Well of course the Silent Night comment was sarcasm ;) . But seriously, if I had to defend her, which is becoming more difficult every day, and I have no interest in doing so, I would say that the years of substance abuse have seriously affected her memory and judgment. I wouldn't say she's insane but yes her mind could be seriously affected. It would be a very sad case.

Definitely a possibility but I’m more inclined to think she’s been a spoiled and entitled brat her entire life. A rich kid who got everything they wanted and then found celebrity status and wealth unimaginable to 99.999% of people. She lives in a fantasy world where nobody ever dares put her in her place or knock her down a peg or two and call her BS out. I’ve found most senior citizens tend to have their worst attributes amplified as they age and become incredibly self serving/selfish. She had a major head start long before her 60’s and 70’s so it was inevitable.

Add in a decade or two of heavy drug (prescription and otherwise) use and it’s not too surprising she is how she is.

You know, I could almost see this given the story she surrounds the song with about Joe’s daughter. Her greatest? No. A song that brings up memories of a tragically sad story, definitely could evoke intense feelings.

OH, I agree that is nowhere near her best song, but she has claimed it was, especially around 1998 when she did the Storytellers thing on VH1...

Oh 1998…when she felt self conscious talking on the Enchanted tour because she usually doesn’t talk that much….hahahah you just wait 25 years and see what happens!!!!

While I agree with most of what you say.
I find your statement about older people a bit sweeping…I am a mature person and I think I’ve improved with age like fine wine, mellowed and well rounded.

However, what you think of Stevie is pretty much my opinion.
A spoilt little girl, who was used to getting her own way.
And when she doesn’t she takes her ball and bat home.

I concur that some people improve with age, that their perspectives are enriched by experience and self stock-taking, though only those willing to grow will grow.

Regarding Stevie, I’m assuming she grew up with a good deal privilege, though her tireless work ethic, which admittedly persists today as self-promotion and touring, had to have been instilled in her from a very young age. Her parents wouldn’t financially support her when she dropped out of school to pursue music. But she persisted. She could have crumbled but did not. So, while I consider her a spoiled, delusional, and self-centered woman whose lost perspective, there was a set of core values around hard work that she never abandoned. If she wants something, she angles for it—and not always in above-board ways. But she still angles, plays the game, works to stay on top.

And THAT’S why she became the power broker in Fleetwood Mac. Lindsey did 88 tour dates in 21 years. Aside from the nine months for The Dance and the Inauguration and Super Bowl, Christine was largely out of the public eye for 23 years.

But not out of the public ear.

Doesn’t matter. Out of sight, out of mind. I’m going to be 50. My mom though I was slightly too young to go to a big concert in 1987, so I only got to see her twice in the first 27 years of fandom.

I was never into Stevie (only went to see her solo in 2001), but I could have seen her fifteen times going to one show per tour in that same timeframe.

There were generations really didn’t get the opportunity to know Christine McVie the way they did Stevie because she was retired. Sure, her songs got played on classic rock and lite rock stations.

Of course, it's not a secret who's put in the most work for her career. Perhaps, that's why she turned into such an awful person. It's a lot of work. Fame is something not everyone can handle graciously.

I see her in 1985. Horrible shape she was in! But I had tickets to see her in her renaissance in 2001–on September 12. So, that never happened. She got stuck in NYC for a few weeks, canceled the tour, and wrote Illume.

A certain type of work, I would agree. She spends all her energies mounting big tours, interacting flashily with other acts in the studio and onstage (it’s always an “event” that seems designed for paparazzi), presenting herself in a certain light and look, and getting her name in the newspapers. She’s great at all that. The public definitely responds.

I just wish she had put half that energy into honing her craft: writing better and more varied songs, stretching herself artistically, improving her piano and guitar, incorporating more of a vision into her work besides just the chiffon faerie girl. As an artist, she is a reactionary.

I also wish she’d be more honest about her artistry. She doesn’t follow her muse so much as cater to a rather shallow audience. The only other explanation is that her muse just isn’t worth following.

Blue Cross Arena 9/12 in Rochester, NY? I had third row seats for that! Still have my unused ticket stubs.

God, the lucidity of this post really moves me. I feel so much the same way. We are in complete agreement. Especially, the craft part. After Wild Heart, I dreamed of getting more albums that evolved from there. Not de-volved.