Les... I haven't read anything here in a very long time (if ever) that gave me the desire to stand up and applaud, but you definitely provoked that feeling with your post.
You managed to very eloquently say all of the things I would have never been able to articulate.
Each member of Fleetwood Mac is a very real human-being... with millions of facets to their personalities. Some flattering, some not so flattering.
(Just like the rest of us!)
Sometimes it is way too easy to pigeon-hole them. We're discussing their songs, their personalities, their images... basically disecting them, for all intents and purposes... but we're never going to really put a finger on what it is about them that makes them so fascinating.
At the end of the day, we just have to concede that it's because they're human.
And yes, there are some folks who prefer to focus on the positive aspects of these individuals... and some who seem preoccupied with all the negatives.
But hopefully the majority of people see them as well-rounded human beings, who are more than just the sum of their personality traits.
Thanks for that post, Les.
Johnny Stew