Chris being ignored/left out

[kick.inside]

I know she's tough and I know she didn't want as much attention (or at least claimed she was okay with it), but it still must have been hard at times to have Stevie showered with gifts while she stood there watching and not getting much acknowledgment from fans. Like maybe sometimes she felt inferior or something, or that she didn't even matter because Stevie was all they cared about. Even if they were just fleeting thoughts, it seems natural that she'd feel that way at some point.
That's why, like I said in my initial post, if I'd had the chance to see her, I would have brought her something. I love Stevie but my heart definitely belongs to Chris. I think it would be nice if people had shown her that she was appreciated too. I'm sure she might have gotten the occasional token of appreciation, but obviously not nearly as much as Stevie did.
Oh well. I'll never have the chance now.
I hope she's happy in her retirement too. As much as I'd love to be able to see her touring again, I wouldn't want her to do something that made her unhappy. I wish her all the best.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by kick.inside

I know she's tough and I know she didn't want as much attention (or at least claimed she was okay with it), but it still must have been hard at times to have Stevie showered with gifts while she stood there watching and not getting much acknowledgment from fans. Like maybe sometimes she felt inferior or something, or that she didn't even matter because Stevie was all they cared about. Even if they were just fleeting thoughts, it seems natural that she'd feel that way at some point.

Quite frankly, I don't think Chris was comfortable with fan attention and adulation. Fans are just strangers. We don't know her and she doesn't know us. I don't think she wanted strangers expressing their adoration.

Certainly peers and industry people matter. Did she want record sales? Yes. I'm sure when she got good critical reviews she was happy and of course she both had and welcomed the respect of her bandmates. In a newspaper review went on and on about Stevie and ignored her, maybe that would tend to get under her skin. But as far as fawning fans go . . . I don't think that's her thing.

I remember some of the Japan video footage where they are giving her goodbye gifts. She seems to look and feel quite awkward receiving them, especially with everyone awaiting her response.

I think it's the Mirage video at the end where she pulls a stuffed animal from Stevie. I think she was just doing it to be funny and playful or doing it because Stevie was annoying reaching over her, but I don't think she really cared a fig whether or not a fan gave her a gift. Another musician noticing her? Yes, I'm sure that was flattering to her and she had plenty of that.

Michele

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I think it's the Mirage video at the end where she pulls a stuffed animal from Stevie. I think she was just doing it to be funny and playful or doing it because Stevie was annoying reaching over her, but I don't think she really cared a fig whether or not a fan gave her a gift.
Michele

Wasn't it a bouquet of flowers?

[PenguinHead]

Christine is a very different animal than Stevie. Her constitution is very strong. There is absolutely no reason to feel bad for her. Put into perspective her very English nature, as well as her view of being a musician, in contrast to being a imagine-driven singer. Stevie's role and perspective is very disparate.

And that is the key as to why the band was able to exist with two women; Chris never felt threatenened by Stevie. It wasn't a competition. Nor did she ever felt jealous of the attention Stevie got, In fact, she mostly looked at it with bit of amusement. When you see the films/clips/interviews with the band, it's obvious and evident that Chris doesn't give a **** about all the attention given to Stevie.

I love her for that.

[mezzoforte]

Y'know, it's funny: Christine produced more hits than Stevie or Lindsey (not counting solo careers)--it's not that the music-buying public discounted Christine. But for reasons many and varied, Chris just didn't acquire those legions of rabid fans who wanted to dress like her and throw toys at her and make her an icon. Some of those factors were random, some were beyond anyone's control, and some speak to her general disinterest in being a rock and roll sex kitten. I think Chris mainly just wanted to make great music and drink her champagne; I doubt she cared much about truckloads of stuffed animals.

But on some level, it must have stung to be "the other girl in Fleetwood Mac." And especially, to see Stevie constantly deemed the "hot one." In return, of course, Chris was taken more seriously within the band and by critics, but I don't think any woman is completely, 100% fine with not being the pretty one (for what's it's worth, I've always considered them roughly equal in looks, depending on the period.)

Note: I say this as someone who still has issues about being less charismatic, non-blond sister. I even got highlights and went pseudo-blond, knowing full well that it would look terrible (it did) because jeezum crowe, it's hard to quash childhood issues!

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by mezzoforte

But on some level, it must have stung to be "the other girl in Fleetwood Mac." And especially, to see Stevie constantly deemed the "hot one." In return, of course, Chris was taken more seriously within the band and by critics, but I don't think any woman is completely, 100% fine with not being the pretty one (for what's it's worth, I've always considered them roughly equal in looks, depending on the period.)

Note: I say this as someone who still has issues about being less charismatic, non-blond sister. I even got highlights and went pseudo-blond, knowing full well that it would look terrible (it did) because jeezum crowe, it's hard to quash childhood issues!

Good point, but not being the pretty one to whom? I bet there were a lot of men, who discounted Stevie and, rightly or wrongly, were drawn to Christine because they thought of her as being deeper.

I mean, Stevie fans can swim in her lyrics and find endless layers in them, but talking to her one on one back then . . . she might have seemed kind of ditzy. I think the fans may have been screaming for Stevie on stage, but when they got backstage to their dressing rooms, the men that Christine found most attractive might have found Christine to be "the pretty one" and been back there waiting in line.

Even someone like Tom Petty loves Stevie very much, but he seemed to think she was kind of flaky back then. You have men like Walter Egan who were infatuated with Stevie, just as her fans are. But you have a whole class of people who put her down, even if they did so unjustifiably. I think these are the type who admire Christine. Sexually, I think there are people who find her making it in a traditionally masculine world very appealing. You know how some women like "a man in uniform?" Well, I think Christine coming out there with an accordion strapped around her neck can entice in a similar fashion. It's a whole "girls with guitars" type of turn on.

I mean, I know it's not fun to be the also ran, if you're reading People magazine and see Stevie pictured as being the heart and center of the band. I'm sure that was not fun, but that was just one aspect of the attention they were getting. In the rest of their lives, I don't think there was that much of a disparity. In the parts that we didn't see, I think that Christine was getting plenty of attention, in an amount that pretty much rivaled Stevie's.

Michele

[kick.inside]

Originally Posted by mezzoforte

But on some level, it must have stung to be "the other girl in Fleetwood Mac." And especially, to see Stevie constantly deemed the "hot one." In return, of course, Chris was taken more seriously within the band and by critics, but I don't think any woman is completely, 100% fine with not being the pretty one (for what's it's worth, I've always considered them roughly equal in looks, depending on the period.)

That's what I meant. I know she wasn't jealous of the fame or whatever. I don't think she was jealous of anything. I just think that it seems only natural that she must have felt inadequate or something at some point. Even if she didn't want to be fawned over, it must have felt kind of crappy that no one seemingly wanted to (not nearly as much as they did with Stevie, at least).
Even if she loves Stevie and they're two different types of people, it's inevitable that comparisons would be made, by other people or by Christine herself. I just think Stevie being there and getting all the attention could easily make her feel like she wasn't as good as her in whatever way (looks, music, etc.). No one wants to feel like someone is better than them, and when that someone is getting all the attention, that's how it feels - even if you don't want attention yourself.
I guess it's hard to explain.

Originally Posted by michelej1

Well, I think Christine coming out there with an accordion strapped around her neck can entice in a similar fashion.

I've always thought that Chris with the accordion was extremely sexy in a way. I have no idea why, but I just love it.
That really has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I just thought I'd throw that out there.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by kick.inside

I've always thought that Chris with the accordion was extremely sexy in a way. I have no idea why, but I just love it.

Anita just posted a picture of Christine with the accordion that is quite alluring in the <3 Christine thread. I just get the feeling that's the kind of thing that guys like Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Steve Winwood are drawn by And I think John (long after his divorce) and Lindsey liked it too. Mick is different . . . I never got the vibe that he was attracted to Christine.

As for feeling left out sometimes, maybe Christine did. But I think Stevie did too. I think that Stevie felt inferior to Christine and jealous sometimes. As popular as she was, I think she still looked up to Christine as the big sister who was so accomplished and admired and made it all look so easy. So, it's the kind of thing that evened itself out. I don't think there was a chronic feeling of either one feeling like an "also ran." It went up and down like a seesaw.

Michele

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by kick.inside

I just think that it seems only natural that she must have felt inadequate or something at some point.

Christine never felt inadequate. Contrary to that belief, not everyone wants/needs their ego fed. Her ex, John McVie has a similar sensibility.

As I said before, if you look at interviews she gave during the 1970s, Christine made fun of all the hysteria/attention Stevie was getting. She wanted no part of it, and seemed relieved and very content in not bearing the brunt of public attention. That, itself, is natural for certain types of people.

Christine wanted respect -- not popularity, excessive publicity, and obsessive fandom. That's is what Stevie wanted/needed, and she got it. It was fated in a sense, since Stevie is not tied to an instrument, so her role in the band was more about visual dramatics.