Going Their Own Way (Sunday Times, 24th May)

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by APerfectLie

Can you seriously blame Stevie?

Yes. Yes I can.

Fleetwood Mac was itching to go out on tour again right after Unleashed and gave her hell for taking time to promote IYD.

Yeah, how weird that the guys actually wanted to be a band, again.

She caved and did the 2013 tour

She's such a martyr.

only to be blind sided by the return of Christine

The VERY thing she offered $5 million to make happen.

and a mammoth two year tour with Fleetwood Mac again.

We already established she's a martyr. A martyr who gets ridiculous sums of cash to stay at extravagant hotels and play to adoring crowds (though I suspect the real problem is they're adoring someone else, now).

She even rushed 24 Karat Gold

Bless her heart. It's not like there was a hard time line on that album. It could have waited until the Mac was over, but bless her heart for putting that first. That Stevie WILL NOT give in to Lindsey and Christine's peer pressure. Good for her to have that strength.

and did very little promotion for that album so she could go out with the Mac again.

It was her choice. I still think she wanted an easy contractual obligation record.

But now, after spending three of the last five years touring with FM, Stevie is being bashed?

Her last two albums tanked. Her solo career is a joke. Fleetwood Mac has Christine back and are selling out arenas. Point being, Stevie's only real career today is with Fleetwood Mac

If I remember correctly, Christine took 16 years off.

Retirement as normal people call it.

Lindsey left Say You Will and said, "give me five years for my solo career"

After Stevie Nicks made it clear she wasn't recording with Fleetwood Mac again if Christine wasn't involved. <<<<-------THIS IS WHERE WE CAN BLAME STEVIE!!!

[gssmith]

Originally Posted by MikeVielhaber

But it would be a forced vacation for 4 of them. Only one of them is claiming to be tired and in need of a break.

John just had cancer. I'm pretty sure he needs a break too. 2017 is more realistic. It's not that far away. We've waited since 1997 or 1987 depending on how you look at it. One more year won't kill us

[gssmith]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Yes. Yes I can.


Yeah, how weird that the guys actually wanted to be a band, again.


She's such a martyr.


The VERY thing she offered $5 million to make happen.


We already established she's a martyr. A martyr who gets ridiculous sums of cash to stay at extravagant hotels and play to adoring crowds (though I suspect the real problem is they're adoring someone else, now).


Bless her heart. It's not like there was a hard time line on that album. It could have waited until the Mac was over, but bless her heart for putting that first. That Stevie WILL NOT give in to Lindsey and Christine's peer pressure. Good for her to have that strength.


It was her choice. I still think she wanted an easy contractual obligation record.


Her last two albums tanked. Her solo career is a joke. Fleetwood Mac has Christine back and are selling out arenas. Point being, Stevie's only real career today is with Fleetwood Mac



Retirement as normal people call it.


After Stevie Nicks made it clear she wasn't recording with Fleetwood Mac again if Christine wasn't involved. <<<<-------THIS IS WHERE WE CAN BLAME STEVIE!!!

You made a few decent points until you said her solo career was a joke. Now your a joke. Her last two albums actually did well compared to other classic rock artist. 24 KG had almost no publicity too. The only reason the band had been going since 1997 is because of Stevie. I'm sure they can carry on with out her on a smaller scale now that Chris is back

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by gssmith

John just had cancer. I'm pretty sure he needs a break too. 2017 is more realistic. It's not that far away. We've waited since 1997 or 1987 depending on how you look at it. One more year won't kill us

His interview seems to imply the opposite. He seems to have a sense of urgency about things. I'm Sure you're not one to tell him what he does and does not need. Secondly, the timing isn't the problem. Who's saying 2017? It's not Stevie. They've had 12 years. It didn't just become a problem right now because of an inexplicably long tour. It's not about timing. It's about Stevie committing herself to write and record with the band. She hasn't done that. She hasn't said she will after a break either and the band is not under the impression that she will.

[johnnystorms]

I've been thinking on this and I've decided it's all down to two words... Liz Rosenberg.
this is to stoke fan passions. I've never understood how at the height of their supposed estrangement in the mid- 90s.. Lindsey produced her Twister song, then showed up at the AHI benefits...There has been no new recordings because they have no record company. Tours make them a pile of cash, and the bottom line is, they are in this game to make money.
If she was truly so miserable on the SYW tour, why did she do Unleashed? If she was sour about not having Chris during UL, why did she do the 2013 tour?
If she hated what Lindsey did to her songs on SYW, why did she bring him in on IYD for Soldier's Angel?
They keep milking the drama to keep the die-hards following, I think they are on the cusp of over-doing it now, but this is all for the press.
Stevie is not going to do a 100,000 seller when she can be part of something bigger with the five of them.. She likes being a star and a brand and an image.
Let's face it , it's a ploy.. we're all intrigued as the thread shows.

[pauls90]

Originally Posted by johnnystorms

I've been thinking on this and I've decided it's all down to two words... Liz Rosenberg.
this is to stoke fan passions. I've never understood how at the height of their supposed estrangement in the mid- 90s.. Lindsey produced her Twister song, then showed up at the AHI benefits...There has been no new recordings because they have no record company. Tours make them a pile of cash, and the bottom line is, they are in this game to make money.
If she was truly so miserable on the SYW tour, why did she do Unleashed? If she was sour about not having Chris during UL, why did she do the 2013 tour?
If she hated what Lindsey did to her songs on SYW, why did she bring him in on IYD for Soldier's Angel?
They keep milking the drama to keep the die-hards following, I think they are on the cusp of over-doing it now, but this is all for the press.
Stevie is not going to do a 100,000 seller when she can be part of something bigger with the five of them.. She likes being a star and a brand and an image.
Let's face it , it's a ploy.. we're all intrigued as the thread shows.

It's definitely plausible to some degree. I feel like it's a mix of a few things. I'm sure she's definitely unhappy about something (especially to be that candid in an interview), but if this is the "last act" - what better way to drum up attention to it? "The ever volatile Fleetwood Mac, on the brink of breaking up yet again, battle to to forge on, and in a last minute effort, convince their rock goddess Stevie Nicks to return and unite the band for one last, glorious swan song - the final page of the epic saga of Fleetwood Mac." Seems like just enough of a dramatic setup to ensure big hype and provide enough acclaim to cement the legacy on a positive note.

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by johnnystorms

I've been thinking on this and I've decided it's all down to two words... Liz Rosenberg.
this is to stoke fan passions. I've never understood how at the height of their supposed estrangement in the mid- 90s.. Lindsey produced her Twister song, then showed up at the AHI benefits...There has been no new recordings because they have no record company. Tours make them a pile of cash, and the bottom line is, they are in this game to make money.
If she was truly so miserable on the SYW tour, why did she do Unleashed? If she was sour about not having Chris during UL, why did she do the 2013 tour?
If she hated what Lindsey did to her songs on SYW, why did she bring him in on IYD for Soldier's Angel?
They keep milking the drama to keep the die-hards following, I think they are on the cusp of over-doing it now, but this is all for the press.
Stevie is not going to do a 100,000 seller when she can be part of something bigger with the five of them.. She likes being a star and a brand and an image.
Let's face it , it's a ploy.. we're all intrigued as the thread shows.

But you're ignoring the fact that Lindsey Mick and, by default, John have wanted to record many times and even got around to actually doing it despite Stevie's a sense at one point. The reason they have no new recordings is because of Stevie. There's no other way to see it really. Everyone else wants a knew album and has for a long time. I think people over do it with the conspiracy theories.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by johnnystorms

I've been thinking on this and I've decided it's all down to two words... Liz Rosenberg.
this is to stoke fan passions.

The thing is, dissension has never stoked fan passions. It's just the opposite. What the band does to stoke passion is to pretend to get along, not the reverse. So, this myth that always circulates that they are just pretending to argue is rather puzzling. When Stevie and Lindsey embrace during Sara, the audience erupts. When they connect during Landslide the same thing happens. People like the personal displays of affection, the mushiness. No one cares if they're arguing about whether or not to do another album. That doesn't stoke fan passion. It stokes ire here, but no one really cares about us. If Liz is making a play for someone, it's the general public, not diehards.

Also, they weren't estranged anymore when Lindsey did AHI. By then, they already knew that they were going to work together more as Fleetwood Mac.

Michele

[pauls90]

Does anyone else just find this whole interview fishy?

When is the last time Stevie has talked this openly and candidly about her dealings with the band. It always seems like PR fluff and and very politically correct answers. Here is seems like she just doesn't give a sh*t and is just saying what she wants. It almost just doesn't seem like her....

Why would she randomly open up this much to this publication?

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by pauls90

Does anyone else just find this whole interview fishy?

When is the last time Stevie has talked this openly and candidly about her dealings with the band. It always seems like PR fluff and and very politically correct answers. Here is seems like she just doesn't give a sh*t and is just saying what she wants. It almost just doesn't seem like her....

Why would she randomly open up this much to this publication?

Being completely unfiltered & combative has pretty much been Stevie's standard operating mode since her Mother passed. She just seems to no longer care if what she says impacts anyone or anything. She's suddenly started talking completely openly about formerly hands off subjects- the termination of her pregnancy with Don Henley, specific affairs with married men (even naming names!), stuff like that. I think her Mother was the last person that kept Stevie in check. And since her passing, Stevie finds no reason to filter her actions any longer.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Yes. Yes I can.


Yeah, how weird that the guys actually wanted to be a band, again.


She's such a martyr.


The VERY thing she offered $5 million to make happen.


We already established she's a martyr. A martyr who gets ridiculous sums of cash to stay at extravagant hotels and play to adoring crowds (though I suspect the real problem is they're adoring someone else, now).


Bless her heart. It's not like there was a hard time line on that album. It could have waited until the Mac was over, but bless her heart for putting that first. That Stevie WILL NOT give in to Lindsey and Christine's peer pressure. Good for her to have that strength.


It was her choice. I still think she wanted an easy contractual obligation record.


Her last two albums tanked. Her solo career is a joke. Fleetwood Mac has Christine back and are selling out arenas. Point being, Stevie's only real career today is with Fleetwood Mac



Retirement as normal people call it.


After Stevie Nicks made it clear she wasn't recording with Fleetwood Mac again if Christine wasn't involved. <<<<-------THIS IS WHERE WE CAN BLAME STEVIE!!!

I almost wonder if she's lashing out against FM because her solo career is effectively over. The last time she toured amphitheaters they were between 1/3 to 1/2 full- hence the opening for Rod Stewart. Each album of hers sells less than half of it's predecessor. Neither of her last 2 albums got any sort of award nominations, either. I believe her solo career has reached a tipping point where it is no longer viable in the scale she is accustomed to. Which undoubtedly frustrates her that she no longer has her solo career to run away to when sh*t gets too real within FM. Her anger is because she's cornered and she knows it. FM is her last shot of prestige, and she's not the main event- especially with Christine's return. She's not going to give up on FM, but she's sure as hell going to try to be the one in control of it. It's the only power card she has left.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I almost wonder if she's lashing out against FM because her solo career is effectively over. The last time she toured amphitheaters they were between 1/3 to 1/2 full- hence the opening for Rod Stewart.

If she does do a short solo tour once FM is on a break, I wonder what that would look like and what venues she would play.

I would like her to hook up with a comparable act and not Rod Stewart. I thought Chris Isaak was a good combo, but I'm not sure how that would do financially if they played more dates together. What she could do is just go the places where they know her shows will sell out. Do 10 STRONG dates, rather than hopping all across the country.

Also do a few corporate gigs, to make a little dough. And do a few nights in Vegas if one of the big casinos has an opening. It's not what her fans would want, but I think it's what she could still do that would be profitable for her on a solo basis.

She has Sharon and Lori on tour with FM with her, but I wonder about Waddy and how the extended unemployment is impacting him.

Michele

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by pauls90

Does anyone else just find this whole interview fishy?

When is the last time Stevie has talked this openly and candidly about her dealings with the band. It always seems like PR fluff and and very politically correct answers. Here is seems like she just doesn't give a sh*t and is just saying what she wants. It almost just doesn't seem like her....

Why would she randomly open up this much to this publication?

oh, she's become a lot more direct in recent interviews about what she wants and doesn't want. Anyone remember "no one has the balls to tell me what to do?"

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by gssmith

You made a few decent points until you said her solo career was a joke. Now your a joke. Her last two albums actually did well compared to other classic rock artist. 24 KG had almost no publicity too. The only reason the band had been going since 1997 is because of Stevie. I'm sure they can carry on with out her on a smaller scale now that Chris is back

Keep telling yourself that.

[BigAl84]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I almost wonder if she's lashing out against FM because her solo career is effectively over. The last time she toured amphitheaters they were between 1/3 to 1/2 full- hence the opening for Rod Stewart. Each album of hers sells less than half of it's predecessor. Neither of her last 2 albums got any sort of award nominations, either. I believe her solo career has reached a tipping point where it is no longer viable in the scale she is accustomed to. Which undoubtedly frustrates her that she no longer has her solo career to run away to when sh*t gets too real within FM. Her anger is because she's cornered and she knows it. FM is her last shot of prestige, and she's not the main event- especially with Christine's return. She's not going to give up on FM, but she's sure as hell going to try to be the one in control of it. It's the only power card she has left.

Agh! Yes, so swell said. I almost said in my post the other day...It's almost as if she knows they are into their final years and the big decision will be, does she spend more of it with Fleetwood Mac or Solo. She knows if she splits for a few years for solo work, by the time FM gets back together they will all be 75 years old and at that point there will be definite limitations to touring etc. She doesn't have time to do her usual 2 years with fleetwood mac, followed by maybe a year off and then 2 years spent on solo things. They don't have the actual years to spend as buffer between each other anymore. There may be resentment in feeling like she has to choose what that last act may be and who it's with.