New Interview - MOJO, May 26th 2015

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

I do think he *was* a douche to work with for many years... not just Stevie has said so but also Mick and Chris. Mick and his cowriter used the word "martinet" in his first book which is just a fancier way of saying dictatorial douche.

Mick was talking about Tango there and said that Lindsey was super nice to Stevie when they were recording TITN because he was making an effort given her state, but Mick said he treated the rest of them like marionettes.

Michele

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Mick was talking about Tango there and said that Lindsey was super nice to Stevie when they were recording TITN because he was making an effort given her state, but Mick said he treated the rest of them like marionettes.

Michele

Thank god for Lindsey. Talent, Vision, Discipline. They are lucky to have him.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Mick was talking about Tango there and said that Lindsey was super nice to Stevie when they were recording TITN because he was making an effort given her state, but Mick said he treated the rest of them like marionettes.

Michele

Yes I remember him saying LB was trying to go easier on Stevie during that time. I don't remember the marionette part, but will trust your memory on that one.

I'd have to dig out my copy of his first book (and it's too late and I'm too tired!) but he did also say somewhere in there that in the studio Lindsey could be a martinet. Merriam Webster defines martinet as "a person who is very strict and demands obedience from others". I remember it because I thought it was a much cleverer way of saying yeah he could be a real a-hole. I don't recall now if he was talking about the making of one particular album or just generally speaking. I was always curious whether that was Mick's word or the result of his cowriter thumbing through a thesaurus.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

I'd have to dig out my copy of his first book (and it's too late and I'm too tired!) but he did also say somewhere in there that in the studio Lindsey could be a martinet. Merriam Webster defines martinet as "a person who is very strict and demands obedience from others". I remember it because I thought it was a much cleverer way of saying yeah he could be a real a-hole. I don't recall now if he was talking about the making of one particular album or just generally speaking. I was always curious whether that was Mick's word or the result of his cowriter thumbing through a thesaurus.

Ok, I found the part you were talking about.

Stevie finally showed up in January 1987; we'd been working six months, and it was the only time the whole band was in the studio together.
We had been sending copies of our working tapes to Stevie's home in Arizona. On her part, she was dreading that Lindsey, in his producing
capacity, would be sarcastic toward her, but he made an effort not to be as much of a martinet as he was with the rest of us. He was under
some strain with this project, and lost his patience occasionally, but with Stevie we wanted him to be more objective and professional. He
tried to make her feel great in the studio, and they got on well. (The love-hate saga between those two will never end.)

Michele

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Ok, I found the part you were talking about.




Michele

It seems like it's hate/hate.. nowadays.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

It seems like it's hate/hate.. nowadays.

Yes, Lindsey said, "It used to be bittersweet, now it's just sweet."

Fastforward 12 years later: "It used to be bittersweet, now it's just bitter."

Michele

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Yes, Lindsey said, "It used to be bittersweet, now it's just sweet."

Fastforward 12 years later: "It used to be bittersweet, now it's just bitter."

Michele

When did he say, "just bitter"? The inflection of Christine's voice during the UK interview when talking about LB/SN was her normal sarcastic laugh.

"Not in any other way, these days.. ahahahaha"
Meaning, they have music chemistry, but nothing else.

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

When did he say, "just bitter"? The inflection of Christine's voice during the UK interview when talking about LB/SN was her normal sarcastic laugh.

"Not in any other way, these days.. ahahahaha"
Meaning, they have music chemistry, but nothing else.

I think Michelle was joking.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Ok, I found the part you were talking about.




Michele

Thanks for posting Michelle. I like the Tango drama (according to the same book you quoted from) near the end of recording when Stevie realizes she is not on the album that much. According to Mick she threatened to go to Rolling Stone and tell them she had nothing to do with the album. Stevie went after Christine and complained that she should be singing back up on Everywhere. According to Mick, Christine had a few glasses of wine in her and countered back at Stevie that she wanted her to sing back up but she was never there. HA HA. I just thought that was too funny. I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Thanks for posting Michelle. I like the Tango drama (according to the same book you quoted from) near the end of recording when Stevie realizes she is not on the album that much. According to Mick she threatened to go to Rolling Stone and tell them she had nothing to do with the album. Stevie went after Christine and complained that she should be singing back up on Everywhere. According to Mick, Christine had a few glasses of wine in her and countered back at Stevie that she wanted her to sing back up but she was never there. HA HA. I just thought that was too funny. I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that

I remember this account. Mick was pretty diplomatic about that anecdote. You don't mess with Christine when Christine is working hard and buzzy.

I remember him saying Stevie did a curtsy to Christine. Smart move. You can be a queen; but, you're not 'the Queen'.

[bombaysaffires]

It also speaks volumes about Stevie's media savvy and how she will use her high profile in the media and with the public to manipulate things within the band. In this anecdote she threatens to badmouth the album in the press as a means to try and get her way; on SYW she threatens not to tour more than the original plan of 40 dates and screw Lindsey out of the income to compensate for the album to get her way on sequencing/number of songs; god knows how many more instances we don't know about. She's clearly holding them up now, quite possibly with some sort of threat about what she'll say about a new album (her complete silence about the work Chris and Lindsey have done so far-- a tactic so she can threaten to badmouth it in the press if she doesn't get something or other she wants?). She demands the Presidential suite wherever she stays "because I deserve it"....etc etc etc

Look I get that she's old, she's a legend, and at some point in your career you graduate to not having to deal with some of the grubbier aspects of touring (jet not a bus, nice suite, whatever...Chris even finally said the one thing she did this time was NOT do all her own packing/unpacking day in and day out). That's fine, those are creature comforts and less stress kinds of things. But the rest smacks of petulance and ego and total diva behavior.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

It also speaks volumes about Stevie's media savvy and how she will use her high profile in the media and with the public to manipulate things within the band. In this anecdote she threatens to badmouth the album in the press as a means to try and get her way; on SYW she threatens not to tour more than the original plan of 40 dates and screw Lindsey out of the income to compensate for the album to get her way on sequencing/number of songs; god knows how many more instances we don't know about. She's clearly holding them up now, quite possibly with some sort of threat about what she'll say about a new album (her complete silence about the work Chris and Lindsey have done so far-- a tactic so she can threaten to badmouth it in the press if she doesn't get something or other she wants?). She demands the Presidential suite wherever she stays "because I deserve it"....etc etc etc

Look I get that she's old, she's a legend, and at some point in your career you graduate to not having to deal with some of the grubbier aspects of touring (jet not a bus, nice suite, whatever...Chris even finally said the one thing she did this time was NOT do all her own packing/unpacking day in and day out). That's fine, those are creature comforts and less stress kinds of things. But the rest smacks of petulance and ego and total diva behavior.

I had a side conversation with Ken after the book signing. I asked him what it was like producing Mirage. He said.. (paraphrasing) "It was worse than Rumours. One member, (and I won't say who), would constantly threaten to leave if 'she' didn't get her way"

I asked, "Christine acted like that?" and he laughed at my sarcasm...

*Note at this time Christine was deep in retirement and nobody ever expected her back. He did say that he spoke to her about the book. (over the phone.)

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Ok, I found the part you were talking about.




Michele

yep, that's it!