Okay, I have a story to share as well, but before I bore you guys with details that many of you might have seen before, let me just say this about Ashley; I believe that she is like 16 or 17 years old and she did paint a beautiful picture for Stevie with her feet and mouth. I believe she was born with her arms only developed to the elbow.
David - I was just at the Nicks Fix looking for the news story that ran about her, but I can't find it. I did come across your review of the show and maybe you could paste that section in here?? I didn't want to do it without your permission and it seems to tell her story well.
Grab your favorite beverage, this is long. I don't have an original copy anymore and this isn't at the Nicks Fix anymore and Tgee has a copy somewhere in her site - maybe she will be back from vacation soon!
Anyhow ~ I did have the chance to meet Stevie in April of 2001, right before TISL was released. A dear friend of mine and now someone that I work for, is a radio DJ in Dallas. When he first got the job 8 years ago, I told him I wouldn't be one of those pesky friends who is always asking for free stuff or meet and greet passes, unless it had anything to do with Stevie Nicks.
So he calls me one afternoon and says, "Be here at 6:30am Wednesday - we are hosting a special breakfast with Stevie Nicks". She was actually in town to do a benefit for Don Henley and his wife wife called, "The Yellow Rose Foundation".
I arrived at 6:30 and found my friend Tony. All of the people who had won an invitation were there in the lobby being moved inside a conference room. I went downstairs with Tony and the employees of the station to greet her limo in the parking lot. As we walked outside we saw the limo and Stevie, Karen and Waddy were just stepping out. She had her dog with her, but the dog stayed with the limo driver rather than come upstairs with Stevie. Since I was like the least important person in the whole group, I stayed behind everyone and really didn't get a good look at her until we were upstairs later. I saw that she was wearing crushed velvet leggings and top with sandals.
Once we were upstairs she was taken inside the broadcast booth and I was sent to the conference room with all the winners. They had a huge oval table and about 14 people in the room. I took a seat directly across from where Stevie was going to sit at the head of the table. They had food and juice out for us, but nobody ate anything. I think we were all too nervous to eat. We could hear the broadcast in our room so we all sat quietly and listened to the interview.
They played "Everyday" and chatted with Stevie about the benefit and about TISL. She sang "Landslide" live with Waddy playing for her. She made a comment like, "Okay - Landslide before 8:00 in the morning". I knew she hadn't been to sleep. She pulled it off and it sounded great. They asked her a few silly questions like, "Do you have an ATM card?" "No" she said, "I don't know what that is". They told her and she said that she can't go around with stuff like that. "I carry a phone book with me." They asked her where she was the first time she heard herself on the radio. She said, "I was in mine and Lindsey's apartment and the first song I heard was, 'Over My Head'. She explained that wasn't her song, but she and Lindsey were on the vocals and then told them that 'Rhiannon" was the first song of hers that she heard on the radio. I honestly don't remember all the other things they said.
So all of us were sitting there waiting for the moment to arrive and in she walked. She sat down at the head of the table, clicked her ruby red nails on the table and said, "Hi everyone - I'm Stevie Nicks", in a very funny way. It really helped to break the ice. There was a girl there who was in the chair right next to her who started crying and really couldn't stop. Stevie cupped her hands over the girls hands and moved in close to her to talk. It was a beautiful thing to see. Stevie talked quietly with her and got her to calm down. It was like they were the only two people in the room.
Then Stevie said, "So, do any of you have any questions?" I remember somebody asking her if Buckingham Nicks would ever be released again and she said that it would. Somebody had a copy of it for her to sign and she said something like, "WOW - I don't see too many of those anymore". Everyone asked a question and that Buckingham/Nicks one is the only one I remember, except for mine.
I really wanted Stevie to know that all of us are here on the internet and that it is this great community of people who are sincerely devoted to her and her music. I told her John Kinney did a wonderful job with her website and that I appreciated the work of everyone associated with it. I asked her if she had a computer. "No. I don't own a computer and I don't want to own a computer. I did just buy a computer for my niece though!" I think that was when I told her, "If you ever want to get a message to everyone who loves you, or all of us, a computer would be a great way to do that."
People continued with their questions and then they told us to line up and we could get our picture taken with Stevie and have her autograph the things we brought. I took my "Enchanted" set and a glossy page of TISL pics that I made up on the computer. I took an extra one of those and my friend Tony had her sign it for him. When it was my turn to talk to her, I thanked her for sharing her tranquilizer story with us because I was starting to walk down that path filled with Valium and Xanax, and she looked me straight in the eye and grabbed my hand, using both of hers and she told me to run away from it right now because you will lose every bit of creativity you have in you." Now that was insightful because I was working as a video producer at the time. I told her that was my wish from meeting with her. Her story really did touch me and I was grateful she shared it with all of us because it honestly did help me. She signed the Blue Lamp page in "Enchanted", she also signed disc #2 and my TISL sheet. When the station went to take our picture, I called for Tony to come and get in there with me as he was the reason I got to meet her. She put her arm around me, tilted her head towards me and gave one of her famous non-smiling but happy poses.
I left the room to allow everyone else to get on through and I saw Waddy out just standing in the hall. I walked right up to him and told him how awesome it was to see him. I asked if he would be touring with Stevie and he told me he was trying to free his schedule so he could tour with her again. He signed my "Waddy" page in Enchanted and gave me a hug.
So ~ that was my moment basking in her glow, which then in turn allowed people to bask in my glow for several months after that. I was on a Stevie High and honestly, I haven't came back down yet!
Sorry for the length and thanks for taking the time to read this!
Patty