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Originally Posted by bombaysaffires
see, I'm not so sure she really promoted the band with this, other than the very literal "putting their name out there" again. The walk-away impression one gets from the piece is that the band is really a big clusterf*ck of tensions and resentments by these people of Stevie… her beauty, her success, blah blah blah. What it leaves you with is a sense of what a wonderful person she is for sticking around so long when clearly out of all of them she could most easily have walked away and stayed famous. I mean even the comment about 'Lindsey would have been the star in any other band'-- while at first seeming like a bit of a mark against Stevie-- in its own way says he's better than most other rock players but even he's not better than our Stevie, who has this better "package" of stage presence, looks, talent etc etc. That can't contribute in any way (even if some think it's true) to harmony within the band. We all know that's Lindsey's bugaboo--- being overlooked for his 'substance'' by Stevie's 'flash'. And look, now he's being petty and banging on the wall like an old fart because the music's too loud…. again, not a great image that lingers in readers' minds. Lindsey's not stupid, and he's a bit overly sensitive about this topic, so this article's presentation of him can't really help internal band politics now can it? (with the caveat that maybe if he knew there was a RS reporter there he could have behaved accordingly, i.e. not given them any ammunition)
Let's face it, to borrow a quote from American politics used when judging presidential candidates.. "who would you rather have a beer with?" well, when Stevie does interviews and shows everyone her funny, charming side, like in this article, and we see Lindsey as a grouchy old poop who still seems to hold a grudge over sh&t from 30 years ago, most (casual) readers will think, "I'd rather hang out with HER." And that's the point of articles like this. To boost her brand.
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Just personally speaking, I do get the impression that she might have been trying to get the audience to sympathize with her...in case something does happen to the band in regards to an album? I don't know, but the article doesn''t really portray the other members in a neutral light, nor in a positive one.
However, I thought the part about Tom Petty was a little hilarious. He seems to be more of a proponent of the band over their solo careers...not exactly in line perhaps with the Stevie solo push, perhaps?
All that being said, personally, I do get the impression that she's still committed to the band. In an article that's about her, she does most of her talking about being in a band and while it's not all positive, she does seem to reinforce her commitment to the band with the Jefferson Airplane and the "we choose to stay..." comments. I think Nicks knows her brand isn't bigger than Fleetwood Mac's, and while she herself is a successful solo artist and a pioneer for women in rock, the band itself has almost reached immortality (in terms of the greatest bands of all-time). She herself said that she was in a band just as successful as the men she dated and that sounds like something she's proud of, and proud to be a part of.
Perhaps she's promoting herself or her perspective, or establishing her place in rock, but it's not without acknowledging the role the band played in her career and life. She seems to really prize that identity as a woman with a solo career, but somebody that is also a part of a legendary band...something that many women today really can't claim. She is different in that sense.