"Storms" by Carol Ann
 

ok, ok, so I started reading this book today...I've only made it through the first 2 chapters, but I am already wondering if everything is true, like exactly how she is making it sound. I mean, WHY did she wait til 2007 to write a book about it? And just because she was Lindsey's girlfriend, doesn't mean she knows everything that went on with the band. And I am starting to see a pattern of how she describes Christine and Stevie. Each time, she has to mention Christine is drinking and that Stevie has all these little friends that follow her around and like she is goofy or something.

I don't know how I feel about the book yet....but we'll see. Anyone else read it? Like? no?

600+ posts worth of discussion here: STORMS

The thing is, all you have to do is watch the Tusk Documentary to know everything she says is true. Christine was chronically drunk, and Stevie definitely comes across as completely dippy. I think right up until this decade Stevie lived with a gaggle of her gal pals too, you just have to look at magazines from the '90s for proof. She talked about living with Lori, Sara, etc. Carol Ann definitely was around the band for a big chunk of their height. You can watch the video on youtube of the Grammy's from '78 when Rumours won, and Carol Ann was sitting right in the middle of the band in the audience. None of the other members had anyone with them. I think following Rumours breaking onto the scene, the entire band had an entourage around them after that time. They were rock superstars... and rock superstars ALWAYS have entourages, and hangers on. Carol Ann was most certainly in that group, she dated Lindsey for 7 years.

The one area I can definitely say that makes me question Carol Ann's authenticity will emerge once you progress more in the book. Carol Ann plays the constant martyr, and she never admits any wrongdoing. The thing is, NOBODY was an innocent during that era. Everyone was addicted to drugs, money, and fame... and lots of bad stuff went down. Lindsey wrote about Carol Ann extensively on his album Go Insane. She claims otherwise in her book, but she certainly had a big appetite for blow and drama. I do somewhat doubt the 100% accuracy of her conversations in the book too, but I think she captured the general essence of what went on pretty darn accurately.

Regarding the timing for the book, I actually think it lends credibility to her rather than detracts. If she were simply interested in cashing in on her connection with the band, she would have either done it in the '84-'88 era, or in the '97-'98 era. She didn't even try and coincide her book with the release of Say You Will. My point being, she seems like an enterprising woman, and she likely knows she missed her cash and fame boat long ago.

Yeah, I finished reading it a few days ago and I see what you mean. I really do think she was honest for the majority of the book, as far as describing people's personalities and such. But as you said, she NEVER comes across as doing anything wrong, just that she is in love so much with Lindsey and keeps getting hurt by him, and even by Stevie, for that matter. The parts about Stevie made me laugh. Every single conversation Carol Ann had with her was stupid and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Stevie to death, so it cracked me up. I definitely think Stevie has always been a little hmm....I can't even think of the word to describe her. Not 'dumb", but just kinda dippy I guess you could say.

I thought she kind of made it look like Stevie was a ho. She talked about a lot of the guys she was with and about that whole situation with Mick. I had no idea that Stevie and Jenny had a confrontation. That must have been awkward, haha.

Anyway, overall, I ended up liking the book. I love Lindsey a lot and it gave me a better insight to who he is and what he is/was like...or at least somewhat, cus I'm sure some things weren't totally accurate. It was interesting, don't you think?

Did you happen to notice that all the Polaroids throughout the entire book are blurry, & that the only clear photos in the book are marketing/modeling photos of Carol herself? What do you make of that?

No. "Dumb" is the right word.

Carol's view of everything -- not so much the cold hard data but the atmosphere surrounding the band & its interactions (the tone of the drama, you might say) -- isn't anywhere near the final word, as far as I'm concerned. She has concocted a play -- with characters, a setting, comic & melodramatic rising action, a shocking climax or two, & the tragic denoument. Carol so frequently described Stevie as a goddess & an artist & a queen who lit up the room whenever she entered, ad nauseum, that I finally figured out that Carol meant it all facetiously. She's a lot cleverer than she paints herself in the book. In fact, I think she's a lot cleverer than Stevie. Carol describes herself (endlessly) as the small-town girl, the innocent, the naive, sweet young thang who gets eaten alive by the wolfish rock superstars. But she never paints Stevie in that way, even though Stevie was as green as they come when she joined Fleetwood in 1975.

When Stevie was quoted a million years ago as saying that one of her songs was about female groupies -- about "women who stand around & give me & Christine dirty looks, but as soon as a guy comes in the room are overcome with smiles" -- she might just as well have been describing Carol Harris.

Maybe she was.

I don't know if she's cleverer than Stevie, because Stevie can be quite clever, but Carol is smart.

She writes about the way she got Lindsey to cut his mustache and beard, using reverse psychology, telling him he looked like Bjorn, secretly knowing he'd loathe the comparison, but openly praising Bjorn's looks. I think she knowingly manipulates the audience as well, so that you're steered directly to a conclusion without ever even know you were guided at all.

I use the Rolling Stone cover example all the time not because it itself is important. It's quite insignficant in the great scheme of things. But it's one of the few things that can be directly contradicted and I think it's indicative of the very gentle, subtle steering and redirection that is going on throughout the book. Why say the cover was shot in her home, in her bedroom, when it wasn't? Seems to me she wants to contradict what Stevie and Lindsey recently said about the shoot, but without ever even acknowledging what they said or what she's denying. She reshapes the truth in very delicate, very small steps, so that it's not even clear that it's happening.

The one time she comes right out and says, "The rumors are wrong and what people claimed happened really didn't" is when she explains that she did not sleep with Dennis Wilson. In a way I thought that was one of the most honest passages in the book. I'm not saying I don't think she slept with Dennis, but the way she attacked the charge head on was a lot more staightforward than the bulk of the book, during which she is always making a point or a denial, but not revealing that that's what she's doing.

She tried to get her story out there for many years and it has evolved a lot from the Elvis Costello concert assault she described on Geraldo in 1992. I guess no one was interested enough for her to get published before. I'm glad she was finally able to be heard. I found the book entertaining, often hilarious, and certainly valuable to have, but even though I'm sure many things in it are true, I in no way consider it the truth. I don't even really think it's Carol's version of the truth. Meaning, I don't think she sees things herself the way she presented them to us in Storms. Hey, Bjorn's a great looking guy!

Michele

The oddest part of the book to me was the ending. She explains what happened in her life since leaving Lindsey, but makes it seem as though nothing has changed in Lindsey's life. I wonder how resentful she is that Kristen got everything she wanted: the marriage, the kids, a calmer Lindsey, etc.

I don't think she is particularly smart, perhaps her ghostwriter steered her in certain directions. Isn't there a recent interview where she contradicts much of what was said in the book? I also really resented the presentation of her as perpetual victim of just about every single person she ever came across. Take some responsibility for your actions.

And, really who's to say that's her portrayal per se? It seems more like a ghostwriter's perspective after a few interviews and some poor excuse for research... although, it was entertaining. I have to take it with a grain of salt...

I recall this quote from an article ("Sex, Lines and Audiotape") around the time the book came out. It's interesting to me because in the book she never admitted Lindsey was still in love with Stevie. Which would have made great fodder, of course I'm sure there were a lot of things left out, taken out, etc...

I felt the book was entertaining enough, but I often laughed at it, not with it.

The problem for me, and it was obvious from the start, was that Carol was always going to use this 'poor me' attitude. She was the more modest, humble girlfriend. She couldn't compete with Stevie. She was a victim of Lindsey's moods. She was a victim of Stevie's moods. She gave up her career. She was a victim of drugs. Nothing was ever of her own doing. Blah, blah, blah.

Whilst I don't condone what Lindsey was accused of, I don't believe she was as innocent as she would have you believe. She made him out to be a psycho at times. In fact, she made everyone out to be a caricature of themselves.

She dug herself holes, she manipulated situations, she did her share of drugs, etc. Some of the pitfalls of her time with Lindsey were of her own doing. I can't remember instances, but I do remember that being the general theme of the book. Just how victimized she was.

I also remember hating that she had pretty much decided that she was like a member of the band. She was in the 'inner circle'. Without her, Lindsey wouldn't have gotten his 'Tusk' look or sound. That drove me crazy, because I'm sure every hanger-on felt the exact same way.

^ To me that quote makes her entire book irrelevant.

You're right. From a bookseller's viewpoint, the Stevie/Lindsey thing would have made great fodder. So, I would guess the book's pov --that kind of downplayed any feelings Lindsey might still have for Stevie -- came from Carol, because marketers probably would have taken it in another direction.

Michele

I'm betting the lawyers got to it first though and the original manuscript (whomever's it may be) was not what eventually made it to the printing press...

Yes. I'm sure the book was intended to coincide with the release of SYW (or even earlier), but went through a thorough vetting process before it made its way to the shelves.

I don't know I thought it was a great book. If you've ever seen the backstage of the Rumours tour videos there is a blonde (I assume it's Carol Ann) who is practically glued to Lindsey's side. When Stevie walks in the room Carol seems to tighten her grip on Lindsey. If you've ever seen a couple that has split and are around each other later on you've seen this move before.
Either Carol is one hell of a storyteller or she is more or less telling the truth. Sure, she comes out smelling like a rose, but that's to be expected in a case like this. I would wager that the book is about 90% right on the money as to what it was like at that point.