I'm writing a paper about Fleetwood Mac and need your help!
 

I'm taking a class about stagecraft and spectacle in all types of theatre. We have to write a paper about any theatrical presentation of our interest, and my professor and I talked about me doing Fleetwood Mac. He thinks it's an awesome idea. I am interested in writing about the band's stage persona and how many different components of spectacle (primarily costume, lighting, sound and stage decor) contributed to the mystical, medieval feel that they conveyed to their audiences in the late 1970s and early 80s.

I can cite you guys in my paper! So if you've seen Fleetwood Mac in that time period and have anything to contribute, please do. Michele has already directed me towards some really interesting articles but I'm interested in anything and everything you guys have to say.

Also, I get to do a 10-minute presentation on the band with emphasis on the spectacle... so if you have any recommended YouTube clips that correlate with this idea, let me know.

Wow... you've chosen a tough topic. I am of the opinion that Fleetwood Mac is/was as non-spectacle as they come. Back in their heyday they weren't touring around with big screens, projectors, inflatable pigs, fog machines and lasers. The rhythm section (John, Mick, Christine) seemed to show up at gigs in their street clothes. Lindsey rocked the ki-mano and we all know about Stevie's penchant for Charles Dickens characters. But that's about it as far as costuming is concerned. They never had fancy lighting rigs or props or hydraulic thingamajigs operating hidden doors. The focus was always about the music and the dynamics of the band interactions.

Perhaps the focus should be more on the spectacle of the real-life drama between the band members than merely the visuals? It was almost like reality-theatre; there was always a tension and a degree of angst that I found most intriguing about The Five live- moreso than the color of Stevie's chiffon.

Dani I guess you'll talk about this backdrop and what it added and also the anticipation that began at the first sound of the crickets.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mac/1977-1.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...0Mac/19772.jpg

You're a genius. Totally using that. It's almost like the mystical elements of the band's performance set the scene for those emotions to be displayed in an unworldly way... normal people don't create tension like that, tension that you can cut with a knife... so it's almost like the dark, witchy sh*t helped pull the audience to a place where normalcy was gone altogether. I don't think Stevie and Lindsey's onstage tension would've had the same affect had they both been in jeans with a plain backdrop behind them. I could be totally off base here but it's just an idea.

And I was going to talk about the minimal spectacle of it all -- there wasn't much, but what was there seems to support my idea (the moon/tree backdrop, Mick and Stevie's dramatic outfits). Question: when did Stevie start hanging crap from her microphone?

Michele -- those pictures are going in my powerpoint that I have to present to the class. You. Are. Awesome. Any other pictures that show the band behaving... uh... "mystically" are very appreciated. I'm definitely showing the end of "Rhiannon" Rosebud.

My thoughts exactly. It's hard to make the assignment work just to incorporate Fleetwood Mac because you love them. The only visual thing I remember in all these years as far as the stage setup was during the Behind the Mask Tour. They had this rig with images of masks on it that covered the stage and then rose as the band began to play. That was in 1990 though. Also, didn't they try to use a giant inflatable penguin during the Tusk tour? I think there are photos of that in My 25 Years in Fleetwood Mac?

Aargh. I just wrote a great big reply to this thread and IE lost it on me. Ggggr.

Let's try again :rolleyes:

The Dance, though I know it's outside your date parameters, springs to mind immediately. Silver Springs is a great example of how Stevie and Lindsey weave an atmosphere both on stage and in the audience through subtle (and perhaps not-so-subtle) gesture and vocals. I think it makes a massive impression on anyone who sees it and demands our curiosity about who these people are and what they've experienced.
Gold Dust Woman and Rhiannon from the same show are great versions of songs that are probably among Stevie's visually strongest. Who can forget the expression on her face and the clenching of her hand during that amazing wail? The dancing with Waddy in recent years and adjustments to the end lyrics are a beautiful evolution of the theme. Similarly, Rhiannon has gone through some reinvention with costume and style, but never too far from the iconic mysticism that made it famous.

I also think of Come, as it was performed on Live in Boston. Lindsey doesn't often "perform" songs with his body (guitarbation doesn't count -- and don't quote that bit, Dani :p), except perhaps Oh Well on the Unleashed tour, but his use of gesture and gaze really cemented the atmosphere of Come. It reminds me a lot of I'm So Afraid and I consider it a sort of emotional and musical sequel to that song. Lindsey's presence is so forceful and helps both the sultry, sinister aspects of the song and its wild, explosive side.

Hope that helps :wavey:

Let me explain something -- spectacle isn't just lights, costume, blah blah blah. My professor doesn't want a paper describing all the lights and special effects of a band, play or movie -- he wants to hear why the spectacle that WAS used benefitted the production as a whole. I think Fleetwood Mac fits that well.

Dani,

Lucky for you there are plenty of professional pictures taken from that era which capture the band's mystique. I like the ones I posted because they show the backdrop in a wide shot, but actually those shots are amateurish and almost make the band seem like a bunch of kids who have converted their parents' garage into a makeshift stage.

Yet, the unadorned simplicity somehow enhances the magic. How do you get so much drama, feeling and intensity out of so little? It's a kind of miracle, not unlike feeding a multitude with a few loaves of bread and several small fish.

Michele
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...3536090279.jpg

Heh, they do look a little like a garage band. Here's a more professional shot that shows off the backdrop.

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/a...0Mac/029-4.jpg

This backdrop's a little different that the usual moon and tree.

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/a...a4815bbe5a.jpg

Sounds like a great project. I know I always try to mix my personal passions with academia. In fact, I'm writing my history thesis on Loretta Lynn. Do remember to let us read your paper when it's done!

When I was in college, I did a paper on Sonny Bono's songs. I had to get the topic approved beforehand, because the teacher said he wanted to limit the number of people doing a paper on The Beatles. When I told him my topic, he said he didn't think I had enough material for a full paper. That's because the only thing he knew about Sonny Bono was "I Got You Babe." I did the paper and he wrote that I surprised him and that he had been wrong about the depth of the subject matter.

Michele

I wrote a large paper about Stevie's lyrics and feminism for graduate school, and ended up presenting it at a conference. Easily the most fun I ever had writing a paper. :)

You could probably get an entire paper out of the SOTM Mirage performance...I always thought that the lighting really enhanced an already spectacular performance.

Now, we're in an era of an army of background vocalists/musicians, canned speeches, Stevie's decked-out mic....and the intensity and drama is gone (or at least severely diminished).

Oo, do you still have the paper? I'd love to read it. I haven't come across a lot of scholarly examination of Fleetwood Mac, which kind of sucks.

Sorry, I was responding to what you initially said you were going to focus on, and agreeing with what HejiraNYC said about FM not really being known for those things. As far as spectacle you could also mention Micks drum suit.

I don't have anything to lend to your paper quite yet, however, what a fabulous idea ;) And don't you dare forget to share it with us when you're done.

I'd like to read it, too :nod:

Definitely want to see that!!!




I think I'm going to play the last few minutes of that for the class, and maybe a 30-second excerpt from "Rhiannon" Rosebud.

Why would you juxtapose a snippet from a choreographed promotional film with a clip from the drugged out '82 Forum show? For all intents and purposes, these are two entirely different bands. You have a consistent, coherent paper focusing on '75-'77... dragging it half a decade later (when, by all accounts at the time- fan/professional reviews- it was FM by the numbers) will only serve to make you look like an over-sharing fan of the band (IMO).

Hmmm, I was just thinking along the lines of "passionate, witchy Stevie Nicks performance." Maybe I should just do Rosebud then.

1.) Sisters.

2.) of.

3.) the.

4.) Moon.


:thumbsup:

And I don't see how you could possibly avoid "This is a song about a REAL Welsh Witch!!!" Rosebud Rhiannon. I'm sure you can find the video yourself. ;)

Also, are you going to cover Stevie solo? Or only Fleetwood Mac? If you can sneak into the early '80s a bit, then I would recommend Stevie's performances on SNL and Solid Gold ("Stand Back"). Both of those performances, i.m.o., were absolutely critical for Stevie's launch of her solo career. In terms of spectacle, pay especial attention to how Stevie, in the SNL performance, starts it off with her back to the camera. Why did she do that? To create a sense of mystery? Or another reason I haven't thought of? And if you can get away with it - depending on the "atmosphere" of the class and whether it seems appropriate - I'm not sure how one could possibly discuss/analyze Stevie's performances without discussing the way she uses sexuality - did she perhaps do that in a pro-woman, positive way at a time when others - Pat Benatar for instance - were more "graphic" and "forward" about it? Can a spectacle be subtle? (etc.)
(Can that be contrasted with more modern performers? Or is that just B.S....)
Other things which must be obvious to you - the clothes, the wigs, da boots, twirling (Try to find earlier examples of this! - Whirling Dervishes, fertility ceremonies, etc.) And did you ever notice the way Stevie places her arm vertically and opens her hand like a flower opening? The symbolism is obvious. (And has roots in art!!!)
But Dani, overall I think you should think about how these things are inter-related - How do Stevie's creation of a "persona" and her creation of "Spectacle" onstage inter-relate with each other? How do the clothes contribute to both? Where does the person and the persona end? (etc.)
Not to be "preachy" or something but this is college now. SHOW them that you can do a complete analysis including the past (pre-seventies), the present (seventies) and the future (post-seventies). How do all of these individual components interact to create a complete whole? A "rock star" performing on-stage in a "big-time concert?"

One other thought: - Stevie was once asked "does the songwriting help the SADNESS or the SADNESS help the songwriting?" Her answer was basically,
"I think maybe it's both."

So Dani - How does Stevie's personality inter-mingle with her stage persona? IS there an off button on the genius switch? Is she the Gypsy that Remains or this California girl lookin' to make as much ka-ching as possible while the gettin's good? How does all this affect HER and how does that come out in her shows? Do the people still love her? ARE they the most cruel? Does that feeling - that emotion - create a spectacle in and of itself?

Anyway, just some thoughts. (I think most of that could be applied to each member of F.M. and to the band as a whole, by the way.)

P.S. - two other thoughts -

in terms of Spectacle/persona, it might be worth going back over some of Stevie's early interviews - especially the one in Rolling Stone. Do you think
that Stevie ACTUALLY saw a ghost in her hotel room in England? There's people out there turning music into GOLD, and this was at the exact time that Stevie - and the record company!!! - Were ramping up her "mystical chanteusse image."
(Be careful to make clear when you're just speculating, though.)

Also, take a good look at the VARIETY Stevie presented, even over a relatively short period of time. Is she a country/western dancer? (As in parts of the HBO Special.) Is she a wild rock star freaking out? (As in the end of Rhiannon and in Sisters.) Is she a "dance hall girl?" Is she an angry ex threatening to tear her ex boyfriend's heart out and feed it to him? (Geez if Silver Springs isn't Spectacle then what is?) Is she a Nice Girl deeply in love with her boyfriend? (Leather and Lace, Bella Donna, Beautiful Child.)
VARIETY helps create Spectacle too, perhaps...

Anyway, have fun! :D

P.S. - ONE last thought - - - - Is Stevie flying high on her trapeze, even though we know she won't fall? Is the whole thing "phony?" Or is she - like the rest of us - just trying to "fly for her northern star?" Maybe a part of the "Spectacle" involves the portrayal of things common to everyone. Part of her genius, in my opinion, has always been that she plays a "queen" who is also a commoner. Maybe the center of this "Specatcle" is that in a way, she's not all that "spectacular" - she's "just like us." Rhiannon is "strange and elusive" and yet she's right there "with us" in the park, listening to the wind blow and the sound of birds rising. She is like a cat in the dark and yet she is our darkness; and yet at the same time she's just this chick from California who's trying to make a buck without getting into too much trouble. That elusiveness, when coupled with her "commonality," is a Spectacle in itself. :)

I know this is OT but Sonny was a pretty versatile guy.

Actually I think it's a perfect contrast. Plus, SOTM '82 is Stevie's Joplin moment.

No! Stevie has always maintained that the band really split after the Mirage tour. I think you are right to do 70's/early 80's.

I did my presentation! I showed three clips-- the obvious parts of "Rhiannon" Rosebud and Mirage "Sisters of the Moon" and also "The Chain" from Mirage to show the tension between the band members (aka Stevie/Lindsey). My professor ate it up. Let's see how he likes my paper.

A few people asked if they could read it. I'm kinda self conscious about these things so if you're interested, PM me.

Am I tripping? Isn't this thread from at least three or four years ago? It had to have been high school for her, no? Edit- No, she just said 'professor'.
I thought this thread was one of the first times that The Ledge had heard from D.
I am in such a timewarp, again. I was sure this was an ancient thread, but nobody else seems to have noticed, so maybe it's new.
I am sure the presentation was brilliant, whenever it was! Can one get a PhD in FltMcV?

Damnit, I am just now reading this post. To me, Fleetwood Mac is one of the most captivating bands ever. Their stage persona is unique and unmatched. However, many people have pointed out that they didn't do many fancy things. I think a good view for a paper would be how they were able to create and maintain such an amazing aura and stage presence without the use of such hi-tech spectacles. But alas, since you have already written the paper I'm not much help. Also, I see no problem with you showing Rhiannon (Rosebud) and SOTM (Mirage). They are both extremely amazing performances and prime examples of intense stage presence without immense visual effects. Anyone can fly around on a harness with brilliant lights and video everywhere, but it takes a true artist to have an audience in the palm of your hands by simply performing with nothing but yourself and your chiffon dress.

There may be some youtube video of Mick's "World Turning" drum solo during the "Tango" tour. Specifically at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The percussionist on that tour was an African guy from Ghana named Asante. He had this kinda weird tribal outfit thing with a headdress that had real large horns sticking out of it. He's an awesome percussionist and worked well with Mick on the "World Turning" solo with Mick's percussion vest. He's also listed as doing additional percussion on "Behind The Mask" and I think he toured with the band again for that CD. This was a pretty theatrical thing really, with Mick doing his thing on the vest and Asante keeping it going on the percussion. Mainly his costume but worth taking a look at. Try "World Turning Live 1987" and you should find it pretty easily. Good luck.

I'm amazed. I got 100% on my FM paper and apparently I was the only one. He read it aloud to the class. WHOOHOO!

FM would be proud and so are we. Congrats Dani!

Awesome!! Good for you!!

Here's that "World Turning" link on youtube just for fun anyway. Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adLJDZXku80

Yes, well done. Maybe you could post a bit of it for us? I would like to read it anyway, but it's fine if you'd rather not. Excellent grade, tho.

Loz

That's a good idea, even a little portion of it if you feel comfortable:) Congrats on the grade btw :):woohoo:

Aaaaghh! I just found this thread now and got really excited about discussing this with you.... and then I saw that it was finished. Well done on the grade!! I'd be interested to read it if you're ok with that and want to share it? pm me if you'd prefer.

You all are totally welcome to PM me your email addresses and I'll forward it to you. I turned the paper in on a website that detects plagiarism and if I post it here, my professor will probably get an email saying that an exact replica exists on the web somewhere. Sorry, but as I said, PM me if you want to see it.

Congrats Dani! :woohoo: