Stevie Nicks talks Fleetwood Mac, feminism and romancing Prince ahead of O2 gigs
 

By Jim Palmer, Leisure Editor

FLEETWOOD Mac are back touring for the first time in four years and heading for the O2 arena for three dates at the end of the month.

The classic line-up includes iconic members Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Christine McVie is rumoured to join up with her old band.

Singer Stevie Nicks said explained now was right to bring the band back.

She said: “I thought Fleetwood Mac should stay off the grid for three years. It’s a good idea; it’s just smart to keep us out of the spotlight for three years. Everyone went along with it.

“We were gone long enough that it was us coming back.

“I told the press last year that 2013 was going to be the year of Fleetwood Mac. And I was just hoping with all my heart that this big statement was gonna come true.”

And the show is not to be missed, the singer said.

“When people in Britain see the show they’re gonna be blown way,” she said. “Honestly, rock bands that are 30 years old would baulk at this schedule and at the amount of songs we’re doing and the length of the show.

“They would go, ‘you are kidding? Two hours and 40 minutes a night?’”

The 65-year-old, who joined the band in 1975 for its most successful period, was one of the first female rock icons.

She said: “We were feminists, and we fought for the feminist movement. And I see that starting to be lost a little bit now.

“I see women being more willing to be put in their place today. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, what it is. But I see something changing, and I see girls being not quite as willing to take a stand.”

With a tempestuous relationship with one of her band mates leading to one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, Rumours, Stevie knew not to mix the personal and professional a second time.

She said: “I wanted to work with Prince. And I was smart enough to know that if you start having a relationship with somebody, you’re never gonna work with them.

“Prince is such a strange and beautiful guy.

“He wanted to be my friend; I don’t know if he wanted any more than that. But I know that he wanted to hang out.

“We lived in two different worlds. That’s when I was totally a drug addict and Prince is the other side of drug addict – Prince is straight as an arrow.

“He would bring me cough medicine when I was sick and then I’d ask for another spoon of it, and he’d go, ‘I didn’t come her to start you on a new drug!’ So I realised that that was not gonna work out.

“We’re two really famous rock’n’roll stars, and I’m a drug addict, and he’s not, so these paths are not gonna meet ever well.

“But if I needed Prince I’m sure he would come and help me.”

Oh, in the past she sort of thought that Prince did wanna be her lover, I wanna be the only one who makes you come running.

Now, she doesn't know. Maybe he just wanted to be friends and hang out and play basketball and lay on the kitchen floor.

Interesting that Prince was drug free back then. I know he is now, but I didn't know what he was like then. I'm glad to hear it.

Michele

Lay on the kitchen floor in front of the open refridgerator because the air conditioning went out in the house.:lol:

The Independent by Fiona Sturges, September 18, 2013

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...p-8825018.html

To hear a celebrity interview done right, Jane Garvey's conversation with Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks on Woman's Hour on Monday was a masterclass. It helps, of course, to have a good subject and Nicks is better than most. She used to be known for her diva-ish ways – at the height of her fame she insisted that her hotel rooms be painted pink and furnished with a white piano – but now, at 65, has reached a plateau of wisdom and total coolness.

There was nothing here that was off-limits: her insecurities, her drug addictions, her relationships with bandmates Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood. Most fascinatingly, she talked about her first meeting with fellow Mac member Christine McVie. "From the very beginning we made a pact that we would be a force of nature together, and we were," Nicks noted. The pair vowed that they would never stand in a roomful of male musicians and feel any less important. She did this, she said, "with very tall boots... So I wasn't five foot one and a half, I was five foot eight. And so I looked like a tall slender girl that could be carrying a sword."

As an interviewee, Nicks was a gift: a smart woman wise to the promotional process but happy to reflect, debate and analyse – to really, truly talk.

[Same old quotes, but she says she watched first season of GoT when she had pneumonia and was grieving for her mother.]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....future-6074041

By Sarah Walters Spotlight: Stevie's prediction for Fleetwood future
21 Sep 2013 14:19

The singer is relieved her tip about the band’s big return has come true, writes Sarah Walters

‘I TOLD the press last year that 2013 was going to be the year of Fleetwood Mac,” comes the nervous confession of Stevie Nicks, the band’s vocalist and songwriter. “I was just hoping with all my heart that this big statement was gonna come true!”

Certainly, the UK hasn’t made a liar out of Nicks who, at the age of 65, is about to embark on a headline trip around the country’s biggest arenas. Nor, in fact, has the rest of the world: the band’s biggest selling album, 1977’s Rumours, found itself nearing the top of several worldwide charts again this year – adding hundreds of thousands more sales to the 40m copies shifted since its release.

Nicks is still a blonde stunner, and it’s hard to believe she’s preparing to celebrate her 40th year with the group in 2014; in that same year, Fleetwood Mac – completed by Mick Fleetwood (drums), John McVie (bass) and Lindsey Buckingham (vocals, guitar) since the departure of Christine “Perfect” McVie in 1998 – will reach the grand age of 47.

They lost years to drugs, in-fighting and line-up changes, but since the Anglo-American blues-rock band dropped to a four-piece they’ve seemed unstoppable, their international live shows grossing millions at the box office. And that’s, in part, because of the longevity of their back catalogue; Albatross, Go Your Own Way and Nicks-penned Dreams and Rhiannon have endured through musical fads and fashions.

Of course, Nicks has helped her prediction of 2013 success along by stalling the band’s return to the live stage. “It’s just smart to keep us out of the spotlight for three years, she says.

“Everyone went along with it. And now they all know it was really a great idea because we were gone long enough that it was us coming back.”

There was, too, the not-so-small matter of Nick’s own solo album – In Your Dreams, her first in a decade and recorded with The Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart – and accompanying documentary which she felt needed her focus. And then there was personal tragedy; Nicks lost her mother and says the experience rocked her to the core.

“I didn’t go (to the studio). I didn’t want to go,” she recalls. “But it wasn’t just that – I didn’t want to go anywhere. I didn’t leave the house for almost five months.

“And then I got pneumonia. With my pneumonia and my mother’s death I watched the entire first season of Game Of Thrones! That certainly took my mind off everything.”

Nicks is a woman used to resolving her personal problems in public. When her long-term relationship with Buckingham ended, she briefly dated Fleetwood. Love was even in the air with pop legend Prince. “I wanted to work with Prince. And I was smart enough to know that if you start having a relationship with somebody, you’re never gonna work with them; the romantic thing’s gonna take over,” she recalls.

“Prince is such a strange and beautiful guy. But we lived in two different worlds. That’s when I was totally a drug addict and Prince is straight as an arrow.

“He would bring me cough medicine when I was sick and then I’d ask for another spoon of it, and he’d go, ‘I didn’t come here to start you on a new drug!’.”

That wasn’t a battle Nicks wanted either. “You realised that all that recreational/non-addictive [idea] was bull when it started to become more important than music. And it did.

“And heroin’s a lot quicker road to that! It’s gonna become more important than your music, or your acting, or your amazing career that you have ahead of you. You’re just throwing it away.”

It’s not an experience she hopes to repeat – nor could afford to with the demands of her current life.

She has always been a night owl, and although Nicks would be the first to admit that she’ll sit up chatting into the night after the rest of her fellow Fleetwood Mac members have sloped off to bed to beat the jet-lag, she’s putting the reputation of her legendary rock band and award-winning solo career first.

“Honestly, rock bands that are 30 years old would baulk at this schedule and at the amount of songs we’re doing and the length of the show,” she says about the new tour.

“They would go, ‘You are kidding? Two hours and 40 minutes a night?’. When people in Manchester see the show they’re gonna be blown way!”

Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks on music, Game of Thrones and her relationship with Prince
http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-e...inc.1380631899


Tuesday 1 October 2013 , Herald Scotland

Ahead of their sold-out show at Glasgow's Hydro, we talk to Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks about touring, solo albums, Game of Thrones and her relationship with Prince.

Fleetwood Mac have been touring for much of the year - how's it been?

"Great. But the last 15 shows in America were particularly gruelling. Shows got added so the routing was difficult - you're in Canada, then you're in Dallas, then you're in Florida, then Portland. So it was very hard.


"We'd fly after the show most nights, a two-hour flight, then the drive to and from the airport. We all got terribly jet-lagged. But for me, it's not such a big deal 'cause I stay up really late every night anyway. But for Lindsey [Buckingham] and Mick [Fleetwood] and John [McVie], they don't stay up late - they go back to their rooms and go to sleep.'"

This is the first Fleetwood Mac tour since 2009…

"At the beginning of 2012 I told everyone I wouldn't tour with the band that year, because I wanted to give [2011 solo album] In Your Dreams another year, because I thought it deserved it. And because I thought Fleetwood Mac should stay off the grid for three years.

"It's a good idea; it's just smart to keep us out of the spotlight for three years. Everyone went along with it. And now they all know it was really a great idea - because we were gone long enough that it was us coming back.

"I told the press last year that 2013 was going to be the year of Fleetwood Mac. And I was just hoping with all my heart that this big statement was gonna come true!"

The band released an iTunes EP earlier this year, which was recorded just after your mother died. Was that a difficult time for you?

"I didn't go [to the studio]. I didn't want to go. But it wasn't just that - I didn't want to go anywhere. I didn't leave the house for almost five months.

"I worked on the edit of my documentary about the making of In Your Dreams. And then I got pneumonia. With my pneumonia and my mother's death I watched the entire first season of Game Of Thrones - so that was great! That certainly took my mind off everything."

So you're a fan of the show?

"Yes! The author [George RR Martin] is my age and it blows my mind that he's able to create this vast, interlinked world. As a songwriter I write little movies. But I can't imagine sitting down and writing even one small book. But then probably somebody like him couldn't imagine writing Edge Of Seventeen or Rhiannon - couldn't write a whole little life in two verses and a chorus. And of course I would love to write some music for Game Of Thrones. I've written a bunch of poetry about it - one for each of the characters. On Jon Snow… On Arya… On Cersei and Jaime."

Glee dedicated a show to Rumours, and you got to know some of the cast. Were you devastated by Cory Monteith's death?

"I was. [In the Seventies] we were really warned about heroin. I can't remember who it was but somebody said, 'this is what will happen if you do heroin: you get really, really sick, you'll throw up for hours, then you'll have about an hour of a high. And then after that high you'll start scraping the ground looking for more. Then for the rest of your life - probably - that's what you will do: search the world for that high. And you'll never find it.'"

You managed to conquer your own addictions a long time ago…

"Right, right. But with this Cory thing I've thought a lot about it. Mostly you realised that all that recreational/non-addictive [idea] was bull**** when it started to become more important than music. And it did. And heroin's a lot quicker road to that! It's gonna become more important than your music, or your acting, or your amazing career that you have ahead of you. You're just throwing it away. And you have somebody like Cory who had the world at his feet, and his fingertips."

You were one of the first female rock icons. Did you have a sense that you were the first generation fighting not to be defined by having a partner or being a mother?

"Right. We were feminists, and we fought for the feminist movement. And I see that starting to be lost a little bit now. I see women being more willing to be put in their place today. I can't exactly put my finger on it, what it is. But I see something changing, and I see girls being not quite as willing to take a stand. And not willing to be really brave and maybe risk something. And that makes me feel bad because, boy, my generation of women, we were an army. And we were not going to be second-class citizens in any way. And I see that ebbing now. And I don't know why."

Have you always had that fight in you?

"I knew from the beginning, when Lindsey and I joined Fleetwood Mac, that Christine [McVie] and I had to really stand our ground. And we had to be a force of nature. Or we would be considered second-class rock stars. And between the two of us that was never gonna happen! We made a pinky swear pact: 'we will never, ever walk into a room that's full of rock stars - especially English rock stars! - and not be treated as if we're not as good as them. Because we are as good as them.' And that never did happen."

This year you celebrated your 65th birthday - working. You did a show in Las Vegas that night. That's commitment.

"Thank you! And when people in Britain see the show they're gonna be blown way! Honestly, rock bands that are 30 years old would baulk at this schedule and at the amount of songs we're doing and the length of the show. They would go, 'you are kidding? Two hours and 40 minutes a night?'"

Is it true that you and Prince almost had a relationship?

"I wanted to work with Prince. And I was smart enough to know that if you start having a relationship with somebody, you're never gonna work with them. The romantic thing's gonna take over. And Prince is such a strange and beautiful guy.

"He wanted to be my friend; I don't know if he wanted any more than that. I don't know what he wanted. But I know that he wanted to hang out. But we lived in two different worlds. That's when I was totally a drug addict and Prince is the other side of drug addict - Prince is straight as an arrow.

"He would bring me cough medicine when I was sick and then I'd ask for another spoon of it, and he'd go, 'I didn't come here to start you on a new drug!' So I realised that that was not gonna work out. We're two really famous rock'n'roll stars, and I'm a drug addict, and he's not, so these paths are not gonna meet ever well. So if we wanna stay friends... And we are friends, not that I talk to him very often. But if I needed Prince I'm sure he would come and help me."

[No new quotes, but pretty long comment thread on Stevie]

A. V. club by Marah Eakin October 4, 2013

http://www.avclub.com/articles/stevi...nts-to,103789/

Stevie Nicks writes Game Of Thrones poetry—because why wouldn’t Stevie Nicks write Game Of Thrones poetry? That now totally obvious tidbit comes courtesy of an interview the Fleetwood Mac singer did with Scotland’s The Herald. Nicks says the show helped her get through the death of her mother last year, and that in return she’s “written a bunch of poetry” about the show, including a poem for each of the characters. Unfortunately for everyone, none of this poetry has been published or exists anywhere outside Nicks’ notebooks, but the singer says she would like to write some music for the HBO show.

While Nicks revealed in the interview that—gasp!—she used to date (and hopefully share capes and eyeliner with) Prince, she says that now, she’s got a crush on George R.R. Martin. It’s just a talent crush, but Nicks says, “It blows my mind that he’s able to create this vast, interlinked world.” She goes on to say that Martin probably couldn’t imagine writing “Edge Of Seventeen” or “Rhiannon” either.

Huffington Post Posted: 10/03/2013 6:24 pm EDT |

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4033345.html

10 On-Point Things Celebrities Have Said About Being Single

Stevie Nicks

"People say to you, ‘Well, what do you mean you don’t have a boyfriend? You don’t want to have one? You don’t want to be married?," Stevie Nicks said. "And you’re like, ‘Well, no, I don’t, actually. I’m fine.’ And they find a lot of reasons why you’re not fine. But it just seems to be coming back. Being able to take care of myself is something that my mom really instilled in me. I can remember her always saying, ‘If nothing else, I will teach you to be independent.’

[This site is selling an audio clip of Stevie talking about Prince. I didn't listen but it transcribes what she said in 2004 at a concert of his.]

ITN Source

http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist...11/RTV2546508/

Clip 3 of 7 (Copyright: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 2004) (REUTERS) STAPLES CENTER ARENA, SITE OF PRINCE CONCERT EDDIE MURPHY AND WIFE ARRIVING TO CONCERT STEVIE NICKS ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GWEN STEFANI SAYING: "It means my whole life. It's the backdrop to my life and I'm so lucky to have lived when I did because it's a nice one. I love him, love, love!" (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEVIE NICKS SAYING: "He could really just go up there by himself with a guitar and do three hours and we'd all be fine. That's what makes him incredibly unique, incredibly special. And I'm going to cry because I adore him. He's just dear to me."... LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 2004) (REUTERS) STAPLES CENTER ARENA, SITE OF PRINCE CONCERT EDDIE MURPHY AND WIFE ARRIVING TO CONCERT STEVIE NICKS ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GWEN STEFANI SAYING: "It means my whole life. It's the backdrop to my life and I'm so lucky to have lived when I did because it's a nice one. I love him, love, love!" (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEVIE NICKS SAYING: "He could really just go up there by himself with a guitar and do three hours and we'd all be fine. That's what makes him incredibly unique, incredibly special. And I'm going to cry because I adore him. He's just dear to me." - See more at: http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist....mLvXKot5.dpuf

[From an article about Prince doing an appearance on The New Girl]

Glamor Magazine

http://www.glamour.com/entertainment...n-3-recap.html

Zooey: "Prince gives me a makeover in the episode, and he actually wanted to pick out my outfit. I had never had a rock legend pick out my outfit! He’s a rock legend! He even said, 'Why don’t we have makeover montage?' I mean, that’s like my dream. He had a suitcase full of clothes that fit me. He wanted me to look like Stevie Nicks, so I looked like Stevie Nicks."

Lamorne: "It was crazy how normal he is."