own Way" but you can't find the album, your disc has slipped behind some couch, your tape warped in the sun and you don't want to shell out more money. Say, didn't your computer-savvy kid tell you something about this new Internet site, MP3.com, which compresses audio files with only a small sacrifice in sound quality and, hey, your hearing's not what it used to be anyway. A year later, Winamp shows up as a free music player, and suddenly you're part of the MP3 craze, listening to "Rumours" on your portable MP3 player.

In 1999, a college freshman invents Napster and peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P), allowing you and everyone else with an Internet connection to search and download favorite songs, and so what about copyrights? You start sharing "Rumours" outtakes, alternative tracks and rehearsal tapes.

Now "Rumours" is available in yet another new format, DVD-Audio (list price: $17.9 , with bonus features that rival a DVD movie: a making-of documentary with commentaries from band members dubbed over the album's instrumental tracks, photo archives and treats like the previously unreleased "Silver Springs," not included on the original album because of vinyl's time constraints. It features a 24-bit, six-channel surround mix that puts you right in the studio, where you can almost feel the whoosh of Stevie Nicks's swirling skirts and sense the marital tensions that were then just rumors.


Richard Harrington writes about music for Weekend.

[David]

This Jancee Dunn lady ... this gal is a gusher. She's been drooling over Stevie since ... what? 1994? This is the first & only Stevie Nicks gusher Rolling Stone has ever hired.

I think Stevie ought to hire Jancee as her publicist ... just fire the crew she has now & hire Jancee. Bigger bang for the buck definitely.

[Jo and Jensen]

Very nice, Keith! Thank you. That Washington Post article was very entertaining. :D

FM is FINALLY...everywhere!

Love,
Jo and Jensen

[Rumours]

Great articles!!
Thanks so much for those!

I was so excited to see the ads this weekend for Circuit City and Best Buy--they're both advertising the new greatest hits 2-cd set to be in stores on Tuesday........Finally, Fleetwood Mac being advertised again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :woohoo: :] :woohoo: :]

Stephanie