Why Stevie Isn't Involved With the Fan Club
 

I've been pondering this (yes, I ponder) and it all makes sense to me.

Back in the eighties, she let Chris Nicks run her fan club. We all know how that went over...like a lead balloon. People were screwed out of money, false addresses were used, the works.

Then, Stevie hired some nut case (I can't remember her name) to do something along the lines of a fan club, or start one up, and she turned out to be a whack job. She had to be hospitalized in an institution and everything. She was involved with the NicksFix for awhile, but they severed ties with her real fast. She stole money, lied to fans, and again, the works.

I've come to the conclusion that Stevie wants nothing to do with the whole fan club bull****, especially with all of the things that have happened in the past. I mean, think about it, are there ever really ANY photos of Stevie at the fan club? On the videos, do they really EVER SHOW Stevie? Nope and, uh, nope. I think she wants to distance herself from it because she probably knows instinctively that it'll turn on them. Sort of turning a blind eye to it.

What does everyone else think?

Chris Nicks cheated his own sister out of money? Or was it someone else?

And the woman...was that Ginny Kamano? I wondered what happened to her...That lady answered her fan mail, I think.

At least Stevie allowed the NicksFix to become HER site, although I think they could do a slightly better job at it, IMO. Especially with the "ask Stevie" stuff. People ask DUMB questions--you can find the answers in old articles, lol.

No, he cheated the fans out of money. It was back in the early eighties that the fan club started up, around the time BD was released. It was about twenty bucks to join (not bad at all) and you got a photo, a button, a letter from Stevie, and a few other things. Every once in awhile, they would send you flyers about merchandise for sale. People would send in the money for merchandise and never get anything in return. Around the time of the BD tour, it all came to a head. At the end of the tour, flyers were sent advertising tour t-shirts and the like. Once again, people sent in money and got nothing in return. So, a TON of fans started writing letters to the fan club address and all the letters were returned with the stamp saying there was no such address. Then, some people went to the address and found an empty office...Needless to say, the fan club was no more.

And yes, it was Ginny! She was quite the NUTCASE!!!!! She thought she was Stevie, for cripes sake. I remember she showed up at a fan convention and asked people if they wanted Stevie's autograph. They said yes and she told them to pay her money and she would sign a photo because she was Stevie! I almost died. I heard reports that she was quite the extortionist, too.

I don't mean to start WW3 or anythinng OK but I'm glad you started this thread dissention because I gotta ask everybody here, an I'm honestly just wanting to know what people's take on this is:

If Stevie cares so much about her fans then why would she turn a blind eye to a fan club that many of her fans joined where she knows that the fans that she cares for so much are getting screwed etc.? ...and not just once but a few times from what you had said.

Just a thought and I'll look forward to hearing the replies as I'm sure there is a good reason for this but I just can't think of what it might be, it's probably too obvious that's way I can't guess. :)

John

Hi,
I think that because she has had bad experiences before with a fanclub, that is why she didnt want to be apart of this one. I do think that it was unfair to call this fan club the fleetwood mac club instead of the mick fleetwood club . that part was deceiving to the fans, and yeah , if all the members of the band werent going to be a part of it, maybe that should of been made known from the onset. but then again, it wouldnt have sold well, if ppl read "but stevie nicks will not be part of it". i totally understand why she is not apart of it, but my concern for her is if this ever does go to some kind of court system to get settled, she is part of the band named fleetwood mac, i just hope she has some kind of written agreement that she stated that she will not be apart of the club, so it will exonerate her in all charges that may be filed against the club and or band.

Wow, Chris Nicks actually did that to his sister's fans? No wonder some people don't like him...I didn't know he did that...how shady.

Maybe Stevie didn't catch on to what was going on because she was so busy (and on drugs) and she just let these people help her out and trusted them and thought she didn't need to check up on them?

I hope Stevie's reasons for not getting involved were because she learned a lesson about fan clubs...but it does strike me odd that she doesn't have a problem with the rest of the band cheating the fans...

The main problem with the fan club is that Jonathan Todd was (as still is) too far up his own ass and promised things that he was never going to be able to deliver

Pip

The Ginny Kamano thing was a good and cool thing at first...but of course of lot of stuff did happen that ruined that experience....

The fan mail service WAS a good idea, and it worked out good while it lasted....a lot of the things about Ginny are rumours and exaggerated of just how crazy she was/is....According to John Kinney her and Stevie are still friends

Chris

Ginny was backstage after the TISL LA show

Pip

I bet Lindsey and Stevie never even wanted a fan club. It was all Mick's idea. Stevie and Lindsey don't want their names tainted with all this business with JT. They're staying as far away from it as possible.

And that's the reason why Lindsey looks pained in the fan club videos (just what I've heard--haven't seen them--not a member).

Save our Singers! :wavey:

Just a couple quick comments....
To the best of my knowledge, Chris Nicks wasn't involved with that 'Wild Heart' era fan club.
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that it was only after that debacle, that Stevie worked it out so that Chris is the only person with the rights to run a fan club if he so desires... but he's always chosen not to.
(I even have a letter from Ginny Kimano, from around 1991, stating as much.)

Also, Ginny never ran a fan club, per se. She simply answered Stevie's fan mail, and often fulfilled fans' requests for photos, etc.
I know that you used to be able to send a photo, and ask that Stevie sign it.

As for the other allegations... again, to the best of my knowledge, some twisted person claiming to be Ginny used to post on various message boards and Mac-related chatrooms. She was nasty, rude, and generally dislikable... but I don't believe for one second she was really Ginny Kimano. Just someone who, unfortunately, gave the poor woman a bad reputation... and people fell for it.
I don't know Ms. Kimano personally, but I hate when someone's reputation is marred by rumours... and that's exactly what these are.

Ginny no longer handles Stevie's fan mail, because of a very serious car accident she was involved in. She quit to recuperate and to focus on physical rehabilitation.
Again, there wasn't anything "sinister" that caused her to stop working with Stevie.

As far as the current fanclub... being that both Stevie and Lindsey are not original members, and being that there have been long stretches of time when they were no longer a part of Fleetwood Mac, I wonder exactly how much control they have over something like a fanclub.
It's quite obvious that both tend to distance themselves from it as much as possible... while also trying to give back to the fans, by making themselves available for those little meet & greets, and personal photos.

Who knows what the exact situation is, but to me it seems very apparent that Buckingham & Nicks keep their involvement to a minimum... at least with the "business" end of it.
In their minds, I'm sure they know that they're the biggest reasons why people have joined the fanclub (as much as we love him, would anyone join a John McVie fanclub?), so they probably feel a bit between a rock and a hard place. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

At least that's my take on it.
Either way, I'm just glad I chose not to waste any money joining the fanclub.
I prefer to spend my dollars on CDs, DVDs, etc. Something that I can actually continue to enjoy decades down the road.

I think Meredith would be the first one in line for the John McVie fanclub. :nod: :D

He was very much involved in it. He was the one that peddled all of the merch and stuff. He was the one that organized the fan club. I'm sure there are people out there that can vouch for it and how their money was stolen. The reason he chooses not to run one nowadays is because of the debacle that was the original one.

About Ginny, y'all are probably right. If she was that much of a whack job, Stevie wouldn't still be involved with her. I've just heard sooooo many stories about her, as I'm sure others have. But the whole Chris Nicks/fan club thing is completely true.

Also, does anyone remeeber what happened to that character Barabra Marx? I've always wondered if anyone knows what happened to her...:laugh:

Aye, well I'd be in good company with AliP and Deanna! :laugh:

Johnny Stew-- ITA with your post. I choose not to get involved with the fan club BS but I do genuinelly feel angry for the sake those that have been wronged (and I know there are many of you) it just ain't right.

But don't confuse the selling of merchandise with the running of a fan club.
Usually whomever is in charge of a fan club has worked out some kind of deal with whomever distributes the artist-related merchandise, so it can be sold to members of the fan club.

They're related, but they're not necessarily one in the same.

I have some friends who have been following Stevie since her earliest days in Fleetwood Mac... I'll have to ask them what they know about that old fan club.

I'm not confusing them; I said he ran the fan club AND sold the merch. He may have changed his ways, but that whole business back then was VERY shady. Why do you think he opts not to run one? Because of the debacle from the first fan club.

Ginny is as bonkers as the day is long.

LOL!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

LMAO! At least someone agrees with me! :laugh:

I totally agree with you. I was a member of that club and got nothing to show for it. Yes, I did get the package with the photo, the poster, the badge, a membershipcard, a letter from Stevie etc. After that I ordered some merch and nothing happened. This was around the Wild Heart tour. I didn't get my stuff and I didn't get a refund. So I called him and he said that his partner (in crime) Glen Parrish had run off with all the money. He had gone back to LA. He said that he was loosing his shirt but promised me I'd get my stuff. Nothing happened and when I tried to call him someone would say he wasn't in. So when I was in NYC (in 1984), I went to his office. I either wanted my stuff or a refund. Much to my surprise some movers were cleaning out the office telling me there was no more Fanfair Marketing. Chris Nicks had gone to Arizona and there was nothing left.
Take care ~ Debbie

LOL! You went to the office, too?! My good friend Donna made a surprise visit to the office and, lo and behold, Fanfair was no more! Did you order the Bella Donna tour t-shirts? I can't believe that he had the balls to do what he did with that fan club.

Thanks for posting about your experience! :)

Agh well, I got some time, so I'll post my twisted opinion. I joined a few fan clubs over the years, and all of them ended up being rip offs. Tirdmans little house of horrors has been a sight to see. Im sure a contract was signed. Tirdboy is wearing the crown until his pork, and bean can armor is pierced by the thud of Stevie's boot lodging in his colon. If it wasnt for taking a trip to the big house/jail Id wallop The Tird upside his lanky head myself. He isnt worth it though. I didnt join the club, but Ive had a real bad taste in my mouth about this punk. He's a stinky bastard that needs a good a** whipping. Im sure he would cry like a baby if his lip got fattened. Somebody post a pic of ole JT here for the new members. He removed it from the link at Dicks board. Oops Micks. Let me get a barfbag ready first........Mark:(

My visit was a surprise too.... to me LOL. I didn't announce I was coming over there and when I did, he just left.
Yes, I ordered the BD shirts and some other stuff. When I met him in 88 I wanted to talk to him about it but Stevie was there too and I didn't want to hurt her feelings and ruin the mood. So I said nothing, I didn't even greet him. He means nothing to me. Maybe he has changed his ways, but I'm not surprised he's not doing a fan club. He knows how loyal Stevie's fans are and as soon as there is a fan club runned by him, his past will come back to haunt him. And he knows that.
Take care ~ Debbie

I can understand that, I wouldn't want to ruin my meeting with Stevie! LOL

PS: I checked out your page and I think it's awesome that you got to meet Stevie THREE (!!!) times! Fabulous stories! :D

Hmmm....
 

Source:Stevie Nicks FAQ-

http://members.aol.com/steviefaq/

"5.8
Q: Who is Britney Marx?
A: In the 1980s Cheryl Cusella was a Stevie Nicks impersonator in Phoenix. She claimed she owned a limo company, and went into the concert promotion business. Cheryl booked acts she couldn't produce, and didn't pay the ones she did, including Mick Fleetwood's Zoo. Cheryl was convicted of two counts of fraud in 1989, served 38 days in jail, got seven years probation and paid $32,000 in restitution. She then changed her name to Britney Marx. Reportedly in 1990 she published a book called "Sweet Poison: A Heartfelt Diary." Most recently in June of 1999, Britney was charged by the Arizona state attorney general's office with six counts of theft (totalling nearly $500,000) and one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices related to an animal rescue organization."

get your Barf bags out
 

Here is a web link with J Turds photo. It was on the google search engine
when I looked there.Also the Fan Club fraud petition web site is now
showing in google , on one of the pages when you one put in the name sabermark. lol,I never joined the fan club, I was never banned.I won't be member of micks web site forum.But I support and agree with the fans. I hope J Turd and sabermark gets fired someday etc and banned from ever having any business dealing with Fleetwood Mac or any of the band members ever again etc, etc.


http://pub52.ezboard.com/fthestevien...opicID=6.topic


:laugh: :laugh: :nod: :wavey: :D

Thanks Johnny Stew.......that is just about what i had read about the take on Ginny.....I can't see any of Stevie's management allowing 'nutcases' anywhere in Stevie's vacinity. Lord knows Stevie attracts some dropouts from weirdo central for some reason..LOL!! and her management are there to protect her from them...... as for the fanclub......well perhaps Stevie and Lindsey can see right through the likes of Jonathan Todd.....who seems to be there only to make money trading on the back of the Fleetwood Mac name.


Louise
:wavey:

Well, then, they don't really care because they aren't doing anything to stop him. :( :distress:

Brian--

Thanks for the Britney Marx update!

*runs off for more info on her book* :laugh:

If they are not involved why should they care they will live in complete ignorance of all the fanclub problems....afterall what are their managers for...you don't seriously think that these people are in touch with the realities of everyday living?

Picture this Lindsey, Stevie, Mick and John......three ivory towers and a boat. From which you have panoramic views and can't see the dross in the streets below.......that is how 'in touch' they are.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Well they shouldn't try to come across like they care about their fans then (if they want to distance themselves/act ignorant about it or whatever) as it is their fans that are the ones getting screwed. Y'know? :)

John

Just what I was thinking about John. Looking at the big pictlure from their veiw, what are 2000 or 3000 fan club members or how ever many there are, compared to the millions they have the power to reach. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few I am sorry to say and guess who are the few.

It it me, or likely Im being shallow...

but JT looks like an OLD HAG!

UGH! Sara, you'd better take that photo down before it somehow corrupts your awesome site. LOL! Knowing the history, its bound to happen somehow.

Mmmm...I really believe that they do care about their fans......but as I said they aren't the most 'in touch' with the goings on with the fan club...afterall....again comes up the subject of management, when you think about who holds the band together it is our dear Mick Fleetwood.....he has the rights to the name so he and John but mostly Mick I would say are taking full advantage of that fiscally but his friends and business partners are often somewhat choice. I sincerely believe that Mick is behind the whole thing and that Stevie Lindsey and John are pretty much out of the picture on this. We must all keep account of Mick's less than succesful business dealings which seems applicable to this venture also, though it pains me to say this I feel that this is proving to be as catastrophic as anything Mick has turned his hand to, save Fleetwood Mac. :distress: :eek: :distress: :eek:

I see what you're saying highpriestess and I agree that it probably is mainly Mick's show etc. and respect your view :) ...but, (and again, I don't mean to drag this in to being another JT thread) it can't be ignored that if SN & LB don't know about the fan club then they should know (being members of the band after all) and if they do know then that shows how they "don't care about their fans". If they are that out of touch then how can they say they are even taking an interest in the goings on of their fans? (if they don't know that is, they can't have it both ways) IF they care, then it's about time they got as involved as they would want us to believe that they are.

Mick used to run FM but since it's all too clear now that he will do whatever SN & LB want, then in essence, THEY now call the shots in FM. If they do care and found out about the fan club then if push came to shove and they said to Mick (or his management) "fire JT & stop the club or we'll leave the band" naturally Mick will say "OK, whatever you want, don't leave, anything you say". So they COULD stop this if they wanted (& cared) regardless of what their managers say as of ocurse they would want that mess to carry on as that's what's bringing in the bucks (or was) and that's all they care about. That's what it really boils down to (I think) though as I say I do respect what you say as it does make sense, the above is JMHO though. :)

John

I totally get where you are coming from.....they, that is Lindsey Stevie and John should make it their business to know what is going on and act accordingly.....Mick is trying to make as much $ so that he can retire to Hawaii with Lynn and the babies in GREAT financial security......I can't blame him but don't do it at the expense of the fans....another thing is who is to say that JT is being entirely honest about the state of the fanclub...perhaps like with the members of said club he trying to pull a fast one and the wool over Mick's eyes...which isn't unheard of.
It is my exerience and no doubt of others , that if you want anything doing properly you have got to do it yourself......others will always screw up.

I agree, I'm sure that JT is making everything out to Mick as peachy as can be, perhaps the other Mac members managers are doing that with their respective members as well. That's what I meant when I said what I did about the managers just caring about the money and not caring about the fans etc.

Naturally, I'd like to think as higly about ALL the Mac members as people as highly as I think of them as musicians but since this is not the first time this has happened with Mac related fan clubs (which we won't go in to again since that has already been discussed at length in other threads), THIS is why, like you say priestess, that IF they cared etc. then they COULD'VE set it up themselves with more trustworthy, less money hungry people.

I've said before in other related threads that SN (& as of late it seems LB too) know Tom Petty and it would be a no brainer for them to go to him and ask for advice on how to get a REAL fan club set up to be able to treat their fans (that "they care about") well and I'm sure he could've put them in touch with the right people ...but no, this hasn't happened, and sadly, probably never will. So their silence on this speaks loud and clear to me.

Whatever the case, we'll never know really as even if SN & LB do know about what's going on and have chose to ignore it, they're never going to admit that. My guess is when the SYW tour ends, they may release a statement to the press saying they didn't know about it, they just found out and they're sorry it happened etc. but of course waiting until the end of the tour and then saying that doesn't really mean much because all the money has already been earned that can be from the SYW project so they'd win no brownie points from me if/when this happened/happens.

Again though, it's JMHO and I'm glad we do agree though on what we've said in the above posts. :)

John

why Stevie isn't involved
 

bump again. :nod: :nod: :nod: :wavey: :wavey: :D

Why Stevie isn't involved
 

Bump. :nod: :wavey: :laugh: :D

I can't beleive that the band is ignorant to the things happening with the fan club. They answer questions to fans at the fan club site. They have pictures and videos on the fan club site. Was it me, I would want to see where these things are going and I woulod want to see Mick's site too as it concerns the whole band. Even though it seems that Mick is running the whole show, they have to know. If they don't know, really don't know, then they should be told. I just don't know how to do that.